Travels of a Leeds fan

Leeds United v Ipswich Town 21st Jan 2012

2012-01-21T19:57:00.001Z

The blustery, bitter wind matched the mood of the hardy Leeds fans gathering at Selby station. Revolt was in the air. The only topic of conversation was the outrageous decision to sell our club captain, Jonny Howson, and nobody was in a forgiving mood. Capt Birdseye's ears must have been burnt to a cinder even before the train arrived and if you listened ever so carefully even the famous sign on platform 2 was squeaking in tune to "You Chelsea bastard get out of our club" Yes revolt was in the air amongst Leeds fans as everyone seemed to be thinking the same............We've just had enough of the continuous sales of decent players and replacing them with rubbish!

As we got to Elland Road we had a decision to make. Billy's Statue for the protest or the members bar to hear Lorimer try and justify the actions of his chairman and the board he serves on. I'm glad we went in the members bar, not just because it was warmer there, but we were about to get an insight into what really happened with the Howson transfer. Ben Parker was on stage with Lorimer revealing that Jonny didn't want to go to the carrot crunchers and the "club would rather have the money than the player" Cue uproar as a flustered Lorimer tried to spin the party line but Ben was having none of it. Now call me cynical but what's the betting that Mr Parker will now be on his way out of the club before the week's out? Lorimer finished with an attempted rallying cry for the supporters to "put this week behind them and get behind the lads" What the fuck does he think we do every week? Once again the whiff of revolt was in the air.

Inside the ground the news that Forssell was starting up front replacing Becchio was not met with universal joy. Becchio has been playing badly but when you see the quality of his replacement you realise what a dire state we are in. "If we lose this game there will be real trouble" I forecast to the Happy Chocker. The game kicked off with inevitable chants of "Bates out" as the players tried to come to terms with the awful conditions of a swirling wind and rain showers. Not a day for pretty football. Fabian Delph was making his 2nd debut for the club in the centre of midfield. Alex McCarthy got a good reception as he took his place in the Ipswich goal.

McCarthy had to be on his toes early on as his erstwhile colleague, Lees, found space and headed goalwards. Soon after a quick break by Leeds saw Ross Mac's shot canon off an Ipswich defender to Townsend but his attempted shot on goal screwed wide. Not a bad start by Leeds but the atmosphere was as flat as a pancake. The game was scrappy as both teams struggled in the windy conditions but it was Ipswich who began to take control of the game. Captain Lonergan bravely stopped a one on one with Martin when a goal looked nailed on. The off the field distractions seemed to have impacted the players. Delph was easing his way back into the team and made a couple of robust tackles but in general Leeds looked and played with as much apathy as the crowd. This was embarrassing. Then Ipswich scored. They took a short corner as the Leeds defenders fell asleep and this allowed Drury to cut inside and hit a weak shot that Lonners somehow allowed to slip through his fingers into the net. Bollox! "Grayson will be sacked if we don't win" a frustrated fan suggested.

It was clear why Ipswich are flirting with relegation because they just didn't look capable of playing any kind of decent football..............but they were still having the lion's share of the possession. Disgruntled fans disappeared for their half time refreshments with over five minutes to go. The game meandered to half time with Leeds incapable to get any grip on the game. Emmanuel Thomas nearly killed the game with a second goal as he hit a screamer from 25 yards that had Lonners beaten but it just shaved the right side of the post. Leeds trudged off to loud boo's. I bet Delph wondered what he'd let himself in for!

The Gents debate with the urinal philosophers was bleak and to the point. The words rubbish, pathetic and clueless were well used as was equal vitriol for Mr Bates and Mr Grayson. "If he thinks I'm renewing my season ticket to watch this shite he's got another think coming" one irate moron commented. Mmmm I know exactly what he meant.

The 2nd half was as turgid as the first as Leeds stuttered and mis-fired with alarming regularity. Jason Scotland broke free and so nearly scored his obligatory goal against Leeds but for the intervention of Capt Butterfingers. More anti-Bates songs drifted skywards to accompany the banners proclaiming that our chairman has told lies for seven years............surely not? On the hour the beleaguered Grayson turned to the two men he had dropped to the bench, White and Becchio, to try and rescue a point for the once mighty whites. Quite frankly that looked about as likely as the Italian Cruise ship captain sailing the Queen's barge up the Thames on Jubilee day.

The change did spark some life into Leeds though as all of a sudden they realised they needed to play the ball in the Ipswich half and put the Tractor boys under pressure if they were going to get anything out of the game. White released Pugh who's cross nearly found Snoddy at the back post. Then McCarthy dropped a swirling cross and White just failed to steer the ball goalwards. This was better but then again it couldn't get any worse.

Then Leeds got a stroke of luck. A hopeful through ball was chased down by Ross Mac and the Blues centre half panicked and headed the ball firmly back to McCarthy who was already hurtling out of his box to clear the ball.............McCarthy instinctively grabbed the goalbound ball 2 yards outside his box. Red card and a life line for Leeds. McCarthy walked off to the words "He's Leeds and he knows he is" ringing in his ears. Snoddy hit a disappointing free kick but Leeds now had their tails up.

It wasn't long before he made up for the missed free kick though as he found himself unmarked 8 yards out with an Ipswich man on the six yard box? The ball was slipped through to Snoddy who tapped the ball home. A bizarre goal. 1.1 and both goals had an element of comedy about them. The Leeds crowd awoke from their slumbers and smelt blood. Ipswich's substitute goalie was nervously trying to cope with being thrust into the limelight like a wounded Gazelle being tracked by hungry Lions as Leeds turned the screw. On 80 minutes Clayton chipped a ball beyond the Ipswich defence inviting Ross Mac to run on to it......the sub goalie hesitated just long enough to allow the Leeds man to round him with ease and smash the ball into the net. The Lions wouldn't go hungry tonight!

Relief swept round Elland Road. 3 points now looked certain in a match we were a poor second best for long periods. Becchio rubbed salt into the Ipswich wounds as he bustled a defender off the ball and slotted the third home just on 90 minutes to give Leeds an unrealistic 3.1 winning margin.

The victory was welcome but nobody was fooled by the score. This is a Leeds team and club in trouble. Delph should help steady the ship but Simon Grayson has got a lot of work to do if he's going to keep the team in mid table never mind flirt with the play offs. Townsend was disappointing today whilst Forssell showed just why he couldn't find a club last summer. We might have won but these are definitely dark days at the Theatre of no ambition. The sooner the Chairman and the board are changed the better. We've got a week off next week before taking on Brum on the Tuesday. It's anybodies guess who will be the team for that one. Batten down the hatches, fasten your seat belts we are in for a rough ride.
Can't wait
MOT

Howson opens the floodgates..........who's next?

2012-01-20T22:18:00.001Z

I know supporting Leeds United is more often than not a tad difficult but even by their penchant for making life difficult for their fans this week has got to down as one of the most frustrating and maddening ever. Yes we all knew the transfer window was flapping open and all the usual rumours were doing the rounds, Snoddy's going, Smith's coming, Grayson's going, Warnock's coming and other snippets of newspaper and cyberspace talk wafted around Planet Leeds. But with Capt Birdseye publicly stating he expects Lord Larry to lead Leeds to promotion this season there was a slim hope in some quaters that the club just might see the chance to strengthen the team and close the wafer thin gap between themselves and the promotion hunting pack as an opportunity too good to miss. Despite the fact that any Leeds player who's attracted a whiff of interest from other clubs have exited the door at the Theatre of Hope quicker than you can say "We're not a selling club" surely this season was going to prove the exception to the rule. After all we're reported to be financially stable, debt free and as a result "don't need to sell players" So the January transfer window is the ideal time to invest in the one or two players that everybody, Lord Larry and Capt Birdseye included, believe we need to bolster our promotion push.

This is where logic goes out of the window though. As we all know there is no air on the Moon and there is no logic on Planet Leeds. So when news started to break on Wednesday that Leeds had "reluctantly" accepted an offer from our carrot crunching friends in deepest Norfolk for Mr Howson's signature the majority of the LUFC family were incredulous. The old excuse of "his contract's up in 6 months and he can walk free" was regurgitated from the bowels of the Leeds cess pit. Not if you offer him a reasonable contract he won't! "He wants to play Premier League football" the Leeds website lamely suggested as justification for accepting the offer. Of course he wants to play fucking Premier League football and so should every other Leeds player.......but with Leeds United not some canary coloured plaything of Delia Smith's. That's called ambition something that is not in the vocabulary of anyone from Grayson upwards at Elland Road. The most damning statement coming out of the Theatre of no ambition was from the lips of Simon Grayson himself. "He wants to play Premier League football. He wants to do that here........we can't guarantee that" No wonder Jonny decided to up sticks and move if that's the sort of motivation he gets from his boss. So not only has Grayson confirmed to his club captain that he doesn't think we will get promoted but also to the rest of the team and other clubs looking for bargains in the January sales. Ross Mac, Tom Lees, Snoddy, Aidey White, Clayton and even Becchio will have agents round them like bees round a honey pot. There's another fire sale at Elland Road. Get there quick though the sale ends on Sunday at 5pm!

Of course selling players isn't that big a deal if it's part of a genuine team strengthening strategy but when the only players coming the other way are either completely unknown American imports, washed out has beens at the end of their career or loan players who will not even stay until the end of the season then there should be no surprise that the Leeds fans are revolting. "Sell the club, not the team" could become our anthem?

So where do we go from here? Yes Fabian Delph has returned to the club on a short term loan and that can only be good but that still leaves us woefully short in midfield and that assumes that no more family silver will disappear out of the door. Can you really see Snoddy remaining at Leeds when clubs know they only need flash some cash under Capt Birdseye's nose and he'll be gone? These are dark days for Leeds as once again the rest of the football world take great pleasure in laughing at our misfortune. Protests will be made. I've resigned from the Yorkshire Radio fans panel in protest but that's just a small gesture. If the whole of the panel walked out the rhino skinned Bates wouldn't bat an eye lid. If we boycott a game he won't bat an eye lid. He will just continue slagging off his players, fans and anyone else who dares to disagree with him. His programme notes no doubt will crucify Howson and all the proud, moronic protesters. The man is a bully plain and simple. One thing that is needed though is for the fans that do remain get behind the team during the matches.

This has been a sad week. I am used to the difficulties in supporting Leeds and have defended Bates' running of the club in the past but enough is enough. A procession of players have left the club over the past 4 years with virtually no like for like replacements never mind better replacements coming into Elland Road. I genuinely worry what's round the corner for Leeds unless Bates does the decent thing and sells the club. We all know he's not going to do that though. So while I think of a practical way to get Bates on a one way ticket to Monaco we've got a game against Ipswich to look forward to. Surprisingly despite all my frustration.........................
Can't wait.
MOT

Crystal Palace v Leeds Utd 14th Jan 2012

2012-01-15T10:08:00.001Z

For the 2nd time in a week we were heading south to London to watch the mighty whites. A cloudless sky, bright sunshine and a very keen frost provided a wintry backdrop for our journey as the Happy Chocker, Quiet One and Justin discussed the prospects for the day as the faithful Scirocco ate up the miles on the surprisingly quiet A1. Would Snoddy make the starting line up? Will either Palace or Leeds suffer from a Cup hangover? Just how many pints had Justin actually drunk on our previous epic journey South? All questions that were eagerly attacked as we anticipated a possible Leeds victory at the home of the Eagles of South London.

Parking at Crystal Palace is never the easiest but bizarrely we found exactly the same spot as last year empty in the maze of congested side streets that adorn the surrounds of Selhurst Park and gratefully deposited the car after the 4 hour journey. Refreshments were taken at The Prince of Wales pub in Thornton Heath as team news started to filter through. Becchio and Ross Mac to start up front with Brown and Clayton in midfield. Snoddy on the bench. Rumours of a Somma return when he was spotted getting off the team coach were proved to be unfounded. After persuading the over officious steward at the turnstile that my camera was neither an offensive weapon nor was going to be used to syndicate professional photographs of the game worldwide I took my seat along with the rest of the 4,000 strong travelling Leeds fans in the decrepit away stand. The Leeds team warmed up for the game dodging the fabulous flying Eagle and the gorgeous dancing Crystals. The game kicked off.

