The 'Dirty Leeds' Blog

Premiership Ego Leaves Leeds Pointless

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:40:00 +0000

I honestly can't remember a football match that has angered me more. Stood in disbelief at the realisation that the final 30 minutes would be nothing short of 'pointless', in every sense of the word...

Referee Anthony Taylor obviously left home on Saturday morning (from Manchester, it's worth pointing out) with the bewildered notion that the anticipated 25,000 plus crowd due at Elland Road, had handed over ever-increasing sums of money just to see him... As an amateur referee myself, I was instructed from day one that refereeing a game isn't about being a Hitler-like dictator, punishing everything and everyone that deviates from my perception of the law, but more about managing the game and it's participants. I've no idea where Mr Taylor received his training but that direction was obviously not part of it.

From as early as the eight minute he was dishing out needless cautions; Max Gradel and 'Boro full back McMahon slid into a 50-50 challenge and both reacted angrily to the other's perceived over-zealousness. A scene familiar with anybody who has ever watched a football match before. Instead of attributing it to a product of the atmosphere or heightened adrenaline, he set the ball rolling on the worst refereeing performance I have ever had the displeasure to witness.

Gradel was dismissed before the half hour for a misjudged tackle, again on McMahon. The tackle itself was possibly worth the caution that Taylor couldn't brandish quick enough, but it was more mistimed than malicious and few would have complained if he had administered a 'last warning' and moved on as most referees would have done. Unfortunately Anthony Taylor is not 'most referees'. If that wasn't bad enough, he then predictably evened things up by dismissing McMahon, for what was nothing more than a slight obstruction. Awarding the freekick and then buckling under pressure as the crowd made him aware of the situation. He was roundly booed off the field at half time by both sets of supporters, amidst mild bemusement at his latest clanger.

Unfortunately for Leeds, the worst was yet to come. With the game delicately poised, and presumably not enough spotlight on the referee. Mr Taylor awarded Leeds a free kick on half way, after adjudging that Emnes had take a dive over Jonny Howson's leg. It was difficult to argue with his decision, he was no more than ten yards from the incident and confidently pointed in Leeds' favour, whilst reaching for his yellow card. What happened next is why football referees are amongst the most despised figures in sport... After waiting a minute or so for Emnes to get to his feet, he brandishes the yellow card at Howson, swiftly followed by a third red of a match that had been devoid of a single 'bad' challenge... Meanwhile the crowd look on in disbelief and confusion. Middlesbrough then take their free kick and go on to win a match that was a 'no contest' from that point forward.

It turns out that the referee allowed himself to be over-ruled by the fourth official over Jonny Howson's sending off. A fourth official that was standing a good 40 yards further away from the incident than he was... The crowd were supposed to guess this small detail. It capped a dreadful performance from Taylor, who has now dismissed 5 players in his last 2 trips to LS11. Snodgrass was dismissed for obstruction against Sheffield United last season before The Blades' Jamie Ward received his marching orders for 'almost' fouling Neil Kilkenney.

It seems the 'Premiership Referee' tag turns officials into celebrity-style egomaniacs when they arrive at Football League grounds. It's a cliché but the referee really did cost Leeds United the game on Saturday and with it poured many thousands of hard earned pounds down the drain.

On the face of it, a one-nil reverse to a distinctly average Middlesbrough side is very disappointing. Add to that the fact that we're currently pointless and in the relegation zone, it's nothing short of a disaster!

Having said that, anybody who was in attendance on Saturday would have a hard time making a case for a 'Boro victory before Leeds were reduced to nine men. Such was The Whites' dominance, it wasn't until Gradel was dismissed that the Teesiders managed a shot on target. Even with ten men United looked the more likely to break the deadlock. Indeed, it wasn't until Howson departed proceedings that Leeds lost their foothold in the game and had to resort to a damage limitation exercise.

To their credit, United kept going to the 95th minute and were only one lucky break away from an equaliser. Although it is worth noting that a better team than Middlesbrough would have no doubt put our depleted ranks to the sword and left us on the wrong end of a 'thumping'. As it was, 'Boro struggled to keep possession, wasted chances and misplaced countless passes, despite the extra space the two dismissals had afforded them.

In a perverse way, it might be that the team spirit that was so absent against Southampton has just been born, the remaining Leeds players gave everything and curiously defended better with nine men that we have done in the last 18 months with a full quota of players. Andy Lonergan and Adam Clayton being the stand out performances... here's hoping!

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Championship Preview: Everybody wants Shane Long!

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Last week I was asked to answer some questions, and give my opinion on the upcoming season by the editor of a football blog named GEORGE WEAH'S COUSIN. A Southampton supporting blog. I'm not sure if the editor is actually a relative of the former World player of the Year though...

I was glad to oblige. I answered the questions as honestly as I could, although I will admit that yesterday's result and performance has changed my mind slightly.

The editor of the blog has just published my answers, and the answers of supporters from the other 22 Championship clubs. Most believe that West Ham and Leicester will fight it out at the summit and many can't wait to play Leeds (we're not famous anymore!) However, the most striking result is that Shane Long would be the the ideal signing for the majority of the participants, myself included.

Feel free to comment on the blog and disagree with myself and the other team's fans in all 3 parts at;

http://georgeweahscousin.com/2011/08/01/championship-preview-part-3/

The Hull fan's view of Elland Road is classic!

Football’s Coming Home…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:58:00 +0000

When Baddiel, Skinner and The Lightening seeds sat down to record their now iconic anthem, I’m sure they had much grander spectacles in mind than a non-competitive, Rochdale versus Leeds United fixture on a wet Tuesday night in mid July…

Whatever they had in mind, their track captured the imagination and propelled the National team to their last decent tournament campaign, and whilst tomorrow night is a far more modest occasion, the lyrics still ring true with one member of The White Army.

Growing up in Rochdale supporting Leeds United is not the easiest route for a child to take, totally surrounded by the red and blue of the regions most accomplished teams, it wasn’t until I was 10 that I saw a Leeds shirt in public away from Elland Road, on a weekend camping trip to Harrogate. Teased at School to the point that I feigned illness after Leeds collapsed at home to Manchester United in the League Cup circa 1991, only to be told by my mother that “It’s only a game…”. When, later that season Leeds beat Manchester United to the First Division title to become Champions of England, my smugness was short lived as I quickly realised that there was still far more of them than me…

Against the back drop of would be Scum fans, already fluent in the garbage that is synonymous with every idiot who “can’t get tickets”, I stood their in the minority, sporting my Leeds kit at every opportunity. It wasn’t long after this that I realised that their was another minority amongst the now Sky Sports fuelled, Old Trafford propaganda machine… Rochdale fans! Despite the many Premiership clubs in the North West (Oldham included at this point) there was still some people loyal to their home town club, a club for whom success was just something that happened to other teams, yet here they where – DALE ‘TIL I DIE.

It was from this that my affinity with Rochdale was born (and the free tickets the school used to hand out). I’d watch ‘The Dale’ from the Sandy Lane End whilst struggling to get overly excited or emotional about proceedings. Looking around I longed for the day that I could be in the away end and show Spotland a real atmosphere. Countless years and cup draws have gone by and a fixture at Spotland has remained elusive. The closest we got was the weekend of the play-off disaster at Wembley against Doncaster, I stayed the night in London to watch Rochdale the day after. Had ‘Dale’ managed a win against Stockport that day, then Rochdale versus Leeds United would have been a league fixture – unthinkable at the point that this story began.

So here we are; Rochdale versus Leeds United, albeit a pre-season friendly. We may not get the atmosphere that I had hoped for all those years ago but United took nearly 800 fans to Falkirk last Tuesday evening and just shy of 2,000 to Motherwell over the weekend so 30 miles or so isn’t that far.

