Travels of a Leeds fan

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Mon, 24 May 2021 08:14:00 +0000

for the latest blog for Travels of a Leeds fan visit https://travelsofaleedsfan.blogspot.com

Start of a new season and end of an era.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 05 Aug 2018 07:50:00 +0000

Today marks the start of another season in the Championship for Leeds United and as ever expectations are running high amongst the mighty Whites legions of fans including yours truly. Can Bielsa work his magic in the Elland Road Bear pit? Will Bamford, the prancing Unicorn, flourish in a Leeds shirt? Will this year be Leeds' year? All questions that will get answered over the coming season. It is with a heavy heart that although I will be there in person every step of the way I won't be blogging my musings on the games. After 11 years I have decided to retire Travels of a Leeds Fan together with the Urinal Philosophers with immediate effect. Work and family commitments have made it more challenging to devote the time needed to produce the blog and with social media awash with Leeds United blogs, podcasts and websites I feel now is the time to gracefully retire.

It's been a blast writing the blog from the depths of depressing trips to Histon, Sutton, Hereford, Sheff Wed and many others to the sheer adrenaline fuelled elation of seeing Beckford's goals against Man U, Spurs and Bristol Rovers, Becchio's against Millwall and Boro and a certain Mr Delph's at a rain soaked Withdean against Brighton. There were many more highs and lows but one constant has been the humour, loyalty and sheer bloody mindedness and passion of my fellow Leeds fans during my travels.

Thank you for reading my blog over the years. I will still be going home and away so I will be there on the day they finally get promoted.................whenever that will be. For now I would be happy with 3 points against Stoke City to get the juices flowing for another difficult season ahead.

Can't wait.

MOT.

Leeds Utd v QPR 6th May 2018

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 06 May 2018 15:32:00 +0000

Elland Road was bathed in glorious sunshine against the bluest of blue sky's as I parked my car for the last time this season. Yet another Groundhog season for Leeds who at one time promised so much, not least of which when we beat today's visitors at Loftus Road, but in the end delivered a reheated version of many of the disappointing campaigns from the last decade and beyond. The only surprising thing is that the loyal and emotionally battered fanbase continue to turn up in amazing numbers.

The need for change throughout the club has never been as pressing with a squad sadly lacking in quality, leadership and sheer bloody mindedness coached by a Head coach lacking in experience and success at championship level overseen by Owners who's overall plan for the future is baffling at best. It's difficult to see where the improvements will come from I'm afraid. Still supporting Leeds United is easy and hugely rewarding...................said nobody ever!

Today I was joined by an old school friend and his son from the deep south, Surrey in fact. We reminisced about Clarke's goal at Wembley, the magnificent 7 against Southampton and lots of other joys of following the mighty whites in those halcyon days in a different century. Misty eyed we took our seats in readiness for today's pauper's feast at the same ground Bremner, Giles, Lorimer et al strode in their pomp. PH had rung the changes for the last game. Ayling made a welcome return at right back, Ekuban started up front with Alioski and Roofe out wide. Phillips, Vieira and Forshaw formed the midfield triangle. Tom Pearce kept his place at left back with Cooper and Jansson at centre backs. 16 year old Ryan Edmondson was on the bench.

The pitch looked in perfect condition as ever as the game got underway with just over 30,000 inside the sun bathed Elland Road. The opening salvos were typical of an end of season game with nothing at stake but Leeds did look to have a bit more spark in them than in recent outings even though it was against a QPR team who looked desperate to get the game finished and away on their holidays. Just before the half hour Ayling made a barnstorming run before unleashing a shot that tested the QPR goalie. This was shortly followed by a goalmouth scramble ignited by an Ekuban shot on target that was blocked before QPR conceded a corner. From the corner Roofe finished spectacularly as he hooked in a loose ball home from close range to open the scoring for Leeds. 1.0 Leeds and all of a sudden life was just a little bit better on Planet Leeds.

Leeds continued to have the better of the game and could have gone into the half time break with more than the one goal advantage as first Roofe and then young Pearce rifled in shots that had the QPR goalie pulling off decent saves. Pearce's shot especially had the Elland Road faithful purring. Alioski also nearly added a second but saw his header just drop inches past the post. Half time 1.0 Leeds. The urinal philosophers were already on the beach. Leeds season finished a long time ago and it seemed nobody could be arsed complaining about anything. The combination of the lovely sunshine and a reasonable first half display from Leeds had pacified the notoriously critical philosophers.

Pennington replaced Jansson as the 2nd half got under way. For a big strapping lad the Swede doesn't half pick up his fair share of injuries of one sort or another? Any fans who were late back from their half time refreshments missed the 2nd goal. Under pressure the QPR goalie made a complete hash of his clearance and passed it straight to Phillips 35 yard out. Mr Pineapple head coolly controlled the ball advanced to the the edge of the box before despatching his shot clinically past the forlorn keeper. 2.0 Leeds and all was well with the world. QPR didn't seem to have the heart to fight back as Leeds took control of the game.

Leeds were playing some nice football at times with Ayling making a huge difference to the Leeds right flank and young Tom Pearce looking dangerous every time he went forward on the left. Vieira was in good nick in the middle ably supported by Forshaw and Phillips looked more comfortable in a more advanced position. Ekuban was again struggling to make any impact up front though. Bailey Peacock Farrell was sat in a deck chair lathered in factor 30. On 72 minutes Alioski was so unlucky as met a superb Roofe cross only to see yet another good save from the goalie deny him a goal. Shortly after Roofe left the field to a well deserved ovation to be replaced by 16 year old Ryan Edmondson. Now this lad is a big lad and I mean a big lad especially for just 16 years old and he immediately secured a rousing ovation himself as he obliterated the QPR full back in a tackle that would have made Norman Hunter proud. He received a dubious yellow card for his troubles as the QPR player played dead on the turf just long enough for the ref to book him before jumping up and walking away.

Minutes later Edmondson nearly brought the house down as he found space in the box to hammer a cross goal wards only to see a deflection from a desperate defender's leg prevent a debut goal. On this evidence he has a bright future. There was just time for a Leeds breakaway by Alioski to be stopped by a foul on the edge of the box. Alioski then despatched the free kick into the Kop before the ref brought the curtain down on the game and Leeds season. FT 2.0 Leeds.

I'm glad we finished with a decent performance albeit against a poor QPR team. Our final position of 13th tells it's own story though. There are some useful building blocks in the squad already but the need to add quality and experience is there for everyone to see. Ayling was my man of the match today with good showings from Roofe, Forshaw and Vieira. An interesting summer ahead for Leeds and as ever we will be looking to try and find a formula that will make Leeds competitive in the championship once again something we haven't really seen other than our first year after relegation from the Premier League which was a long time ago.

Thanks for reading my musings on Leeds United this year and hopefully I'll do it all again next season. In the meantime fingers crossed for some positive signs of progression over the summer?

Can't wait.

MOT

Norwich City v Leeds Utd 28th April 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 09:14:00 +0000

Norwich away is always an endurance test for Leeds fans given the geographical location of Norfolk's senior football team. So after passing what seemed like a million flat fields on the train journey through the soulless Fens I arrived at Norwich station to be greeted by a slate grey sky and persistent rain dampening the last away game of a massively disappointing season.

The pre match banter on the train and in the pub was subdued and laced with gallows humour as we desperately searched for some positives to draw from the latest campaign. Bailey Peacock Farrell's emergence as the No 1 goalie and Pablo's contract signing was as far as it got. The negatives are too many to list here but suffice to say there was a rebellious mood from fans who have just had enough bubbling under the alcohol fuelled preparation for the clash with Norwich. The fear was the final away performance would mirror the disjointed, rudderless and quite frankly embarrassing efforts that we have witnessed since Xmas. Bums were clenched and fingers optimistically crossed as kick off approached.

This was Wes Hoolahan's last home appearance for the Canaries and Delia's Yellow army were there in force with kleenex at the ready to give their star player a fitting send off. PH had made the one change from the Barnsley game with Cooper's experience getting the nod over O'Connor in the back four. Leeds kicked off and immediately were on the attack with a good move that ended with Vieira testing the Norwich goalie in the first minute. Soon the season's weaknesses started to show through though in all their glory. Lost possession far too easily in midfield allowed Norwich to move with ease towards the Leeds goal. Maddison should have done better with his first chance but he blazed it over the bar. The first 30 minutes were scrappy with both teams guilty of bad decision making and even worse implementation of attempted moves. This was a game that would only remain goalless if the finishing was as bad as the ball retention on both sides.

Handley received a yellow for a cynical foul on Saiz as he turned the Norwich centre half on the halfway line. Then on 39 minutes the game came to life. Another Leeds free kick was drifted into the Norwich box where Gunn punched half clear.............Vieira lined up a speculative volley which he made a complete hash of but the ball fell to Phillips who hit a sweet shot past the despairing Gunn to give the visitors a surprise lead. 1.0 Leeds. Minutes later Leeds tore through the groggy Norwich defence again but Roofe failed to convert the chance from 14 yards. Leeds would regret that miss dearly as the game progressed.

Leading one nil and heading for the break was a comfortable position for Leeds but in true self destruct Leeds style they chose the 45th minute to present Hoolahan with his leaving present. Vieira lost another ball in midfield.........the ball was moved quickly to Hoolahan who advanced towards the retreating Leeds defence and lined up a shot from 25 yards.............Jansson half heartedly stuck a leg out to block the shot but all it did was deflect the ball in a loop over BPF........the ball hit the inside of the post and rolled agonisingly across the goal and just over the line. Bollox. Carrow Road erupted as if Mustard had just been announced as the ultimate cure for Cancer. The local hero had scored on his final home appearance..........well actually I would have chalked it down as a Jansson own goal but that might have been a tad pedantic? HT 1:1.

The sad thing with the urinal philosophers is that they don't get mad anymore. Nobody was surprised Norwich equalised. Nobody was surprised we gave possession away without the slightest shrug of the shoulders. Nobody was surprised the team lacked shape and cohesion. This is a team in serious relegation form after all.

The second half was so predictable. Leeds had their chances, Alioski, Roofe, Saiz and Forshaw but all failed. Alioski's was the best effort of the bunch. At the other end BPF kept the score down to a reasonable level with another performance beyond his years. Inevitably Norwich got the winner when Murphy fired home from inside the box after yet more good work from Hoolahan on 70 minutes. When Murphy shot there were 4 Leeds players within 5 yards of him. Nobody got tight on him before he received the ball. Nobody closed him down before he shot. It appeared nobody gave a fuck!

Grot came on for Alioski and then Lasogga made an appearance. You will not be surprised to hear that their combined impact on the game was equal to that of trying to trace the impact of dropping a tennis ball with a seismometer. The game ended in a Norwich victory by 2.1. Two very average teams on show with little quality other than Hoolahan to brighten up a gloomy day. BPF had an excellent game. Cooper also put in a good shift but the sum of the total effort was shocking. No real passion, no leadership and no hope. PH has had a negative impact on the team since he arrived. The team lose shape when they lose the ball which is often and seem incapable of stringing more than three effective passes together. The team was booed at the end and the pre match feeling of rebellion in the ranks was now boiling over. Still I'd just the 4 hour hour train journey home to reflect on another shocking performance.

Thankfully just the final game of the season to go next week at Elland Road. I fear for what will happen over summer. At least I will be protected from weekend depression until August!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Bolton Wanderers. Good Friday 30th Mar 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 18:22:00 +0000

The Easter weekend is traditionally a tense and nervous time for football fans as their team's promotion or relegation prospects are put under the spotlight with 6 precious points up for grabs over the long holiday weekend. As for Leeds fans though it's time for the ritual self flagellation as to the reasons for once again entering the final straight of a testing season wallowing in mid table self pity. The owner, the players, the coaches and even the Football League are in the cross hairs of the passionate Leeds support. For me once again we're simply not good enough on the pitch to mount a consistent challenge for promotion.

Why then are 35,000 fans heading to Elland Road on a cold grey Good Friday afternoon to watch Leeds take on Bolton Wanderers with nothing at stake and on a run of horrendous form? Those who are Leeds fans will understand those who aren't will continue to be have a mixture of begrudging admiration and amazement at how a team that has been out of the top flight for so long without ever really looking like returning continue to have a such a loyal, passionate and large widespread fan base?

For what it's worth I think some of the answer is that it's because Leeds have been out of the top flight that the fans have remained in a time warp where football was the true sport of the working class and going to the match was an event in its self where you met your mates, had a laugh and a drink all interwoven with raucous support from the stands. Nowhere in the sanitised, clapper infested singing sections of the Premier League do you get anything like that. Add to that the obscene commercialisation, fuelled by TV money, at the top end of the PL where football tourists, corporate entertainment, extortionate ticket prices and soulless stadiums have completely changed the face of English football you start to realise that whilst we aspire to join the PL if we ever achieve that aim it will inevitably be a completely different Planet to the one we currently exist on.

Anyhow we certainly don't need to worry about that in the near future so back to today's game. PH's selection raised a few eyebrows. O'Kane and Vieira in the centre midfield, Dallas at right back, Ekuban up front behind Lasogga in what was a 4-4-1-1 formation. Saiz was on the bench as was Cibicki. The pitch was as immaculate as ever despite the recent rugby game as the match kicked off. After the two week international break Leeds were immediately on the front foot as they attacked their lowly Lancashire rivals goal. Alioski latched onto a header from Ekuban but spurned his glorious chance after just 30 seconds. Wow! Leeds weren't to be denied though as just two minutes later Lasogga swung a ball into the box for Hernandez to bravely head against a Bolton defender, the ball dropped to Ekuban and the young striker smashed in his first goal for the club. Get innnnnnn!

Could today be the day we resurrect our lost form and give some hope for next season to the home fans? Well we'd certainly started well. Could it continue? Leeds 1:0 Bolton. Unfortunately it was Bolton who used the goal as a wake up call and then enjoyed a period of possession that tested the vulnerable home defence. In front of the back four Vieira was back to his best after some poor recent performances though as he clearly had plugged in his perfect passes software before the start of the game. On 15 minutes the other bright spark of the opening exchanges, Alioski, found space and ran at the retreating Bolton defence before picking Lasogga out with a diagonal ball only for the German's volley to go high into the South Stand. On 28 minutes Dallas received a yellow card and in doing so created a classic Leeds fan dialogue. A fan near me had been bemoaning the lack of steel in our tackling and the fact that we weren't getting stuck into them to "let them know you're there" since the first whistle. So when Dallas did just that as he clattered into Buckley in true Norman Hunter style to receive his card the same fan was then vilifying Dallas for giving a stupid foul away! Brilliant.

This was better from Leeds with the little Spanish magician, Hernandez, at his scintillating best assisted ably by Vieira, Ekuban and Alioski they looked dangerous every time they attacked. On 35 minutes Alioski scorched away from his marker onto a pin point pass from Hernandez but fizzed his shot past the left hand post. As the game headed for half time Leeds steadily built pressure on the Bolton goal and on the stroke of the interval they so nearly got their reward as Jansson rose at the back post to clatter the bar with a header from an Alioski corner. HT 1.0 Leeds.

The Urinal Philosophers were in holiday mood. Season ticket renewals seemed to be the main topic of conversation though. Everybody seemed to have renewed even the fan who went on a rant about how shit the team, board, coach was and the fact that we'll never get promoted with this shower in charge. His mate then asked "have you renewed then" to which he replied "Of course I have. What else is there to do on a Saturday afternoon than to come and moan about this lot" Mmmm not sure I understand that logic but each to their own.

Leeds started the 2nd half with a bang just like the first. Within in a minute Hernandez brought a superb save from Alnwick in the Bolton goal and minutes later Lasogga wasted an excellent chance to double the lead as he snatched at his shot and it sailed into the kop. Leeds needed a second goal though and on 50 minutes it came. The peerless Vieira in midfield picked up a ball in the centre circle and caressed the ball 35 yards over the top of the full back onto Alioski's chest. The diminutive winger never broke his stride as he took the ball forward towards goal where he unleashed a stinging shot that Alnwick could only parry..............Hernandez went bravely in for the rebound and netted in front of the adoring Kop. His goal celebration seemed to be an imitation of an ungainly Swan landing on a frozen pond but the home fans didn't care. Leeds were two up and surely heading for 3 points...........weren't they?