Last year Leeds were hit with an early goal that eventually won the game and the same so nearly happened again as the Leeds captain Lonergan just got his fingertips to the ball as Chris Martin turned a teasing cross goalwards. Not the sort of start to calm the nerves. Minutes later Martin profited from a mix up between Pugh and Clayton and ran away to slot the ball past the despairing Lonergan. 1.0 Palace with only 6 minutes on the clock. Here we go again!

Leeds tried to get back in the game by keeping the ball on the floor and attacking Palace. A Ross Mac free kick from the edge of the box was drilled frustratingly over the top of the bar whilst a heated debate raged amongst fans around me over people standing on seats to see the game at the expense of the views of the smaller fans behind them. Back on the pitch the dangerous Ambrose fired a vicious shot inches over the bar as if to confirm that Palace were still bright eyed and bushy tailed after their midweek Carling Cup antics. The game was scrappy though with passes going astray on both sides although chances at both ends kept both sets of supporters on the edge of their proverbial seats. Ross Mac played a delightful one two with Becchio and saw his sweetly hit volley deflect away for a corner whilst Scannell twisted, turned and screwed a shot goalwards only to see Tom Lees leg block his dangerous shot. Leeds were definitely having the better chances though and but for another superb goalkeeping display by Mr Speroni in the Palace goal and some less than sharp finishing by Leeds we would have been in front. Speroni's saves from first Clayton and then Lees were absolute top draw.

As the game scrappily headed for half time Leeds were suddenly playing against 10 men as Scannell rashly brought down Pugh who was steaming towards the edge of the box. The inevitable yellow was the Palace man's 2nd of the game which converted into a nice shiny red colour and he was off down the tunnel early. The home fans appeared to be outraged but why? It was a clear professional foul as he clipped Pugh from behind a light year after he could have reasonably got the ball! Leeds made nothing of the free kick and the teams trotted off for their half time cup of tea. Certainly not the most entertaining half in the history of Leeds United but against ten men in the 2nd half we should be able to at least get a point shouldn't we?

Thankfully the low winter sun had drifted below the stand as the 2nd half got underway so my view of the game improved immensely. Now the classic way of playing a team with ten men is to stretch them from one side of the pitch to the other by letting the ball do the work and that is exactly what Leeds did. Palace dug their trenches ready for the onslaught and Messr's Brown and Clayton pulled Leeds' strings from midfield. Surely it was only a matter of time before we got a goal? Leeds pressurised the home goal with Speroni even more determined to keep a clean sheet. The imperious Lees rose majestically and thundered a corner goalwards..................Get in!!!!!!!!!!!!! I screamed but once again Speroni saved the day for the Eagles. This was now getting frustrating. "Snoddy get warmed up" I instinctively shouted.

With 35 minutes remaining he did just that and came on to replace White with Pugh dropping to full back and Snoddy taking up his place on the right wing with Townsend on the other flank. This should be fun! Leeds continued to squeeze Palace like a Boa constrictor slowly extracting the last breath out of it's prey but credit to the home team they did still look to hit Leeds on the break. "Wonder if Snoddy can do a Thierry Henry" I mused to HC?

Palace's defence began to creak as Leeds breached their flanks and but for a variety of quality of final balls we would surely have sealed the game. Then just when the doubts were starting to race round my mind we were level. Yet another attack saw the ball come to the edge of the box Clayton's pass was blocked but the ball ran to Ross Mac who was clear on goal...........he pulled the ball back to the fabulous Snoddy, who's stretch for the ball must of tested the strength of his stitches from his recent operation, but even Speroni couldn't stop this one. 1.1 and Snoddy celebrated as if he'd just won the Cup. I do like a bit of passion in a footballer. He kissed the badge in front of the Leeds fans to show how much that goal meant. Mmmm seem to remember somebody else doing that?

Leeds now went for the kill. Forssell replaced the disappointing Becchio. His form seems to have completely disappeared? Snoddy rifled two shots that fizzed just over the bar. A Ross Mac header looped over the bar and Clayton and Brown both tried their luck from outside the box all to no avail. The last ten minutes were frantic as ten men Palace clung on to their precious point. 3 points were there for the taking but in the end Leeds didn't quite have the cutting edge needed to spring the Eagles defence again and the game ended even.

Leeds' 2nd half performance was encouraging even against ten men. The ball was played on the floor for the majority of the game and the sight of Townsend and Snoddy on both flanks was mouth watering although why did Snoddy seem to want play at Inside Right and not on the wing? Speroni was man of the match with Clayton & Lees shining for Leeds. Tom Lees improves with each match whilst Becchio does the opposite. He was once again ineffective looking pedestrian when he got near the ball and toothless when the ball was in the box. What's happened? Thanks to my unreliable Sat Nav it took two hours to get out of London which gave plenty of time to reflect on the game. We'd have settled for a point before the game so 1.1 wasn't a disaster but against ten men we should have won it. The long journey up the M1 was helped by listening, or should I say shouting at the 606 phone in. Mr Savage was on his usual form trying to wind up any caller so I tried my luck by ringing in. My points must have been too good for the gypsy haired one as he chose to ignore my call. Finally home after a 14 hour, 445 mile round trip. "Was it worth it" Mrs MOT dryly asked? "It's always worth it my dear" I responded. Ipswich up next at the Theatre of Hope. Will we be able to get the ball past Alex McCarthey? I do hope so!
Can't wait.
MOT

London calling..............again!

2012-01-14T07:53:00.000Z

Apologies for not posting after the heroic Arsenal game but after getting home at 2.15am Tuesday and being up at 6am for work proved too much for me! Suffice to say that a good time was had by all despite Mr Henry's inevitable winner. The atmosphere in the Drayton Park pub before the game was something special even for Leeds fans whilst in the ground the polite atmosphere of the Emirates library was suitably disturbed by the raucous mighty white fans. ESPN's bizarre decision to site their "studio" for presenting the programme right in front of the away fans at the side of the pitch backfired spectacularly as first the Leeds players targeted them with their warm up balls and then Mr Savage and Mr Keown were drawn into "discussions" with the adjacent Leeds fans. I didn't think Martin Keown's tactic of offering vociferous Leeds fans out in between his piece's to camera was the most professional thing to do, whilst the famous ice dancer, Robbie Savage, objected to the verbal abuse he was getting during his incisive comments on the game. His post match accusation that Leeds fans are animals and they all threw their hot dogs at him and the blond bimbo presenter was totally incorrect. I had a cheeseburger for one! The final ignominy for the erstwhile pundits was when they had to beg steal and borrow a mini seat as they took their place with the photographers squat at the side of the goal as the game started. Class!

So again we head for the smoke for the clash with Palace hoping that their hangover from their Carling Cup clash is bigger than ours. I have a feeling this trip to London will be more successful than Monday's? Even with our new signing, Roy Rogers on tow! If Lees and O'Dea defend as stoutly as they did at the Emirates and Snoddy returns to action I've a feeling we will return with a 2.1 victory. Bring it on.
Can't wait.
MOT

The faded magic of the cup?

2012-01-06T07:53:00.001Z

When Leeds were drawn against Arsenal in the FA Cup I knew the chances of playing them on a Saturday at 3pm were about as likely as Luis Suarez winning this year's Nobel prize for racial harmony but to be given the Monday night spot was disappointing to say the least. Even playing at that fan unfriendly time hasn't stopped over 5,000 Leeds fans juggling work arrangements to snap up the allocated tickets so at least Leeds will win the singing contest at the North London library if not necessarily the game!

Whilst the game has got all the classic ingredients of an FA Cup game, a returning hero in Thierry Henry for the home side and some doughty underdog opposition in the form of the away team, I can't help thinking that the old magic of the cup means less and less as each year goes by. The top Premier League teams now use the competition as a testing ground for their up and coming youngsters whilst resting their pampered megastars in readiness for the more important league games. This has been the case for a number of years now but despite this and the fact that the world's worst presenters of any sporting event, ITV, somehow have the rights to broadcast the competition to the world the words FA Cup 3rd round still manage to stir the nostalgia pot in lots of fans, me included. Who can forget that chilly Sunday lunchtime at the Theatre of Shite or at the other end of the scale that soggy embarrassing day at Histon where Leeds' performance was marginally worse than the afore mentioned ITV camera crew? No the old FA Cup trophy might be a bit tarnished but it can still throw up some memorable games not least of which was our last visit to the Emirates retirement home for rather polite and ever so quiet football fans? A classic gritty performance by Leeds who so nearly hung on for another famous victory at the home of the pampered Premier League elite? I wonder if Theo will once again by auditioning for the GB Olympic freestyle diving team?

On Planet Leeds this week the busiest area has been the treatment room as the Leeds backroom staff worked to get enough fit players ready for the Arsenal game. Lees and O'Dea appear to be the only centre backs available and they are carrying injuries. Sill they will only have Monsieur Henry to keep quiet so there should be no worries there! News that Kissy is out for the rest of the season is sad and it's questionable if he can recover to full match sharpness after his 2nd lengthy lay off in two years. After the flying start to the transfer window when Andros Townsend joined Leeds on loan before you could say "who will we buy this time" things have slowed up and we've had to make do with the usual diet of "strong rumours" linking unknown potential starlets with a move to Leeds. So I'm afraid Ethel the Tea lady will remain on alert in case O'Dea or Lees fail to pass their fitness test for Monday.

Although we travel in optimistic hope on Monday it's no different to how we did last year and the year before in this competition. I can still see that long ball from Howson over the top to Beckford on the 3rd Jan and Snoddy calmly slotting away the penalty at the Emirates. It's a long shot but we couldn't do it for a 3rd year running could we? One thing for sure if we do you'll hear the loudest chorus of Marching On Together sung in London since the League One Play Off final! Maybe there is a bit of magic left in the cup after all? On this one I have only one thing to say.............................
Can't wait.
MOT

Leeds Utd v Burnley 2nd Jan 2012

2012-01-02T21:45:00.000Z

A chill wind was blowing through Selby station as the Leeds faithful boarded the train for the mighty whites 2nd game in 3 days. With the debate raging over how secure Simon Grayson's position is there were plenty of opinions on the rights and wrongs of Lord Larry's management of the club. The consensus view was this would be his first and last game in charge of Leeds United in 2012. News of the team selection was always going to be surprising given the number of players nowhere near their best form. In the end Thompson, Bruce, Becchio & Clayton returned to the team along with new loan signing Andros Townsend. Although some of the doom and gloom had lifted slightly since our embarrassment at Oakwell there weren't too many fans anticipating anything other than another "difficult" afternoon following the mighty whites.

A good crowd of over 27,000 had braved the chilly weather and awful form to watch the game. I suspect there were a lot of Xmas present tickets amongst the crowd though because if the tickets only went on sale after the Barnsley match we'd be lucky to have had 5,000 watching. So with a heady mix of foreboding, worry and the slightest smidgen of hope I settled down to watch the game. Zac Thompson was flung into a central midfield role with Townsend, a left winger, playing on the right wing and Alex Bruce filling in at right back. No Tom Lees (still suffering from concussion) or Keogh and Connolly who presumably were two of the players Lord Larry was referring to in his post Barnsley rant? Ross Mac was on the bench along with McCarthy, Sam, Forssell and Brown.

The game kicked off and Leeds made a bright start keeping the ball on the deck and passing with a modicum of confidence. Charlie Austin should have put the visitors ahead though when he passed up a golden chance and blazed his shot high and wide with only Lonergan to beat after just 4 minutes. At least 20,000 heads were shaking in the ground as once again Leeds became their own worst enemy in giving up possession at inopportune moments. Lord Larry was pacing the technical area nervously with all the demeanour of a condemned man and that chance couldn't have done anything for his nerves. Leeds were playing with a bit more conviction than Saturday though and the introduction of Townsend added some much needed pace to the attack, even though he was on his wrong wing! Then in the 16th minute came the key moment of the match. In an inspired moment of tactical genius Lord Larry saw Kisnorbo clatter into a challenge leaving him clutching his knee in dire pain. Clearly he couldn't continue but who would replace him? There were no defenders on the bench................ so Thompson went to right back releasing Bruce to play centre half and Pugh to move in from the left wing to take Thompson's centre midfield spot. Townsend went to his natural left wing spot and Sam took his place on the right wing............got it? All of a sudden Leeds looked a more balanced team. Nice one Larry. Townsend got more and more of the ball and his willingness to run at defenders not only caused mayhem in the Clarets defence but also a warm glow of appreciation amongst the crowd.

