LEON JEANNE UPDATE

Those of you who follow these updates will know that Leon has been training with Brighton with a view to earning a contract. Unfortunately he has been unsuccessful as he was told today that Brighton have agreed a fee for 2 new players. The manager told him that at 30 years of age he needed to be playing regularly and that he couldnt guarantee he would at Brighton as they are looking for players to make an instant impact. I have stressed that Leon was not 100% match fit, and any club who takes him will need to be patient. In the circumstances Brighton are really going for it in the transfer market and therefore have no need to try and polish up a potential gem as they are signing ready for action players.

Gus Poyet did however pay testament to Leon's ability as a footballer and said that there was no doubt that he could still play professionally. He has offered to speak to Swindon Town on Leon's behalf and has also said he will be happy to give him a reference. Gus also gave Leon some constructive criticism in regard to fitness, and movement, and im sure that Leon will take this on board.

After 8 years out of the professional game, and with him still carrying weight, it was always going to be a huge ask to get a contract at a championship club. However, it has been a great experience as not only has he worked very hard, and dramatically improved his fitness, but he has also proven to himself, and others, that he definitely still has the ability to make a living from the game. At times Leon was electric in training and was really flying past some of their top defenders.

Hopefullty Leon will start pre season training this week with a League Two club where he has a realistic shot at not only earning a contract, but of making an instant impact. Any club that does however take him will need to be patient. If they are then Leon's goal of making a football league come back remain very much intact. He is obviously disapointed as he felt very comfortable playing against championship players but he is also realistic and realises what he needs to work on to get a contract.

Incidentally Leon will now be playing for the Cardiff City Legends team at the Whiteheads Ground, in Tredegar, at 1.00pm tomorrow in order to keep himself sharp.

not being funny jimbo but i saw him play a few weeks ago over in splott to raise money and he didn't to me look like a professional player and at 30 time isn't on his side but give him credit for trying

I,m sure he could cut it in the welsh premier or welsh league .

not being funny jimbo but i saw him play a few weeks ago over in splott to raise money and he didn't to me look like a professional player and at 30 time isn't on his side but give him credit for trying

I,m sure he could cut it in the welsh premier or welsh league .

to be honest mate Leon is only messing around in those games, as he has been for the last 8 years playing semi pro. His heart hasnt been in the game properly as he has been so frustrated and upset at being out of the professional game. I can guarantee that no Welsh League player would have been able to handle the pre season at Brighton. Ive played semi pro at a high level and i would have been shown up in the practice matches as it is so quick.

Ive personally witnessed him fly past championship players over the last two weeks. He 100% has a future in the football league and Gus Poyet and others have also said that this is the case. His fitness still needs work but he is a lot fitter than you would think. The pre season regime is brutal and he turned up every day and completed every session, whilst also improving his times. His skill levels were up there with the best at Brighton and all of the players were very complimentary about him. In 8 weeks time, with a full pre season behind him, i have no doubt that he could be one of the top players in League Two!

jimbo don't knock the welsh premier standard . i think 6 of the sides in the welsh premier could hold there own in league 2 these days

as for Leon what's next ? has he given peter a call down at plymouth or perhaps exeter city to get a trial ? if you think he could still make it

such a waste of talent.
huge gap 8 years of what would of been spent at tottenham or everton quite easily, and he would of been one of tthere best players

the ability of aaron lennon, the mind of mick jagger

jimbo don't knock the welsh premier standard . i think 6 of the sides in the welsh premier could hold there own in league 2 these days

as for Leon what's next ? has he given peter a call down at plymouth or perhaps exeter city to get a trial ? if you think he could still make it

Not a chance. Welsh Premier teams would get slaughtered in the conference
so they'd be wasted at an even higher standard

jimbo don't knock the welsh premier standard . i think 6 of the sides in the welsh premier could hold there own in league 2 these days

as for Leon what's next ? has he given peter a call down at plymouth or perhaps exeter city to get a trial ? if you think he could still make it

im sorry mate but there is no way any team in the welsh prem would hold their own in league two. Neath are the top team and they wouldnt even get close. Ive played with these boys and i know there is a big difference between the two levels, i would get murdered in League Two but can hold my own against Welsh prem boys.

As for Leon there has actually been contact with Peter Risdale so we will see what happens there but at this moment in time Swindon and Bristol are his preferred destination and there has been contact made with both clubs. We will see what happens this week as Leon desperately wants to get back into training so he keeps on top of his fitness.

as an aside to all this I spent sometime with Will Buckley at Brighton's hotel. Will of course played for Malky Mackay last season. He was very complomentary about Mackay and said he is obsessed with doing possession drills and that everything involves a ball, even the warm ups. He also said he will not stand for any nonesense and is always on top of the players. I got the feeling that if he had not already signed for Brighton he would have enjoyed linking up with Mackay with us!

where's he living these days ?

can he train with a local welsh league club side until he goes for another trial for instance ?

as for the standard of the welsh premier we'll have to disagree the same with taffy apple . by the way i think bangor and TNS are the best sides in that league not neath

to be honest spending time with Welsh League teams is a complete waste of Leon's time at the moment. I promise you that the standard is nowhere near what he needs and it will only lead to him feeling demotivated and frustrated. Hopefully he can start training with a League Two club sometime this week and can kick on from there. In the meantime he will be hammering Llanrumney playing fields, and the gym, so that he can keep ticking over.

Obviously any view re the standard of the Welsh Prem and League Two is subjective but i personally feel that the Welsh Prem is very very poor and is a long way behind League Two. Dont forget that all of the clubs in League Two are also fully pro which makes a huge difference!

oh so still stalks the streets of llanrumney !

so i might see him out and about when i,m on my next running session . what i meant was perhaps he could train with someone like bridgend street till he can hook up with a pro club that's all . by the way i,ve played at a good level too

i see newport county and wrexham have enterted the welsh cup this season . should be interesting to see how they fare with the welsh premier clubs . well i,m interested anyway

it will be interesting to see what sort of teams Newport and Wrexham put out and whether they are really going for it. Shame Cardiff and Swansea aernt taking part, I used to love the good old days of the Welsh Cup!

I certainly dont doubt youve played at a good level, all comments re the standard of leagues and teams are of course subjective, no one really knows for sure.

i thought tns were just a average parks team, we held them to a 0-0 draw at thier place after 90mins last season

Jim, He must not give up, the lad has talent and he def must not go back to his old ways

Annis, there is little chance of leon going back to his old ways, he really has turned the corner as far as that is concerned. He proved at Brighton that he still has the talent on the ball and at times he was brilliant! He now needs to concentrate on improving his fitness and working on his off the ball work rate! If he can do that he will finally achieve his potential!

Welsh is league is nothing special.

to be honest lower league proffesional footballers are nothing special just get lucky and they train every day,

look at the likes of lee trundle ends up in league of wales and he's not miles ahead of the rest of the team

we have players who gwould give hima run for his money

ccfc cotta let's get 1 thing straight

the welsh premier league is different from the welsh league

who ever wins the welsh league has a chance to get into the welsh premier league

the welsh premier league is years ahead of the welsh league . i think people are getting a bit confused here

the likes of llanelli , neath , port talbot , bangor , TNS are on a much higher level

i know because i've seen them play with my very own eyes

My cousin is better than than jeanne. A drink fulled, coke head
, and he has been dead for 8 years!

the standard is better your right.

but alot of it comes down to time commitment and dedication,
some players are more skillful than others which can make them look emense.

but again the fitness is miles ahead of welsh league
they are serious about their football,

agree as the above post their are alot of coke heads who play and thats why they dont play any higher they love a drink too much on the weekend and a sniff