By Andy Baggott
September 3 2003

After 4 games of the season, I thought now would be a good time to assess Leeds boss Peter Reid. Let me start my saying that I was opposed to his appointment, and thought it was a step back - however, he's won me round - and here's why..

I am very impressed with the way Reid has conducted himself, and he seems to be winning round the critics. So what is he doing? Firstly, he’s honest. After all the lies and spin we’ve been told over the last 18 months, PR tells it like it is. Let’s look at his handling of Danny Mills. No spin put on it, he came out and said that Mills wasn’t playing well enough to be in the squad. Although Mills took that as a personal insult, I thought it was said correctly. He didn’t go overboard, and go into too much detail, he simply said that he wasn’t playing well enough – and let’s be brutally honest – he wasn’t. PR didn’t close the door on him though, he said that if Mills got back to playing like we know he can, he’d be back in on merit – Danny didn’t like it, so off he went – and at the saving of nearly £40,000 on the wage bill. A similar story with Vidukes. Reid wasn’t happy with his performance, and let him know. The big man wasn’t happy, threw his toys out of the pram, but has since patched up the differences, and moved on. Reid has quite clearly shown that he doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and is not afraid to tread on a few egos.

So what else? The boss has been heavily criticised by Sunderland fans for his transfer dealings – and with some reason. He bought a lot of flops, and lost money, so he was always going to be under scrutiny. The free signing of Morris was an excellent first purchase. The ex Chelsea midfielder has brought some much needed steel to the team. Due to financial constraints, that was to be the only out and out buy, with all other incoming players picked up on loans, with most having an option to buy. Camara and Sakho have already settled in brilliantly, and are very much a part of the team. Camara looks better and better every week, wiles Sakho could well become a cult figure for the fans. Didier Domi has yet to get going, but anyone who saw him play for Newcastle knows his pedigree. The masterstroke though was Jermaine Pennant, and the winger has already lit up Elland Road with his pace and skill. Reid will have to work overtime to get the Arsenal man, but if he can work out some kind of deal, that would prove to be a fantastic signing. The three recent loan signings look just as promising, especially Olembe and Roque Junior. Olembe is a great talent, and makes the runs from midfield that Bowyer did in his prime. Roque Junior is a World Cup winner, a distinguished defender, and was bought for £12 million only 2 years ago.

The players out has been good too – Okon, Mcphail, Martyn, Mills and Kewell between them commanded a wage of around £150,000 a week. The players brought in are on much less than that, so no transfer fees, and a saving on wages. Of those, Reid only wanted Kewell, as Mills was not performing, Martyn was on high wages, but keeping the bench warm, while Okon and Mcphail were deemed not up to standard.

I’ve been watching PR’s tactics in recent matches, and he shows a willingness to change things if we need to. Whilst losing at Boro for example, he took off Harte, brought on Lennon, and went 3-4-3 – the equaliser came, off came Sakho, on went Radebe, and back to 4-4-2 – it worked, but even if it hadn’t, Reid was prepared to chase a game, something that Venables and to a lesser extent O’Leary didn’t do. Remember the Sheffield Utd defeat in the FA cup, where TV struggled to change things, or O’Learys reluctance to throw on a substitute. Finally, he isn’t afraid to throw on youngsters. Aarron Lennon has forced his way onto the bench, ahead of established players like Harte, Barmby and Mills, and we’ve also seen Fraser Richardson thrown into the fray.

So what now? Results may not go our way, and Reid may at some point be seen as a fall guy, but lets be straight. Can anyone honestly say that with the results, performances and transfers, they are not more positive now than they were at the start of the season. Reid is starting to turn this club around. It is going to be a long hard journey, but I now am convinced, that we’ve got the right man at the helm. What do you think of Reidy? Discuss on the message board….