Lonergan still had to be on his toes though as Austin fired in a looping shot that he tipped over the bar but it was Leeds who were getting the upper hand and they were doing it by playing the ball on the floor! Townsend continued to look bright on the left flank and fired a long shot wide of the Burnley post. This was a much needed improvement from Saturday. On 22 minutes Trippier lived up to his name and tripped Townsend as he flew past him earning him a yellow card and when he fouled Becchio ten minutes later he made it a pair of yellows which meant an early bath for the protesting Claret. The Burnley fans were not amused but I & 25,000 other fans were!

Now as any long suffering Leeds fan knows we never beat teams with ten men so I knew this game was far from over. Thompson had adapted to the right back role well and Bruce was contradicting most people's perception of his skills by looking commanding in the centre of defence especially when he carried the ball into the empty spaces Burnley allowed as they funnelled back behind the ball. I was beginning to get ever so slightly hopeful of a much needed victory. Leeds ended the half on a high as an enterprising run from Pugh was halted on the edge of the box by another Burnley foul. Nunez clipped the ball into the wall and away for a corner. Half time 0.0.

Lord Larry must have been pleased with the first 45 minutes although Burnley probably had the better chances Leeds had had the better of possession and also his new signing, Townsend, was starting to show his pace and attacking skills on the left flank. Larry might have the tag of a "deadman walking" but on the first half showing Leeds were well placed to go on and claim three precious points.

Leeds started the second 45 minutes on fire as they forced a number of corners in front of the baying Kop. This was Elland Road at its best. Leeds attacking the kop end and shots raining in on the goal. O'Dea went close with a header, Sam fired close and then Thompson smacked a superb 25 yarder that was literally inches the wrong side of the post. A goal is coming HC advised knowingly and I nodded in total agreement. It was only a matter of time. Leeds continued to press for the all important first goal as Lord Larry nervously watched on. Then disaster struck. A simple ball into the Leeds box was weakly headed clear straight to Dean Marney who placed the perfect ball to Austin who slotted a sweet shot past Lonergan. 1.0 Burnley and the travelling fans were in dreamland as their 10 man team defied the odds to take the lead. Lord Larry looked a lonely figure stood in the technical area. 1.0 down to ten men on the back of the poor run over Xmas did not bode well for his future at Leeds.

He acted quickly and replaced the misfiring Becchio with Forssell and soon to be followed by Ross Mac replacing Nunez as Leeds went in search of a desperate equaliser. 15 minutes left and although Leeds were piling forward an air of desperation crept into their play. Opportunities to play the ball on the floor were spurned in favour of getting the ball forward as Burnley manned the ramparts to repel Leeds' final onslaught. The clock ticked past 80 minutes and despite all the play now taking place in the Burnley half a goal didn't look likely. I imagined a dark circle of vultures circling over the unfortunate Lord Larry as he urged his team forward looking for a goal that might just save his job. Townsend was still creating havoc and putting good crosses in but all to no avail. Three minutes left and things were looking desperate. Yet another corner to Leeds. Clayton took the corner right footed and what was an awful corner turned into a gem as Easton unluckily turned the ball into his own net from 6 yards. The Theatre of forlorn Hope suddenly exploded into the Theatre of renewed Hope silencing the prematurely celebrating Burnley fans. Two minutes of normal time plus five minutes of added time were left in this intriguing contest. We couldn't snatch a winner as we did at Turf Moor earlier in the season could we? Suddenly the vultures were retreating to wait on the East Stand roof.

Burnley's 10 man herculean defensive efforts had taken their toll as the clock ticked onto 90 minutes. Sam controlled the ball on the edge of the box and hit a rasping drive that the goalie just tipped round the post .............for a goal kick? The Leeds crowd were enraged and when the goalie rubbed salt into Leeds wounds by wasting time with the goal kick he received a yellow card. Time ticked by and as I anxiously glanced at the referee fearing he was about to blow his whistle Townsend once again attacked the Burnley defence...............he jinked inside onto his right foot and hit a stinging shot goalwards..........Grant in the Burnley goal couldn't hold the shot and out of the melee that followed came the majestic Ross Mac with the ball and smashed the ball gleefully into the net. Get iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin you beauty! Elland Road exploded in unbridled joy in a level of celebration not seen since that certain Beckford goal against Bristol Rovers. The vultures took flight and an ecstatic Lord Larry punched the air in delight. Leeds had won it at the death. The final whistle followed seconds after the restart to signal three precious points for Leeds which puts them a mere point outside the play off positions. Unbelievable Jeff!

Smiling faces adorned the Leeds fans as they streamed away from the game for the first time since early December. Leeds had dominated possession but struggled to shake off a tenacious Burnley side. This was not a perfect performance but the changes to the side, some forced and some selected, had gelled together into a much better unit than in recent weeks. Townsend had a terrific debut and the possibility of seeing him in tandem with Snoddy on the opposite wing is mouth watering to say the least. Zac Thompson showed his undoubted potential and even Alex Bruce performed well. Clayton was much more effective today although he was lucky to get no more than a telling off for a swinging arm into the face of a Burnley player late in the game. So the headline writers must put their obituaries for Simon Grayson back in the draw for another week as Leeds look forward to a trip to the Emirates in the cup.

There is no better feeling than a late, late winner and the Leeds fans gratefully feasted on Ross Mac's late strike but let's not get carried away. There is still a lot of work to do on this team if we are to seriously challenge for a top six spot. Today was a good start though. 2012 promises to be an interesting year on Planet Leeds. Up to now we're unbeaten this year let's see how long we can keep it going. One thing for sure...................
Can't wait.
MOT.

Will Leeds stand by Lord Larry?

2012-01-02T09:57:00.001Z

Amazingly Leeds were at the front of the queue when the transfer window flung open on New Years Day and secured the signature of Spurs' young winger Andros Townsend on a season long loan. The Tottenham flyer will go straight into the squad for today's game against Burnley and must be nailed on for a starting spot after the collective capitulation of the entire Leeds team against Barnsley. Question is will Townsend deliver on the already sky high expectation of him in the wake of Leeds' appalling Festive run or will he have the same impact as Jake Livermore when he made the same switch last season? One thing for sure if he's as bad on the field as he is singing we're in for a big disappointment!

One way or another Townsend is unlikely to be the last player we'll see coming through the doors of Thorp Arch during the transfer window as Lord Larry seeks to strengthen his under fire squad. The way Leeds unravelled at Oakwell was unfortunately far too predictable for the fans who had seen the team only really play well twice all season, Forest and Donny away. The rest of the time we have witnessed a team relying on individual skills and a "never say die" attitude to drag them out of the mire after giving soft goals and plenty of possession away in far too many games. The feeling that Lord Larry is in the last chance saloon is growing on Planet Leeds as he struggles to find his best eleven and most effective tactical plan to suit the talent available. In short it's difficult to see how he's going to turn things round as the patience of not only Capt Birdseye but also the fans is now wafer thin. A fifth game without a win or more to the point a good performance will likely be the death knell in Lord Larry's tenure at the Theatre of Hope.

Team selection will be interesting today. Who are the players who according to SG have played their last game for Leeds? What an earth is he going to do in midfield? And what about the defence? Ethel the Tea Lady could be on standby today. Given the circumstances I shall be setting off early with my boots and shin pads in my bag just in case! Well I couldn't do any worse than the eleven Larry sent out on New Years Eve! The Theatre of Hope will be a cauldron one way or another today. The universal slating of Saturday's performance will either inspire the team to new heights or condemn them to an even worse showing today. Life is never boring on Planet Leeds is it. You never know Andros Townsend might score in the first ten minutes........................................
Can't wait!
MOT

Andros shows his "talent" as a singer!

Barnsley v Leeds Utd, New Years Eve 2011.

2011-12-31T08:50:00.001Z

Apparently it's 11 years since we'd tasted victory against our South Yorkshire cousins from Whippetland so even though Dickie Bird's favourites had hit a worse run of form than the mighty whites confidence was not high in the Happy Chocker's car as we headed to Barnsley. News that Snoddy's appendix had chosen this week to complain and force the Scot into hospital to have it removed had deflated Leeds fans already fragile confidence having watched 3 poor performances on the bounce in recent weeks. HC couldn't have been more nervous or apprehensive if he was going to a dodgy dentist with a massive toothache. Working with a cabal of Barnsley fans who have degrees in gloating when their team wins had finally got to him. "At least they've not got Ranger or Drinkwater this time" I optimistically suggested. In truth I was as concerned as him. With Howson, Lees and Snoddy removed from the Leeds starting eleven our strength in depth, or lack of it, was about to be exposed in the white heat of a Yorkshire derby at Oakwell. Mmmm.........not a day for the faint hearted.

Pre match refreshments were taken in the Joe Johnson snooker club a 10 minute walk from Oakwell. As the only Leeds fans in there we didn't exactly get a warm welcome but we tried to second guess the starting line up with some difficulty. The big question was who was going to play in midfield? If we knew the answer was going to be nobody we'd have stopped in the club and drowned our sorrows but like loyal Lemmings we headed for the proverbial cliffs of the away stand. When the team news broke we heard that Becchio and Clayton had been dropped in favour of Keogh and Vayrynen with Nunez replacing the convalescing Snoddy on the wing. "Difficult to see where the creativity is going to come from" I mused to HC.

5,800 Leeds fans had packed the away end in hope of seeing a reversal of recent poor form. They were about to see the worst performance a Leeds team have given since that horrendous showing at Hereford back in the dark days of Division 3. Leeds started reasonably well with neat passing releasing Keogh in the Barnsley area but his shot went inches wide..............as it usually does! Pugh was next to break through some hesitant Barnsley defending and fire a shot past Luke Steele but just past the wrong side of the post. This lifted the Leeds hordes behind Lonergan's goal. Maybe we just might break the Barnsley hoodoo at this rate? Errr sadly no! On 16 minutes Kisnorbo and O'Dea attempts at stopping Vaz Te came straight from the script of a Laurel & Hardy film as the Barnsley striker gratefully accepted their festive generosity and slotted the ball past a helpless Lonergan. 1.0 Barnsley. Bollox. HC's pre match predictions of doom and gloom were starting to turn into reality as the Barnsley fans danced with delight in the stand adjacent to the Leeds fans.

Leeds huffed and puffed to try and get the equaliser but apart from a couple of long range Nunez shots and a goal mouth scramble we never really looked like scoring. All Barnsley were doing was playing simple passing Football and they were making Leeds look distinctly 2nd best. In the end Leeds were lucky to go in at half time just the one goal down after Davies fluffed a decent chance to increase the home side's lead. The Leeds players left the field to well deserved boo's and chants of "Bates out" ringing in their ears. The fans were revolting with good cause. Dickie Bird was introduced at half time after been awarded an OBE in the New Year's honours list receiving a warm ovation from all four sides of the ground. He even dribbled the ball back towards the half way after saluting the Leeds fans. Inevitably strains of "sign him up, sign him up" drifted from the long suffering whites fans.

If Leeds were to rescue anything from this game they needed an early goal. Lord Larry gave his team a final bout of sprinting to liven them up before the 2nd half kicked off. It didn't work. Within 6 minutes Vaz Te killed off any chance of a Leeds fightback with his second goal. Even he must have been surprised with the vast emptiness he found himself in from a corner but he steadied himself and put the chance away with ease. Leeds were dead and buried. Vaz Te ran back to the half way smelling under his arms. Did he have raging BO? Is that why no Leeds player went near him? The rest of the half was just one long embarrassment as Barnsley toyed with Leeds like a well fed Cat teases with his final mouse. Davies rattled in a 3rd through more non existent defending before Vaz Te completed his hat trick with 18 painful minutes left on the clock. Leeds devoid of any passion, skill or ideas went through the motions as Barnsley eased up. Yes Becchio pulled one back for Leeds in added time but I had long since gone. The pain of watching a gutless, pathetic showing from the once mighty whites was too much for me to stomach.

This was as dire performance as I have seen from a Leeds team in a long time. Yes we were without Lees, Snoddy and Howson but the very least you expect from a Leeds team is to play with some passion and effort. I saw none of that today from the men in black. Michael Brown was probably the best Leeds player. That's how bad it was! Barnsley even lost their star man, Butterfield, after 15 minutes or it could have been worse. His replacement Vaz Te didn't do a bad job though.