A Leeds defeat, even at this level of competition would be difficult to live down so let’s hope we perform… either way Football is indeed, coming home (For me at least…)

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Dirty Leeds Verdict – Bradley Johnson

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:40:00 +0000

As Leeds/Bradford’s Air Traffic Control Officer’s breathed a collective sigh of relief last week, at the news that Bradley Johnson has rejected the club’s latest offer of a contract extension, it seems The White Army’s opinion is a little more split.

Whilst browsing Twitter over the last 10 days or so you’d think Lord Mawhinney had deducted Leeds some more points, such was the outcry after Bradley “One average game in Ten” Johnson decided he wasn’t accepting the club’s offer of a new deal.

Now immediately fans will point to our infamously tight-fisted owner as to the reason that Leeds don’t compete enough financially to keep one of our young players, but presumably the club wouldn’t break the wage structure for him. Bradley played a leading role last season (I would argue more out of necessity as opposed to his performances meriting) so it’s a safe bet that Simon Grayson regards him as a first team player. Therefore, the club can’t possibly have offered him a reserve team wage or the wage of a fringe player working his way up the ladder. One can only assume that Bradley wanted to be one of the top earners (if not the top earner) at the club.

For those that complain about our lack of spending, please feel free to justify how a player who has seldom done anything on a football pitch that I’d feel was beyond me, can command a wage higher than that of Becchio, Gradel, Snodgrass or even Howson….

For what it’s worth, my opinion hasn’t changed since I first wrote on the subject back in November;

Leeds held to ransom by most deluded ‘star’ in club’s history.

Lets approach one of the craziest stories released by Leeds United’s press officer in recent memory; MIDFIELDER TRANSFER LISTED appeared on NewsNow this afternoon, the initial fear of what, or whom the article could be referring to quickly subsided upon clicking the headline. Thankfully, Robert Snodgrass, Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny are all staying put and even Andy Hughes will remain at Elland Road… I can hear you thinking, “well who else is there!?!”

It turns out Bradley Johnson has rejected the club’s final offer of a 3 year contract.

Firstly, I’d have to question Simon Grayson’s thinking in offering Johnson another contract, never mind a 3 year deal! For me, Bradley Johnson will always epitomise the ‘average’ players that have passed through the door at Thorp Arch since our decline to League One. He is by far the most infuriating player I have ever seen play, he obviously has some talent but it is totally undermined by his lack of vision, awareness and terrible decision making. I was hoping he would leave in the Summer on a free, so any sort of transfer fee would be a bonus!

Quite what goes through the head of some players is a mystery. Perhaps his agent has pointed to the amount of games he has started this season and that his wage should reflect that of an important first team member… he has obviously forgotten the game at Boundary Park a couple of years ago when Bradley turned in the worst performance of any professional footballer I have witnessed. Can anybody think of anything Johnson has done this season that would look out of place in an amateur game at your local park? Even his decent finish and steady game against Hull was undone by a comical own goal due to lack of concentration.

Out of the whole squad, I can’t think of a player who I would be less upset or concerned about leaving.

I’m sure he’ll find his rightful place back in League One again before long…

It has now come to light that Mr Johnson is off to Norwich City to play Premiership football next season (no, seriously). Presumably Paul Lambert saw his goal against Arsenal and the expiry date on his contract and took a gamble. For any Canaries reading this, you are getting a player who is very athletic but with zero pace, has good aerial ability and rarely gets injured but all that is totally undermined by a lack of vision and composure…

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That familiar sinking feeling…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:53:00 +0000

This week marks the 99th anniversary of R.M.S. Titanic’s maiden Trans-Atlantic voyage. It’s a familiar story, the grandest feat of human engineering laid to rest at the bottom of the ocean, due in most part to over confidence and complacency. “Titanic was unsinkable” or so the designers and engineers believed, not because they were intellectually inferior to modern day engineers, but because they believed that they had solved the problem of losing vessels to icebergs by constructing water-tight compartments below the water line, at the front of the ship. Thus, any breach of the hull could be contained and crucially keep the ship afloat.

As it turns out, the engineers and designers had made the crucial error of only constructing the water tight sections in the front third of the liner, any glancing collision down the side would prove fatal… Other reported design errors with Titanic were that the ship was too large and too powerful, with too small a rudder and that the steel used on the hull of the ship was brittle and poorly manufactured. Not to mention a crew that were ill prepared and a Captain who’s mind was set on his retirement once the ship docked (Well done to those that already have Ken Bates in mind).

At this point you may be thinking why a Leeds United blog is describing the short comings of a century-old ocean liner, let me explain;

Having wasted an entire evening (and early morning) watching Leeds United at Pride Park yesterday, I’m struggling to grasp what the thinking was behind the majority of decisions that resulted in The Whites squandering a lead and almost a Play-off place in the space of 4 minutes.

Surely when you take the lead in a very tight away fixture against a team fighting for their lives, the obvious thing to do is steady the ship and consolidate your position for the next 10 or 15 minutes, ensure people are doing their jobs and not allow any situations to spiral out of control…

Unfortunately, the current Leeds squad has no leader, nobody to take charge, and nobody to make sure the aforementioned plans are put into action. This isn’t a slight on our current captain. Jonny Howson has performed above all expectations this season but you’re either a leader of men or you’re not; Jonny is not! A Roy Keane type figure wouldn’t have allowed last night’s debacle to unfold, Jake Livermore would have been strangled near to death for continually conceding possession long before he passed to a Derby man on the edge of his own area and gifted them the equaliser. Bradley Johnson would have been told in no uncertain terms that blazing the ball, first time from 18 yards into the visiting support, isn’t the required action when you’ve got space, time and players in support whilst chasing a game in injury time. Similarly Paul Connolly would have received a mouthful for shirking his responsibility to cross the ball in the 96th minute, instead he chose to pass to Max Gradel who was surrounded by two Derby players. Come to think of it, the serial clown that is Robbie Savage would probably have had something to say about most of those ridiculous situations. As it is, similar to R.M.S. Titanic, Leeds are without a capable crew and without a sufficient rudder.

Statistically we have the most potent strike force in the division, an embarrassment of riches at this level and without doubt some of the best individuals the NPower Championship has to offer. Yet, all that grandeur and façade is undermined by a brittle and incapable defensive line, a soft underbelly, and like Titanic a poorly constructed foundation that all the splendour and awe-inspiring riches are built upon. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out such a basic equation… Simon Grayson has plugged leaking holes, bailed out unwanted bilge and waded through the treacherous water of the loan market for over 2 years now, but has never got around to building the water-tight bulkheads above E-Deck, if you will. Every Leeds fan (and opposition manager) knows we have a dreadful back line, yet we loan a further two young midfielders and send an experienced International out to fight a relegation battle elsewhere… a crazy decision. Almost as crazy as finding yourself a goal down, 4 minutes after taking the lead and then respond by substituting your top goalscorer, and main aerial threat, before launching long, high passes at his replacement. You can’t blame Davide Somma, an aerial battle with 2 huge centre halves isn’t his game and why Grayson resorted to Andy O’Brien as makeshift targetman, meanwhile Becchio soaked his feet on the bench.

Fortunately Leeds have a little longer to stem the tide than those poor souls in 1912. However, without addressing the serious issues that have plagued us all season, and most of last, it’s likely to all end in disaster…

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Petition to hand Lucas the 'Key to Leeds’

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:41:00 +0000

Amidst all the fall-out, sour grapes and verbal mud-slinging that followed last week’s victory over Nottingham Forest, I stumbled across this very nice idea to honour our former captain.

Loadsof Leeds.com has drawn up a petition to make Lucas Radebe a ‘freeman’ of the city of Leeds.