Ameobi, or as the guy sat next to me called him "that lanky twat", was causing Leeds the most problems and danger signals started to flash when he tested BPF on 52 minutes with a long range shot. Minutes later my worries were justified. Berardi conceded a soft free kick out wide. Ameobi's cross was met by an unchallenged Le Fondre who's header thundered past BPF into the net and send the large away following into raptures. 2.1 Leeds. Inevitably Leeds started to wobble. Buckley missed a golden chance to equalise with his head as the Trotters surged forward looking for an unlikely equaliser.

Saiz replaced Lasogga on the hour. Leeds were looking to hit Bolton on the break as they pushed forward. Ekuban was having a decent game and giving the tall Bolton centre backs plenty to think about. On 68 minutes he should have doubled his tally as he made room to reach a Dallas pass but Alnwick saved his shot with an outstretched boot. Would we regret that miss though? Leeds started to go into desperate defending mode as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Saiz had a couple of nice runs but delayed his final passes too long. Grot replaced Alioski as the game headed for 5 minutes of added time. Saiz split the Bolton defence for Ekuban but once again Alnwick denied the young striker. After a hectic final few minutes the ref blew his whistle to signal only the 2nd win of the year for the mighty whites.

Hernandez was man of the match after a delicious performance laced with pin point passes and intelligent support play not to mention the winning goal and an assist for the first. Vieira, Ekuban and Alioski all had Good Fridays as well. It was pleasing to get the three points and yes Bolton aren't the strongest team in the league but there were a lot more positives from today's game for a change. With better finishing we could have got 4 or 5 today but I for one was pleased to be leaving Elland Road with a smile on my face for a change.

Unfortunately I am away for the next few games but will return for the Norwich away game. Now if we win every game up to then......................no don't be silly that's never going to happen is it?

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Sheff Wed 17th March 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 18:48:00 +0000

Another Wintry blast was scything down Elland Road attacking any exposed skin amongst the hardy 31,000 fans heading for a Yorkshire derby between two misfiring teams from God's own county. With League positions irrelevant at this point in the season there was just the not so insignificant matter of local bragging rights up for grabs between Leeds and the blue side of Sheffield. With both teams desperate for a convincing performance to deflect ever mounting criticism from fans, media and owners I was hoping for a good old fashioned no holds barred derby. Well I was hoping!

Radrizanni's biting comments about the Leeds players in midweek had struck a nerve so would the players respond with a bang or would the current drift towards end of season oblivion continue? We were about to find out. PH chose to give Tom Pearce his debut at left back, brought back O'Kane into midfield, No Saiz due to a hamstring injury and retained Ekuban up front in a selection that got mixed reviews amongst the fans gathering in the Pavillion. Is Ekuban's selection more to do with the likelihood of Lasogga not been at the club next year? Has O'Kane got some blackmail material on Heckingbottom? Having braved a last minute blizzard to get to my seat the game got underway.

Both teams came into the game in horrendous form and the nervousness shone through in the opening 15 minutes as errors and misplaced passes littered the game. Leeds began to take charge of the game though and on 23 minutes Hernandez couldn't finish with his head after a good cross from Alioski. Leeds continued to look the brighter and minutes later a sublime move from a free kick released Ekuban who spurned an absolute golden chance from 8 yards as he hit his shot straight at the goalie. In lots of ways Leeds United's form since Boxing Day was summed up in that moment. Flashes of potential let down by a poor final pass/shot/challenge.

On the half hour Ekuban again failed to take advantage of a half cleared corner from Wednesday as he snatched at a glorious chance and blazed the ball into the kop. Heavy sighs and numerous expletives drifted around Elland Road. Was this going to be yet another story of missed chances and frustrated fans? The game bungled along to half time with neither team showing much quality in front of an amazingly large crowd. Wednesday had the ball in the net just on half time only for it to be ruled out for offside. HT 0.0 and both sets of frozen fans retired to the bar and toilets with little to enthuse about. The Urinal Philosophers were in a resigned mood. "This season can't finish quick enough" muttered one disgruntled fan whilst another thought "It's a but better than Reading but not a lot" On the positive side BPF was having another good game, Pearce had settled well after a nervy start and Forshaw was looking good in midfield. The half time blizzard left the pitch white over as the 2nd period got under way.

Alioski went near with a shot from the edge of the box 2 minutes into the half but neither side really looked as if they had the ability to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and entertain the frozen fans. Ekuban was running the channels well but losing composure once he got in the box. Pearce was now getting forward well and causing Wednesday problems but it was all a bit......well underwhelming if I'm honest. Then on 70 minutes the game sprung into life. Lasogga replaced Ekuban but within a minute powder puff defending from Leeds allowed a cross into the Leeds box for Reach to out jump the Leeds "defence" and head onto the post and Nuhiu to react first and tap the ball home. 1.0 Wednesday. Once again shocking defending from Leeds. Leeds nearly replied straight away through Hernandez but the Wednesday goalie parried away his shot. The game was now being played in blizzard conditions so bad I could hardly see what was going on at the other end of the pitch.

PH threw Grot on to try and rescue a point with 12 minutes left quickly followed by Phillips. Surprisingly the subs worked as Grot rose and headed home an Hernandez cross with just 4 minutes left on the clock. 1.1 and just maybe we could snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat as Leeds pushed forward to pile pressure on the creaking Wednesday defence. 6 minutes of added time encouraged the home fans as they bayed for a winner. What they got was yet another example of why they have slipped out of the promotion chase so dramatically over the last 4 months. Nothing to do with Coach but all to do with the players. A hopeful hoof up the pitch by Wednesday found the soft underbelly of Leeds United in all it's glory. Pennington, who up to then had had a decent game, was muscled off the ball by Nuhiu with embarrassing ease before slotting the ball past BPF. FFS how difficult is it just to clear the ball in that situation. I was absolutely apoplectic with rage. A soft, soft goal to concede after dragging ourselves back into the game against a very poor Sheffield side. Bollox.

The game ended with Wednesday the winners and although Leeds season has already gone there is the very real possibility that we won't win again this season on this form. The players are just not good enough and don't have the heart or steel required not only to play for Leeds but to play in the championship. The whiteout after the game made the journey home even more depressing. At least we won't lose next week. Onto Bolton at home on Good Friday and the forlorn hope we can resurrect some of our early season form..........don't hold your breath though!

Can't wait.

MOT.

Reading v Leeds Utd 10th March 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 09:57:00 +0000

York station was bustling with passengers going hither and thither as I boarded the train for Reading with The Happy Chocker for my birthday trip to watch the latest instalment of Leeds' season. Even though we were playing a team with a worse run of form than Leeds expectation levels weren't high as we debated what combination of misfits would be selected this week. As a reflection of how different this season has been since last year we reflected on the corresponding fixture 12 long months ago. Then the two teams went head to head battling for a play off place in what was a pivotal game which Reading prevailed thanks to a Kermorgant goal. From that point Leeds faded away badly whilst Reading stormed ahead to a play off final defeat against some other team.

Today the pressure was on Jaap Stam as rumours circulated that another defeat for the Royals would mean a forced abdication for the cheerful Dutch manager. The prospect of Leeds contributing to Stam's demise and getting a welcome 3 points lifted the spirits as the pre match refreshments began to increase Leeds chances of winning as kick of time approached. PH had rung the changes from Wednesday's defeat to Wolves as De Bock, Pennington, O'Kane, Hernandez and surprisingly Ekuban all started leaving Dallas and Lasogga on the bench. 4,000 disciples of torture packed the away end with the usual raucous support as the game got under way. There was a deep frustration with the lack of success this season percolating just under the surface with the majority of the Leeds fans though.

The opening salvos were littered with nervous tension both on the pitch and in the crowd. The game was surprisingly open though as both teams looked to attack from the start. Alioski brought a good save from Jaakkola in the Royal's goal after 10 minutes as Reading responded with their own pressure leading to a number of corners. On 16 minutes the fragile confidence of the away team was shattered. Ekuban lost the ball easily in the centre circle and Reading swiftly moved the ball through the Leeds team to release Bodvarsson one on one with Bailey Peacock-Farrell. The Reading forward dispatched the chance clinically to give the Royals the lead. The ease in which Reading were able to move the ball through midfield to create the chance highlighted one of the glaring weaknesses in this current Leeds team. 1.0 Reading.

Buoyed by the goal and the prospect of a rare home win Reading prospered. A schoolboy mistake by De Bock should have given Reading a second but BPF saved the day with a superb save. His right royal blocking of De Bock and the defence warmed the cockles of my heart. Next up a desperate double save by BPF and Pennington denied the Royals again. The best was yet to come as BPF added to his quickly increasing reputation with a flying save to tip a superb shot over the bar. Leeds were rocking though and I feared another long day at the office for the 4,000 away fans. Then Leeds dragged themselves up by their shoe laces and were back in the game. Saiz picked the ball up 40 yards out and chipped a lovely ball to the advancing Forshaw who simply moved the ball to Jansson who flicked the ball with the outside of his boot into the net from 10 yards. Jansson's subdued celebration fuelled the view that all is not well in the Swede's world. 1.1 and we were back in the game.

Alioski nearly snatched the lead just on half time as he wriggled through the Royals defence only to hit the post from a very tight angle. HT 1.1. Reading had the better of the half but thanks to BPF and the late goal Leeds were still level. The Urinal Philosophers were hardly in the most positive of moods. "Why is O'Kane anywhere near the first team?" "How can Barrow turn into a world beater as soon as he leaves Elland Road?" finally one fan moaned "If it wasn't for BPF we'd be 3 down already. I thought he was supposed to be shit?" Like football fans the world over Leeds fans do feel the excruciating pain when things aren't going well. Still at 1.1 my birthday could still yield a 3 point present. The next goal would be crucial.

Leeds started the 2nd half better and suddenly were playing with more purpose. Barrow and Bacuna were still causing havoc when they got the ball but Leeds were now looking threatening too led by Saiz, Alioski and Hernandez. Ekuban was settling into the game as well with some nice touches. He is still very, very raw though. On 54 minutes Leeds were rewarded for their more positive approach. Once again Saiz was at the hub of the move as he danced through the centre of midfield and found Hernandez in the inside left position on the edge of the box..........a little Spanish shuffle later the ball was curling into the Reading net to give Leeds the lead and send the away following into raptures as the Spaniard celebrated in the corner. Meanwhile on the half way Jansson was bent down adjusting his shoelaces?

In true Leeds style having dragged them selves in front they immediately threw away their advantage just two minutes later. Somehow Bacuna had acres of space on the Reading flank while De Bock was 30 yards away on the other flank. The Reading player lined his shot up and fired in a savable effort..............that is until O'Kane stretched out his leg and diverted the ball past the frustrated BPF. 2.2. Bollox! The game now turned into a no holds barred contest as both teams went in search of the winner. Jansson and then Ekuban missed chances from corners the latter taking the ball away from Jansson who would surely have scored. Leeds were looking the more likely now. Lasogga replaced Ekuban. Alioski brought a superb save from Jaakkola on 81 minutes. Could they get that all important goal? A minute later the post denied Leeds again. Lasogga chased down a back pass and charged down the clearance.........the ball rolled in slow motion towards the goal with the Reading keeper desperately trying to rectify his blunder......the ball hit the post and came out only for the keeper to nearly take the ball over the line in his attempt to save it!

The game ended with the scores level. Much better in the 2nd half from Leeds but against a very average Reading team Leeds showed that the old adage of "the table never lies" is very true as the mighty whites wallow on 50 points and 13th position. BPF had an outstanding game again which all augurs we'll for his future. Jansson again looked out of sorts for me. Even Saiz for all his creative work was guilty of poor final balls today. After saying that he was instrumental in both goals. The fact that O'Kane is picked in midfield shows how devoid of options we have in that area. Defensively we are vulnerable. Pennington manages to mix excellent tackles and blocks with some scary rabbit in headlights moments. De Bock is vulnerable every time he is attacked and for all his effort Berardi is the same on the other side.

In the end it was a decent away day although disappointing we didn't claim all three points. The trip home was illuminated by the Sunderland team boarding the first class carriage of our train after their latest defeat at QPR. The Sunderland fans with us in carriage class spent the whole trip plotting to get past the security guards to have a full and frank discussion on the finer points of their team's demise. That is I assume what they were doing because their broad Wearside accent does take some understanding! All in all a good birthday trip. Sheff Wed up next at Elland Road. Mmmm another chance for PH to assess which players he will want to keep next year. It won't be a long list.

Can't wait.

MOT.

Middlesbrough v Leeds Utd 2nd March 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 03 Mar 2018 09:22:00 +0000

It's Friday night and the weather is triple Baltic with every media outlet advising not to travel unless absolutely necessary but as the TV gods had dictated that Boro v Leeds should go ahead I joined 3,000 Leeds fans heading for a frozen Riverside Stadium. Madness, blind loyalty or bloody mindedness? I'll let you decide! As it happens the roads were relatively clear and I arrived in good time to contemplate the latest challenge for the mighty whites. Having come straight from work with my thermal Hi Viz jacket on my thoughts were frequently interrupted with strange requests from fellow Leeds fans....... "Where's the toilets mate?" "Is the bar open at half time" and my favourite "Arrest him occifer he's pissed" Even Thumbs Up Phil thought I was auditioning for a job!

Hecky's team was unchanged from the victory against Brentford leaving ex Boro player Forshaw on the bench. The away end was in belligerent mood as the game kicked off to a vociferous soundtrack of the Leeds United songbook. It might be so cold that even the brass monkeys were huddled round their living room fire but the Leeds fans decided singing and dancing was the best way to keep warm. Either that or to numb what was destined to be an iconic woeful performance!

The first 15 minutes were very open and Leeds tried to get on the front foot with some bold attacking play that saw Alioski fire wide before Saiz found space and wasted a glorious chance to give Leeds the lead. The problem was at the other end where Boro were of the same attacking intent with the prancing Unicorn, Bamford, and Traore causing the Leeds defence all sorts of problems as the home side built the pressure on an already creaking defence. It didn't help that Wiedwald had resorted to his Dracula persona as he hesitated or flapped at any cross coming into the box. Clearly the astute Boro manager, Mr Pulis, had highlighted our brittle weakness on the flanks and absolute fear of crosses into the box and his charges were exploiting it to the full. When it came Boro's first goal was no surprise and neither was the manner it was conceded.

Stewart Downing was given the freedom of the right wing to set up a cross into the box..........although the box was crammed with defenders the prancing Unicorn, Bamford, was allowed space and time to nonchalantly flick the ball past Wiedwald to give the home side the lead. Jansson's attempt to stop him was pathetic. Minutes later Traore picked up the ball in his own half and sliced through at least 4 attempted "tackles" as he drove towards the Leeds box before releasing Bamford who although a tad offside was able to slide the ball through Wiedwald with no challenge from Jansson. Absolutely shocking non defending by Leeds. 2:0 Boro and Leeds in complete disarray. Half time came with the score still 2.0 but it should have been more. If this was a horse race there would be a steward's enquiry into the Leeds performance it was that bad.

The urinal philosophers were incandescent with rage. "Has anyone made a f****** tackle in that half" ranted one fan............."why do we persist with Wiedwald? He flaps more than an excited Hummingbird" an annoyed fan wanted to know whilst one fan asked the question we all wanted know "What the f*** has happened to Jansson. He's even scared of Bamford" Mmmm the natives were restless to say the least. Still an early goal in the 2nd half..........................

Unfortunately the 2nd half followed the course of the first period with Bamford given the freedom of the Leeds defence Traore beating Leeds players at will and the Leeds players failing to lay a finger on any of the opposition. Vieira and Forshaw replaced Alioski and Phillips at half time to improve matters slightly but quite frankly this was one of the worst performances by a Leeds team I've seen and on so many levels. The goalie instills panic in his defence every time a cross comes into the box. Our tackling and marking of opposition players is so lightweight it's embarrassing. It wouldn't be as bad if the players looked as if they were giving a 100% but I'm afraid they don't with the odd exception. For the record Leeds did have a couple of chances which Jansson headed wide and Bamford got his first ever hat trick when he slowly "pounced" on a rebound to shoot past Wiedwald. All very painful to watch. The game ended 3.0 to an impressive Boro side.

As we streamed away from the Riverside into the freezing night there were many heavy hearts amongst the travelling fans. They had sung their hearts out throughout the game. They had encouraged and supported the Leeds effort when it was clear it was having no affect. What I struggle with is the powder puff tackling and slack marking. With all due respect to Bamford who is a good player but we never put him under any pressure all night. His game is based on silky skills but he is the most unaggressive centre forward on the planet and yet our supposed "rock" at the heart of our defence, Jansson, didn't even ruffle a hair on his well coiffured head! Disgraceful in my book. This game goes down on that very long list of shocking and embarrassing performances by a Leeds "team" along with iconic memories of capitulation at places like, Hereford, Sheff Wed, Swindon, Northampton, Millenium Stadium, etc etc.