Listening to Lord Larry's radio interview on the way home he came out fighting declaring that certain players had played their last game for Leeds after that performance. After four shocking performances by Leeds on the bounce and a team sadly devoid of any confidence or motivation it could well be Simon's last game in charge. It's the first time I've heard chants of "Grayson out" coming from the Leeds crowd and after all they are his team of players he's brought into the club and if he can't get them up for a match like this we're in deep, deep trouble.

48 hours until the next game against high flying Burnley. Something drastic is needed or we could be in for another embarrassing afternoon. So we finish 2011 on the lowest of the low playing badly with no confidence and little passion. As the song goes "Things can only get better" I do hope so.........
Can't wait!
MOT & a Happy New Year to all long suffering Leeds fans.

Barnsley v Leeds by Super_chris

Mid term report & hopes for the New Year.

2011-12-29T12:27:00.000Z

As we reach the half way mark in this season's campaign it's an ideal time to take stock of how the club have performed so far in their 2nd season back in the Championship. So given that the world we live in seems to be infested with monitoring bodies, such as OfSted/OfCom/OFWat etc, that want to poke into every aspect of our lives I thought I would present to you the OfFan report on Leeds United for the 2011/12 season so far.

Objectives and targets:
After finishing last season excruciatingly close to the play off places the overall objective agreed for this term, in line with the club's continuous improvement policy, is to achieve a top six place and challenge for promotion to the Premier League. Supplementary objectives include ensuring the club is maintained on a secure financial footing and also build an effective recruitment and scouting network to supply the correct quality of players for the club.

Key Performance Indicators:

Achieve a top 6 league position.
Achieve a 98% customer satisfaction.
Increase average attendances from last year's figure of 27,299.
Maintain our position as the best supported away team in the championship.
Break even for the financial year ending June 2012.

OfFan assessment

Performances on the pitch: After a shaky start losing the first two games the team made steady progress to the end of September. This included a spectacular win against Hull City followed by two tight home successes against Palace and Bristol City. During the period Leeds snatched two exciting draws with last minute goals at West Ham and Brighton respectively. A disappointing defeat at Ipswich acted as a sense check on the quality of the team though. By the end of September Leeds were in 9th spot on 11 points, 6 points adrift of automatic promotion. In the League Cup victories against Bradford City and Donny were followed by an embarrassing defeat against the Salford Yank's 2nd string at a 3/4 full Elland Road.
October saw only one defeat at the hands of a strong Birmingham side but lost points in draws against Coventry and Cardiff took some of the gloss off our improving form. Lack of a quality back up keeper was a major contributing factor to silly lost points. Glimpses of what Leeds could achieve were seen in a comfortable 3.0 win at the Keepmoat and an exciting 3.2 win at the Posh. By the end of October Leeds were 7th on 22 points 5 adrift of the automatic spots. November started badly with a horrendous 5.0 defeat at home to Blackpool. Weaknesses in the goalkeeping position somewhat masking glaring inadequacies elsewhere. Away wins at Leicester, Burnley and Forest steadied the ship but a home defeat to Barnsley confirmed just how much work there is still to do to make Leeds genuine promotion contenders. Leeds finished November in 5th position on 31 points 9 points adrift of the automatic promotion spots.
December started with a solid home win against Millwall but deteriorated after that with a snatched point at Watford and defeats to Reading and Derby. Of more concern was the manner of those defeats where there was a distinct lack of direction and skill on the pitch coinciding with the absence of the injured Jonny Howson. Leeds go into the last match of 2011 in 8th spot, 11 points off the automatic places and 1 point off the play off positions. Overall the performances on the pitch have not improved since last term and show a worrying lack of quality in the centre of midfield and the consequent lack of goals from our main strikers. OfFan expect these areas to be addressed in the soonest. Assessment rating for performances on the pitch: Inadequate.
Recruitment and player management: The inertia over the summer period annoyed a lot of customers and suggests either a lack of a clear transfer strategy or the competence to complete signings in a timely manner or both. Much customer debate is focused on the size of the transfer and wage budget but carrying a large first team squad of 28, with 2 more out on loan, uses far too much precious wage resource on fringe players who are simply not good enough for the first team. At this level clubs need to be able to not only choose their transfer/loan targets effectively but be strong enough to move "mistakes" on quickly. Leeds have failed to do either. The loss of Johnson, Gradel and Kilkenny over the summer seriously weakened the team. Their perceived replacements Michael Brown, Nunez and Adam Clayton have failed to get anywhere near the levels of performance of their predecessors despite some infrequent classy shows by Clayton. Schmeichel's replacement, Lonergan, has improved the quality of the goal keeping position though. Although the chairman and the board's prudent release of monies into the wage and transfer budget has contributed to this serious failing the Manager has not shown he has a firm grasp on this part of his job and will be required to prove he has learnt from his past mistakes during the forthcoming transfer window. Assessment rating for Recruitment and player management: Inadequate.
Leadership and stewardship of the club: Simon Grayson: He clearly creates a good team spirit amongst the players. This "never say die" spirit has enabled numerous late, late goals to secure or pinch points this term. His tactical nous can sometimes be found wanting as was shown in the opening game against Southampton but in general the tactical organisation away from home has been good and generated 5 wins and 3 draws on our travels this season. Conversely at home we have struggled to find the right combination of personnel and tactics to overcome teams that are happy to sit back and let Leeds attack them. Team selection and substitutions have sometimes been difficult to understand leading to the view that he doesn't exactly know what his best starting eleven is highlighted when he ditched the successful 4.4.2 formation with Keogh and Ross Mac leading the line when Becchio returned from injury and flirting with a 4.5.1 or 4.3.3 combination. Overall he has had more good days than bad during his 3rd year of control at Leeds United. Assessment rating for Leadership of the team: Satisfactory
Ken Bates: The Chairman's approach to customer relations is stunningly crass and belligerent. Whether it be using his programme notes to slag off his customers and staff or his hard line approach to ticket prices his reluctance to listen to any other view other than what comes from his whiskered lips often beggars belief and continues to drive a massive wedge between the club and it's loyal customers. The continued "smoke and mirrors" perception of how the club is run and who owns what feeds the common held theory that lot's of revenue goes into the club and little comes back out in terms of investment in the team. A classic example of this is the redevelopment of the East Stand with new executive boxes, a museum and the proposed hotel. All of these developments are sensible steps for the growth of the club in these commercially focused times but when the ground itself is not owned by the club and the size of the transfer budget is under fierce debate the information void that is left in it's wake is readily filled with numerous conspiracy theories by the long suffering customers. As ever the Chairman takes the "bugger everybody else" approach to any individual or organisation who raises the slightest query in opposition to "Ken's way" leading to the now classic programme notes attacking the clubs fans labelling them "Morons" for protesting against the lack of transfer activity. Memories of Gerald Ratner referring to his company's products as crap come to mind. The way the Chairman has managed to disenfranchise himself and the club from the local & national media, the vast majority of other club's directors & Chief Exec's but most of all it's massive fanbase is bordering on criminal. Assessment rating for Leadership of the club: Inadequate to appalling.
Support and customer appeal: The club continues to enjoy the best away support outside the Premier League despite the fact that the last trophy to adorn the Elland Road trophy cabinet was back in 1992. Leeds fans are called a lot of things but glory hunters is not one of them! This season the support at West Ham, Burnley, Posh and Brighton was particularly impressive all of which were enhanced by late goals signalling ecstatic celebrations amongst the faithful Leeds fans. The triumph and tribute to Gary Speed at Forest will stay long in the memory of those who were there as the 11 minute tribute on the 11th minute culminated with the opening goal for Snoddy. Magic. There is a special affinity amongst the travelling army that exudes unwavering support for the mighty whites despite activities on the pitch or in the boardroom. This is probably summed up best by the addition of a relatively new song to the LUFC songbook this term "We're Leeds Utd, we don't give a fuck" The home support has dwindled this season though under the impact of high ticket prices and the growing disillusionment with the stewardship of the club. We are unlikely to finish with the highest average gate in the championship with Leicester, Derby, West Ham and Southampton all currently having higher average home gates. Assessment rating for Support and customer appeal: Outstanding.
Individual players performances: Players who have progressed this season include Tom Lees and Aidey White in defence. Lees has looked impressive at centre half belying his young age whilst White has demonstrated an electric burst of pace whether he's going forward or defending. The understanding he has forged with Danny Pugh on the left flank has contributed to the tightening of the famously leaky defence of last year. The welcome return of Kissy has seen the % of headers won in defence increase. He has lost a yard of pace though and this has exposed him to the more pacier front men in the league. Darren O'Dea has provided a solid platform when he's played at centre half and adds a nice touch of Irish aggression to the defensive unit. Behind the back four Lonergan has shown much needed consistency. The less said about his back up Rachubka the better though.
Midfield has been a problem. Clayton has shown signs of class, none more so than against Scott Parker at West Ham, but too many times he has failed to get the type of grip on games that's needed by your creative midfielder. Jonny Howson continues to do a lot of work "under the radar" and is sorely missed when he is absent, ie the last three games. He operates best in an attacking midfield role when the five man midfield is deployed. Snoddy continues to show why Premier clubs will be queuing up to sign him in January though without the foil of another tricky winger on the other flank (ie Gradel) it has been easier for clubs to shutdown the creative spark we get from the feisty Scot. Whilst White has provided pace on the left flank and Sam an element of trickery the team have sorely missed Gradel's pace, skill and goals. Michael Brown was a good signing but 5 years too late. His legs have gone and he struggles to last a full match. But I suppose we did get him from the "past the sell by date" shelf in Aldi's.
Up front Ross Mac has been a revelation most of the time with some spectacular goals and intelligent running. Of late he has been less effective as the numerous permutations of partners and positions seem to have taken a toll on him. Becchio has been a major disappointment. His goal threat in the box has diminished, possibly due to Gradel's departure, and he looks laboured and predictable in possession. Andy Keogh has brought lot's of good qualities to the Leeds attack but scoring goals is not one of them. He has formed the best partnership with Ross Mac to date. Nunez briefly showed promise against Donny but seems to have disappeared from the selection radar.
Of the rest neither Forssell or Vayrynen look to have enough quality or ability to be anything other than 2nd rate back up players. Assessment of players performances: Inadequate.
Conclusion: The team has not progressed as required and is in danger of falling away from the promotion chasing pack on current form. There is clear need for strengthening the quality of the playing staff especially in centre midfield and also an out and out goal scorer if this seasons KPI's are to be met. The Leadership of the club by the chairman is potentially inhibiting the growth of the club but the management of the team by Simon Grayson in his 3rd year in position is also quite rightly under focus. Anything less than last year's 7th position will be deemed a failure by the majority of fans. Pivotal to the success or otherwise of the season will be the movements in the January transfer window. Failure to improve the overall quality of the playing staff will constitute a major failing by the management team. Overall assessment of the club at the half way stage of the season: Inadequate

Hopefully that report will give plenty of food for thought? In the meantime we have the trip to Barnsley to worry about on New Year's Eve. Please god don't let the Whippet lovers triumph again in their local Cup Final. I don't think the Happy Chocker could stand it! As ever I will be there filled with hope and expectations along with another massive away support. A 95th minute winner from Ross Mac will do nicely thank you very much.

Can't wait.

MOT

Derby County v Leeds Utd 26th Dec 2011

2011-12-26T23:41:00.000Z

I think Boxing Day should be renamed as "Blow the cobwebs away and try and mitigate for yesterday's massive over indulgence" Day. With that in mind a trip to watch a Football match fits the bill perfectly. So with a bag full of "leftover" Honey glazed ham sandwiches and a large dose of hope I set off for the trip south to Pride Park to see if the mighty whites could lift the gathering gloom of recent performances and beat Nigel Clough's struggling Derby side. The Happy Chocker, Big Steve & Fabienne were my companions as we sped down the M1. One thing we were all agreed on was that if we were going to win this festive encounter a significant improvement on the last two performances was badly needed.

Lord Larry's team news revealed a return for Darren O'Dea in the centre of the defence and a move to right back for Tom Lees leaving Connolly stranded on the bench. Now I am a big fan of Tom Lees but right back is not his best position so the selection did create quite a bit of pre match discussion. "Connolly's not done much to warrant dropping" Big Steve queried. "Lees is never a right back" one of the 4,000 plus "managers" who had followed the team down the M1 stated. What ever the reason for the change it had better work because patience was as thin as a bulimic supermodel on hunger strike amongst the Leeds faithful after the last two performances. Becchio kept his place up front despite too many recent indifferent showings. Pride Park was rammed to the rafters with a capacity crowd all anticipating a cracking game. The pre match atmosphere was lifted as the two sets of fans traded songs. "You don't know what you're doing" the Leeds fans teased their hosts as the large Derby banner made it's way upside down along the main stand.