I’m sure every Leeds United fan would welcome ‘The Chief’ as a Freeman of Leeds so please sign the petition by following the link below;

SIGN THE PETITION

Leeds, Forest, Danny Mills, Small man syndrome and the BBC

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:00 +0000

With the prolonged lack of activity on this blog you might think I’d have more to write about but following the inexplicable fall out from the weekend’s game against Forest I have more than enough issues to forward my opinion on…

Firstly lets start with Leeds United; Having had two whole weeks to ponder the disastrous performance at Bramall Lane most would be forgiven for thinking that the same United eleven would have started this game with something to prove and set about a team who are evidently low on confidence from the first whistle. However, as is common with the current Leeds squad, they ease themselves into a match and only start to play when the situation dictates that they have no other alternative, conceding the opening goal usually does the trick!

On Saturday though it wasn’t until the second half that Leeds worked out that playing against 10 men is usually an indication to spread the play and utilise our excellent wingers, presumably Simon Grayson pointed this master tactic out at half time, as prior to this Leigh Bromby and Andy O’Brien were seemingly partaking in their own school yard competition of who can kick the ball the furthest!

After this revelation, there was only ever going to be one winner. Most seemed convinced that the 4-1 scoreline flattered Leeds but had Max Gradel located his shooting boots 30 minutes earlier then it could have been six or seven…

Forest for their part played some decent stuff but I commented during the game that if Leeds got one then The Reds would likely implode. Having had the majority of the opening play they were dictating the game, without really impressing. Although only Leigh Bromby’s shins prevented them from taking the lead and that little intervention resulted in the game’s biggest talking point – Max Gradel cleared the loose ball down the line to George McCartney, as the ball bounced in front of the Leeds man Chris Cohen launched himself into a heavy challenge, taking the ball but sending McCartney sprawling. The challenge sparked uproar on the home bench and in the stands, indeed even the opposing members of staff were involved in an altercation on the touchline.

Television replays show that Cohen took the ball and that both players went into the challenge ‘committed’. The rights and wrongs of the decision will roll on and on (well ‘til Thursday at least). As a fellow referee, I can certainly see why Halsey sent Cohen off, in real time, from all angles, other than that from behind the Forest man it looks like a shocking challenge. Unfortunately neither official or Simon Grayson had the luxury of that ‘perfect’ angle. From my view point, granted 70 yards away in The Revie Stand it looked horrendous. One thing I would say is that if you throw yourself into a challenge at that velocity and with your whole body off the floor then you leave yourself open to the interpretation of the officials regardless of how ‘clean’ the challenge may have been, for that reason you could say that the dismissal was warranted and I’d be very surprised if it was overturned (Despite Steve Claridge’s excellent case for the defence)

Speaking of Mr Claridge I’m can see why he was in the BBC studio on Saturday, as a regular pundit for The Football League show he obviously watches his fair share of lower league action. On the other hand, his fellow studio guest has clearly watched very little. Danny Mills’ summary of the game was seemingly a catalogue of pot-shots at Leeds United, culminating in the ridiculous statement that “Leeds have been decidedly average for two seasons”. Quite how he comes to this conclusion is a mystery, sure when compared to the exploits of Barcelona or even Manchester United then yes, Leeds have been average, maybe even below average! But to tag a team that has just won promotion from the division that it found itself in and then in the following season be in without a shout of a second promotion (not to mention our goal scoring record – just short of 2 goals/game) is just plain stupidity. Quite what Danny Mills’ problem is, is anybody’s guess. However, he can rest soundly tonight having gotten all that off his chest. He can also be safe in the knowledge that despite their average performances, the current Leeds squad have achieved far more in the white shirt than Mr Mills ever did…

Whilst on the subject of hateful little Ba****ds, that brings me on nicely to the subject of Billy Davies. If any psychologist doubted the reality of ‘Small man syndrome’ they need only spend a few hours with this little c**t. Three games against this man’s teams have ended in unparalleled fall-out. His now legendary ‘Job Done” claim whilst manager of Preston resulted in petty, futile claims of vandalism directed at the Leeds staff and fans following his sides defeat in the Play-off semi-final. After the return fixture at The City Ground earlier this season he claimed Leeds were overly-physical and cynical, yet declined to comment on Chris Gunter’s blatant stamp on Sanchez Watt. His post match interview on Saturday intimated that Simon Grayson was responsible for getting Chris Cohen sent off… nothing to do with his teams cynical, petulant approach to a match that they were in control of for the opening half hour. You’d think he learn his lesson, From pissing about on the sidelines trying to provoke the Elland Road crowd just prior to his team losing a man and with it, all hope of three points, to subliminal attacks on fellow professionals. In his head he must imagine that the whole world is laughing at him, persecuting him for his own feelings of inadequacy as is common with small man syndrome.

At the beginning of February, Forest were everybody’s favourites for promotion, after 1 defeat in 10 games they were the proverbial dark horse and were seemingly going to sail to promotion. Unfortunately Billy mistook the plaudits of the football world as an attack on his small demeanour so he opened his mouth again… Davies claimed that his team weren’t ready for automatic promotion just yet… Forest have won just one of their 12 matches since… we are indeed all laughing at you Billy.

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Good luck Hughesy…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:24:00 +0000

Very few words are needed for Andy Hughes, I think these two pictures say it all about the passion ‘Hughesy’ had for football and Leeds United in particular.

Good luck, hope you come back to Elland Road sometime so we can show our appreciation… (You have to get on Twitter now…)

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Arsenal replay will help Leeds achieve ultimate goal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 12:04:00 +0000

After winning at Old Trafford last year, many Leeds fans could be excused for being on top of the world. 4 months later, and that world nearly came crashing down, as a woeful run of form saw a seemingly formidable League 1 lead thrown away, with promotion having to be gained on the last day of the season.

12 months on, and the Mighty Whites are at it again in the FA Cup. Only seconds away from another shock victory at one of the 'Big Four', Leeds had to settle for a replay. Robert Snodgrass sent 9,000 travelling fans mad as he put away a 55th minute penalty.

Robert Snodgrass puts Leeds 1-0 up at the Emirates Stadium.

Relentless pressure from Arsenal eventually caught up with Leeds, and saw them concede a dubious penalty just as injury time commenced. Fabregas duly dispatched his spot-kick, and a replay at Elland Road tomorrow beckons.

A 1-1 draw with Wycombe a week after beating the scum 1-0 started a horrible run of just 3 wins in 12 league games, but unlike last year, Leeds managed to put 3 more points on the board after their 3rd round outing. A 4-0 win on Saturday against lowly Scunthorpe kept Leeds well in the hunt for an automatic promotion spot.

Davide Somma slots home Leeds' fourth against Scunthorpe.

Grayson and his backroom staff will have learnt from last year's experience, as well as the players who were part of the promotion-winning squad.

A repeat sequence would be a disaster, given how well the squad has adapted to life in the Championship, but under a more experienced Grayson & co, Leeds United's ultimate aim of promotion to the Premiership can only get stronger.

Leeds United players & Twitter; How close is too close?!?

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 13:55:00 +0000

Having been writing on this site now for almost a year it has become apparent that there is a large Leeds United community out there on the World Wide Web. Regular ‘surfers’ (what happened to that term?!?) will be familiar with the likes of The Scratching Shed & ClarkeOneNil as the most frequent posters of supporter opinion on all things Leeds United. I’m sure the people who write on those respective sites have inspired the several other Leeds United blogs to spring up and join the growing online presence of Leeds United. (Several of these sights can be found in our links section)

These blogs make for interesting reading, a welcome alternative to the predictable, regurgitated headlines that arise on the National and International news websites. It goes without saying that individual opinion is very much at the forefront of every post and usually the product of a rollercoaster of emotion that seems almost inevitable with The Whites recently, and herein lies the problem…

We are very fortunate to reside in a state in which freedom of speech is regarded as a given right, and the advent of amateur journalism that ‘blogging’ encourages is testament to that stance. However, following our recent match against Portsmouth in which Andy O’Brien was bizarrely credited with two own goals, the second following an almost comical mix-up with Kasper Schmeichel that cost us two valuable points could easily have made for a very difficult situation…

Having been in attendance at the Pompey match, and endured the mixture of emotions that throwing away a two goal lead for the second time in three days would bring, I could easily have leapt onto this site and vented my anger at another capitulation. In theory I could have wrote a post from within the stadium on my phone, with emotions red raw. It would have been very easy to lambast Messrs O’Brien and Schmeichel and if I had felt it necessary, wrote exactly what I thought of them… after all, that's the beauty of the blogging medium.

