Doukara was utterly ineffective up front as he attempted to replace the influence of Chris Wood for Leeds United’s trip to Fulham.
Leeds United fans have probably accepted at this point that they are never going to be fully united for or against the opinion-dividing enigma that is Souleymane Doukara.
Many will point to the fact that Leeds’ far superior win record with the Senegalese in the starting XI, his work-rate, commitment and versatility while others will argue that five goals in 25 games is nowhere near enough for a player judged on his attacking output.
In fact, Doukara’s Leeds career looked over at the start of the season and, without an impressive spurt of form in October, Garry Monk may have continued to exclude him from his first-team plans.
Yet, in the eyes of many supporters, one of the manager’s few faults this season is attempting to persist with a player who’s hard-running and team-ethic arguably fails to compensate for a galling lack of end-product.
And, unsurprisingly, Doukara was once again singled out for criticism from a number of disappointed keyboard warriors after a tepid performance in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Fulham.
It didn’t help that he was shunted up front to replace the injured Chris Wood, who just a few days earlier became the league’s top scorer. Yet, Monk would surely have expected more than zero shots across 90 minutes.
The 25-year-old may ‘do a job’ on the left hand side of midfield when required, but his anonymous display at Craven Cottage explains exactly why Leeds supporters expressed concern about their failure to sign a backup striker in January.
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