Leeds started brightly enough with Aidey White pouncing an an early slip by a Derby player to sprint away and force a corner. Lees tried a shot from the resultant corner. Things were looking good and when Snoddy thundered a stinging free kick which Fielding tipped over after 10 minutes I started to think maybe today was the day we ended our awful recent form against the Rams. Jamie Ward was enjoying himself on the Derby left wing though. Maybe something to do with the acres of space Lees and his team mates allowed him to build up steam before attacking the jittery visiting defence. On twenty minutes Ross Mac reminded everyone just why he shot to the top of the goal scoring charts earlier in the season as he hit a sweet, swerving shot from 30 yards that saw Fielding happy to scramble the ball away. Leeds' inability to keep possession of the ball for longer than 3 or 4 passes was starting to hurt them though. Jamie Ward weaved through the Leeds defence and clattered the post with an intelligent shot as Derby began to get the better of the scrappy midfield battle. Leeds resorted to the safety first "hoof" up the field at any sign of pressure from the Rams as their performance deteriorated. The usually noisy travelling army of fans grew quieter the nearer we got to half time as Leeds lacked direction, confidence and skill on the pitch. Lees was replaced by Connolly after a clash of heads just before half time. The HT whistle went with 0.0 written all over a scrappy game.

There wasn't much festive cheer during the interval as I reflected on an ineffective midfield with both Ross Mac and Becchio labouring with the scraps of service they were getting. Oh how we are missing Jonny Howson I pondered. Once again the only spark of creativity was coming from Snoddy and he can't do it all by himself.

The 2nd half followed a similar pattern to the first 45 minutes as the referee's whistle and the long ball in the air saw far too much action to enable a free flowing game. Leeds were huffing and puffing but time and again moves broke down with the ball given up far too easily. When we did pressurise the home defence they looked shaky but the only real shot that raised any expectations amongst the Leeds fans was by Pugh on 60 minutes as he hit a screamer that Fielding parried away. Derby then took the lead. Clayton gave the ball away in midfield leaving the defence exposed as Derby attacked. Lonergan saved Ward's first effort but couldn't do anything about the follow up as the ex-Sheff Utd got the all important first goal. The vast majority of the 33,000 crowd danced with delight whilst the Leeds faithful stood in resigned silence. We never do well on Boxing day and we never do well against Derby I mused.

Keogh and then Nunez replaced Becchio and White respectively as Leeds tried to rescue a point. The Derby defence creaked but Leeds never quite had the class to finish off any of the chances although Fielding pulled off a stunning save in the 91st minute from a Kissy header to ensure Derby took all three points. The referee's whistle ended the game as Leeds slumped to a second straight defeat. Worryingly it was the manner of the defeat that stuck in the gullet for me. Leeds didn't play with any confidence or skill and whilst there was lots of endeavour far too often players gave the ball away at the slightest bit of pressure applied by the grateful Derby team. Clayton was poor in the centre of the midfield whilst Becchio was totally ineffective against the tall Derby centre backs. Leeds look like a team devoid of ideas, direction and quite frankly passion today. Not something that fills even their most optimistic fan with hope as we enter the new year.

A Derby fan gushed that we Leeds fans must be gutted as we caught Derby on "their best day of the season by far" "Well with all due respect you must have been shite all season if that's the case" I countered. "Suppose we have" he accepted emphasising the fact that this was another massive opportunity to gain three winnable points thrown away. These are dark days on Planet Leeds. The team are playing with little confidence or skill and on the evidence of the last three games we have hit relegation form just at the wrong time. Lord Larry is under pressure and his post match comments suggesting we had played well and been unlucky not to get at least one point will not have pacified the growing number of fans who think he has lost his way. The transfer window is critical for Leeds' season. We need two or three players in to strengthen the squad at least. I just wonder if Capt Birdseye will change the man at the helm before the dealings begin? It wouldn't surprise me if he did.

Barnsley at Oakwell on New Year's Eve next. Not a fixture I am looking forward to with Leeds in this form. Have we found our true level after over achieving in the earlier part of the season? I hope not and what better place than Oakwell to show that's not the case and take the Whippet loving upstarts down a peg or two? I live in hope.
Can't wait.
MOT.

Sticks and Stones may hurt my bones.......

2011-12-21T18:02:00.001Z

The Xmas festivities are almost upon us but there seems to be little goodwill to all men on Planet Football this week. First Mr Suarez received a staggering 8 match ban from the FA for verbally abusing Patrice Evra during a game. Now before I get a torrent of abuse myself the actual charge was for racially abusing Evra but am I the only one who is struggling to see the massive difference between calling another player a "fucking useless cunt" or using the same venom but replacing the word "cunt" with any word with racial connotations? Was Evra the only Salford Yanks player Suarez engaged in verbal warfare that afternoon? No..............and was the reason Suarez was spitting vile at Evra because he was black? No..............it was because he wanted to wind him up and put him off his game, as did every other individual during that match to their immediate opponent. To me this wasn't a racially motivated attack more a player who has a very high opinion of himself and has a history of whinging and moaning when things aren't going his way using the race card to stir up trouble.

Next there's the John Terry case. He has now been charged with a criminal offence, racially aggravated public order offence, for comments he made to Anton Ferdinand during the Premier League clash at Loftus Road. Lawyers and solicitors must be rubbing their hands at this one. Where will it all end?

There is no place for racism in Football or any other walk of life but let's get things in perspective. Racism is when discrimination occurs solely due to the colour of your skin or ethnicity and these cases will do nothing to help eradicate racial prejudice from Football just the opposite in my opinion. There is a saying "Sticks and stones may hurt my bones but names will never hurt me" Call me old fashioned but shouldn't footballers be playing to those rules instead of instructing their lawyers when someone upsets them at a particularly bad day at the office?

On a lighter note Leeds have been linked with American Robbie Rogers this week. The USA international is reported to be a midfielder who "impressed Grayson in a recent trial at Leeds" His record with Columbus Crew in the MSL is not sparkling, 2 goals and 7 assists from 28 starts this term although he is a current USA international. The need for strengthening the midfield is blindingly obvious but I am hoping that the targets Lord Larry has referred to recently have at least some track record in the English game. For anyone joining Leeds in January the need to hit the ground running is essential if they are going to make an impact on the hoped for promotion run in. With all due respect to Robbie "Roy" Rogers the step from the MLS to the Championship is a big one and for someone who failed in their last European venture at Heerenveen in the Dutch League the signs are not good. Other names that have been muted as possibles on Lord Larry's list include Keith Andrews, currently on loan at Ipswich where he has netted an impressive 9 goals from 19 starts from midfield, Stephen Dawson the Orient captain, a defensive midfielder with spells at Bury and Mansfield on his CV. If all this is true then we are still scratting around in Aldi's discount section to supplement our promotion challenge. Things might change if we cash in an under performing Becchio and use that money to have a look at Tesco's finest range for a midfielder? Well there's no harm in hoping.

Xmas is a time of hope and looking to the future. Wonder what the future will look like on Planet Leeds in the New Year? We are 3 points worse off than this time last year when we sat precariously in 2nd spot going into Xmas. 3 draws over Xmas and then a defeat at Cardiff in the new year deflated our promotion expectations after which we never really recovered. Could Xmas be kind to us this time round? Were the Watford and Reading performances a mid winter blip or signs of a bleak mid winter? Time will tell but in the mean time.........in the words of Bing Crosby...........I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas............
Can't wait.
MOT

Leeds Utd v Reading. Dec 17th 2011

2011-12-18T01:16:00.001Z

The winter chill in the air meant a first outing of the season for my woolly LUFC hat as the Leeds faithful gathered at Selby station for the trip to LS11. After last week's woeful showing at Watford hopes were high of a more commanding performance by Leeds to send us into the Xmas break nicely placed in the promotion play off spots. Surely we couldn't play as badly as last week could we? Much of the pre match discussion was focused on Jonny Howson's injury and hole he has left in the Leeds midfield. Expectations were high of a return to the 4.5.1 formation with Vayrynen supplementing Clayton and Pugh in the key central midfield zone. It was somewhat of a surprise then when the team was announced as a 4.4.2 formation with Clayton and Brown in midfield with Pugh and Snoddy on the flanks. Ross Mac and Becchio started up front and Lonergan made his return in goal. A 2.1 win for Leeds was the most popular prediction amongst our band of foolishly optimistic fans as we took our seats ready for kick off.

A reasonable pre Xmas crowd of just over 23,000 were hardly settled in their seats when Reading struck a devastating early blow. A long ball up field into the heart of the Leeds defence was allowed to bounce, Lonergan started to come for the ball then thought better of it which left Simon Church with the chance to lob the ball unchallenged into the empty Leeds net. 1.0 Reading with barely 90 seconds gone. The handful of Royals fans celebrated their dream start as the Leeds fans digested another goal from a defensive mix up at the Theatre of Hope. We do make life hard for ourselves? "Still we've got plenty of time to comeback" I commented accompanied by the sound of a clutching straw.

Despite the early setback Leeds had the better of the opening 15 minutes as they gave the home crowd hope with some neat football. Worryingly though the Leeds defence opened up again down the left flank as McAnuff left White for dead and drove into the Leeds box. Thankfully his shot curled wide but the over used alarm bells signalling a dodgy Leeds defensive performance were now ringing loud and clear. Lonergan partly amended for his earlier error with an agile save from a low shot which Aidey White just managed to scramble clear. A harsh cold reality check was already blowing through our chances of getting anything out of this game as the lack of any real midfield authority or control strangled Leeds' efforts to put any pressure on Reading. Ross Mac battled and won a ball and then tried to wriggle through the resolute visiting defence before being dragged to the ground on the edge of the box. Hopes rose momentarily as the Scot prepared to the kick himself but the wall smothered his shot and the chance fizzled out. Reading had rightly identified that Snoddy was the only real threat Leeds carry and had deployed double marking when ever he got the ball. As the game drifted towards half time Reading continued to look dangerous on the break forcing a number of corners but somehow we remained just the one goal down. In fact we should have gone in level as Ross Mac headed a golden opportunity straight at Federici after a fantastic delivery from Snoddy. HT 0.1 to Reading.

The gents debate was as ever illuminating as the anger of watching another poor 45 minutes from the mighty whites spilled out. "Grayson's clueless" one fan spat out with venom. "he's lost the dressing room cos he's too busy shagging at Thorp Arch" was another view. Now you wouldn't get that sort of incisive assessment of the game on the Match of the Day sofa would you? In general there was a "here we go again" theme running through most of the comments as Leeds' lack of any real creativity or ideas on the pitch were there for all to see. Back on the pitch Sky's "Take it like a fan" team were filming the Leeds fans' attempt at a penalty in front of the kop. The poor fan made a complete hash of the spot kick and sunk to his knees in embarrassment. Mmmmm there was something about his attempt at winning the Sky money that matched Leeds' efforts in the first half...............both were excruciatingly poor after a good build up!

The 2nd half got underway with Leeds now playing towards the kop but they still struggled to get any grip at all on the game with nearly every move reverting to a hopeful punt down field for Becchio to flick onto nobody. The exception to the rule was when Snoddy cleverly released the overlapping Connolly who's pull back from the bye line just lacked a bit of pace as Clayton's back heeled flick was easily saved by the Reading keeper. The crowd were now getting extremely restless as Leeds huffed and puffed as they tried to get themselves back in the game but they carried little threat as Becchio and Ross Mac tried to survive on almost non existent quality service from their midfield colleagues. After 65 minutes Lord Larry moved to change things. But why was he holding up Ross Mac and Clayton's numbers? Surely they weren't destined for an early bath................but they were as Sam, Vayrynen and Keogh replaced Ross Mac, Clayton and Brown. Very strange move but one that might rescue something from this game? Errrr no. The remaining 15 minutes of the game were just as disjointed as the previous 75 as Reading coasted to an unexpected victory. Deserved boo's rang round the ground for a Leeds team that showed no real creativity, ideas or nous as the final whistle went.