As it happened, I felt nothing negative towards the two lads, aside from the fact I would have been a lot happier had they not combined to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory, but that’s football.

But what if I had attacked them? Several professional footballers have angered me sufficiently over the last 12 months to prompt a post. Harry Kewell being the one that immediately springs to mind. As many of you will be aware, the posts on this site, and most blogs are automatically transmitted through the various social networks. One of those networks being Twitter, the real time news site that has become the online home of celebrities and journalists. It won’t surprise you to learn that there are a few current Leeds United first team players on Twitter, namely; Sanchez Watt, Lloyd Sam, Andy O’Brien and Kasper Schmeichel.

Had I, or any other of the football related blogs decided that the draw with Portsmouth was the direct responsibility of Mr O’Brien and Mr Schmeichel, chances are the players would read exactly what had been written. And while they are professional footballers and are used to dealing with criticism from the national press, it’s a whole different story when a blogger has free rein to say what he or she likes, free from the libellous checking pen of an editor. While I follow the tweets of the players myself and enjoyed Kasper Schmeichel’s video tweet of his and Alex Bruce’s coach trip to Reading (found here), I did find myself changing my mind over countering an Arsenal fan’s claim that Sanchez Watt ran the show at The Emirates and it was only he that kept us in the game… Whilst I didn’t agree with the comment, and probably even Sanchez Watt himself would agree that he struggled to affect the game as much as he’d have liked – I didn’t want him to read what I thought, a comment that would have inevitably have been ‘retweeted’ around the ‘Twitter Whites’ back to Sanchez, who as a young player needs all the confidence he can get.

So where do we go from here? I’m not naive enough to think that footballers never ventured online until the emergence of Twitter but now comments and supporter opinion are almost emailed to them. Ryan Babble discovered last week how the power of Twitter can land you in hot water when he posted an edited image of Howard Webb sporting a Manchester United shirt. If I remember correctly, Leeds United’s largest supporter forum, WACCOE was taken offline a few months ago to address a libellous comment from one of it’s members. How long will it be before a blog receives a formal letter from a solicitor??

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For those interested in following the Leeds players, you can find them here;

@kpschmeichel1 @lloyd_sam @sanchezwatt @AndyOBriens

Proud to be (Dirty) Leeds!

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:35:00 +0000

Another New Year, and another performance to be proud of... this time Arsene Wenger's Arsenal were seconds from being dumped out of the F.A. Cup at the hands of The Mighty Whites.

Only a Francesc Fabregas penalty, seconds before the 90th minute mark spared The Gunners from a similar fate to that of our dear friends from over the hill just 12 months ago...

Watching on a large screen in a nearby pub, with an Arsenal fan in attendance was difficult to take, especially when ITV's cameraman panned over the 8,500 members of The White Army that had descended on North London. Having decided against the trip to The Emirates for several reasons; I could only look on in envy as our support embarrassed the muted home sections.

I'm sure the disappointment of the late setback was raw for those within the stadium, but 200 miles North, in a sleepy public house, with just a handful of people staring intently at an oversized screen, I was barely moved; I had already seen enough to be rightly proud of my team. Gone are the days when Leeds United evoke sneers and ridicule, gone are the days when poor results are laid at the feet of Publicity Pete... Simon Grayson (and whisper it... Ken Bates) have transformed Leeds United back into a force to be reckoned with, a far cry from the shivering wreck of a club that fell into League One in 2007.

For me, the late equaliser was almost welcome, an excuse to introduce the snood wearing, prima-donnas of The Premiership's top four to a 'real' football atmosphere - a 'winner takes all' night match at Elland Road!

Don't get me wrong, I'd rather we'd have held on, if just for all the pundits to purr over 'The magic of The F.A. Cup' and how Leeds United's Premiership return is just a matter of time etc. etc. Although with Newcastle's 'laugh-a-minute' encounter at Stevenage, quite how much coverage we'd have got is debatable...

Upon returning to the car, I reconciled the last minute disaster with the thought that I'd rather have that happen at The Emirates than have had to endure a vomit-inducing last minute equaliser from Potato Head at Old Trafford last year.

It is with that final thought that I invite you all to echo the chant at the final whistle yesterday - "WE'RE LEEDS AND WE'RE PROUD OF IT..."

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Carlsberg don’t do perfect away days…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:04:00 +0000

…But if they did, Leeds United’s trip to Turf Moor on Saturday would be a pretty good blueprint.

Despite what the many Burnley websites and Brian Laws have claimed, Leeds more than matched their host in the opening half hour and had arguably the better chances. The main difference being that Burnley took their opportunities and United didn’t. Max Gradel blasting wide for our most clear cut opening. Burnley’s first 2 shots on target resulted in a 2-0 lead and they threatened to extend that advantage as The Whites struggled to remain in the game going against a side now full of confidence.

I can honestly say though, even at two down I felt that if we got the next goal then we had every chance of getting something from the game, had Max Gradel been a little more composed on several occasions we would probably have been enjoying the advantage at the break but as they say, what will be, will be.

Half time brought about the usual activities that best pass the turgid 15 minutes of boredom. For me, Angry Birds and a conversation with my brother explaining the importance of the next goal, as quite frankly Burnley looked weak at the back and if I’m honest, a little shocked by their two goal advantage.

Quite what the respective managers said at half time will never fully be known but it certainly worked in our favour. With little to lose, the change in tempo from United’s midfield was obvious. In-form Jonny Howson dragged Leeds back into the game and probably for the first time displayed the necessary qualities of a club captain. Seven minutes into the 2nd period and Max Gradel had given Leeds something to fight for; the all-important 3rd goal in a very tight contest. Snodgrass and Connelly combined down the left and Becchio’s intelligent knock down fell kindly for Max, who smashed The Whites back into contention via his shin. Although I was so far back in the dreadful away stand at Turf Moor I thought he had missed it.

Suddenly there was only one team in the game, with United pouring forward and forcing the home side into mistake, after mistake. Becchio had an effort scrambled off the line and Chris Iwelumo should have restored the host’s two goal cushion but his wayward header was in keeping with an all-round dreadful display from the frontman. Wave after wave on United attack eventually produced an equaliser, Jonny Howson combined with Paul Connolly down the right, with a delightful through pass for the full-back to pick Luciano Becchio out at the back post, One of the Argentinean's easier opportunities of the afternoon had Leeds level.

Bradley Johnson could have given Leeds the lead just moments later but sliced an effort wide as United ravaged a shell-shocked Burnley and another swift counter attack via a magnificent cross-field pass by Howson saw Snodgrass curl a near-perfect effort against the crossbar. At this point only one team were in the game but you sensed that the goal needed to come before the home team composed themselves again. Step forward United’s star man – Jonny Howson, finally showing the consistent form he has promised for so long… A Leeds clearance was worked to Jonny by the excellent Snodgrass as he was crossing the half way line , unopposed he strode up to the edge of the ‘D’ and curled a perfect effort into the bottom corner. cue delirium in the away stand!

Credit to the Leeds fans who had stood by their team even at 2-0 down, although as stated before, the reports of Leeds being ‘hammered’ in the first half are greatly exaggerated. Had it been Leeds who were 2 goals up at the break, few inside Turf Moor could have complained and Brian Laws post match comment of “It wasn’t a case of how well they (Leeds) played, it was a case of how bad we played” is frankly laughable.