Another season that's drifting weakly to the rocks of 15th place oblivion I'm afraid. Just the runaway, classy leaders, Wolves, up next at Elland Road then........................Following Leeds United is an absolute joy said nobody ever!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Brentford. 24th Feb 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 24 Feb 2018 19:03:00 +0000

This week has managed to cram in the full set of emotions most Leeds fans have endured over the past decade and beyond ranging from the incredible atmosphere generated at all three matches through ecstatic celebration of goals to gut wrenching despair at woeful defending. How any Leeds fans with any sort of heart problems are still alive is beyond me. What's even more incredible is that after being dragged through the emotional wringer and still without a win in 2018 4000 tickets for our trip to Reading go on sale and are snapped up before you can say "we're f****** shit" Amazing!

Back to today's game though and the visit of Brentford to Elland Road. The unfashionable West London team sit 4 points and a place above Leeds with a team of talented and hard working players who destroyed Leeds at Griffin Park earlier in the season. Can Leeds get that illusive first win of 2018? Surely Saiz will start after his seismic impact off the bench at Derby? What will Hecky do with the leaky sieve like back 5? All questions debated healthily during the optimistic pre match refreshment session.

When it came Hecky's teamsheet was full of surprises. No Hernandez, Forshaw, Roofe or De Bock with starts for Saiz, Alioski, O'Kane and Phillips. Forshaw was with his wife giving birth, poor excuse, Hernandez and Roofe were injured and De Bock understandably was dropped. The back 5 saw Wiedwald retain his place with Anita, Cooper, Jansson and Berardi in front of him. Deceptively bright sunshine shone down on Elland Road with a chilly wind rattling around the stadium as the game got underway. The Bees had the better of the scrappy opening exchanges as they looked to feed their wingers and attack the Leeds flanks. The Leeds crowd were nervous as possession was given away too easily and very few 2nd balls were won. Deja vu I'm afraid. On 12 minutes Brentford's early pressure so nearly paid off as a stunning half volley from Egan was wonderfully saved by the under fire Wiedwald as he flung himself to the right to flick the ball away for a corner.

Brentford continued to build pressure and dominate possession as Leeds continued to struggle. To add to the concern both Anita and Alioski received harsh yellow cards from the unbelievably pedantic referee. What Leeds needed was something to lift not only the crowd but also the team. On 30 minutes completely against the run of play they got it. Dallas won the ball well and started on a diagonal run across the pitch going nowhere until he was brought down 35 yards out wide on the left. The ironic cheers greeted the referee's decision. Alioski lined up the kick and swung a lovely ball into the danger area for Cooper to glance the perfect header past the Bees goalie. 1.0 Leeds and the 28,000 crowd celebrated with a mixture of shock and relief.

The goal lifted Leeds and suddenly they were competing for 2nd balls better and giving the ball away less. Saiz, Lasogga and Alioski all got shots away in quick succession as the West London side rocked under the sudden pressure from the home side. Leeds continued to dig in as the game got to half time with the score still 1.0 and Brentford finally got a yellow card after Sawyers had fouled Alioski. It seemed strange hearing a good ovation for the team going off at half time after our recent run.

The Urinal Philosophers were in a chirpy mood, "Wiedwald's save was reminiscent of Gary Sprake" thought one fan whilst another was seething about the ref "why, why, why are ref's so inconsistent?" Finally one captured the consensus view "God we've missed Saiz haven't we" as the urinating collective nodded sagely in agreement. Could we keep it going in the 2nd half and get the three precious points though?

Leeds started well as three times they split the Brentford defence with passes only for Alioski and Lasogga to be ruled offside. The ref continued to baffle the home fans with his decisions. Apparently football is now a non contact sport in his eyes and under no circumstances do you allow play to continue when he's a chance to blow his f****** whistle. First Saiz was fouled but shrugged off the attention only to be called back from a dangerous position followed by a similar decision on Lasogga. Absolutely unbelievable decisions. When the game was allowed to flow Leeds were now digging in to prevent the Bees' plentiful possession from turning into a goal. O'Kane and Phillips were breaking up play with Cooper and Jansson commanding at the back. Saiz was just fantastic backed up by hard working Alioski and Dallas. On the hour Lasogga danced through the Bees defence only to see his shot cleared off the line.

Ekuban replaced Lasogga with 15 minutes to go closely followed by Sacko coming on for Dallas. Nerves were jangling in the stands as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes. We can't concede another late goal can we? Jansson was harshly penalised on the edge of the box to give a free kick to Bees. 90 seconds left. Judge fired in a powerful shot straight at Wiedwald.........the German keeper chose to punch the ball straight out to Canos...........Elland Road held it's breath as the Brentford striker's shot went high and wide. Saiz left the field to thunderous applause to be replaced by Vieira for the last two minutes as Leeds saw the game out for their first win of the year and a welcome clean sheet. Final score 1.0 Leeds.

This was not a classic but it was a gritty, hard working performance from a team showing clear signs of enjoying their new coach's tactics. We still have a tendency to give the ball away too easily and the defending at times leaves a lot to be desired but there is a good team spirit on show. Saiz has made a massive impact since coming back and continued today. At times he's unplayable. Lasogga is a different player now although not the quickest he takes up some intelligent positions as we go forward. It's all looking good for our visit to the Riverside on Friday. One game at a time now and see where we go.

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Bristol City. 18th Feb 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 18 Feb 2018 20:23:00 +0000

For fans of a certain age Bristol City at home will always stir painful distant memories of one of the biggest FA Cup shocks Leeds have had the misfortune to have played in. In 1974 Bristol City were a developing team in the obscurity of Div 3 (League 1 in today's money) whilst Leeds were riding high as probably the most feared team in Europe. A Don Gillies goal gave the Robins an unlikely victory in the replay in a game that kicked off at 2pm in the middle of the 3 day week in front of a sold out Elland Road. Fast forward 44 years and Bristol arrive in West Yorks sat precariously in the top 6 of the championship with Leeds frantically trying to keep in touch from an ever increasing gap in 11th. By any stretch of the imagination if Hecky is going to perform a miracle and get Leeds back on the promotion track this is definitely a must win game. On the evidence of our form since Christmas it looks like a lost cause not made any easier with the continued absence of Saiz, Berardi and Cooper due to suspension. You never know though...............

The ridiculous Sunday 4.30pm kick off time and the recent awful form had trimmed the crowd below the 30,000 mark for the first time for a while but there were still plenty of home fans hanging onto the theory that if we beat them 3.0 at Ashton Gate we should be able to beat them at home? They do say it's the hope that kills you. The pre match chat was focused on team selection. Would Roofe and Alioski survive after their less than inspiring performances at Bramall Lane? What about the midfield three? Could Lasogga keep hold of his shin pads? We were about to find out.

Hecky rang the changes for his first game at Elland Road with Anita, Ekuban and Hernandez starting in place of Roofe, Alioski and Phillips. Leeds started positively and after just 5 minutes swept down field and sliced through the Bristol defence with Ekuban finally feeding Dallas in the box but the Northern Irishman's shot was too near Fielding in the Bristol goal who parried it away to safety. This looked good and gave the crowd some early false hope that was soon to be cruelly snatched away from them in an all too familiar fashion.

First Wiedwald came for a cross and punched the ball weakly away causing visible panic amongst the Leeds defence. Bristol didn't need telling twice with their height advantage they knew exactly how to hurt Leeds...........put the ball in the box for their big men to win. On 11 minutes this strategy paid handsome dividends for the Robins as Wiedwald came for a long throw and completely missed the line of the ball as he flapped like a dying Swan in his attempt to clear the ball. The ball dropped into the Leeds area where Bristol's Diedhiou took two touches before sliding the home the opening goal. The Leeds defenders apparently had concrete boots on coupled with the brain speed of a Sloth suffering from concussion as they watched the Bristol player score with ease. Farcical bordering on comical defending from the men in white. Worse was to come just 5 minutes later as Leeds again failed to react to a cross into the box as Pack snapped up the second ball and fired a pass to Reid who stabbed the ball home to double the Robins lead. Shocking defending. 2.0 Bristol and the majority of the crowd feared this was going to get a whole lot worse.

Leeds capitulated in embarrassing style as Kent, Reid and Flint tormented Leeds. The home fans were seething and when the ref blew his whistle for half time there was a well deserved chorus of boos to accompany them into the dressing room. They couldn't deal with any ball into their box, they hadn't won any second balls and treated the ball like an exceptionally hot potato when they did have possession. A truly awful first 45 minutes that left absolutely no hope for the 2nd period. In all my times writing this blog I have never experienced a game where the Urinal Philosophers were stunned into silence but I had now. The performance was so bad nobody had anything to say. There was no point. We all knew this was as bad as it gets and couldn't even raise an objection. Their faces told a different story though. Etched into their faces was a mixture of crushing disappointment and total despair that needed no words to elaborate. In their eyes was a dullness you associate with death. Surely Leeds couldn't recover from this?

The 2nd half progressed in the same sorry way as the first with a continuing comedy of errors from the men in white. It got that bad that the home crowd reverted to cutting sarcasm as they cheered any catch by Wiedwald and any passage of more than three passes with Ole's. Then with ironic chants of "We're gonna win the league" ringing around the ground the game suddenly changed. Roofe replaced Ekuban and Dallas made way for Sacko. Bristol decided they could just kill the game and take the three points back to the South West. The ironic chants changed to spine tingling choruses of MOT and ALAW which the players picked up on. All of a sudden we were stringing passes together and attacking with purpose. Bristol began to look nervous especially after they had let a three goal lead slip last week. On 72 minutes Elland Road erupted as Lasogga showed what a good finisher he is as he met Hernandez's cross at the back post to pull one back for Leeds. 2.1 and Elland Road must have felt like a seething Bear Pit to the Bristol players as the Leeds players suddenly changed into world beaters as they surged forward looking for an equaliser feeding on the incessant noise from the stands.

The fans smelt blood, the players smelt blood and tore into the Robins. Gone were the errors and nervous defending. Now we were pinging 40 yard balls to feet, we were confidently taking responsibility for the ball and we were creating real chances. On 80 minutes Roofe got the equaliser as he slid in a cross at the back post. 2.2 and Elland Road was absolutely bouncing. At times like this there is no ground in England that creates as much noise and passion in all four corners of the stadium. Unbelievable scenes and what was better was that there was still ten minutes left to chase the winner.

The last ten minutes saw Leeds surge forward with high octane attacks that had Bristol crumbling. Forshaw saw his shot from the edge of the box go just wide, Sacko was causing havoc down the right whilst Hernandez was mesmerising on the left. Into 5 minutes of added time with Leeds still looking for the winner. Phillips, on for O'Kane, missed a header from 7 yards which he should have buried and then right at the death Lasogga rose like giant Salmon to thunder a header against the bar. Wow. What a game, what a 2nd half and what an atmosphere. It ended 2.2 but that doesn't begin to describe the drama in this game. From a first half where Leeds looked so inept and void of ideas to a 2nd half where they picked up on the crowd's incessant noise to pull off a most unlikely comeback this was a remarkable game. Why can't we play like that for 90 minutes instead of 30?

This game was so Leeds. They plumbed new depths of woefulness in the first half and climbed new heights of resilience in the 2nd. Yes the failings in defence are still there and the seemingly inability to keep possession when under pressure is a big worry as is our vulnerability to set pieces but if Hecky can just get some consistency into our play then we just might be able to build a platform for next season.

Life is never not dull supporting Leeds. Derby away on Wednesday and God willing I should be there. Which Leeds team will turn up? Will Saiz come straight back in? Can Hecky sort the defence out?

Can't wait.

MOT.

Sheff Utd v Leeds Utd. 10th Feb 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 17:37:00 +0000

After another interesting week off the pitch on Planet Leeds the focus returns to what's happening on the pitch as we head to Bramall Lane for a Yorkshire derby with Sheff Utd. The departure of TC after the embarrassing defeat to Cardiff was not entirely unexpected but the choice of his successor, Paul Heckingbottom, was. The ex Barnsley boss has definitely talked the talk well since joining Leeds in a typical no nonsense Yorkshire way that has struck a positive chord with the majority of fans including yours truly. Can he convert all those fine words about how the team should play into reality on a freezing cold lunchtime in Sheffield though? We were about to find out.

At least PH has O'Kane and Phillips available after their suspensions and Jansson making a remarkable recovery after the seemingly life threatening injury incurred last week should make team selection marginally better. Rumours that PH had told the big Swede to "get thi sen on t'training pitch cos tha's playing on Saturday yer soft twat" seemed to have helped his recovery.

How would we deal with Leon Clarke this time round? Would Sheffield's lack of an experienced Goalie give Leeds an edge? What formation would PH deploy? There was lots to debate as we waited for Heckingbottom's first team sheet. As expected there were changes and not just to the personnel as PH went for a 4-3-3 formation in his first game in charge. De Bock, Pennington, Jansson and Dallas were the back 4 with Phillips, Forshaw and O'Kane in midfield. Up front Lasogga was supported by Roofe and Alioski. The Leeds players wore black armbands in respect to Liam Miller who tragically lost his battle against cancer today.

Bramall Lane was crackling with atmosphere as the game got underway despite the swirling, cold, wet weather that had engulfed Sheffield. What Leeds needed was a confident start but what they got was the complete opposite. The Blades launched their first attack.........Duffy found acres of space on the right and chipped a ball to Billy Sharp on the edge of the box who volleyed a superb shot that left Wiedwald with no chance. 1.0 Blades after just 2 minutes. Sharp wheeled away in delight as the boisterous away end was stunned into silence. Why do ex players always score against us? Sheffield fed on the early goal and attacked Leeds with vigour. Sharp just missed a header from a corner as the mood amongst the Leeds fans turned sour. The numerous Leeds managers stood near me had sacked Roofe, Alioski and Lasogga for being f****** useless after just 10 minutes.I hope they give the new coach til at least half time before they judge him I mused.

On 15 minutes Leeds had their first sniff of a chance as Alioski tried a weak overhead kick from a Jansson header after a free kick. More vile abuse for Alioski from around me. Jesus we don't half give our own players some stick if they're not at least the same standard as Messi. The game was fast and furious just as you'd expect a local derby to be. The Blades were edging the game as Leeds struggled to find any rhythm against the high pressing style of their opponents. Lasogga lifted the spirits though on 23 minutes as he battled for the ball and hit a stinging 25 yard shot that beat both the goalie and the post. Just before half time Alioski took another heavy tackle to earn Leeds another free kick. Roofe departed with concussion to be replaced by Hernandez. The Spaniard made an immediate impact as he stroked the perfect free kick onto Jansson's head but the giant Blackman in the Sheffield goal pulled off a fantastic save as he clawed the header away for a corner. HT 1.0 Blades.

The urinal philosophers were in an unforgiving mood as they tore into Roofe and Alioski 's efforts in the first half. Even for this blog there was no comments I could repeat but safe to say both have suddenly been made life members of the LUFC fans "You're f****** shit" club. Even the Heck didn't escape criticism as one fan declared "I knew we shouldn't have gone with the Barnsley twat he hasn't got a clue" Wow. I despair at times.

Leeds were out early for the 2nd half with PH's half time team talk ringing in their ears. Would it turn things round? We got the answer after just 90 seconds of the restart. Leeds pressed Sheffield and Hernandez recovered the ball and scuttled towards the Blades' box. What happened next was pure poetry in motion. Hernandez mesmerised two defenders with a little wiggle here and a little feint there as he floated the most delightful cross towards Lasogga who struck like a coiled Cobra to thunder a powerful header past Blackman into the net. The away end exploded in total carnage as bodies flew past me to the right and left in celebration. 1.1 and Leeds were back in the game.

It was the Blades who were rattled now as the little Spanish Magician, Hernandez, struck fear into the hearts of the Blades defenders every time he got the ball and on 57 minutes when he jinked inside and fired a shot just over the bar I began to think we might just take all three points. Sheffield rallied though with Duffy and Sharp pulling the strings the Blades started to apply the pressure to the creaking Leeds back four as the corner count started to build. This was now a cracking game that both teams were looking to win. Then on 72 minutes a moment of controversy settled the game. The Blades won a free kick 30 yards out. Fleck made a run into the box and took a short pass O'Kane challenged him and he went down like a sniper had shot him. PENALTY! From the away end it looked a stonewall penalty. Billy Sharp stepped and converted with ease to put the Blades 2.1 up.