White had his poorest game in a Leeds shirt but the real worry for the freezing fans as they streamed away into the bleak West Yorks night was where Grayson goes from here. Without Howson the midfield looks rudderless and ineffective. The ever changing permutations he has used in mid field emphasises the lack of both talent and depth in this vital area of the team. So the answer to "we couldn't play as badly as we did at Watford could we?" was a resounding yes. All of a sudden Leeds look a very vulnerable and one dimensional team as we head for the important Xmas batch of games. Can Lord Larry turn this round and come up with a formula that puts Leeds back on course for the play off's or better? Time will tell but I suspect time is something that will be in short supply come the New Year if this form continues.

A Boxing day trip to Derby awaits the battered mighty whites fans. Despite what's happened today another massive away following will follow the team down the M1 for the lunchtime kick off. I just hope that Leeds somehow conjure up a game plan that befits such blind loyalty? Guess what?
Can't wait.
MOT and a very Merry Xmas to all blog readers.

Let the transfer speculation begin!

2011-12-16T21:45:00.000Z

With Xmas just around the corner that can mean only one thing on Planet Leeds...............no not Turkey, stuffing, sprouts, Roasties, too much Xmas pud and falling asleep in front of "It's a Wonderful Life" nope its not that...............it's transfer window speculation time! News coming out of the Theatre of Hope this week that "one or two players will have to go to free up a bit of money to bring players in" will not sit well with the majority of fans who will be wanting positive moves in January to strengthen the squad for a new year assault on promotion to the money grabbing league. Financial prudence is certainly needed in running a football club in these days of sky high player's salaries as Leeds know only too well the consequences of living the dream on none existent and unsustainable financial resources. That still doesn't stop numerous clubs running up huge debts in the pursuit of short term glory at the risk of potential football oblivion when it all goes pear shaped. Forest, Bristol City, Sheff Utd and Preston North End to name but a few are currently staring into the financial abyss and continue to rack up eye watering debts whilst clubs such as Pompey seem to be in a constant state of insolvency. Leeds United so nearly disappeared without trace................. and I fear at least one relatively large club will go bust in the current climate over the next 18 months. That would be a shock to the Football system and would be devastating to the fans of whichever club were involved but it is an inevitable consequence of any club continually spending more money than they have revenue coming in.

So where does that leave the mighty whites? We do need to strengthen in the January window especially with Jonny Howson's injury now likely to keep him out for 3 months. Will Lord Larry be able to generate enough cash from off loading some of the deadwood in the squad and whatever he has left in his transfer kitty to secure the targets he has lined up? If previous experience is anything to go by probably not. Danny Pugh and Andy Keogh are likely to covert their loan deals into permanent deals whilst McCarthy's loan deal will extend past the original December deadline. I doubt we would have enough money to secure the services of such a highly rated keeper though? So let the transfer speculation games begin and get ready for all the usual rumours to start all over again............did I tell you I saw Alan Smith in McDonalds on Elland Road this week?

Speaking of bumping into footballers...........this time for real.........a footnote to my chance meeting with Mario Balotelli on the way back from the Watford game at the M1 services. I couldn't understand why he would be heading back north when City were in London to play Chelsea until I read in the Manchester Evening News that he'd been fined for breaking curfew and having a night out in Manchester when he should have been tucked up in bed in a sleepy Hertfordshire hotel with the rest of his team mates!

Reading are the visitors to LS11 this week with the ex Leeds favourite, Ian Harte, still rolling back the years and turning in good performances for the Royals. They showed last week against the Hammers that they can still mix it with the best despite losing their star striker, Shane Long, over the summer. After last weeks dour showing at Watford where we escaped with a point I'm hoping the mighty whites can raise their game and overthrow the Royals. That would just do nicely as an early Xmas present don't you think? I'm going for a 2.0 win to Leeds..............seat belts on though Xmas usually has it's fair share of turburlence on Planet Leeds!
Can't wait.
MOT

Watford v Leeds Utd 10th Dec 2011

2011-12-10T21:30:00.001Z

A bright, crisp morning greeted the Happy Chocker, Quiet One and myself as I gunned the faithful Scirocco southwards for our clash with mighty Watford. Could Leeds keep their impressive away form going against the struggling Hertfordshire team? Who would Lord Larry pick in midfield? Will Lonnergan return in goal? These were all questions that needed serious debate as we ate up the miles down the M1. The strangely named Wetherspoons pub, Moon under Water, in the centre of Watford provided excellent facilities for pre match refreshments as I eagerly demolished a fantastic All Day Breakfast washed down with some disappointing southern beer.

Once in the ground news that Lonnergan would be on the bench and Keogh and Becchio would start up front spread around the smattering of Leeds fans taking up their positions early. Andy Lonnergan was warming up in front of us so I asked him how his finger was. "Sore, very sore" was the worrying reply......"I've only trained three times but I've got to give it a go in readiness for next week" he shared with me. In some ways I wish I'd never asked! The midfield pairing of Pugh and Clayton meant the successful 4.5.1 formation of the last couple of games was ditched, presumably due to Howson's absence? We do need to strengthen that area in the January window. The precarious press gantry near the ramshackle combination of rickety stand, unused terracing and changing rooms looked a very cold place to commentate on a football match as the sun disappeared and the chill southern air tested the resolve of those fans who had bravely come in just a replica shirt.

2,000 Leeds fans had made the trip and they were in moderate voice as the game kicked off. Memories of last years dour aerial battle came flooding back as both teams chose the safety first approach during the first 15 minutes. Watford had the best of the opening exchanges as they appeared quicker to the second ball. Clayton and Pugh struggled to make any impression in midfield. Snoddy and Sam did look lively on the flanks and it was the Scotsman who had the first half chance as he cut inside only to have a shot blocked on the edge of the box. Moments later Lees was inches away from a corner that had he connected would have opened the scoring and won me a substantial amount of money as I had backed him at 40/1 to score the first goal. Play was disjointed though. Nobody could get their foot on the ball and exert any sign of influence on the game. As a consequence the ball seemed to bounce from one head to another in frustrating bouts of head tennis. This was not by any means a classic!

On half an hour the deadlock was broken as Leeds lost the ball far too easily in the centre circle and Keogh's ex team mate Kightly broke ominously and ran unchallenged until he got to the edge of the box where he jinked and sent a superb curling shot past McCarthy in the Leeds goal. 1.0 Watford and on the balance of play probably just about deserved. The goal slightly kicked Leeds into life in what had been a very flat first half. The home keeper came for a cross and hopelessly misjudged it. He tried to make amends by chasing Snoddy to tackle him. Snoddy side stepped him in the box but then lobbed the ball onto the top of the net. Bummer! Lloyd Sam nearly brightened up the half time team talk as he barnstormed into the box only to blast the ball into the Watford kop right on the stroke of half time. The Leeds first half performance had done nothing to warm the freezing fans who had made the long trip south.

The referee changed the ball at half time as the one used in the first half was suffering from altitude sickness. Could Leeds get a grip on the game and get the ball on the deck and play? Errr no. The game descended into a heading contest between the two sets of defenders as far too many many players tried to copy Peter Kay's impression of Football in the old John Smiths advert..."Ave it" The few times Leeds did get the ball down the home defence looked jittery and on one of these occasions Becchio wasted the first of three chances he would get as he screwed a left foot shot horribly wide with the gaping goal enticingly vulnerable. At the other end the highly rated Sordell was not impressing the Leeds hordes as he made little impact on the visiting defence and the chance he did get he ballooned into the kop. The game meandered along with the ball still taking the high road every time either team was under pressure. Why doesn't someone put their foot on the ball?

On the hour Lord Larry removed the ineffective Keogh and brought on Ross Mac together with Vayrynen replacing Sam as White moved onto the flank and Pugh dropped in at full back. Surely Leeds would mount an assault on the Hornets goal now? Errr No! The game was slipping through Leeds' careless hands. The game entered the final ten minutes in a whimper instead of a cavalry charge as I became resigned to the fact we were going to lose the game and the three precious points. On 90 minutes Kissy gave away a soft penalty and I sank to my seat in despair. This was the poorest performance of the season including Blackpool at home. Suddenly my spirits were lifted though as Sordell ponced about and missed the penalty as McCarthy appeared to get a touch on the ball and it rebounded off the post. Leeds still didn't look like scoring though until the very last attack of the match. A ball was swung into the Watford box and their defence panicked....the ball bounced on the edge of the box and the industrious Vayrynen controlled the ball with his head as a Watford boot tried to decapitate him.....PENALTY.....unbelievable Jeff! Worryingly Becchio was hovering around the spot to take the kick. No not after his three mis-hits, please no? Thankfully Snoddy stepped up and broke the hearts of the home team and fans with a sweetly struck conversion. 1.1. The referee immediately blew for time as Leeds snatched the most unlikely of points. Not that Watford deserved to win. I don't think either team deserved anything from a game that will go down in my memory as Poor with a capital P.

The chatter amongst both sets of fans streaming away from the ground was of a similar tone. Leeds were lucky to get a point.............it wasn't a good game..............but apparently that was the best Watford had played this year! If it was I suggest their fans start looking up the best route to Rochdale, Walsall and Stevenage ready for next year. Nobody in a Leeds shirt enhanced their reputation although Becchio worked hard and Snoddy was coolness personified in slotting home the penalty.

The journey home was brightened by a Salford Yanks fan bemoaning his club's current misfortunes on 606, Barnsley's horrendous defeat to Ipswich and a surreal meeting with none other than Mario Ballotelli as he filled his posh car up next to mine at the M1 services. I smiled and waved at him which he charmingly responded. Amazing who you meet on away days!

As a KFC tea was hungrily consumed in the car breaking news flashed on the Radio.....Simon Grayson, Manager of Leeds Utd, has been arrested and charged with daylight robbery by the Herts Police after today's game at Watford...................The Quiet One and HC chuckled as we made our weary way home. Reading are next up at the Theatre of Hope on Saturday and after their three goal demolition of the Hammers they will be on a high. Lord Larry has some thinking to do before then as to what formation he's going to play. Today was a bad day at the office for Leeds but they still pinched a point to keep them in the play off spots. Not for the first time this season we've secured points late in the game. Now all we need to do is get some consistency into our play and we will be fine...........Somehow I think I've said that before?

Roll on Saturday.
Can't wait.
MOT

Watford v Leeds by Super_chris

Midfield worries, Monday night football and Mr Potato Head.

2011-12-09T20:31:00.001Z

After last week's emotional games it's back to normality tomorrow with the trip to Watford as Leeds try to cement a firm place in the promotion picture ready for the forthcoming festive games. Injuries to Howson and Brown will make selection of the midfield interesting with a number of possibilities floating around. Will Vayrynen get a start in the defensive holding role or will Pugh swap from full back? Who will get Howson's attacking role? Nunez or even Snoddy? Or will Ross Mac come back in from his brief spell in the cold and play the deep lying centre forward role? I would have Pugh and Ross Mac in those roles assisted by Clayton leaving Snoddy and Sam on the flanks with White at full back. That would certainly be an exciting attacking option to put out against a team struggling near the wrong end of the table. The other selection issue is whether McCarthy keeps the goalie's shirt for his last game before his scheduled return to Reading or does Lonners regain his place after recovering from his broken finger? McCarthy has been a godsend during Lonergan's absence and I'm sure he is destined for good things in the future if his display's for Leeds have been anything to go by.

Once again the 3rd round FA Cup draw treated the mighty whites well giving us a return trip to the Emirates to play Wenger's nearly men. The initial excitement was somewhat dampened though the following day when it was announced that the game would take place on Monday night to please the TV gods. An FA Cup game on a Monday night? It's just not right. FA Cup 3rd round games should all be played on a Saturday afternoon at 3pm with flurries of snow and rain swirling round supported by a biting wind and John Motson in his dated Sheepskin coat doing his piece to camera whilst shivering his nuts off. That's proper Football!

So in a week when both Mancunian teams decided they wanted to play on Thursday's in the forseeable European future and something called the Eurozone is steadily disintegrating before our very eyes our great leaders from the FA marched on FIFA HQ in Geneva to right a despicable wrong brought upon English football by Jonny Foreigner, the suspension of England's finest footballer, Mr Potato Head himself Wayne Rooney. For those with short memories I'll just remind you of the circumstances of Potato Head's outrageous 3 match suspension. After much grunting, groaning, whinging and whining in the final Euro qualifier Potato Head was tackled once too many times by an unsporting Montenegro player so he decided to do what comes naturally to a spoilt kid with an IQ that matches his shirt number................he lashed out and kicked the devious Montenegran from behind. Now the referee, who was also a foreigner, gave Potato Head a red card claiming he had committed an act of violent conduct! So the FA who clearly are committed to fair play and creating role models for the youngsters of England in effect condoned Rooney's childish act of thuggery and appealed against his suspension! What amazed me was they actually got the ban reduced. I mean in which version of the football rules was his kick not violent conduct? Once again the FA proved they know FA when it comes to ethics and football morals and are only interested in their own self importance.