The White Army were responsible for the next highlights of the afternoon with their own rendition of Burnley’s cringe worthy post-goal music after Howson’s winner (a small clip of it is on our YouTube channel courtesy of STFCVids). Quite why clubs feel fans need help in celebrating goals is beyond me, the most ‘tin-pot’ practice in modern football. As good as that was, and had it been the other way around, would have cut me to the bone. It was bettered by chants of “You should have gone Christmas shopping!” directed at the stunned home support – a true classic!

From that point on, the game opened up and although Leeds had several chances to wrap up the 3 points, they had Kasper Schmeichel to thank for preserving the lead as Burnley fought hard to rescue the situation. As the referee blew for full-time (possibly the only decision in Leeds’ favour that he managed in the entire game) The 5,000 travelling fans reflected on an epic comeback and probably Leeds’ best performance of the season. Simon Grayson again reiterated the need for a level head after the game and I won’t be mentioning the ‘P-Word’, but that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t crossed my mind…

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PROGRESS should be the only ‘P-word’ we’re concerned about

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:09:00 +0000

The final whistle on Saturday not only confirmed another 3 points for The Whites but marked the latest 90 minutes in an impressive seven match unbeaten run, the most productive set of results the club have achieved at this level since 2006. It isn’t just the final scores that have been positive either, the individual performances of Robert Snodgrass, Jonny Howson and Luciano Becchio have arguably been of the highest standard each has achieved in a Leeds shirt.

With everything looking so well, and the club’s current Play-off berth surely above all pre-season expectations it’s easy to get over-excited. Especially when Eddie Gray confidently predicts promotion to The Premiership on Yorkshire Radio after the match on Saturday. If last season taught us anything, it’s that the position you occupy after 46 matches is the only one that matters!

Whilst I appreciate the ‘feel good’ atmosphere around Elland Road at the moment, and the talk of Promotion is a lot better than the dreaded fight for survival that many predicted (myself included, just 6 weeks ago), lets not lose sight of where we’ve come from and get ahead of ourselves.

As we approach the 2nd anniversary of Simon Grayson’s appointment as United boss the difference in Leeds United Football Club, as a whole, is stark to say the least. When Grayson took charge of the squad for the first time on Boxing Day 2008, Leeds languished 9th in League One just below Tranmere Rovers and Stockport County… Our F.A. Cup dream was over before it had even begun having suffered humiliation at non-league Histon, a 3-1 reverse at MK Dons was the final nail in Gary McAllister’s coffin.

Fast forward almost 2 years and the club occupy a Play-off spot in The Championship and have an F.A. Cup tie at Arsenal to look forward to. Not only that but we have a squad of players who appear hungry to bring success to Elland Road. We have individuals whom, whether we like to hear it or not, would command a decent return upon the purchase price should we choose to sell them on. The likes of Becchio, Snodgrass and Howson are likely to command 7 figure sums in the current market and whilst that may be seen as counter-productive, it’s a positive compared to the paltry fees we have received for our better players in recent years.

So whilst promotion would be fantastic and more than welcomed by the thousands of Whites around the globe, let’s just be glad that we’re a club on the up once more…

Note: If anyone found 4 season tickets at Saturday’s game, please get in touch.

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What does Sunday's Cup Draw hold for us?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 23:46:00 +0000

Rewind to 29th November 2009. Eyes glued to TV sets, ears pinned to radio's, fingers rapidly pressing F5 on keyboards. It was the weekend of the 3rd Round Draw for the F.A Cup, to be played the 2nd and 3rd of January 2010. We'd just drawn 1-1 with Kettering away from home, avoiding another 'Histon', yet still not clear of embarrassment. We'd gruelled and grafted in the mud, not being that bad, but it's typical Leeds. Nothing can go your way, regardless of performance. Anyway, a replay at Elland Road beckoned which we'd surely win easily and go on to face whoever we were drawn. Scum, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal would all be nice I told myself. Just not another year of Swindon at home or Brighton away, we prayed. Not another fixture we'd played just 2 weeks ago, please. I sat with my mug of tea on my right, my Sunday Dinner on my left. Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal, all drawn out within the first 15 ties. At this point, it was just a matter of time before Scum were drawn away against Tranmere or similar. Team after team drawn, until there were 6 or 7 teams drawn. Heart beating faster, hope in my head, realisation coming closer. 4 teams left : Leeds United/Kettering, Scum, Accrington Stanley/Barnet, Gillingham. Remember that point about not another league fixture in the cup? Please not Gillingham, I prayed, on the edge of my seat. "Accrington Stanley or Barnet will play..." seconds seemed like hours, like days, shouting at the box, screaming 'GILLINGHAM, PLEASE GILLINGHAM'. God knows what the neighbours thought. Steve Redgrave's hand reached in and it all seemed to happen in slow motion. He grasped the ball and I was about 20 centimetres away from the TV at this point on my knees, hands grasped, eyes fixated. He looked at the ball and slightly chuckled. It couldn't be, surely?

"...Will play Gillingham at home." Screams, celebrations, dances, obscenities were all exchanged within 10 seconds. 15 phones calls recieved in as many minutes, it was as if we'd won the bleeding thing. Plans put in place already, an early birthday present if we did the 'impossible'. Scum. Away. Some say the magic of the FA Cup has gone, pushed aside by Murdoch and co., but moments like that come once in a lifetime. We overcame Kettering quite easily in 15 minutes after 90 minutes of slightly struggling and it kicked in. Scum, afuckingway. And the rest of course, shall be repeated on January the 3rd 2011 in a special anniversary post.

But enough of that. What about January 2nd/3rd 2011? What does it hold for Leeds United? Another Premier League giantkilling tie? Another visit to a Salmonella ridden ground? Another lovely return to the police forces of Carlisle? Oh wait, just mentioned that. After last years heroics, anything is possible. The magic of the FA Cup still shines bright, waiting to come out behind the covers of the dark and dingy corporate values of Football today.

Leeds held to ransom by most deluded ‘star’ in club’s history.

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 16:17:00 +0000

For fear of getting a reputation of only appearing with posts when the team are playing poorly or that something isn’t going right, I feel I should first explain my recent absence;

After berating the performances of Jonny Howson and Robert Snodgrass in my previous articles, I thought it best to keep a low profile after they have both been leading lights of our current up-turn in form. ‘Our Jonny’ even notched a perfect treble at Scunthorpe, and I know it wasn’t an error on the Sky Sports vidiprinter as I was one of the lucky few to see it with my own eyes… So having had my words shoved firmly down my throat and my posts relating to our quest for survival being the best we can hope for made to look ridiculous against our current 5th place standing. I shall apologise to the pair here. Whilst pointing out that the real reason for my absence is that it is a busy time at work and unfortunately this blog gets pushed to the bottom of the ‘to do’ list .

Now, with that out of the way lets approach one of the craziest stories released by Leeds United’s press officer in recent memory; MIDFIELDER TRANSFER LISTED appeared on NewsNow this afternoon, the initial fear of what, or whom the article could be referring to quickly subsided upon clicking the headline. Thankfully, Robert Snodgrass, Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny are all staying put and even Andy Hughes will remain at Elland Road… I can hear you thinking, “well who else is there!?!”

It turns out Bradley Johnson has rejected the club’s final offer of a 3 year contract.

Firstly, I’d have to question Simon Grayson’s thinking in offering Johnson another contract, never mind a 3 year deal! For me, Bradley Johnson will always epitomise the ‘average’ players that have passed through the door at Thorp Arch since our decline to League One. He is by far the most infuriating player I have ever seen play, he obviously has some talent but it is totally undermined by his lack of vision, awareness and terrible decision making. I was hoping he would leave in the Summer on a free, so any sort of transfer fee would be a bonus!

Quite what goes through the head of some players is a mystery. Perhaps his agent has pointed to the amount of games he has started this season and that his wage should reflect that of an important first team member… he has obviously forgotten the game at Boundary Park a couple of years ago when Bradley turned in the worst performance of any professional footballer I have witnessed. Can anybody think of anything Johnson has done this season that would look out of place in an amateur game at your local park? Even his decent finish and steady game against Hull was undone by a comical own goal due to lack of concentration.