Leeds had 17 minutes to rescue something from the game. Sacko replaced the injured Alioski as PH looked to pinch another equaliser. Lasogga saw his header bounce off a defender to go behind but the referee somehow thought it was a goal kick which enraged the baying Leeds fans as did an apparent handball by a Blades defender in the box which was waved away by the ref. Eckuban came on for Phillips as Leeds threw caution to the wind in search of an equaliser. A couple of desperate goalmouth scrambles followed but Leeds couldn't prise open the Blades defence again and the game finished 2.1.

Hearing that the Blades penalty was debatable at best on the way home didn't do anything to improve my mood. We did show a lot more fight than in recent weeks but PH will certainly be aware he has a big job on his hands to get Leeds back to winning ways. Roofe did struggle as did Alioski at times. De Bock isn't a natural attacking full back neither. Hernandez did make an impact when he came on even in the heat of a pulsating local derby. Pennington and Jansson put in good shifts as well. All in all I was pleased we played better despite losing. PH needs time to show what he can do. I hope he's not crucified before he does?

Bristol City up next for Leeds. Yet another testing game for Leeds in the February month of death. We did beat them at Ashton Gate so can we repeat that at Elland Road? Fingers crossed.

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Cardiff City 3rd Feb 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 03 Feb 2018 18:48:00 +0000

January 2018 wasn't the most productive month in the history of Leeds Utd. Just two points from two goalless draws and an embarrassing FA Cup defeat at mighty Newport County have rocked the confidence of fans and players alike. February is hardly likely to offer much chance of recuperation as after today's game with Cardiff we play Sheff Utd, Bristol City, Derby and then Brentford. At least that will prepare us for the following two games against Boro and Wolves. All of a sudden there is a deep depression hanging over Planet Leeds. Certainly the injury toll and needless suspensions haven't helped the situation but whilst we are still only four points off the play offs the gap seems enormous based on the shocking performance at Hull on Tuesday. Still if we can just beat Cardiff you never know!

To beat Cardiff Leeds will have to do something they have failed to do this season and that is withstand a big physical pressing team and with Mr Warnock's latest signing, Madine, adding more brutality to the team the prospects are not good. Still that wasn't going to stop me joining another big crowd heading for LS11 on a cold, wet miserable afternoon. They say it's the hope that kills you!

There was only one change to the Leeds team as Pennington returned to the back four to partner Jansson and try and repel the Cardiff artillery. The miserable weather in West Yorkshire didn't dampen the crowd's anticipation as both teams started positively. Ominously for Leeds though Cardiff won two early corners and tested the Leeds defence with their big men. Sadly it took just 9 minutes for Cardiff to expose the weak Leeds underbelly as Paterson headed home from the back post after sloppy play gave the ball back to Cardiff and Traore was allowed to cross far too easily. 1.0 Cardiff and another mountain for Leeds to climb if they were going to get back into the game.

Leeds were shaken by the goal but Lasogga restored some hope for the home fans with a strong shot from 25 yards that the Cardiff goalie did well to save. This was better and when Hernandez got free and found Lasogga with lovely cross the big German should have scored but could only hit the bar from 6 yards...................but hang on the ball fell nicely for Alioski only for him to rush his shot and the chances were gone. Leeds were lifted by the chance and started to look as if they would find a way back into the game. Then it all started to go pear shaped. First Berardi received a yellow for a flying challenge on Madine when in truth he could have got a red for what seemed a two footed challenge. Then when all the commotion over Berardi's yellow had died down Jansson was still prostrate in the Cardiff box. The stretcher came on and we lost yet another centre half. Bollox. Dallas came on for the Swede and Berardi moved to centre half. I'm not sure what was worst losing the only bit for height we had or losing the commanding presence of Jansson at the back. Probably both to be honest.

The Berardi Madine battle simmered on with the Cardiff player earning a yellow for a niggly tackle on Berardi. Dallas gave Leeds some hope as his shot was saved by the Cardiff keeper but Leeds looked vulnerable at the back especially when the ball went high to the Cardiff front men. On 40 minutes my worst fears were realised as Paterson chased down a ball on the half way and ran away from the Leeds defence with ease..........he shot from the edge of the box but pulled the ball to the right where Hoilett sneaked round the back of De Bock and tapped in the simplest of goals. Shocking defending once again by Leeds and the Bluebirds were now flying at 2.0. The referee wasn't helping with some strange decisions but once again Leeds were contributing massively to their own downfall. 2.0 Cardiff but worse was to come.

4 minutes into added time Madine drew another foul from Berardi and the Leeds man was off for a 2nd yellow. As if that wasn't bad enough Leeds were still complaining about the decision when Cardiff took the free kick and scored from a simple header at the back post with no Leeds player in sight. Disgraceful, amateurish, spineless defending. 3.0 Cardiff and the game and season over. The referee went off for half time with boos ringing in his ears but for me Leeds were their own worst enemy. 3.0 down at half time at home was just shambolic and embarrassing for the long suffering home fans.

Understandably the Urinal Philosophers were seething. "We've no f****** bottle out there" "We knew how they were going to play why can't we defend against them" "What a load of bollox" were a few of the more repeatable comments but everyone was in agreement on one thing. This Leeds team is a million miles off top 6 material. How many would we concede in the 2nd half was the main worry.

Leeds did get a smidgen of hope on 54 minutes as Bamba turned a teasing Dallas cross into his own net which lifted the crowd. The game became even more scrappy, if that was possible, as Warnock's men sat back and looked to catch Leeds on the break. That's when they weren't stopping the game at every opportunity. The wily old Warnock didn't want Leeds building up a head of steam. He needn't have worried because they didn't. On 75 minutes Lasogga departed to be replaced by Sacko much to the derision of the crowd........not at the German but at TC. Why take a striker off when we still needed to score two goals?

The game ended in a whimper for Leeds and Pilkington got a 4th for the Welsh team by which time Elland Road was emptying faster than a Lemmings convention on a cliff top. A shocking performance from Leeds. Too many errors and too little passion. Yes the suspensions have hurt us, yes going down to ten man hurt us but there's no excuse for the weak and aimless performance from the team today. Absolutely shocking. It's difficult to see where we go from here with yet another suspension for Berardi, fit and available centre halves as rare as a Pork Pie at a bar mitzvah and TC seemingly lost the plot. We need some strength and steel in the team. At the moment we have too many flicky players and not enough hard players.

The season is over for Leeds in my opinion as we seem to be gravitating to our favourite position of 15th in the table. February is going to be a very difficult month for Leeds. Sheff Utd away is next on the agenda. God only knows what will happen there? Tin hats on we're in for a very bumpy ride.

Can't wait.

MOT

Hull City v Leeds Utd. 30th Jan 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 23:37:00 +0000

After a week in the sun Leeds resumed their Championship campaign at a distinctly chilly KCOM Stadium and thus begging the question would their warm weather sojourn to Spain prove to be an advantage on a freezing Tuesday night at Hull? Over 2,000 travelling fans were about to find out. First things first though who would be in a team ravaged by injuries and self inflicted suspensions? Shaughnessy at centre back with Pennington now injured was the first shock and looking on the bench to find young Pearce and Vieira's brother emphasised how threadbare the squad is.......unlike the bulging U23 squad and that team in the Spanish 2nd Division. Still we were playing a Hull side desperately struggling to stay out of the relegation quagmire. What could possibly go wrong?

The bizarre rave like light show in the stadium that greeted the players as they walked out was met with justifiable derision from the Leeds faithful. The pyrotechnics, co-ordinated music and lights are just about acceptable at a Cup Final but definitely not on a cold night in Humberside. The game's gone mad. The teams lined up with Forshaw making his Leeds debut and we were soon underway. Now as regular readers know I tend to tell it as it is so rather than bore you with the minute details of the first half I will just say it consisted of 45 minutes of excruciating football from both sides. Both teams were extremely lucky to get to half time with nil to their name. It was shocking. Add to that Shaughnessy getting injured as Campbell ghosted past him in the 6th minute and you get the picture. Berardi went to centre half with Dallas going to right back. HT 0.0.

Forshaw and Wiedwald were the only Leeds players who showed any sort of form in the first 45 minutes as the whites struggled to put more than a couple of passes together when they had the ball and stood off their opponents when they didn't. Hull's very direct tactics caused Leeds a lot of pain. It's a good job they can't finish I mused. The Urinal philosophers were suicidal. "We're light years away from a top six side" grumbled one fan whilst another thought "what the fuck is up with Vieira? He's always giving the ball away" Mmmm there was a distinct lack of positiveness about the opening 45 minutes. Would it change in the 2nd period?

The quality or lack of it continued in the 2nd half with at times farcical periods of play with each team heading or booting the ball to each other reminiscent of a Sunday League game where both teams had been on a stag do on the Saturday night. Dicko got the prize for the most unbelievable piece of skill as he somehow headed the ball over the Leeds bar from about a yard out with the goal gaping wide in front of him. The game had now become embarrassing as the quality decreased as each minute passed by. For the record Leeds finished with not one shot on target but both Lasogga and Alioski did go near with decent shots. Sacko came on for the last 10 minutes whilst Hull built up a head of steam to try and snatch a winner. In truth neither team deserved anything from the game and it ended 0:0. Pontus picked up his 9th yellow card putting him within one card of getting a ban which he almost certainly will get against Cardiff.

With the exception of Forshaw, Wiedwald and De Bock Leeds were dire. Even Wiedwald went walkabout midway through the 2nd half as he tried to clear the ball and ended up sort of dribbling past the Hull strikers. Although the point moved us within 4 points of the play offs we are a million miles away from promotion form. There is a lack of confidence in the team when they're on the ball at present. News that Tyler Roberts is about to join from WBA didn't exactly brighten the mood after the game. Not the quality of striker we yearn for at this moment in time.

Cardiff up next on Saturday. When Mr Warnock sees the video of this game he will be salivating at the prospect of his strong-arm tactics punishing Leeds at Elland Road. The good ship Leeds United is in a storm and heading for the Bermuda triangle of mid table oblivion for this season unless there is a drastic change in fortune/form/personnel I'm afraid. Roll on Saturday. I might take my boots I could get a game!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Millwall. 20th Jan 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 19:26:00 +0000

It's fair to say that there's been a bit of January turbulence on Planet Leeds this week. This is not unusual as the low pressure front of Leeds United's transfer spending meets a high pressure front of fan's over expectation that has been building through December and creates storms over low lying parts of Twitterscape and in exposed areas of Facebook. Laurens De Bock and Adam Forshaw made it through the inclement weather to bolster the Leeds squad with Cameron Borthwick-Jackson being blown back across the Pennines to Old Trafford which also increased the squad's ability. There are a number of strikers in the cloud of possibility hanging to the North of Elland Road but none have landed in West Yorkshire despite massive pressure from Leeds's extended scouting network on social media. Watch this space.

Our friends from South Bermondsey are today's visitors to Elland Road and they are sure of a warm reception by the locals. News that Forshaw is injured for the game is a bit odd given that apparently one of the reasons he was brought in was to cover for injuries and suspensions after O'Kane's moment of madness at Ipswich? On the flip side Vieira was fit again. To say the Leeds midfield has been poorer during his absence is like stating the bleeding obvious at a World conference for stating the bleeding obvious alumni. Another near capacity crowd was heading for The Theatre of Hope as I pondered what had become another "must win game" for the mighty whites. Would De Bock start? Can we keep 11 players on the pitch? Would Morison prosper against Jansson on his return to Elland Road? We were about to find out!

TC had to shuffle his pack due to injuries and suspensions. In came De Bock at left back and Vieira in for O'Kane. Lasogga started up front with Roofe in the ten role and Hernandez and Alioski out wide. A nice attacking selection against a team who have yet to taste the sweet taste of victory away from South London this season. The game kicked off and immediately exploded into life as first O'Brien tested Wiedwald in the first minute after good work by ex Leeds man Morison then Lasogga got on the end of a cross from Alioski but headed wide with barely a minute gone! Both teams clearly had no intention of playing defensively as chances came and went at both ends. Millwall had a goal chalked off for an offence in the box before Lasogga wasted a glorious headed chance when he was unmarked just 8 yards out. Then Phillips released the much maligned striker again in the box but the Millwall keeper thwarted him with a good save. At the other end Wallace, Morison and Gregory were all enjoying time and space against the less than frugal Leeds back four. Gregory should have scored when he got beyond Cooper but pulled his shot wide. Phew! "You're f****** shit" belted out the Kop to the grieving striker. "You only sing that when you're 3.0 up not 0.0" I shouted to anybody that would listen. 3 minutes later I was sadly proved correct.

Leeds again stood off their Millwall counterparts allowing Morison to ping a cross to the far post for O'Brien to head home unchallenged at the far post. A good goal but schoolboy defending from Leeds. We were falling into the same trap as we did at Millwall and losing all the 2nd balls and winning no headers in our half of the field. This didn't look good. 1.0 Millwall. Leeds were wobbling and couldn't find an answer to any ball launched into their box where Millwall were winning everything with a simple tactic of keeping the ball away from Jansson and also keeping Jansson away from the ball. Leeds were looking very vulnerable and were in desperate need of some inspiration. What they got was another wild error of judgement by Liam Cooper as he lunged after a ball he'd mis-controlled and got a straight red for an over the top challenge on Saville. 3rd Red card on the trot for Leeds FFS.

So after the two benches had a heated debate over the sending off the Millwall fans celebrated and the 32,000 Leeds fans once again were left in utter despair and frustration at the plight of their team. Of course in true Leeds style it soon got worse as Jansson conceded a so called free kick and got a yellow for his protestations in the meantime Millwall took a quick free kick and while the Leeds defence were still feeling sorry for themselves Morison clipped a ball into the path of Gregory to double the Lion's lead and kill the game with just 42 minutes gone. Surely Leeds couldn't back from this with eleven men never mind ten? Half time came just in time to avoid Leeds conceding again. Boo's rang around the Theatre of Frustration as the teams headed off for their cup of tea. Shocking.

As you can imagine the Urinal Philosophers were in unforgiving but humorous mood......"I'm going to need to drink a lot more if I continue to watch this shite just to numb the pain" said one disgruntled fan whilst another was livid because "No passion, no f****** fight and no idea......just like at Millwall" " If Lasogga had only put those two chances away early on....." bemoaned one hopeful fan. Yes at this moment of time the Urinal Philosophers had decided our season was finished such is the raw emotion of following a football team like Leeds. TC now needed to change something and fast. The team needed also to get a grip and play as if they wanted to win despite being a man short. Thankfully we were about to witness an unbelievably emotional 45 minutes of football!

Pennington was on for Vieira. Leeds erupted like a team possessed to rock Millwall to the core. A minute into the half and a mistake by Millwall gave Roofe a chance with the ball in the inside left position. He drove into the box and laid back a perfect ball for Lasogga who made no mistake as he thumped it into the back of the net. 2.1 Millwall and Elland Road was bouncing. Millwall were visibly wilting as the ten men of Leeds changed their approach. Gone was the hesitancy and lack of passion of the first half replaced by raw determination and commitment something the crowd sucked up with joy. Leeds were now counter attacking with speed and intensity. On 51 minutes Wiedwald somehow clawed away a header from Gregory and Leeds immediately sprung an attack. De Bock overlapped and fired in a cross that Archer dropped in the Millwall goal......three Leeds players pounced like hungry Hyenas on the loose ball in the Millwall box with Roofe finally getting the ball over the line.................2.2 and the decibel level went off the scale as the home fans celebrated a remarkable and courageous comeback. Unbelievable.

The Lions were licking their wounds but Leeds now smelt blood and went in for the kill. Hernandez saw his shot squeak wide as Leeds applied the pressure making light of the one man disadvantage. On 62 minutes the impossible happened. Leeds flooded forward again.........Hernandez teased the Millwall defenders before finding Lasogga in the box. The big German turned and fired a sweet shot into the bottom corner to give Leeds the lead at 3.2. Absolutely incredible and Elland Road was a sea of bodies apart from the 1,200 away friends. This is why I love football. One minute you are in the depths of despair and then you're on cloud nine. Just the 28 minutes left for Leeds to hang on though.