An early start for the drive down to the Hornets nest in prospect. If our recent away form is anything to go by we should easily harvest another three points to deposit in the promotion vault.............but then again when have Leeds done anything easy? Another cracking performance from the team that glow in the dark and a 2.0 win says the crystal ball. Guess what?
Can't wait.
MOT

Leeds Utd 2:0 Millwall. RIP Gary Speed

2011-12-03T17:25:00.001Z

The chilly Yorkshire weather couldn't dampen the spirits of the Leeds fans heading to the Theatre of Hope for this emotional clash with Millwall. Selby station had more than it's usual number of Leeds fans as the Happy Chocker, the Quiet One and yours truly boarded the Leeds bound train. Could Leeds ride the wave of emotional outpourings in support of Gary Speed and claim a 2nd victory in a traumatic week not just for Leeds fans but the wider football family? HC expressed his worries over our recent home form but surely with an expected crowd of over 27,000 behind them Leeds wouldn't freeze would they? Well as HC eloquently put it "it wouldn't be the first time if they did"

The mood outside Elland Road was filled with raw emotion. Hundreds gathered round the impromtu shrine at Billy's statue. Grown men had tears in their eyes as they paid tribute to one of Leeds' favourite sons at the feet of Billy's famous celebratory stance. The Forest game was filled with passion and sorrow for such a tragic loss but this was clearly going to be a much larger and more poignant show of love and respect for the former Leeds number eleven. As planned the remaining three of the Awesome Foursome, Batty, McAllister and Strachan laid wreaths and joined the players in the centre circle in the minutes applause as the Kop sang Speedo's name. I looked around me and tears were flowing from the chiselled faces of hardened fans who had witnessed Speed in his pomp. The montage of clips played on the big screen of Speed added to the saddness at the loss of such a talent at such a young age. If Tuesday was the funeral today was the Memorial service as the Leeds family along with the few Millwall fans who had endured the outrageous restrictions on them attending the game paid their respects to a Leeds Utd legend. Sometimes football can cut through even the most fiercest of rivalries. Gary's widow and sons were in the stand to witness thousands of people they don't know paying homage to their Father and husband. Hopefully that gave them some strength to cope with their unimaginable grief.

The game kicked off in bright, showery weather. Lord Larry had stuck with same team and formation that had triumphed at the City ground. O'Dea and Ross Mac were missing from the bench? A tribute banner started it's journey round the stadium. Emotion and expectation filled the air. Could Leeds once again "win for Gary"? Leeds were attacking the kop and soon had Millwall on the back foot but it was all a bit too rushed and frantic. Maybe the occasion had pumped too much adrenaline round some Leeds player's veins? Becchio got his head to a corner but couldn't direct it goalwards then Snoddy weaved his way into the box and after having his first cross blocked chipped a ball to the back post only for the goalie and a last ditch Millwall head to scramble it away. 11 minutes showed on the big screen...............Ooooh Gary, Gary......Gary, Gary Gary, Gary, Gary Speed rung round the famous stadium just as it had on Tuesday and continued for another 11 minutes accompanied by many twirling scarves supporting the #scarvesforspeed tribute. Very moving!

On the pitch the game was becoming disjointed. Millwall were looking to stop Leeds playing and quieten the crowd whereas Leeds' passing just didn't quite have the slickness of Tuesday night. McCarthy in the Leeds goal showed just why he's been such a hit in his short stay at the Theatre of Hope with a superb save from a Millwall header to keep the score goalless. At the other end Howson chased a lost cause and clattered into a Millwall defender which left him in agony on the floor. "This looks serious" I muttered. The stretcher was called for but thankfully Capt Fantastic was able to hobble from the field. Lloyd Sam replaced him as Snoddy dropped into the central attacking role Howson had just vacated. Snoddy was again having a good game but he didn't have much time to adjust to his new midfield role as Michael Brown was the next to hobble off. Brown has played well this week but an ankle injury signalled the end to his game. Keogh replaced him and the formation changed to 4.4.2 with Pugh taking over in centre midfield, White dropping back to full back and Snoddy returning to the wing. Still with me? Clearly all the changes disrupted Leeds' rhythm and the first half closed with the game classified as "scrappy to average"

The half time gents debate with the urinal philosophers wasn't that positive. "Their goalie's not had a save to make" one slightly disillusioned fan wrongly grumbled. "Same old, same old were not quite good enough" another moaned. Mmmm things weren't exactly going to plan.

The 2nd half started and soon we appeared to have yet another injury crisis as Lees fell awkwardly after heading a ball clear. Thankfully he battled on but Leeds were struggling to make their possession hurt the South Londoners. McCarthy again came to Leeds rescue as he made a solid save from a vicious free kick. On the positive side Pugh's presence in the centre of midfield was beginning to settle Leeds and allow Clayton time to play and with Snoddy picking out Sam time and again on the wing Leeds started to threaten Kenny Jacket's men. Andy Keogh's silky skills on the ball were complementing Becchio's more robust approach perfectly up front.

Just after the hour Leeds ruthlessly killed off any hope the Lions had of getting a result. First Clayton burst through from midfield only for Robinson to bring him crashing down 25 yards out. Step up Snoddy to hit a Speed like free kick into the top corner of the net. 1.0 Leeds. Within two minutes Snoddy did it again as he met a superb cross from Sam with his head. 2.0 Leeds and game over. Confidence now oozed through Leeds' play. Keogh tried an outrageous volleyed lob from 40 yards that so nearly caught the Millwall goalie napping. Other chances fell to Becchio (how did he miss it?) and then Sam who tested the goalie to his left but for the second game running Leeds closed the game out without any drama. How unusual is that? 2.0 for Gary Speed belted out from the kop as the referee blew his whistle to bring to an end an emotionally charged victory for the mighty whites.

The sharp shower that soaked me as I left the ground also produced the perfect rainbow to wrap round Elland Road. Was that God paying his own tribute to Mr Speed or was it an indication of the pot of gold available if Leeds keep their promotion push on target? You decide.

Keogh was terrific when he came on and Pugh strolled around the centre mid field as if he owned it whilst Lloyd Sam showed just why some people think he's a star and some get frustrated when he gives the ball away. The thing is the injuries that forced the changes to the personnel and the formation probably helped Leeds to win this one because once they had settled Leeds looked a lot more potent in the 2nd half than they did in the first. A week's a long time in football and certainly after last Saturday's abaration against Barnsley I don't think anyone would have predicted that we would score six goals without reply in the next two games but we did. The win leaves us nicely placed in 5th spot as we head for Xmas. I'm sure if Gary Speed was looking down from above he will have been touched by all the tributes today. He's such a sad loss.

Next week we have a trip to Watford to look forward to and with our current away form expectations of another three points will be high. The emotional rollercoaster that is Leeds United is in good health and looking to test their long suffering fans well into the new year and hopefully until spring. With that in mind I've only one thing to say!
Can't wait.

MOT

The Awesome Foursome remembered.

2011-12-02T19:40:00.001Z

Speed, Strachan, Batty, McAllister, aka The Awesome Foursome, was a midfield that had Leeds fans purring with pleasure when they were in their pomp. They will be reunited at the Theatre of Hope, albeit one tragically in spirit, before the kick off of our latest Championship tussle with Millwall. Even though it's 20 years since they were strutting their impressive stuff on the way to pipping the Salford Yanks to the title in 91/92 they are still remembered with misty eyes by the Leeds fans who witnessed that inspiring season. Young Speedo and Batts gorged themselves on the experience and leadership they received from the two wily Scots as they willingly filled the roles of midfield apprentices learning their craft from Masters Strachan and McAllister and at the same time forming the ideal mixture of youth, craft, skills and guile that bonded the mighty whites into a Championship winning team. With the exception of the fabulous array of midfield talent that adorned the Elland Road pitch during the halcyon Revie era the Awesome Foursome were the most talented collective of midfielders ever to pull on the famous white shirt.

The pre match tribute will be an emotional prelude to what is an important game for Leeds. Millwall will provide a stiff test for Leeds as they look to build on their impressive away form and break a run of disappointing performances at LS11. South Bermondsey's finest have had the distinct edge in matches between the two rivals in recent years despite last year's fine 3.1 home win for Leeds so I suspect Lord Larry's will be approaching the game with extreme caution. The 4.5.1 formation that morphs into 4.2.3.1 when we attack served us so well at the City ground and will almost certainly be used to pick off the Lions. Howson was back to his best at Forest capping a fine performance with a stunning volleyed goal. Shorn of the shackles of playing a deep midfield role his natural attacking tendencies shone through as he proudly led his home town team to a famous victory. The change of formation also seemed to suit the flying flankers, Snoddy and White, and Mr Becchio leading the line with renewed vim and vigour as he relished the physical battle with Wes Morgan. Even Michael Brown looked like an accomplished midfielder as he perfectly fulfilled the role of holding midfield man and ball winner.............even though his turning circle still seems to be only just smaller than that of HMS Ark Royal!

So the extended family of Leeds United will gather for the 2nd time in a week to pay tribute to one of their favourite sons, Gary Speed. The emotion and sheer passion of the 4,000 fans at the City ground transferred seamlessly to the team on the pitch and inspired one of the best Leeds performances for a long time on Tuesday. With a crowd of approaching 30,000 expected for the lunchtime showdown with Millwall it would be nice to see a similar affect lift Leeds to another stellar show. With only 200 Lions fans travelling North it is an ideal chance for the Leeds faithful to raise the decibel levels to an intimidating high and make this a game to remember..................not just a fitting farewell to Gary Speed but also a tribute to the time when the Awesome Foursome ruled the roost in the top tier of English Football as Leeds United were crowned Champions of England. Magic! Predictably.................. guess what?
Can't wait!
MOT

Leeds Speed to emotional win!

2011-11-29T23:44:00.001Z

Nothing was going to stop me getting to this game. Just two short days since the tragic news of Gary Speed's untimely death Leeds were playing Forest at the City ground in what was sure to be an emotionally charged evening. Despite finishing work early the M60, M62 and the horrendous congestion in Nottingham all conspired to stop me getting to the game on time. Parking the car just as the game kicked off I hurried to the ground. I was going to miss the kick off but there was no way I was going to miss the 11th minute tribute. The clock was ticking past 7.53pm as I finally took up my position gasping for breath. Lord Larry had plugged the paper thin mid field with Michael Brown in the centre of a five man midfield. Becchio was the lone man up front with Pugh at full back and White on the wing. Leeds were looking for their 5th win in their last 6 trips away from the Theatre of Hope.

4,000 Leeds fans had made the trip to Nottingham intent on giving Gary Speed a fitting send off. The atmosphere was a mixture of sadness, poignancy and celebration as the Leeds United family gathered for a Football funeral for a favourite son. On the field Leeds started brightly against a stuttering Forest outfit. The 4.5.1 formation helped gain an early stranglehold on the game. As the game clock passed 11 minutes the Leeds fans sang the first extended Hymn............Oooooh Gary, Gary....Gary, Gary, Gary Gary Speed...(repeat 150 times) Leeds seemed inspired by the tribute and pressurised a lumbering home defence. Howson, revelling in his attacking role, broke free of the defence and struck a firm shot at Camp in the Forest goal.

Then something amazing happened. Just as the fantastic, emotional 11 minute tribute came to end the spirit of Gary Speed slipped into Snoddy's body......jinked passed a Forest defender and rifled an unstoppable left foot drive past the hapless Camp. 1.0 Leeds. You couldn't have scripted it! The fans at the funeral were now dancing with delight and disbelief. Leeds had scored at the very second the fans tribute finished. Unbelievable Jeff! Leeds took inspiration from the poignant goal and started to run Forest ragged. Becchio was like a man possessed up front and twice went near before Snoddy was presented with the ball by the unfortunate Camp 35 yards out with just Wes Morgan between him and the goal. The rather large black leg of Mr Morgan prevented a 2nd goal for Leeds but that just delayed the inevitable as Leeds sort to bounce back from Saturday's feeble showing. Just on half time Snoddy played a lovely ball into the path of Howson who volleyed the ball gleefully into the Forest net. 2.0 Leeds HT. Oooooh Gary, Gary....Gary, Gary, Gary Gary Speed.