Out of the whole squad, I can’t think of a player who I would be less upset or concerned about leaving.

I’m sure he’ll find his rightful place back in League One again before long…

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Leeds still a MASSIVE draw for fans…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:15:00 +0000

Leeds United’s NEWSNOW page is as busy as ever, especially with news of Andy O’Brien’s imminent arrival from Bolton. However, between all the muted excitement there are several stories regarding our upcoming away matches…

Saturday’s opponents, Scunthorpe United have released a statement indicating to fans that only 900 tickets remain for the fixture and they’re in the standing area of the stadium. The article is reminiscent of a concert billboard with dozens of ‘SOLD OUT’ notices across every section of the ground.

Article Here – STANDING ROOM ONLY FOR FANS

Perhaps such a situation is to be expected, just 2 days before the game and in a relatively small arena. Further down the news page Coventry City’s Official Site are promising fans a season best crowd that will smash through last season’s record of 22,209 against local rivals Leicester City. Almost 6,000 United fans are expected to roar The White’s on at The Ricoh Arena on November 6th.

Article Here – LEEDS CLASH SET TO ATTRACT BIG CROWD

Again, a sceptic would indicate that we haven’t played The Sky Blues for 3 seasons, and the fixture is viewed as a novelty by local fans…

Also on the page is an article courtesy of Norwich City’s Official Site, the article reads; BE PART OF A RECORD CROWD!

Apparently Leeds United’s arrival in town has spurred the Canaries into breaking the all-seater record crowd for Carrow Road. The previous best of 25,749 when England U21 beat Romania looks set to be consigned to the annals of history.

If only we had a team to match such euphoric expectation…

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Operation: Survival

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:00:00 +0000

Another midweek game, another thumping. To say Leeds were outclassed last night would be a severe understatement. It’s difficult to stomach, and equally difficult not to demand something be done, be it a change of expectations, a change of personnel or a change of manager. Either way, something MUST change.

My first suggestion is a strange one, but I have to question the attitude of the coaching staff, the players and ultimately the manager with regards to half time. Whilst the majority of the crowd may have been occupied by another dreadful attempt to win £50 by a member of The Revie Stand, I noticed that the Cardiff substitutes were put through a rigorous training session of running and passing with a coach keeping an eye on proceedings. Meanwhile, the Leeds substitutes were in groups of two kicking a ball about, talking and generally just passing the time before they returned to the dugout. A coach was nowhere to be seen. I realise that this is a minor issue and probably has little bearing on our current form but it looked like a Sunday League team against an established, professional outfit. We may not be at our most grandest at the moment but that doesn’t mean we have to abandon all sense of professionalism.

My next suggestion is an obvious one; The players. I could write all day about the shortcomings of our squad but my opinion, although deemed worthy enough to be read by a few hundred people browsing the internet, in the grand scheme of things is going to change very little, so I will get right to the point – More than half the squad are just not good enough. A point highlighted last night when the crowd reacted angrily and ferociously to a few heavy tackles just before half time, the ball fell to Bradley Johnson, who’s response to the heightened atmosphere was to loft the ball to the far corner flag and out for a goal kick, no team-mate was within 30 yards of his pass… I say ‘pass’ in the broadest sense of the word, in actual fact it was a desperate attempt to get rid of the ball for fear of incurring the wrath of the crowd – a trait that has no place at this level. Similarly, when Schmeichel was looking to release the ball early ALL ten outfield players had their back to him, seemingly praying that he wouldn’t choose to pass to them.

He was far from alone though, Robert Snodgrass is rapidly earning the accolade of ‘Most overrated player of a generation’ and the entire back four have struggled all season, regardless of which quartet is chosen. Rule number one of defending is ‘never let the ball bounce’, if you do, disasters similar to that of the opening goal last night happen. It’s easy to blame Schmeichel but he clearly shouted for the ball, only to be dispossessed by Bruce getting in the way… Amateurish.

One passage of play last night underlined the difference in quality between ourselves and Cardiff; Jay Bothroyd picked up a long ball played into the right-hand channel from a central defender, he had barely moved 10 yards across the penalty area, yet the ball was at his feet and he had turned to attack the goal. The pass was weighted just over Neil Collins and between the central defender and full back – A simple pass, yet so effective. We managed to quell that attack and within 30 seconds had punted the ball at Davide Somma’s neck, in the hope of something similar whilst surrounded by 3 Cardiff defenders…

This brings me on nicely to The Manager, I like Simon Grayson and the job he has done at Elland Road is undoubtedly a good one, but should one of the seemingly never ending line of people I know who love poking fun at Leeds United defeats ask me how Leeds set out last night, or indeed against Leicester, I couldn’t answer them. I couldn’t tell them what our game plan was, or what we attempted to do to stifle the unquestionable talent of Craig Bellamy. We appear to just take to the pitch and play off the cuff, whatever happens, happens and we’ll deal with it afterwards…

I hate questioning the manager because it’s his right to test his skills at this level having finally dragged us out of League One but I have to question a few things;

His Signings; For every Kasper Schmeichel and Paddy Kisnorbo there have been several Frede Bessone, Jason Crowe, Gary McShefferey and apparently Ross McCormack – disappeared without trace.

His Tactics; or lack thereof. As I mentioned, what has our game plan been these last few weeks? Now that we don’t have the quick striker we seem to be devoid of ideas. I thought Grayson had solved that with the acquisition of countless wingers, yet last night we had a left footer on the right and a central midfielder on the left… I don’t know either.

Another thing I noticed last night (yes I was paying close attention) was, from one of our corners a Cardiff player found himself with the ball, facing his own goal roughly around the penalty spot, a precarious position to be in for any player. Yet, without looking he hooked the ball out to the right back position where his right winger collected the ball and proceeded up the pitch. This might be a happy coincidence but I doubt it, it’s obviously a premeditated tactic when clearing in such a situation – he knew his player was there. Can you imagine the current Leeds team having such a plan?? no, thought not. That is ultimately down to the manager.

His Selection Policy: Another defeat last night and the expected departure of George McCartney will mean another list of changes for Saturday. Injuries have been cruel this season but towards the end of McAllister’s reign I remember players complaining that one mistake meant a month on the bench, de ja vu?

Finally the fans, no not change the fans, and not another plea for some realistic expectation. Most fans seem to realise that anything above 15th is a decent season. I’d like to take issue with something that is a problem for our game on a National level, probably why our National team look as likely to win anything as Newcastle; Let me explain:

Last night Jonny Howson picked up the ball in central midfield and after noticing he had a little bit of space proceeded directly at the centre of the Cardiff defence, still going towards the edge of the area he was greeted unanimously with shouts from the crowd of “GET RID OF IT, GET RID OF IT…” Can you imagine that attitude in a football stadium anywhere else in the world?? Spain haven’t nurtured Iniesta, Xavi, Ramos etc on such mercurial teachings and nor was Lionel Messi ever taught to “GET RID OF IT..”

There will be those that point to our decent start and our acceptable league position but all promoted teams set off well with the momentum that promotion brings but after four defeats in five (three at home) we’re in a battle for survival.

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Jamie Forrester: My Time at Leeds United – Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 13:13:00 +0000

As I posted the opening 2 parts of Jamie’s account of his Leeds United career, here is number 3!

http://beh1ndthescenes.wordpress.com/2010/10/19/my-time-at-leeds-united-part-3-a-yorkshire-derby-and-stitches/

Again, an incredibly honest reflection… young academy players would do well to read it!

Parts 1 and 2 for those that may have missed it are HERE

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Keep Fighting: The Billy Bremner Story ON SALE NOW!