Another ex Leeds man, Tom Elliot, came on for Millwall as the Lions tried to get back in the game. 15 minutes left and suddenly Pennington is flying out of defence and hurtling down the right wing on attack. Very entertaining but FFS we're one nil up with ten men! Sure enough the ball was lost and swiftly moved down field by Millwall through the space he'd left and Leeds conceded a corner. Leeds now started to sit deep and invite Millwall onto them as tired legs took their toll. Shaughnessy came on for Lasogga so with Roofe already departed for Dallas Leeds now didn't have a striker. Mmm this could be interesting.

With just three minutes left on the clock Leeds conceded yet another corner. Jake Cooper won the header and Tom Elliot finished in style to break the hearts of fans and players alike. 3.3 and still 4 minutes added time to go. 2 minutes into added time saw Dallas lose the ball on the half way and Morison sprint into the open space in front of the Leeds box before releasing Wallace who's deflected shot flew agonisingly into the Leeds net and give the Lions the lead. 4.3 Millwall and utter dejection in the Leeds stands. How was that possible? Why couldn't we just hold onto possession? I was still in post goal shock as the final twist of a remarkable game played out. Leeds attacked again and with possibly the best move of the game sliced Millwall in two for Shaughnessy to get on the end of Phillips cross but somehow Archer made the save in the Millwall goal. Unbelievable. The game finished 4.3. In the end an absolutely thrilling game that saw the full rollercoaster of emotions over the 90 minutes.

Leeds paid for a very poor first half and poor defending against a hard working and resolute Millwall side. De Bock had a good debut and Lasogga showed why TC brought him back into the starting line up. Ultimately Leeds paid a heavy price for Cooper's red card and some naive defending which spoilt a courageous 2nd half comeback. Football is a 90 minute game though. Conceding 4 at home to a team that hadn't won away all season is not the hallmark of a top six team in this ultra competitive league I'm afraid.

Hull City up next which for me working in East Yorkshire has added spice. Please don't let me down?

Can't wait.

MOT.

Ipswich Town v Leeds Utd. 13th Jan 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 22:54:00 +0000

A week after the woeful performance at lowly Newport County and over 3,500 Leeds fans are heading to Portman Road, a place where Leeds have won only once in their last ten visits. Add the sobering news that Saiz is suspended, Ayling is out for the season and the new left back De Bock has not travelled with the team and you begin to get an inkling to the DNA of your average Leeds fan. It's a potent mixture of bloody mindedness, blind loyalty, unswerving passion and that addictive belief that no matter how bad we played last week this week would somehow be different especially with the assistance of a few pre match refreshments. We might have given a very good impression of a team falling apart this week but the Leeds away family was once again on the road and once again hoping for a decent performance.

The journey to Ipswich was a bit more eventful than usual as Virgin Trains kindly cancelled my train from Doncaster to Peterborough and then the following train refused to let me on with a Virgin ticket unless I paid full fare. After a short and unsuccessful discussion with the train guard I thanked him for his understanding and returned to the car park to continue the journey by road. Thankfully I arrived in Ipswich in time for kick off and to dissect TC's latest team selection. Anita was at left back with Berardi moving to the right. Phillips and O'Kane were in midfield with Roofe up front. Cibicki, Hernandez and Alioski completed the line up with Wiedwald returning in goal.

The game got underway with the vociferous away support belting out the Leeds United songbook into the murky Suffolk sky. Leeds started very much on the front foot with Hernandez, Alioski and Cibicki all seeing half chances saved or blocked in the first 20 minutes. There was real purpose in the Leeds play in sharp contrast to last week's performance in South Wales. Jansson and Cooper were solid at the back and Leeds midfield were causing the home side problems with their attacking intent. All was going well for Leeds but then on 30 minutes came the first blow of the afternoon. Cibicki went off with a hamstring problem to be replaced by Sacko. Mmmm this could be kill or cure for Sacko I mused.

Leeds were soon back on the attack and Hernandez slid a perfect ball through to Roofe but the Leeds striker couldn't convert the golden chance as the Ipswich captain blocked his shot after Roofe tried to turn inside rather than hitting the shot first time. Leeds would regret that miss just minutes later. O'Kane chased a ball to the bye line and clashed with Knudson off the pitch. The ref had no hesitation in giving the Leeds midfielder a straight red. Bollox! Down to ten men and just 37 minutes gone. This was now going to be a big ask of the Leeds team. Ipswich now grasped their opportunity and with McGoldrick pulling the strings the Tractor Boys started to put pressure on Wiedwald's goal as the game neared half time. Celina rattled the Leeds post before Ipswich hit it again direct from a corner as Leeds tried to compose themselves. Half Time 0:0.

The Urinal Philosophers had the referee in their sights during the HT gents debate. "Why do we always get shit refs?" enquired one fan mirroring comments by many fans across the country during the half time break. "We should have scored before he got sent off" moaned another disgruntled fan whilst someone else thought "We need to nail McGoldrick or he'll run the show in the 2nd half" TC clearly had to reorganise the team for the 2nd half and he did just that. Shaughnessy came on for Alioski as Leeds strung two banks of four in front of Ipswich leaving Roofe to plough a lone farrow up front.

The new formation seemed to steady the Leeds ship and shortly after the restart Phillips fired in a dangerous shot that the keeper just held onto. At the other end Connolly found space and fired in a testing shot that Wiedwald flapped out to Garner who should have scored but thankfully pulled his shot wide. Sacko was seeing plenty of the ball on the right flank and got a couple of shots away but he never quite seems to co-ordinate his legs, arms and brain in the right order so he might bamboozle the defender but then choose the wrong sequence for his next pass or shot. It's such a shame because he has all the right tools but struggles to use them effectively.

As the clock ticked towards 70 minutes Leeds were still in the game albeit with a number of tired legs and bruised bodies. Then just when I was contemplating the thought of a backs to the wall performance yielding dividends for Leeds disaster struck. Phillips lost his man, Celina, in midfield and the Ipswich man took full advantage as he drove forward and hit a superb 25 yarder beyond Wiedwald and into the net. 1.0 Ipswich. Garner nearly added a second minutes later but suddenly Leeds got a second wind and attacked the home side with new found energy dredged from the bottom of their bloodymindedness bottle. Sacko got his co-ordination in perfect sync for once as he thundered forward onto a lovely pass and fired a superb ball into the box where Roofe connected but was foiled by a brilliant block by an Ipswich defender. The away support lifted the decibel levels as Leeds looked for an unlikely equaliser.

Lasogga came on for Anita as Leeds went to 3 at the back. Leeds pushed forward in style. Hernandez fired a pin point ball to Roofe in the box............he clipped the ball to the far post where Cooper stuck out his foot only to see the ball go inches over the top. This was better. Next Hernandez cut inside and hit a stinging shot inches over the bar. Leeds were giving it a good go if nothing else. 4 minutes added time and Ipswich were hanging on. Jansson strode forward from the back......he fed the ball through to Lasogga who turned and thumped a shot goal wards but the Ipswich goal palmed it away to safety and the game was over. 1.0 Ipswich.

In the end it was a battling performance from Leeds. Chances were missed but the loss of O'Kane to a stupid red card was the turning point. A game that was there for the taking turned into a fight for survival that ultimately failed. The defence looked strong today and even Anita looked the part. The injuries and suspensions do expose the thinness of the squad though. If we are to continue to flirt with a top six place that needs addressing in this transfer window. Fantastic support from the Leeds fans again. It would be nice to see us do better than last year's 7th position though. At this moment in time we will need to pick up some form running into the daunting run of games in February if that's going to happen though. It's never dull on Planet Leeds is it? Bring on Millwall next week!

Can't wait.

MOT.

Leeds Utd v Nottm, Forest. 1st January 2018.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 19:18:00 +0000

Happy New Year everybody and welcome to 2018. Thing is will this be another false dawn for the mighty whites or are we truly on our way back to Footballing normality and even better the Premier League? For the latter January and February will be the deciding months as the transfer window opens followed by a month with games against Cardiff, Sheff Utd, Bristol City, Derby and finally Brentford all teams with play off and promotion hopes. If ever there was a time for togetherness, side before self, positive support and sheer bloody mindedness by the club, team, management and fans it is now. There will inevitably be setbacks but if we arrive at the Ides of March still occupying a top six place then the dreams can really begin.

Anyhow enough of the Churchillian speeches and back to today's game against managerless Forest. The first day of 2018 saw slate grey skies and rain falling on West Yorkshire as we headed for LS11 to see Leeds try to make up for the hugely disappointing display at Birmingham. Once again the TV cameras were in position for the umpteenth time this season to see their favourite revenue generating team take on Forest. After tales of excess and debauchery from the night before the main talking point amongst the fans gathering for tentative pre match drinks was team selection. Would Saiz start from the off? Is the mercurial Vieira fit again? What about Lasogga and Shaughnessy? It was a New Year but it was the same heady mix of pre match hope, expectation, opinions all blended with the odd drop of alcohol. Delicious.

TC's team sheet showed changes as O'Kane returned in place of Shaughnessy and Saiz ousted Cibicki in what was a more attacking set up for the whites. Lasogga still had to make do with a place on the bench. Still no Vieira though. Another huge crowd was inside Elland Road with a disappointing number making the short trip from Nottingham as the game got under way. Hernandez was first to get a shot away as he forced a save from the Forest goalie after good work by Phillips with just 3 minutes on the clock. This was the positive start I was hoping for and soon the home crowd were cheering in awe at a fabulous goal saving tackle from Cooper to deny Brereton on the penalty spot. Everybody glanced at the referee but the timing and cleanness that Cooper took the ball was perfect and even this Ref couldn't get that wrong. He certainly made up for it as the game went on with some woefully inconsistent decisions.

Leeds finished the first 15 minutes of the match with a flurry of activity that so nearly brought the first goal. First Jansson connected with a corner forcing a save from Smith in the Forest goal followed quickly by another Jansson header from another corner being blocked on the line. Roofe's attempted overhead kick from the rebound went inches over the bar. Roofe had another chance but fired over. It was all a bit disjointed though and frustrating for the crowd as passes went astray. Things got worse when Ayling clattered into ex Leeds man Bridcutt and had to go off injured. Anita replaced him. The scrappiness of the half continued with the only bright spot when Jansson launched a controlled tackle from half a mile away on Lichaj which took the ball cleanly into touch. The snowflake referee booked the Leeds man presumably for snarling in a threatening manner at the Forest full back? Ridiculous. Half time 0.0 and muffled boos could be heard from the hard to please Leeds fans.

The Urinal Philosophers weren't that impressed with the first half showing, "what is Alioski on? He can't keep on his feet and can't control the ball" pondered one fan. Another had praise for Cooper's tackle "What a tackle from Cooper. Fagin's pickpockets couldn't have done better" Finally one fan wasn't happy with Roofe, "he's still too f****** isolated up front and getting battered by the centre half" The first half wasn't a classic but clearly Forest were there for the taking. But could Leeds create and convert more in the 2nd half? We were about to find out as TC replaced the misfiring Alioski with Lasogga and moved Roofe out wide.

Leeds started the 2nd period with much more tempo and forward aggression. Phillips blasted a good opportunity high and wide and then adjusted his range a minute later to fire just over the bar. The atmosphere and anticipation rose amongst the 32,000 Leeds managers in the stands. Then we witnessed a piece of play that was worth the entrance money alone. Saiz picked the ball up in his own half and set the Forest goal in his Sat Nav and started on a mazy run that bamboozled the Forest players as he left 3 or 4 for dead. The crowd roared him on as he approached the Forest box with absolute panic amongst the defenders.........his sublime pass to Roofe on the edge of the box left the striker with a free shot on goal. The groans of the crowd told it's own story as his shot clipped the bar and went behind. What a run though! When Saiz is running he reminds me at times of Fred Flinstone when he does his twinkle toes run up at the Ten Pin Bowling. Brilliant.

Saiz released Roofe again 5 minutes later but his shot failed to test the keeper as it fizzed over the bar. Leeds were now playing a lot better but would they regret not converting their chances? It certainly seemed so as Forest had a purple patch just on the hour Walker, Osborn and Dowell all had chances but the Leeds defence held firm. The referee continued to frustrate the home fans with some odd decisions but he certainly had no choice but to book Lichaj after the Forest full back cynically dragged down Hernandez when he turned him on the half way. Leeds were now building a head of steam as they looked for a goal that would secure three more precious points. Jansson had another header from a corner saved..

The final 10 minutes arrived and TC threw Sacko on to try and break the deadlock withdrawing Roofe. Yet more magic from Saiz set up Hernandez in the box with a similar chance to the one he had on Saturday but Smith, like Stockdale, pulled off a superb save. Lasogga was trying harder than I've seen before and with 4 minutes left he connected with a back post cross from Sacko but just couldn't get enough power on his header to beat Smith. Minutes later he harried a Forest defender and recovered the ball before sweetly turning the final defender and drilling a stinging shot straight at Smith. More chances gone begging along with another cynical foul by Lichaj that somehow didn't get him a 2nd yellow and an early bath. My blood pressure was high after that decision but was bursting through the mercury tube when Saiz was booked for being fouled by Traore near the corner flag. The referee was unbelievably bad. He was going to need a police escort out of Leeds after this one.

Despite the late assault on the Forest goal and despite 6 minutes of added time Leeds couldn't find a goal and the game finished 0.0. Very frustrating but we did have enough chances to win 2 or 3 nil disregarding the Ref's abysmal showing. Jansson was outstanding again ably supported by Cooper with Saiz and Hernandez in fine form going forward. Sky bizarrely gave the MOM to Bridcutt? There was lots of frustration in the air as we strode away from the ground. It wasn't a classic but the 2nd half provided plenty of excitement as Leeds looked for that vital goal. Lasogga had one of his better appearances in a white shirt but just seems to lack that bit of pace that's needed in the Championship. Anita struggled early on but improved as the game went on. The case for the need to strengthen in the January window has been improved significantly over the weekend though with Left back and striker the positions in most need.

Next week is FA Cup week at Newport. Unfortunately I've not secured a ticket for that one so BBC Wales will be my weapon of choice next Sunday lunchtime. I'm expecting plenty of changes for that one. Will there be any new faces before we travel to Ipswich though? Fasten your seatbelts we could be in for a bumpy ride.

Can't wait.

MOT.

Birmingham City v Leeds Utd. 30th Dec 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 22:27:00 +0000

The train was taking the strain for the last game of 2017 as I headed to Birmingham to see if Leeds could finish off a very productive December with another away victory. Statistics were very much on the side of Leeds who have not lost in their last four visits to St Andrews and in contrast to Leeds excellent run of form Birmingham are currently the strongest team in the league as the they hold everybody else up from their lowly position rooted at the bottom. Their decision to part company with Gary Rowett when they were 7th in the table must go down as one of the most unfathomable decisions of the last few years of notoriously bonkers decisions by Football chairman.

News that Cardiff had lost a 3rd game on the bounce on Friday night warmed the cockles of my heart as I eagerly studied the League table with Leeds tucked nicely in 5th place as we enter another hectic weekend of holiday games. Somehow we seem to be in a much better place as a club than we've been for a decade and the real possibility of challenging for promotion in the new year is dripping with excitement. So with positivity coursing through my veins enhanced with the odd drop of alcohol I alighted at Birmingham New Street and headed to St Andrew's. By now beating Birmingham was going to be like a walk in the park wasn't it?

TC has made some bold selection decisions during his tenure at Leeds but the one Leeds fans were digesting today was definitely his boldest. With Vieira and O'Kane injured he chose Shaughnessy to start in midfield alongside Phillips and left Saiz on the bench! Mmmm Was it Shaughnessy's height he felt Leeds needed to combat some of the Birmingham giants or was he looking to add a bit more steel to the boiler room? But why leave Saiz on the bench? If he's fit enough for the bench he's fit enough to start? Anyhow surely against the division's bottom team it wouldn't matter that much would it?

The game started with a rather flat atmosphere inside St Andrew's. Birmingham took the early initiative against a lethargic Leeds side as they belied their lowly league position. Gallagher and Boga both found space inside the first 15 minutes but saw their shots blocked by the rock like Leeds defence. Birmingham seemed to be winning all the midfield battles and with just 20 minutes gone I began to get that horrible feeling of foreboding about this Leeds performance. Birmingham were on top and there was no sign of Leeds upping the tempo or showing just a touch of quality to get back into the game. Out of the blue Hernandez so nearly provided the perfect ball for Phillips to open the scoring but he couldn't quite reach the defence splitting ball. The half finished goalless with Birmingham in the box seat.

The urinal philosophers were in meltdown. Everybody was shite including TC. "This is why we've had a rubbish December" complained one fan of a team who had won 4 and drawn 1 of the matches in December and sit 5th in the table! "Why the f*** is Saiz on the bench" shouted another bewildered fan. Football can be a fickle and frustrating game at times. Today was definitely one of those times. Still Leeds had 45 minutes to put things right. To do that though they would have to support the isolated Roofe better and win some balls in the centre of midfield something that was sadly lacking in the first half.

The match continued in the scrappy dour mode which was contributing to one of the poorest atmosphere's I've witnessed at a Leeds game for a long time. On 55 minutes Saiz came off the bench to replace the disappointing Cibicki and immediately made a difference with his twinkle toes footwork and eager running. Suddenly Leeds looked as if they might just snatch a winner but too many times promising attacks failed with a poor final pass or shot. This wasn't looking good and at the back of my mind I had that nagging feeling that Birmingham could pinch one. Klich replaced Phillips just after the hour a decision that generated more puzzled looks from the Leeds fans.

Then just when it seemed the game was heading for a bore draw Hernandez forced a superb save from Stockdale after good work from Saiz and Ayling. The ball bounced tantalisingly on the bar after the goalie's reflex save. If only................. Saiz was driving Leeds forward though looking for an unlikely win but we still weren't really testing Stockdale in the home goal. On 77 minutes Birmingham brought on Jota for Boga bringing an interesting comment from a fan behind me who screamed "for F**** sake don't let that Gender fluid bastard score" I'm not entirely sure what Gender fluid means but I suspect it wasn't a compliment for the substitute.

With 7 minutes left my worst fears came to fruition. The afore mentioned Jota was given space on the right flank which he accepted gleefully as he danced inside and fired a low shot that Wiedwald could only parry straight to Maghoma who thumped the ball into the unguarded net. 1.0 Birmingham and no more than their persistence deserved. Leeds were now looking down the barrel of an unlikely defeat unless they could find a way past Stockdale. Lasogga came on for Alioski. Hernandez wriggled through the defence and got a shot away but it drifted wide. Leeds's final onslaught was more like an assault by the Tellytubbies with about as much threat. The game ended 1.0 to Birmingham with their fans singing "how shit must you be we're winning at home" To be fair probably as good a summary of the performance as you'll get. Roofe was far too isolated, the midfield just weren't in the game until Saiz came on. Jansson was immense at the back though.

This was a bad day at the office for Leeds but even a performance like that didn't justify the bile and negativity coming from some fans towards the team as we streamed away from the ground. Thankfully we're still 5th going into the New Year and in a good position to keep our challenge going through to May.............but not if we play like this again.

Notts Forest up next on New Years day. Nerves will be jangling amongst the Leeds faithful for that one. Hopefully Vieira and Saiz will be back as they were sorely missed today. Onwards and upwards into 2018.

Can't wait.

MOT

A very Happy New Year to everyone.

Burton Albion v Leeds Utd. Boxing Day 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Tue, 26 Dec 2017 20:16:00 +0000

Traditionally Boxing Day has never been a fruitful fixture for Leeds Utd with last year's 4:1 demolition of Preston proving the exception to the rule. This year we go to Burton who have suddenly had a good run of form that has lifted them out of the bottom three just in time for the visit of Leeds. With memories of last season's awful 2:1 reverse at the Pirelli Stadium still fresh in my mind I was a tad apprehensive as I pointed the car south for the latest away day following the mighty whites.

The excesses of Christmas day gradually faded away as my mind focused on the forthcoming game. Would Saiz be fit again? Who would start up front? Do I hold the scarf stretched above my head or twirl it around my head when singing MOT? All burning questions as I had a hair of the Christmas dog waiting for kick off at The Beech Hotel, Burton. News over the weekend that Sheff Wed and Boro had both sacked their manager after their game on Saturday provided much amusement amongst the away contingement. The word Karma was trending deep in the bowels of the away end at Burton. Delicious.

The team news confirmed Saiz was still injured so the only change was O'Kane in for Phillips. The game got underway in bright sunshine but a chilly wind reminding fans we were still in the depth of winter. Leeds wasted no time in attacking Burton as they exploited each of the flanks to put early pressure on the Brewers. Hernandez finished a sweeping move by slotting Alioski through but Bywater in the home goals just got to the ball before the Leeds man with me screaming for him to make a challenge for the ball rather than jump over the goalie. Roofe was next to try his luck but screwed his shot wide followed by an Alioski volley from the edge of the box that he should of converted. When minutes later the impressive Cibicki got to the bye line and pulled the ball back for Hernandez a goal was surely on the cards but the Spaniard didn't quite connect and the ball rolled agonisingly wide. This was as good a start as we've seen all season and only twenty minutes gone.

The domination by Leeds suggested that we might even improve on the 5.0 thrashing we handed out at Elland Road to Burton but on the half hour the cursed Boxing Day Leeds demons struck with a vengeance. Burton got a soft free kick out wide and moved the ball towards the Leeds box. Akins found himself in space at the back post and hit a low shot cum cross which Naylor slid into the Leeds net at the opposite back post. 1.0 Burton. Unbelievable! To say it was against the run of play was an understatement. The Brewers so nearly then went two up as they counter attacked from a Leeds corner but thankfully Allen chose the wrong option and saw his shot drift wide. HT and it was somehow 1.0 to Burton after incessant Leeds pressure. It's a funny old game at times.

The Urinal Philosophers were still suffering the after effects of Xmas day but still managed some pertinent points "how have we not scored in that half" one fan enquired whilst another thought " Alioski should be subbed after missing that volley" a bit harsh even for the most unforgiving Urinal Philosopher! Meanwhile back on the terracing the numerous stewards were engaging in an interesting debate with any fans who were stood in the gangway to get them to stand within the marked terracing. The fact that four stewards were stood in the middle of the gangway causing more of an obstruction than any fan seemed to be lost in that cerebal discussion!

Leeds needed to get back into the game quick in the 2nd half but it was the home side who nearly doubled their lead as Sordell turned exquisitely and fired past the post from inside the box. When Naylor got a shot away minutes later the nerves started to jangle in the away end and the positive backing of the first half started to turn against the men in white. Naylor then received a yellow for an over the top tackle on Vieira. The stoppage gave time for Leeds to recharge their batteries and they began to make inroads into the home defence again. On the hour Roofe was dragged down 25 yards out from goal after a foul by Flanagan. As Hernandez lined the free kick up the now familiar routine of the Leeds players lining up in front of the goalie was interrupted by the home Goalie pulling down the O'Kane's shorts as he stood in front of him! Bizarre. He probably thought he was still playing some kind of weird after dinner Xmas game or in a West End Farce? Whatever it was it earned him a yellow card. Worse still for him Hernandez curled the prefect free kick into the Burton net to equalise for Leeds and send the away end into nuclear meltdown with bodies flying all over on the terracing. 1.1.

The goal rocked the home side and just three minutes later Vieira won the ball in midfield and played a slide rule pass through to Roofe who drove towards the goal and coolly placed the ball past Brian Rix, ask your Dad, in the Burton goal. An explosion of flying bodies greeted the 2nd goal in the away end as Leeds looked to secure their 4th win on the bounce. Brilliant. Burton now pushed forward leaving gaps at the back. Alioski should have done better with another volley from a bouncing ball as the whites looked to kill the game. Lasogga replaced Cibicki with 15 minutes to go quickly followed by Phillips on for the limping Vieira.

The game became more frantic as Nigel Clough's men looked for an unlikely equaliser. Roofe so nearly killed the game off but his shot was just blocked and deflected wide. Leeds then saw the game out despite an almighty scramble in the Leeds box after the final "Hail Mary" ball from Burton. Full Time Burton 1:2 Leeds and a 4th win on the bounce to consolidate their top six position. Leeds dominated possession and should have won by more than the one goal. Hernandez was probably my Man of the match for a clever display of creative football. Again Jansson and Cooper were solid at the back. Cibicki improves with every game for me and is looking like a real bargain find.

With Birmingham and Forest up next 2017 should end with a bang for Leeds? The last time we came from behind to win a game was at Norwich last season. TC seems to have the good ship Leeds United steaming in the right direction at the moment and long may it continue. Still a long way to go this season though but the future does seem to have a bright tinge to it at the moment on Planet Leeds. Roll on 2018.

Can't wait.

MOT.

Leeds Utd v Hull City. 23rd Dec 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 19:11:00 +0000

There was an intoxicating mix of a Localish derby and pre Christmas excitement filling the air as a sold out crowd hurried along Elland Road for the clash with Hull City. Thankfully it was an all too rare 3pm Saturday kick off on Christmas Eve Eve. The recent upturn in fortunes for TC's men and the slow descent towards the relegation quagmire from our visitors along the M62 meant Leeds entered the game as favourites. Would the arrival of Hull's new boss, Nigel Adkins, change the Tigers fortunes though? Or would the full house of scarf waving home fans provide the intimidation to quieten the Tiger's roar? One thing for sure we were in for a rip roaring West v East Yorkshire contest and this Leeds fan who works in the heart of East Yorkshire couldn't wait!

The team news wasn't exactly full of festive joy for the Leeds fans as Saiz didn't make the starting line up after picking up a calf injury in training. Mmmm even with Hernandez replacing him it would be huge loss as I waited patiently in the long beer queue in the Pavilion. They really do need to sort the service out in there. So with over 35,000 crammed into Elland Road the match opened with a spectacular show of scarves during the pre match rendition of MOT. You can keep your clappers, singing sections, goal music and all the other artificial atmosphere generating props nothing beats a full Elland Road in good voice with scarves twirling above the heads. Mint.

Despite the pre match posturing by the home fans it was the Tigers who roared into action first as they belied their lowly League position and took the game to Leeds immediately. Grosicki, Larsson and Tomori all had chances in the first 5 minutes. Thankfully Felix Wiedwald was on form as the much maligned Leeds goalie resisted the early Tigers pressure in confident style. Leeds were struggling to get any sort of grip on the game as Hull continued to dominate especially out wide where Grosicki was enjoying his duel with Ayling. This wasn't in the script. The home side were in generous mood as they continuously handed out early gifts of passes back to their East Yorkshire rivals. Frustration began to gnaw at my pre match confidence as yet another Leeds pass found a black and amber shirt.

Then out of the gathering gloom and doom came a heavenly present sweetly delivered by McGregor in the Hull goal. Leeds pressed forward but Hull channelled the ball back to the goalie who made a complete hash of his clearance and found Señor Hernandez 35 yard out from goal all by himself. The Spaniard controlled the ball and sprinted forward before chipping a delightful shot over the distraught goalie and into the Hull net. 1.0 Leeds and a huge roar of relief rose up into the West Yorkshire sky. "1.0 it's your goalie's fault" belted out from the South Stand behind the Hull goal as McGregor cut a forlorn figure as the game restarted.

Hull weren't shaken by the goal and continued to have the Lion's share of the possession. Toral hit Wiedwald's post with a curling shot as the Leeds defence dug deep to repel the marauding Tigers. Leeds did briefly show some glimpses of why they are challenging for a top 6 place none more so as they swept down field just before half time. Ayling picked up the ball wide left and drove into Hull territory, looked up and pinged a lovely cross to the back post where Cibicki headed the ball back into the path of Alioski who's fierce volley forced McGregor into a stunning save. The half finished at 1.0 to Leeds with Hull feeling rightly aggrieved that they hadn't capitalised on their dominance of possession.

Most of the Urinal Philosophers had lost their Christmas spirit as they reflected on the half, "How many times have we given the ball away" one fan moaned only to get a brutal response "Every f****** pass" from a disgruntled scarf waver. "Thank god for Wiedwald" thought another fan and in doing so showed yet again how player fortunes can change so quickly in the minds of your average football fan. To be fair to Hull we were lucky to be in front. They had hurt us out wide nearly every time they attacked. Jansson, Cooper and some determined chasing back from midfielders had kept Hull goalless. TC had to change something and he did by bringing O'Kane on for Phillips. Was it tactical or did Phillips have an injury though?

The second half got under way with the home fans nervously watching more disjointed play, more misplaced passes and more baffling refereeing decisions. This was fast falling into the awful to poor category of games. It was about as appealing as a soggy, overcooked sprout and giving the same amount of indigestion. For all their possession the Tigers looked toothless in front of goal but it was still enough to send the majority of Leeds fans into that stomach churning clock watching for the last 20 minutes of the game. Lasogga replaced Roofe on 76 minutes. Could he silence his doubters with some late joy in front of goal? Not on the evidence of his first two challenges and a sweet through ball from O'Kane which he resembled an overweight Santa with the speed to match as he tried to chase it down. Either that or he had concrete in his boots. Eventually he did show some form as he controlled a difficult ball and turned before firing a good low shot the McGregor saved.

The game finished 1.0 to Leeds but this was a poor display from the home side. They lacked any sort of cohesion and did miss Saiz in the middle of the park. The main problem was the amount of balls they gave away though. Wiedwald was the man of the match for his shot stopping and excellent distribution. As for Hull they battled well but thankfully suffer from the lack of a finisher. In the end it was another 3 points that lifts Leeds nicely into the top 6 for Christmas but definitely a result that will look a hell of a lot better in the newspaper than it did to watch. It wasn't a rip roaring derby in the end but at least going into work on Wednesday will be oh so sweet!

Burton up next on Boxing Day. Another 3 points up for grabs? Will Saiz return? Will Lasogga start? Another intriguing away trip me thinks...........

Can't wait.

MOT.

Merry Christmas.

QPR v Leeds Utd. 9th Dec 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 09 Dec 2017 22:51:00 +0000

A 3pm kick off on a Saturday is something of a luxury for Leeds so I was especially looking forward to the delicious combination of the 3pm kick off blended with a London away day and lashings of Xmas goodwill. With the obligatory Xmas jumper making up one of the many layers to keep Jack Frost out I boarded the train for the Capital. Life was good as the eclectic mix of football fans, Xmas shoppers and hen parties added their own seasonal input to the boisterous atmosphere as the train headed south. My thoughts strayed onto Planet Leeds. Can we build on the recent improved performances and take 3 points from QPR? Will the Matt Smith v Pontus Jansson bout go the full distance? Will I be able to see all the pitch from the upper tier at Loftus Road? With the pre match spirit flowing well we arrived at Kings Cross.

As expected the only change in the team was Roofe replacing the injured Hernandez. O'Kane, Borthwick Jackson and Cibicki were all on the bench as Leeds looked to continue their recent good form. With over 3,000 Leeds fans squeezed into the double deck away stand the game got under way. Ex Leeds centre forward Matt Smith showed there was no love lost with his old team mates as his first two challenges saw him lead with his elbow leaving Jansson and Phillips rubbing their heads. It was a scrappy opening with passes going astray on both sides. The first chance of the match went to QPR as Berardi slipped and let Wszolek free to run into the box and cross for Smith but a last ditch block from Ayling prevented the opening goal. Soon after Freeman clipped a ball beyond the Leeds back line for Washington but his shot went tamely into the baying away fans.

Leeds didn't have the same energy and confidence that prevailed at Barnsley as they stuttered and spluttered trying to get some fluency into their game. It took 18 minutes for Leeds to threaten Smithies in the home goal when Alioski swung a lovely cross into the box for Ekuban but his header was just too high. That was better. The game wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination though as Leeds continued to struggle to stamp their authority on the game. Just before the half hour Smith got free from the limpet like marking of Cooper and Jansson but his header drifted over the bar. Phillips picked up a yellow for a clattering tackle that left the QPR enforcer, Luongo, writhing in agony. The natives were getting restless in the away end though and when Ekuban went down injured it started to look as if it was going to be one of those all too familiar Leeds days. As it happens this was the turning point of the game although we didn't know it at the time.

Cibicki replaced Ekuban and Roofe went up top. We now looked ever so small against the burly QPR back four. Could we keep it on the floor and play to feet of the front men? Cibicki was about to silence the doubters who are always too quick to judge players ability without really seeing what they can do. This was his first team debut and he formed an immediate understanding with Ayling down the right flank. I'm not sure we've ever had two players patrolling the right wing both wearing ponytails though. I wonder what King Billy would have made of it?