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 12:30:00 +0000

I received an email about an hour ago informing me of this book, so I thought I’d share my knowledge of it’s existence. I had no idea such a title was planned, never mind already released. So for those in a similar situation – here you go!

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Billy Bremner is a football icon. During his years playing for Leeds Utd and Scotland his passion for the game and his commitment to the cause made him an all-time footballing legend. When Billy Bremner died in 1997 at the age of just 55, Paul Harrison was working with him on a definitive biography. They had completed extensive no-holds-barred one-to-one interviews covering Bremner's distinguished career as a player and manager. With Bremner's untimely death the book was never published but, now, Paul Harrison has reworked the original material into the definitive biography. With contributions from many of the greats of the game, including Sir Alex Ferguson, Franz Beckenbauer, Ian St John, Kevin Keegan, Jimmy Greaves and late contemporaries such as Brian Clough, Don Revie, George Best and Sir Bobby Robson, Billy Bremner: Keep Fighting tells the story of Bremner's life both in his own words and those of the author and the distinguished contributors. Packed full of stories, anecdotes and reminiscences, this is a fitting tribute to one of the greats of the game.

CLICK THE PICTURE TO PURCHASE AT AMAZON OR FOLLOW THIS LINK – Keep Fighting: The Bill Bremner Story

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Foxes expose United’s lack of quality.

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:02:00 +0000

Only poor finishing, a bit of luck and a crossbar saved Leeds from another humiliating reverse last night. To say that we were second best doesn’t do justice to the superiority enjoyed by Leicester, as the Foxes served Leeds a footballing masterclass.

From the very first minute, the visitors formation and crucially their extra width caused United all sorts of problems. Leeds could have been 3 adrift before Grayson reverted to a 4-1-4-1 formation with top goalscorer, Davide Somma operating on left wing. The change in system restricted Leicester’s options but not their dominance… The ‘Mighty’ Whites literally had no answer to the high tempo, fluid performance of ‘Sven’s Men’. Becchio’s goal was the only real half-chance that we created in 95 minutes!

We played over an hour with 5 midfielders and it wasn’t until the introduction of Neil Kilkenny that we actually passed to any of them, favouring instead to punt long to an out-numbered Luciano Becchio, it all combined for a miserable night at Elland Road.

Rather than berate the fact that we were clearly not good enough last night, and could easily be licking the wounds of another 5 or 6 goal humiliation, lets look at the reasons why we failed to compete with a team who were in the relegation zone prior to kick-off…

The main reason is that individually too many of our players are just not good enough for Championship football; in recent years plenty of Leeds players have been accused of lack of effort, lack of caring or even apathy towards the club, but I don’t believe that is the case with the current squad – they are simply just not good enough, operating at least 1 division higher than they should be. Richard Naylor for instance could easily have cost us 3 goals last night as a direct results of individual errors. We’re not talking poor marking here, we’re talking blatant misjudgements, bad positioning and/or lack of concentration, as it was only one Leicester goal can be laid at the door of our club captain. Add that to the catalogue of errors already this season and the number of goals he can account for must surely be in double figures!

It’s hard on Richard Naylor, a revelation when he arrived amid similar defensive disasters after the reign of Gary McAllister, he unfortunately appears to have become the victim of age and the step up in quality that promotion brings with it. Alongside Neil Collins, it is a defensive pairing screaming out for leadership that neither player commands. I dare say that along side Paddy Kisnorbo or similar defensive behemoth both players would prosper. As it is they look very pedestrian every time we are required to defend.

Whilst Naylor can point to a relatively successful career that is only faltering due to his age and the quality of opposition, the likes of Jonny Howson, Bradley Johnson and Robert Snodgrass have no such saving grace.

Eyebrows may be raised by the mention of Robert Snodgrass in what is a very critical article but despite his recent injury problem can anybody remember the last thing he did in a Leeds shirt that an average semi-professional player couldn’t muster? Are we looking as far back as the curling winner against Southampton almost a year ago!?! His decision making and distribution leave a lot to be desired. That said, I’m sure he has enough in his locker to rise to the challenge of The Championship. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for messrs Howson and Johnson.

Despite the odd flash of brilliance, usually reserved for critical moments for which we have all been very grateful (see Bristol Rovers HOME May 2010 and Carlisle AWAY May 2008 for details), Jonny Howson remains a bit of an enigma. Should you be dominating a game or competing against a lesser midfield then Jonny will produce a performance to rival anything that Zinedine Zidane had to offer, but should you chasing a game or struggling to get a foothold then Mr Howson literally evaporates and offers absolutely nothing aside from the odd misplaced pass or an incredible ability to get dispossessed in his own half. Unfortunately, our vice captain will never be able to dictate a game. Similar to Naylor, mistakes from Howson have attributed to the concession of several goals so far this term. Having said all that, I’d love him to do well and prove all the doubters wrong.

Surely the most frustrating player to grace Elland Road in recent times is Bradley Johnson, a decent player who is undermined by his own decision making. Be it sky-high shots, wayward free-kicks or over ambitious passing it all culminates in a player who is again probably playing higher than his natural level.

Despite all of this, these players have earned the right to operate at this level, they are the ones who gained promotion out of League One and the fact that they’re not good enough must surely leave the blame with our manager. I am in full support of Simon Grayson but of those that started last night I’d say only the two full-backs and the two front men have done enough to be considered Championship players, and question marks still remain over Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny who tried in vein to rescue a desperate situation last night.

I do try not to overreact on this site, it is very easy when you control a medium such as this to vent your spleen over a performance such as that witnessed yesterday but the facts are that we have lost 3 of the last 4 and only a nervy victory at a beleaguered Middlesbrough team has kept The White Army from pressing the panic button.

The most distressing element of last night’s defeat was that we played with a five man midfield to combat a team that were better than us, both collectively and individually and yet we still couldn’t get near them. This is a team that has struggled thus far and were 2nd bottom, We literally had no answers…

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Jamie Forrester: My Time at Leeds United

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:53:00 +0000

Whilst browsing the internet on my phone tonight in a desperate attempt to find some relief from the dreadful viewing that was Swindon Town v Bristol Rovers, I came across this;

A blog written by Jamie Forrester, the man who all Leeds fans will remember for scoring a spectacular overhead kick against Manchester United in the Youth Cup Final back in 1993

http://beh1ndthescenes.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/my-time-at-leeds-united-part-1/

http://beh1ndthescenes.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/my-time-at-leeds-united-part-2/

It makes interesting reading, I will try to post any further entries, should there be any…

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Dirty Leeds Returns…

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 11:51:00 +0000

Amidst a very hectic work schedule and the first birthday of my Daughter, writing on this site has become an item resigned to my ‘to do’ list. The odd Twitter and Facebook appearance has been the sole presence of The ‘Dirty Leeds’ Blog since early September (a fact not missed by ClarkeOneNil – Cheers!). Whilst I’ve been away, life as a Leeds United fan has seldom been more chaotic…

Indeed I experienced first hand the horror at Oakwell, one of almost 7,000 Whites crammed into the North Stand and one of probably several hundred who missed the opening goal due to traffic congestion on the M1, and after watching a very average Tyke outfit smash five past Shane Higgs, left for home. Partly to steal a march on the traffic that was so infuriating inbound and partly in total disgust at a performance that was as bad as any I can remember. The sum total of my trip was to miss both Leeds goals and witness a Barnsley side ravage a desperate United defence. The joys of being Leeds…

If that wasn’t bad enough, the inexplicable collapse from a commanding 4-1 lead against Preston left me totally numb and totally speechless. I’m sure the rest of the Leeds United internet community have had their say in my absence, so I’ll put it down to ‘a freak’ result, and leave it at that!

Sandwiched between the two defensive horror shows were two hard fought performance against South Yorkshire also-rans in Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United. Unfortunately hosting a company golf day and my Daughter’s birthday party prevented me from attending both games, by all accounts, I missed very little.