Leeds finished the half well with chances for Roofe, Ayling and Vieira all putting pressure on Smithies. Half time 0.0. I'd love to tell you what the Urinal philosophers thought of the first half but the concourse leading to the gents was absolute carnage. The crush in the tiny area leading to the toilets was as bad as I've experienced. The flare didn't help neither. It's a wonder there weren't serious injuries. Having survived the crush and returned to my seat the 2nd half got under way.

Leeds started the 2nd half brighter and with more purpose. Cooper and Jansson were rock solid at the back and at last the talented Leeds midfield started to shine with Cibicki looking a real threat each time he got the ball although his first shot was a bit tame after excellent approach play. The visitors started to turn the screw as they played towards the hordes of away fans trying to suck the ball into the net. On the hour Alioski was fouled on the halfway by Luongo but somehow the ref not only gave the free kick to the home side he booked Alioski, presumably for allowing Luongo to kick him? On 63 minutes Leeds were rewarded for their improved 2nd half showing. Saiz shovelled the ball out to Alioski.........the Macedonian stood his full back up and clipped a delicious ball into the box where Roofe leaped between the two centre halves and planted a superb header past Smithies and into the net. 1.0 Leeds and the 3,200 travelling army were in raptures behind the goal. What a lovely goal.

QPR started to unravel. 3 corners in quick succession for Leeds as they piled on the pressure. Jansson saw his header just go over the bar. Leeds were swarming all over QPR with Cibicki, Saiz, Alioski and Roofe all to the fore. The head of steam became a crescendo on 68 minutes as the impressive Cibicki fizzed a ball into the box where Roofe swooped to steer the ball past Smithies to double the lead and cause yet more carnage in the away end. Another sweet goal as the team celebrated in front of their fans. What's Roofe got on his neck I wondered? Looked like two pieces of tape on the back of his neck? Whatever it was it was working.

After the goal TC replaced Alioski with O'Kane. Is this the first time he has made a sub to see the game out I thought? Leeds were now in control. Pennington came on for Vieira to match QPR's threefold strike force but the game was meandering to a comfortable conclusion for Leeds. Saiz should have completed the rout when released by Cibicki but he over elaborated and his shot went tamely wide. Then just as the home fans were streaming for the exits, despite Holloway's berating, QPR got a goal back on 90 minutes with a bizarre goal that was as sloppy as a Mr Whippy ice cream. Leeds defended a corner and headed the ball clear. Wszolek hoofed the ball back into the box over everybody's heads straight to Wiedwald in the Leeds goal. Unfortunately the German goalie must have been hit with a tranquillising dart as he appeared to freeze and let the ball bounce over him into the net. Double Bollox! 2.1 Leeds and 5 minutes of added time still to go. Suddenly QPR had a sniff of hope and piled forward. Surely they couldn't could they? Well actually they nearly did as Sylla escaped the vice like Leeds defenders and was one on one with Wiedwald but the German redeemed himself with a wonder save............well he saved it to keep the Leeds one goal advantage. Phew! Heart attack alert in the away end.

Right at the death Saiz broke away after a QPR attack and fed Roofe who finished off to claim a well deserved hat trick and win the game for Leeds. A 3.1 win for Leeds that they deserved due to their 2nd half performance. Cibicki had an excellent game as did Roofe especially when he went up top. Cooper and Jansson were immense at the back. Saiz was frustrating at times today intermingled with his usual magic. All in all a good three points and our run of good form continues. People will look at the score and thing it was an easy win for Leeds but minutes after Wiedwald's aberration it felt nothing like easy. Standard Leeds I suppose?

Norwich up next at home. Could we get back into the top six by Xmas? At this rate yes and with games against Hull and Burton to follow there is a nice glow tonight on Planet Leeds. Mint. Here's to a white Xmas!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Aston Villa. 1st Dec 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Fri, 01 Dec 2017 23:54:00 +0000

With temperatures hovering around zero hats, scarves and plenty of layers was the order of the day for the 30,000 fans scuttling to Elland Road for the Friday night clash with Aston Villa. Villa on the back of an impressive run of form had gatecrashed the play off positions and with their expensively assembled squad looked formidable opposition for TC's men in yet another televised game featuring Leeds. After the weekend's defeat of Barnsley could Leeds follow that up with victory against Steve Bruce's charges? Would ex Leeds star Snodgrass terrorise Berardi? Would Ekuban continue his impressive initial form? We were about to find out.

As expected Vieira replaced O'Kane in and otherwise unchanged side. Dallas and Lasogga were still injured although there was plenty of speculation on social media and in the ground as to the real reason for Lasogga's absence. Leeds fans do like a good conspiracy theory. The game got under way with the sold out away section adding to the atmosphere inside the Elland Road cauldron. Leeds were on the front foot from the start and didn't allow Villa to settle. Passes were whizzing from one white shirt to another as the crowd warmed to the positive start from Leeds. Phillips and then Hernandez both missed the target with shots from outside the box after neat build up play. At the other end Snodgrass and Odomah had weak shots that Wiedwald dealt with easily.

As the clock approached the 20 minute mark the lumbering ogre like Villa centre half, Samba, conceded a corner. Hernandez trotted across to take the corner and swung an inch perfect ball into the Villa 6 yard box and onto Jansson's head. 1.0 Leeds and the ground was rocking. Leeds deserved the lead with a goal to warm the cockles of the fans hearts. Leeds were dominating possession with Vieira and Hernandez the stand out players. Young Vieira was bossing much older and experienced midfielders with some youthful panache. Leeds were making a good Villa side look average as they looked for a second goal to consolidate their advantage. Things were all going to plan until 2 minutes before half time when Hernandez went down with an injury and had to leave the pitch to be replaced by Roofe. Mmmm we were going to miss the little Spanish playmaker. The half finished with Cooper missing his usual header unmarked in the box. He will score from a set piece I'm sure but I just don't know when? Half time 1.0 Leeds.

The Urinal Philosophers were in a subdued mood despite the dominating first half performance. "We're well on top" one fan piped up but straight away one of the glass half empty brigade shouted "We were against Derby as well but let that one slip" Another thought that "We need a striker and quick" Strange how I can enter the Gents full of the joys of the first half and come out slightly depressed and shaking my head. We were one nil up against one of the strongest teams in the league let's at least enjoy that little oasis of happiness while it lasts!

Steve Bruce clearly had "livened" his team up at half time and made some subtle tactical changes. Suddenly it was the West Midlanders who were on the front foot. Odomah finished off a decent Villa move with only Wiedwald to beat but the German stood tall and saved the day. The first half creativity from Hernandez had gone for Leeds as they were forced back by Bruce's team. Maybe misery guts in the Gents was right with his Derby comment? The game became a bit scrappy with a number of niggly fouls. Alan Hutton seemed to think he could kick anybody and not get booked as did the ref. Leeds needed some inspiration and not for the first time this season they got it from Saiz who whipped a wicked ball into the box where first Ekuban then Roofe then Alioski were inches away from doubling the lead. How did that not go in. On the hour Cooper did get a header in the net but was offside. Frustration began to eat away at the Leeds confidence. Villa brought on Grealish and Lansbury after 65 minutes. Not a bad 2 to have on the bench?

The Villa subs gave them extra impetus and the Leeds back four started to creak as the visitors turned the screw. On 71 minutes the Leeds defence buckled. Jansson made a superb sliding tackle only to see the ball ricochet to Lansbury who was unmarked 35 yards out. He drove nearer to the goal but by the time Cooper went to challenge him it was too late as the super sub smashed a low shot via the post past Wiedwald. 1.1 Bollox! Could Leeds hang on or would they fall apart again?

Desperation ran through both teams as they tried to steal the winner. Sacko came on for the tiring Ekuban. Hutton finally got booked after his 456th foul of the night as the game went into 7 minutes of added time. Grot replaced Alioski but the game ended all square 1.1. A draw was a fair result in a game of two halves. Leeds lost momentum when Hernandez went off just as Villa picked up their game in the 2nd half. Hernandez, Vieira and Jansson were the stand out players for Leeds. Ekuban put a good shift in up front again but just the one shot on goal by Leeds tells it's own story.

Leeds are in a better shape than they were a few weeks ago and are set well for what should be a decent run of games in the run up to Xmas which hopefully will see us back in the play off positions. QPR away is next on the agenda for TC's men. Let's hope we can start with a little bit of pre Xmas cheer at Loftus Road?

Can't wait.

MOT.

Barnsley v Leeds Utd 26th Nov 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sat, 25 Nov 2017 20:49:00 +0000

Barnsley away is a fixture that in recent years has usually ended in humiliation for the mighty whites. For reasons embedded deep in South Yorkshire folk lore whenever Leeds come to town the Reds suddenly take on an invincibility usually associated with teams like Barcelona no matter how shite they've been in the run up to the game. Ordinary players who struggle in the championship become world beaters as Dickie Bird goes all misty eyed and blubbers on about the halcyon days of Barnsley Football Club. It's all a bit nauseous to the average Leeds fan including yours truly but this year this annual public flogging has taken on a new angle...........my youngest daughter has a new boyfriend and all his family are rabid Reds fans. As it happens we're meeting them for the first time tomorrow. Fantastic! So if ever there was a time for Leeds to bury the Oakwell curse it is today. Forget the pressure TC is under if we lose I shall be eating my tea through gritted teeth at tomorrows family gathering if we take another beating.

Mrs MOT was on board for this game, her first away game. After Wednesday's devouring by Wolves team selection once again was high on the debating agenda in the Metrodome before the game. Who would come in for Vieira? Would Berardi survive after his worst performance in a Leeds shirt? Anybody want a turn in goals? Yes there was plenty of gallows humour alive and kicking amongst the 5,000 travelling army before the lunchtime kick off. After queueing for an eternity to get a drink we digested the team. Wiedwald replaced Lonergan in goal and Ekuban came in from Roofe up front. O'Kane stepped up for the suspended Vieira as expected. Let the fun begin.

Any worries about the Barnsley curse started to melt away in the first two minutes of the game as a rampant Leeds forced three corners in succession. It was TC's men who were snapping at the heels of their opponents as they pressurised the hesitant home team. On 10 minutes Alioski sent a half cleared corner searing over the bar with volley that had the raucous away fans purring. Soon after Ayling surged into the box and tumbled to the ground with Barnes tangled round his legs. No penalty given but both players received yellow cards for the following heated debate with their handbags. Leeds were on top and it was no surprise when Saiz broke the deadlock on 23 minutes. The hard working Ekuban won the ball back and released Alioski who fed the effervescent Saiz. The Spaniard drilled a shot from the edge of the box through the goalie into the net. 1.0 Leeds and carnage in the away end.

Barnsley were rattled by the goal. Phillips dragged his shot wide after more good build up work and then Saiz weaved more magic to create space for a shot that flew over the bar. This was definitely not the standard visit to Oakwell. Barnsley were the team like a rabbit in the headlights this time and not the men from West Yorkshire. The sun was dazzling Wiedwald who didn't have a cap on......that is until a Leeds fan threw him one which the German goalie thankfully accepted. The Leeds defence looked solid, Ekuban was leading the line with energy, pace and no little skill whilst Alioski and Saiz were weaving mind boggling spells in midfield. The sun was shining on Leeds and all was well with the world. Just as the first 45 minutes were up Leeds doubled their lead. Ayling recovered the ball from some scrappy Barnsley defending before Alioski pinched the ball off him and hit a superb curling shot beyond the Barnsley keeper and into the net. 2.0 Leeds and the away end was bouncing.

The Urinal Philosophers seemed to have had a mental block about Wednesday's performance at Wolves at which we were going to get relegated and TC didn't know his arse from his elbow. Today they were drooling over Saiz, Ekuban and Alioski. A week's a remarkably long time in football! Barnsley were poor in the first half. Could Leeds now kill the game off and spare is any squeaky bum time in the 2nd period?

Leeds started the 2nd half on the front foot. Saiz teased his way towards the box only for Gardner to bring him down with a tackle worthy of any Sunday League defender "dealing" with the only opposition player with any skill. Barnsley nearly paid the price though as Hernandez's free kick took a deflection and left the goalie stranded but just crept the wrong side of the post. The game wasn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but Leeds were well in control. Shaughnessy surprisingly replaced the injured O'Kane in midfield on the hour. Ekuban nearly got a third as he ran intelligently onto a delightful pass from Hernandez but his chip only found the side netting after dummying the keeper.

With O'Kane departed the game opened up a bit and Barnsley pushed forward looking for a way back into the derby. Wiedwald was holding firm though and Leeds looked dangerous on the break. Alioski tried another flying volley on 78 minutes but the ball speared into the adoring fans behind the goal. Roofe replaced the exhausted Ekuban who got a thunderous ovation from the travelling army. A mighty impressive performance from the young forward full of running and pace.

Grot came on for Alioski just before time as Leeds saw the game out comfortably to secure an all too rare win at Oakwell. Saiz and Alioski were outstanding in what was a relatively low key derby. Ekuban was a handful all afternoon for the Barnsley defence whilst the Leeds back 5 were pleased to keep a clean sheet. TC's changes worked against a poor Barnsley side bit we can only beat what's put in front of us. Villa on Friday night will be a much tougher test though but 6 points out of 9 for the week ain't that bad. Saiz was an absolute magician today. Now did I mention about the family gathering tomorrow? Bring it on but I'll try not to gloat!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Middlesbrough. 19th Nov 2017.

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 21:14:00 +0000

A lovely bright and crisp West Yorkshire morning greeted the hordes of fans heading for Elland Road and the Sunday lunchtime clash with Garry Monk's Middlesbrough. We had all had the annoying international break to figure out how Leeds could halt their horrendous run of form that has seen an excruciating 6 defeats in the last 7 outings for the mighty whites? I was focusing on our decent recent record against the Smoggies who had failed to score in 4 of the last 5 games against the men in white. Could the leaky Leeds defence step up to the plate against the formidable Boro strike force though?

Away from the concerns with Leeds' recent form the big debate amongst the fans surrounded #Flaggate. Would the free flags being dished out around the ground qualify Leeds for a tin pot club award or would it enhance the seething atmosphere inside Elland Road? It seemed a tad ironic to me that the message on the fan boards in the East stand would read "Together" whilst creating another topic to divide the populous on Planet Leeds? There's one thing for sure life is never boring in the rarefied atmosphere of LS11.

TC's team selection was always going to be interesting for what had turned into a seminal game in Leeds' season. Would Lasogga retain his place? What about Lonergan? Would Ekuban return? What were the odds on Berardi slide tackling Monk in the technical area? Plenty to muse on as I quaffed the pre match refreshments. As I suspected the team selection was bold from the under pressure TC. Roofe started up front in place of Lasogga with Hernandez, Saiz and Alioski behind him and Phillips and Vieira binding the midfield together. There was no Dallas or Lasogga on the bench. Interesting?

The flags and mosaic display in the crowd as the teams came out was spectacular and set the scene for a rip roaring game. Garry Monk received the expected brutal reception as he took his place in the technical dug out. But would he have the last laugh on his former team? We were about to find out. After the poor recent performances from the men in white it was good to see them "at it" from the very first kick as everyman in a white shirt harried and badgered the Smoggies. Their expensive array of talent seemed to struggle in the white heat of the cauldron that is Elland Road on a day like this. Jansson went close from a corner after just 6 minutes. This was much, much better than the Brentford performance as the eager Leeds players fed on the huge vocal support. Jansson, back to his best, brought the crowd to it's feet with a clattering challenge on Tavernier as he won a header and then reminded him what he thought of him as he lay prostrate on the ground awaiting attention. Alioski found space to get a shot away after a good Leeds move quickly followed by Berardi appearing on the edge of the box and steering his shot high into the South Stand. That pitch invasion will be epic if he ever does score before he retires!

Middlesbrough were looking to quieten the home crowd and on the 20th minute they so nearly did as the obnoxious Assombalonga got free down the right flank and fired a low cross in front of Tavernier who froze in front of the kop and missed his chance. Ex Leeds boy Howson retrieved the ball and laid it back to Downing who brought a superb save from Lonergan in the Leeds goal. This was all very frenetic and high intensity from both sides. Tavernier wasn't having the best of days. He conceded a petty foul on Ayling about 35 yards out near to the touchline. Alioski clipped the ball into the box where the industrious Phillips was first to the ball but his header drifted to the back post where Herndandez struck like a hungry Cobra to finish in style. Elland Road exploded with joy as the players celebrated the opening goal. 24 minutes 1.0 Leeds.