It all contrives to leave my recent Leeds United viewing at; Goals scored – 4, Goals conceded – 11, 0 Points!

This season was always going to be a bit of a rollercoaster, but as usual Leeds United seem to be taking it to a whole new level. Our defensive frailties have been obvious and Shane Higgs’ performances have been that of a player who already seems to have one eye on the exit door after being replaced as ‘Number 1’ by Kasper Schmeichel. The much maligned Richard Naylor has mirrored the up and down form of the team, with slightly more downs, it has to be said…whilst Frede Bessone has shown all the hallmarks of a player who will be added to the long list of professionals who struggle to get to grips with the expectation of playing for Leeds United.

All that said, it’s better than being in League One and I would have taken where we are now after the defeat to Derby. October looks like a month where we can pick up a few points, providing Kasper sorts his foot out.

A special mention here to Davide Somma, despite the two desperate defeats he has been superb in what I have seen, both live and on LUTV.

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Frazer’s Curse Strikes Again….!

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:02:00 +0000

Back in May I posted an article regarding the ill affects Frazer Richardson’s presence seems to have on the football clubs that he is contracted to - “Is Frazer Richardson Cursed?”

Following the article, Frazer secured a move to Southampton who were obviously unaware of the evil within. The move surprised many, but as part of ‘The League One Team of the Year’ Frazer’s stock was in high regard throughout the third tier. Richardson joined a team that narrowly missed out on a Play-off place the previous season despite a 10 point deficit from The Football League.

Over the course of last season Alan Pardew spent a small fortune assembling one of the best squads ever at League One level. Ricky Lambert and Lee Barnard were recruited to spearhead the attack and Jason Puncheon joined to compliment the already impressive Adam Lallana.

The current season had pundits and experts writing off any challenge to Southampton’s march to The League One title and Championship football, few could see past The Saints replacing their local rivals Portsmouth in next season’s second tier… They obviously don’t read this blog!

Three weeks into the season, manager Alan Pardew was relieved of his duties following an average start to the campaign and the clubs owner had tragically passed away! Since Pardew’s dismissal, St Mary’s has witnessed a 3-0 reverse to Swindon in the dreaded JPT and a humbling 2-0 defeat to my home town club Rochdale (which incidentally won me a few pounds to boot!).

Southampton may well go onto achieve promotion come May but it’s not a great start by any stretch of the imagination. Should The Saints fail this time around, surely there can only be one person to blame…

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“What’s it like to be outclassed?!”

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:26:00 +0000

I’m not certain whether it was Leeds who were a class above or if Millwall were having an 'off day’, perhaps a bit of both. Maybe The Lions arrived at Elland Road anticipating the usual physical contest that has become synonymous with this fixture. Either way, United produced a performance that would have caused problems for every team in this division. Sanchez Watt strode around Millwall’s defensive third like he was the only player on the pitch, dropping into ‘the hole’ and neutralising any combative game plan that Kenny Jackett’s side had set out with.

His dribbling ability and willingness to get on the ball switched Leeds from defence into attack in the blink of an eye, complimented by excellent performances from Neil Kilkenny and Jonny Howson, the latter serving up his best attacking display in many a month. United’s midfield four were so good that Jackett switched his side to 4-5-1 after an hour with Jimmy Abdou trailing Watt across the park in an attempt to get a foothold in the game.

It was refreshing to see an opposition team come to Elland Road and have to worry about how they were going to contain The Whites. Too often in the last few seasons the better teams have come to LS11 and passed us off the park, with most of our fans biting their nails down to the knuckle every time they crossed the halfway line.

The fluidity in which United moved the ball in the final third was alien at times, content in previous seasons to hit high balls into the channels for Beckford to chase or Becchio to get underneath has now evolved into a high-tempo, passing game plan that looks for a killer pass to unlock defences. Failing that, we have two genuine wingers who enjoy beating the opposing fullbacks. It all makes for exciting match each time we take to the field.

Credit must go to Grayson who, unlike his predecessor Gary McAllister, seems to have more than one plan of action. Our 4-5-1 formation that we settled into during pre-season seamlessly snapped into a more familiar 4-4-2 after 20 torrid minutes at The City Ground and served us well in what was a ultimately a clinical dismantling of a Millwall side that had been leading The Championship prior to kick off. I’m not going to get overly excited just yet, if last season taught us anything; it’s that the season isn’t over until the final ball is kicked, and although Millwall’s excellent start speaks for itself I can’t help thinking that it was more down to the fact that Bristol and Hull weren’t prepared for their style of play and acute physical approach. However, after 8 encounters in the last 3 seasons Jackett’s men held few surprises for United.

After much fear over the last few weeks about the lack of investment into the playing staff and apparent lack of ambition, it was nice to see that, after all the dust of the narrow opening day defeat to Derby had settled, Grayson has assembled a team that can more than compete at this level. And all this without arguably our three best players…

Finally, it would be stupid of me to pass up an opportunity to gloat about a victory over Millwall. Not because they’re such great rivals, or that it was such a magnificent feat, but when a team continually gets the better of you for such a sustained period (except when it counted in May of course) it’s nice to put things right. Maybe because we’re such familiar foes, the ‘Cup final’ feel has evaporated for the Bermondsey boys, hence their inability to raise their game again… ‘aint that right Jackett?? … you dick!

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A Very Rare Mindset – Leeds United 2010/11

noreply@blogger.com (Dirty Leeds) — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:02:00 +0000

“Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that.” – Bill Shankley

For as far back as I can remember, a match involving Leeds United has had the ability to dictate my immediate wellbeing. Entire weekends have been lost to depression and despair following adverse results, similarly the joy and elation of past and more recent triumphs have had me walking on air for days. The crippling, constant stress that last season’s promotion run-in brought upon me is not something I’d relish on an annual basis. I even developed a skin irritation that surfaced around early April, coincidence? probably not…

For years the pleasure of a bi-weekly trip to Elland Road has always been tempered by the thought of what the return journey across the M62 might bring. Would Eddie Gray still be as positive following another shambolic home defeat to the likes of Cheltenham Town?? Knowing that I’m at the mercy of a force that has the ability to destroy my entire weekend, and the worst thing? I’m powerless to stop it.

Now a Father, I’ve tried to limit the impact that Leeds United defeats or general disasters have on my life. By the same token, with our fixture against Nottingham Forest to be broadcast directly into my living room, I took the opportunity to stay at home and spend the time with my family. Having said that, it was only me watching Leeds!

One-nil down and probably only touched the ball a handful of times, it made for very difficult viewing. It was at this point I had something of an epiphany… Leeds United aren’t expected to get anything out of this game, we’re up against a side that only dropped points at home on five occasions last season. Meanwhile, we were making hard work of escaping the league below. As long as we reach the magic 50-point mark come February or March, I’ll be more than happy.

As much as our opening day defeat to Derby was difficult to stomach, it may actually have done us all a favour. Gone are the crazy optimists who were predicting The Whites to rampage through this league to the land of gold, sharp suits and inflated egos that is The Premiership. Instead we all pretty much accept that this will be a season of consolidation, a season to build foundations. Yes, our 20 year record of no opening day losses has gone, and was only made worse by the pantomime antics of Robbie Savage. Who incidentally, has threatened to retire from Twitter following the abuse he and his family received from some Leeds United themed usernames. Something to do with his ill Father, I'm not sure, I can’t fully remember…

Unfortunately, Robbie’s threat to abandon his online followers came at roughly the same time that David Beckham was publicly axed from the England National team. Alas, only 5Live took a mild interest in his plight, and he is still desperately living up to his childish Disney villain persona via the online network.

So here we are, about to embark on 9 months of football that will undoubtedly have more than a few ‘ups and downs’ but ultimately enjoyable and stress free. I think we’re steady enough that it shouldn’t be a matter of life and death come May. Having said that, with arguably our five best players set to return before Christmas… who knows?

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