George Friend is probably the best left back in the division but Alioski was giving him a real Sunday roasting. Friend picked up a yellow card on the half hour for a crude challenge on the Macedonian. From the free kick Jansson won the header and the ball fell to Saiz but the ball wouldn't sit down for the Spaniard as he saw his lob go high over the bar. This was all very encouraging though and a joy to watch. Roofe was winning more headers than Lasogga ever has and also stretching Ayala and the Boro defence whilst at the back Jansson and Cooper were playing with less generosity than Ebeneezer Scrooge on Xmas Eve as they dealt brutally with Assombalonga and his chums. Saiz was causing the usual havoc in midfield ably helped by Hernandez and Alioski whilst Phillips and Vieira were dogging out the centre midfield. The good times were creeping back to LS11.

The ref wasn't having the best of games as he booked Jansson for obstructing Braithwaite on the halfway much to the Swede's annoyance. Cooper went near with a header and Alioski had his shot blocked after more good work from Saiz as the half ended with Leeds a goal to the good. Magic. The Urinal Philosophers were back on fine form eulogising about Saiz, Jansson, and Hernandez. " Nice to see Jansson's got his mean head back on today" thought one fan whilst another was slavering at the mouth with superlatives for Saiz " The man's a f****** magician" he gurgled starry eyed. Finally one fan nailed it "we deserved that lead let's not let them off the hook in the 2nd half"

Ayling was the first player to get the fans off their seats after just two minutes of the second period as he weaved his way through and exchanged a one two with Alioski before hitting his shot just over the bar at the kop end. After the tortuous performances in the last few weeks this was a pure joy to watch as the Leeds team reprised the effort, skill and commitment that took then to the top of the league not that long ago. On 54 minutes Elland Road exploded again. After Tavernier pulled his shot wide at the South Stand end Leeds moved the ball quickly down field...........Roofe picked the ball up and danced around three Boro defenders like a slippery Eel before laying the ball wide to Hernandez who hit a superb low cross to Alioski at the far post who steered the ball high into the net and sent 31,000 home fans into ecstasy. This was the ultimate Sunday afternoon delight. 2:0 Leeds and Boro were wilting. 3 minutes later Saiz mesmerised the Boro defence and beat the goalie with a low shot that somehow hit the inside of the post and came out. Wow!

Just after the hour Cooper should have killed the game off but he made a hash of what was a free header from another Hernandez cross. He'd even got time to bring the ball down and score. It wasn't going to matter though because Boro's attacks were just shipwrecked against the two rocks that were Jansson and Cooper in the Leeds rearguard. Then just when I was thinking Leeds would get another as Boro pushed forward looking for a way back into the game the linesman and ref conspired to help them. Ayala grabbed Ayling around the neck and threw him to the turf from a corner before trying to walk over him as he ran back to his position. Ayling grabbed his leg as he was about to what's called in Rugby rake him and somehow that was a penalty in the eyes of the ref and linesman. Pandemonium in the South Stand as the flag sticks suddenly rained down onto the pitch in protest. Unbelievable. Assombalonga converted the penalty with Leeds players still protesting to the ref. Outrageous decision. 13 minutes left 2.1 Leeds. All of a sudden bums started to squeak amongst the home fans as Boro piled forward now looking for an unlikely equaliser.

O'Kane came on for Saiz and then Pennington for Alioski as TC tried to shore up the creaking Leeds defence. Surely Boro weren't going to equalise? My fingernails screamed in protest as 7 minutes of added time started. Ayala headed a corner just over the bar as by heart sank about three rows of seats. Finally the ref blew his whistle and looked for the nearest armoured car to leave the stadium in as the home fans celebrated a welcome three points from an impassive display. Suddenly two men appeared on the pitch in strange overcoats and hugged the Leeds players as if they were their long lost friends. Apparently they were two famous Italian comedians who are friends with our Chairman. It certainly added an unusual end to a cracking game.

Saiz was peerless, Jansson back to his aggressive best and Alioski showed yet more improvement on the wing. Overall I couldn't fault anybody it was very much a "together" performance from the men in white. This was the Leeds side we saw earlier in the season playing with pride, passion and no little skill epitomising the club's "Side before self" mantra. Delicious! The smiles on the faces of the fans streaming away from the ground told it's own story. Leeds are back.

Just the small matter of Wolves away on Wednesday followed by a trip to our bogey ground Oakwell on Saturday lunchtime. In what is a bonkers championship this season don't be surprised if this is the start of another unbeaten run for Leeds.

Can't wait.

MOT

Brentford v Leeds Utd 4th November 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 09:51:00 +0000

The skies were grey and the rain was depressingly persistent as I made my way to Doncaster station for the train to London and another away day following the mighty whites. The weather matched the mood though as suddenly Brentford away looks like a gargantuan challenge after our recent run of abysmal form. What would TC do to arrest the slump? Will we ever come from behind again and win? Can we keep a clean sheet something that was a given at the start of the season. Yes there was plenty to muse over as the train headed south ready for the tea time kick off in West London. For once my uber optimism was in short supply but my spirits were lifted by the bizarre sight of a woman on the train wearing a cat suit stroking a cat in a designer bag on her knee all the way to London! There was lot's of sniggering when I innocently mentioned she must love her pussy.

Griffin Park is famous for having a pub on each corner of the ground so we squeezed into one of them to watch the afternoon results come in and debate the team changes made by TC. Cooper, Berardi and Phillips returned after suspension. Lasogga retained his place up top despite some disappointing recent performances. The results elsewhere had gone well for us all we had to do now was get a result against Brentford and we we would be back in the top 6. Mmmmm.

The match started with smoke from premature bonfires drifting over the ground as the home side went straight for the Leeds jugular. Yennaris, Watkins and Jozefzoon all went near prompted by the impressive Ryan Woods in midfield. Leeds looked shell shocked and struggled to cope with the fluid Brentford attacks. This wasn't looking good but also had an all too familiar pattern to our recent games with missed tackles and a lack of tight marking by the men in white there for all to see. On 16 minutes Leeds escaped their own half and showed that given half a chance they could be dangerous as Alioski finished off a good move with a shot that tested the Bees goalie. A minute later Saiz snaffled up a ball in midfield and headed goal wards but his choice to slide Alioski in with a pass rather than shooting was the wrong one.

Brentford were looking the more composed and dangerous team but just when we seemed to have somehow weathered the storm disaster struck. A hopeful cross to the back post was dropped under no pressure for Lonergan and Maupay had the easiest header he'll have in his life to put the home side in front. A schoolboy error you'd expect on a Sunday morning not in the Championship. The goal inspired the home team and Leeds were under immense pressure that quite frankly they couldn't cope with. Woods was running riot in midfield and the Brentford front runners were destroying the Leeds back line. This could end up embarrassing I thought. How have we gone from top of the league to a team resembling a pack of ultra sensitive dogs cowering under the table on Bonfire night in a few short weeks is beyond me?

Lasogga had a chance to lift the gloom as he latched onto a long ball from Lonergan but his lob over the goalie had all the subtlety of an Elephant trying to enter a library unnoticed. The attempt sailed into the home fans easily clearing the bar. Things got worse for Leeds just before half time as Jansson brought down Maupay in the penalty area for a blatant penalty. Thankfully Watkins modelled his spot kick on Lasogga's effort at the other end and hit the ball over the bar much to the delight of the travelling fans. The half finished with O'Kane and Watkins having a session of handbags that earned them both a yellow card. Leeds were as poor as I've seen them in that half. TC had to do something. The solutions from the Urinal Philosophers were brutal "Lasogga is a f****** waste of space" growled one fan........."I'd substitute the lot of em" another thought whilst another aimed his anger at Cooper "He's League 1 standard at best" he thought of the Leeds captain.

TC did make changes and drastic ones at that. Waste of space Lasogga came off with Roofe going up front with Hernandez replacing O'Kane in a bold attacking move. Phillips and Vieira dropped into central midfield with Alioski, Saiz and Hernandez spread wide in front of them. This could be interesting!

The changes made an immediate difference. It was now Leeds who were on the ascendancy. Berardi got to the bye line and floated a lovely cross to the back post where Alioski just couldn't get high enough to keep his header down. This was better. Hernandez was like a slippery Eel on the wing and Roofe was running intelligently off the shoulders of the defenders and suddenly we looked like we could retrieve the game. Roofe saw a header saved by Bentley in the home goal but just to remind Leeds that they still carried a threat Watkins fired a rocket shot that hit the bar at the other end. The pressure was mounting on Brentford though. Vieira had two terrific goal bound shots blocked as the desperate away fans tried to suck the ball into the net. Then on 67 minutes the kind Footballing gods smiled on Leeds. A cross into the Brentford box was spilled by Bentley in the Brentford goals and Alioski reacted the quickest to head the ball home and send the travelling fans wild. 1.1. We could win this now.

Leeds surged forward with no thought about defending. Roofe and Saiz went close to snatching an unlikely lead as the revised personnel up front were running Brentford ragged. Leeds were back! Well they were until the 80th minute when TC made what 99.9999% of the fans behind the goal thought was an unbelievable substitution. He could have brought Dallas on for the tiring Alioski, he could have brought Pennington on to hold what we had but I can only think there must have been some mis-communication on the bench because Jay Roy Grot came onto replace Alioski and Roofe moved out to the wing??? Nobody in their right mind would make that substitution. Had Brentford somehow switched the numbers on the display board and sent Grot on themselves? Had TC been eating magic mushrooms at half time? There was no logical explanation. Alioski dejectedly sloped off and Grot came on with the dangerous Roofe now anaemic out on the wing.

The momentum not surprisingly swung back to the home side and 5 minutes later Barbet fired a free kick past Lonergan from way out. FFS another mistake and another goal conceded. Ayling should have equalised in added time but missed an easy header. Ryan Woods finished off a hugely impressive display from him with a 3rd Brentford goal deep into added time. Game over. 3.1 Brentford.

To say the Leeds fans were seething as they made their way back up the road to the tube was a massive understatement. Such a disappointing defeat now confirms we are in deep trouble. The margins of success and failure in the Championship are wafer thin but we seem to be on the wrong side of them in each match of late. We were awful in the first half and looked disorganised. Once the substitutes were made at half time we looked the better side but all of that was undone when Grot came on. He is a million miles away from Championship quality at the moment. I still can't figure what the plan was with that move. Roofe was causing problems to their back four. Why change it?

The journey home was a long one with the train detouring through Lincolnshire to avoid the engineering works on the East Coast main line. Plenty of time to digest another reverse. Plenty of time to worry how we pull ourselves out of this abysmal run of form or lack of it. Forthcoming fixtures against Boro, Wolves and Barnsley away hardly give any comfort. These are dark days on Planet Leeds once again. Will TC still be here after the international break? Time will tell. Bring on the Boro!

Can't wait.

MOT

Leeds Utd v Derby County 31st Oct 2017

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew Butterwick) — Wed, 01 Nov 2017 00:07:00 +0000

There were plenty of ghouls, werewolves and zombies littering the streets as I made the dash to Elland Road for the evening clash with Derby County. With Leeds still sat in the play off positions despite their poor run of form the doubters amongst the Leeds United family were starting to surface. Would tonight be another horror show or would Leeds rediscover the form that took them to the summit of the table just a few short weeks ago? With both Cooper and Phillips missing TC was forced to make some changes in personnel but would he tinker with the formation? Was it the players off form or the formation that was the key factor in our defeat to the Blades? I thought the former as I drank in the pre match atmosphere.

28,000 fans inside Elland Road held an impeccable minute's silence after the always very poignant rendition of the Last Post on the last home game before Remembrance Sunday. For the second home game running we were reminded that there are a lot more important things in life than a game of football. TC had changed his team from Friday's defeat, Dallas started at left back with Vieira and O'Kane in midfield. Roofe and Alioski out wide with Saiz tucking in behind Lasogga up top.

Leeds fired out of the box like a gang of eager Trick or Treaters as they harried the visitors out of possession in the opening exchanges. 2nd balls were won and firm challenges were flying in from the Leeds team...........everything that was missing last Friday was here in abundance tonight and on 7 minutes it paid handsome dividends. Vieira stole the ball from Ledley like a skilful pickpocket before releasing Saiz, the Spaniard drove at the retreating defence and slipped the perfect ball to Lasogga who clinically hit the ball first time past Carson in the Derby goal. 1.0 Leeds and Elland Road was bouncing. "You should have gone trick or treating" the South Stand taunted the travelling Derby fans. Mmmmm a bit early for that I thought.

Derby were clearly rattled and Leeds took full advantage as they dominated possession and pushed forward looking for a second goal. Lasogga looked brighter than of late but to be fair that wouldn't be difficult after a string of under par performances, O'Kane and Vieira were bossing midfield and Saiz was buzzing around like an annoying bluebottle. Derby's expensive array of talent were made to look second best and should have been two down when Roofe danced to the bye line before clipping a lovely ball to the back post where Wisdom grappled Alioski to the ground inside the 6 yard box to prevent him scoring. Somehow the ref deemed that not a foul and therefore not a penalty! The mysteries of what goes on in a ref's head continues to puzzle me. Half time came with Leeds still the one goal to the good and trooped off to a good ovation.

The Urinal Philosophers were generally pleased "That's miles better than Friday" one fan announced only to be shot down by his mate who reminded him that "It's only 45 minutes though let's see if they can manage 90 minutes like that" to compliment the overly cautious mood a final fan complained "Lasogga might have scored but he's still shite and lazy" There's always enlightened and frank views from our Urinal Philosophers who have honed their pathological mistrust of Leeds' ability to satisfy their fans over the last decade of perpetual disappointment...............and some people still think that we go to football to be entertained! As if!

The second half got under way with Leeds continuing to dominate and cause Derby problems. Roofe ran at his defender and then curled a shot high and wide over the bar as Leeds looked for the all important 2nd goal. Derby had changed their approach though. They were now playing much higher up the pitch and gradually started to get more than their fair share of the possession pushing Leeds back on the defensive. On the hour came the changing point of the game. Leeds attacked the Derby defence and the Spanish magician, Saiz, pinged a teasing ball into the Derby box where Lasogga met the ball first with an outstretched boot Goooooooooooooooaaaaaal I screamed like a demented Zombie as the ball flew inches over the bar. Should have been 2.0 but in fact it was the cue for Derby to get more of a grip of the game.

Martin spun away from his man and got a shot away that Lonergan saved. Minutes later a Winnall's shot was blocked on the edge of the box. Confidence seemed to be draining from Leeds players as fast as Derby were increasing theirs. I had an all too familiar feeling of the pit of my stomach filling with foreboding. It didn't take long for my concern to be confirmed. On 72 minutes the hugely frustrating Roofe tried to set up a Leeds attack in the Derby half but gave the ball away far too easily. Craig Forsythe sprinted down the exposed left channel with Winnall ominously heading for the box. There were 3 defenders tracking him though so surely he wouldn't score would he? Oh Bollox he did! How an earth did he do that? Sloppy, sloppy defending and yet another goal coming from a break down our right flank. 1.1 and Leeds were crumbling under the Derby pressure after dominating the first hour.

The Rams smelt blood and went in search of what at one time seemed an unlikely win. Leeds did counter attack and Alioski nearly got to a cross with his head but sadly didn't. The soft underbelly of Leeds mental resolve was there for all to see. Shoulders were dropping nobody was organising or chivvying their colleagues to up their game. This was fast turning into a Nightmare on Elland Road. Sacko, on as a sub, committed a typical attackers tackle on Tom Lawrence as he sped into the box. The ref pointed to the spot and Winnall converted with ease. 2.1 to Derby and game over. Leeds did mount an anaemic attempt at a last hurrah to salvage a point in which Lasogga so nearly did rescue a point but in truth it all looked a bit too desperate and hopeful rather than purposeful attacks.

The ref's whistle was met with boos from the frustrated home fans. Definitely snatching defeat from the jaws of victory this one. From the hour mark they collapsed like a giant Jenga being hit by a clumsy Puppy. A poor, poor finish to the game and more worryingly a continuation of the string of defeats for Leeds. Amazingly we are still in the top 6 but God knows how. Lasogga disappointed again and although Jansson had a better game the defending for the Derby equaliser undid all the good work that had gone before. It was woeful. What's more frustrating is the way the whole team seems to go into their shell just when we need a few leaders on the pitch to rally the team.

The trip to Brentford is now a daunting one. Another defeat will heap the pressure on TC. Maybe we should have gone trick or treating tonight? Roll on Saturday.

Can't wait.

MOT