The funeral party were now in excellent spirits. Even the sparse refreshments on sale in the ground couldn't dampen our spirits. The place was buzzing with expectation. Leeds had killed the game in the first half. Could they go on and now keep a clean sheet?

Leeds were now playing towards the vociferous funeral party and ripped into the home team from the kick off. Oooooh Gary, Gary....Gary, Gary, Gary Gary Speed. White was causing havoc down the left wing with the solid Pugh prompting him from full back and it was this combination who set up the perfect cross for who else but the rejuvenated Luciano to rise majestically and flick the ball into the net. 3.0 Leeds. Get in you beauty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3.0 for Gary Speed, 3.0 for Gary Speed boomed out across the Trent as the first of the disgruntled Forest fans headed for the exit. This was fast becoming a very special night. The Leeds United hymn book was now given a full airing as the fans celebrated a rare thing. A stress free game with no unexpected drama! Leeds were now in cruise control as a poor Forest side capitulated. The only question was why can't we play like this at the Theatre of Hope?

On 70 minutes Clayton got the 4th after some desperate home defending had denied what seemed like 3 goal bound shots. 4.0 for Gary Speed, 4.0 for Gary Speed now boomed out across the Trent as thousands more home fans headed for the exits. Leeds closed the game out with aplomb and could have scored at least another two but for poor finishing from subs Keogh, Ross Mac and Nunez. The rather plump Andy Reid got a 2nd yellow for a scything lunge on Aidey White and left the field to "He eats what he wants, He eats what he wants, he's Andy Reid he eats what he wants" Not surprisingly he sprinted off the pitch and down the tunnel to the sanctuary of the dressing room.

The ref's whistle signalled an emotional end to the game as the Leeds congregation belted out 4.0 for Gary Speed, 4.0 for Gary Speed once more as the players showed their gratitude for the fantastic support. Lord Larry thanked the fans for a special tribute to a special friend. When Leeds United do funerals they do it in style! This was one of those "I was there" games that will live long in the memory. This is why I and thousands of other people follow the mighty whites. On a night like this, to paraphrase Nottingham's favourite son Mr Clough, "you can take all your Salford Yanks, your Liverpool's and your Chelsea's and throw them in the bin because they mean nothing........not in comparison to being part of the passionate Leeds United family"

Can we carry on where we left off against South Bermondsey's finest on Saturday? There's only one response to that!
Can't wait!
MOT
God Bless Gary Speed.

Gary Speed: One of Football's good guys.

2011-11-27T20:17:00.001Z

News of Gary Speed's tragic and untimely death has shocked the football world. I along with thousands of other football fans couldn't believe what I was reading when the news broke early this morning. Whatever dark place triggered such drastic action the sheer volume and sincerity of the tributes pouring in for the young Welshman is testament to the love and respect he held in the game. His grieving family and close friends will be absolutely devastated by the tragedy and my sincere condolences are with them tonight.

Speed started his career with Leeds United as a trainee and went onto make 312 appearances for the mighty whites between 1988 and 1996 as they emerged from the old 2nd division to win the Division 1 title in 1992. He will forever be remembered as part of the awesome four man midfield of Strachan, Batty, McAllister and Speed who carved their names with pride into the history of Leeds United. Even though he left Leeds for Everton after the fateful League Cup Final defeat of '96 he was still held in high esteem by the Leeds faithful. So much so that when he was spotted in the exec boxes at the Keepmoat last year when Leeds played Donny he got a fantastic reception " He's Leeds and he know's he is" rang round Donny's B&Q stadium.

Yes Gary Speed was a Leeds hero. Why he has been taken from us so early remains a mystery but I suspect The Don will already have his arm round his shoulder giving him some comforting words. RIP Gary Speed, one of Football's good guys gone but not forgotten.

Leeds Utd v Barnsley 26th Nov 2011

2011-11-26T18:51:00.001Z

Selby station was buzzing with excitement as the Happy Chocker, Quiet One and yours truly gathered for the short trip into Leeds. As ever the wasps nest in the footbridge was still defying winter's chilly blast and the sign on platform two was squeaking reassuringly as the wind whistled through the eclectic mix of footy fans, the inevitable hen party and Xmas shoppers. HC was nervous as our recent record against the South Yorkshire Whippet lovers is not good as plenty of his work colleagues had reminded him during the build up to this game. Surely today was the day to bury that particular jinx just as we have beaten the Tuesday night jinx this term by beating the likes of Bradford, Hull and Donny on that fateful day? The howling wind and persistent rain set against a slate grey sky somehow seemed appropriate for this Yorkshire derby. Leeds v Barnsley is not and has never been an El Classico derby. If ever there was a derby that was hewn out of Yorkshire millstone grit and coal this is it.

The team news was a surprise to me as Becchio and Sam were in the starting XI with Keogh, Pugh and Maik Taylor warming the bench. Much as I love Becchio on present form Keogh is the better all round performer for me. Sorry Seona! Sam's encouraging show at Burnley had clearly been enough to earn him a start. Buoyed by some of the amber nectar our optimistic group were all predicting a 3.1 win for the mighty whites. Then the game kicked off.

Leeds had the better of the opening 15 minutes without really testing the Barnsley keeper. Snoddy cut inside but shot high wide and handsome. White scuttled down the left flank and exchanged passes on the edge of the box but before he could shoot he went sprawling to the ground. PENALTY! roared the Leeds fans but the ref, Mr Salisbury, reached for his pocket and produced a yellow for White presumably for diving. "I'd love to see that again" I complained to HC. When Barnsley had the ball the young Butterfield was exhibiting all the class that has attracted attention from numerous Premier League outfits as he danced his way past desperate Leeds tackles with assured calm. Messr's Clayton and Howson didn't compare well to this midfield maestro. Good job the rest of the Barsnley team weren't that good I pondered. The conditions weren't exactly helping the quality of the Yorkshire millstone grit derby as the rain and wind continued to swirl around the famous old stadium.

The first goal came out of the blue as Barnsley took a quick throw in on the right that released Jim O'Brien, aided by his marker slipping on the wet turf, he took the ball into the box and squared it back for Vaz Te who made a complete hash of the shot only for his "shinned" shot to bounce into the turf and loop over McCarthy and into the net. Bolllox! HC's face turned as white as driven snow as the first of numerous texts arrived from his gloating work colleagues. Vaz Te celebrated the goal in front of the kop as if he'd just hit a 30 yard screamer when he should have been walking away embarrassed and blushing for claiming a goal with such a poor shot. The goal knocked the stuffing out of a mis-firing Leeds team and Barnsley started to take charge of what was a very scrappy game. The away fans were loving it though despite the efforts of the "standing up" gestapo to keep them all sat down in the West stand.

Leeds needed to get back in the game quickly and nearly did as both Kissy and Tom Lees had shots blocked after a dangerous corner. But Leeds were not giving any inspiration to the home fans and the spectre of another Yorkshire derby disappointment was looming large. On 41 minutes it became a step nearer. Jacob Butterfield has earned a glowing reputation as possessing one of the best long range shots in the division so when he picked the ball up some 35 yards out and straightened up to home in on goal I was screaming "close the bastard down" but my prophetic shouts fell on deaf ears as he hit an exocet style shot that moved viciously in the air. McCarthy got to the ball but could only parry the ball, Rachubka like, to Davies who tapped the ball home to give Barnsley a 2 goal lead. HC was immediately on the phone to his boss pleading for a week's emergency holiday as yet more gloating texts appeared from his Barnsley supporting work mates. Leeds hadn't played well but didn't really deserve to be 2 goals down. The danger now was it could turn into another "Blackpool"? Snoddy nearly got one back as he screwed a shot just over but the half time whistle went to bring a calamitous 45 minutes to an end for Leeds.

The Gents debate with the urinal philosophers was laced with frustration and anger. "Two nil to the f****** referee" one slightly biased fan commented whilst another somehow thought Snoddy was to blame for the ineptitude of the first half? "Grayson hasn't a f****** clue" and the inevitable "we were shite" were other contributions to a lively debate as the boil of another poor first half performance was lanced by some of Leeds' harshest critics............their own fans!

Leeds definitely needed to score the next goal if they were to have any chance of rescuing anything from the game and the much maligned Snoddy so nearly brought the house down with a curling shot that beat the goalie but rebounded agonisingly off the wrong side of the post. This lifted the crowd and Leeds pressed Barnsley much better than they did in the opening 45 minutes as the tempo of the game went up a notch. Too many times though Leeds were happy to use the long ball to the forwards where more often than not play broke down. Becchio had been largely anonymous all game but on 54 minutes he was instrumental in engineering a free kick for Leeds as he was bundled off the ball 25 yards out. The free kick was the perfect distance for Ross Mac and he didn't disappoint as struck a sweet shot past the despairing Steele in front of the kop. 1.2 to Barnsley and hope for Leeds and HC's sanity at work this next week?

Barnsley manned the ramparts ready for a Leeds assault in search of an equaliser. Nunez replaced Sam just after the goal to give Leeds more impetus but Lord Larry's weapon of choice still appeared to be the long hopeful ball which had all the effect of a Pea shooter on the tank like defence of Barnsley. Keogh replaced Becchio with 15 minutes to go and then bizarrely Pugh swapped with Ross Mac? Why take a goal scorer off when we still needed a goal? Leeds huffed and puffed but struggled to make any impact as Barnsley continued to look dangerous on the break as time and again they broke straight through the middle of our paper thin centre midfield. McCarthy made two or three vital saves to keep Leeds in with a chance but as the game entered the final 10 minutes I was fearing the worst rather than expecting an equaliser. Keogh turned Perkins and headed for goal before the Barnsley man cynically brought him down earning Perkins his 2nd yellow and an early bath. So Leeds had a free kick on the edge of the box with barely 3 minutes to go. So where was our free kick expert Ross Mac? Oh that's right he was getting an early bath after being subbed. So it was left to Snoddy to try his luck but his speculative shot cannoned off the wall for a corner. Leeds didn't stop fighting and Nunez should have equalised deep into added time it was too little too late as the whistle blew to signal a Barnsley win and a nightmare week for HC at work.

The mood of the Leeds fans as they streamed away into the West Yorkshire night was one of disgruntled deja vu. Once again our inconsistency had let us down. Remarkably we are still 5th in the table after results went our way elsewhere but that is little comfort when the weaknesses and flaws in Lord Larry's squad have just been once again alarmingly exposed. The midfield pairing of Clayton and Howson were overshadowed by Butterfield the entire game. Becchio looked completely off the pace and sometimes even disinterested but most of all the team's tendency to revert to the hopeful long ball punt is the most worrying aspect of this defeat. Not a good day at the office for the mighty whites.

Tuesday brings the visit to Notts Forest and Saturday the visit of our friends from South Bermondsey to the Theatre of Hope. By the sound of the drama queens and doomsday fans on the phone ins and in cyber space after the match you would think we'd just been relegated not still in the play off spots. Strengthening of the squad in January is a must if we are to challenge for promotion. The next two months will be testing times for Lord Larry. If he gets his recruitment right we should have enough fire power to challenge for promotion. If not the drama queens will get their wish and we could be looking for another leader in the new year. Life's never boring following Leeds is it? Roll on Tuesday and another rollercoaster game.
Can't wait.
MOT

Loans, stand up and sing for Leeds and MOT's!

2011-11-24T20:19:00.001Z

The latest loan window snapped shut today but not before Alex Bruce headed out to the Galpharm to join the Tesco Bags and Paul Rachubka skulked away to Prenton Park and the pretend scousers of Tranmere Rovers. Coming into Elland Road is Maik Taylor who will provide goal keeper cover in case Lonnergan's finger is not fully recovered before the impressive McCarthy returns to Reading on Dec 10th. Ex Birmingham keeper Taylor is a Northern Ireland international with 88 caps to his name so I was surprised to find out that he is actually German born in Hildesheim. He has a German mother and an English Father but qualifies for Nord Ireland by virtue of the fact that he is a British passport holder who was born abroad and as such is entitled to choose which of the home nations he can pin his allegiances to. It's all a bit baffling to me. Why the rules of qualification to play for international football teams are so diverse is a mystery. Surely if you are born in Germany you are a German and therefore qualify to play for Germany not Northern Ireland? Anyway 40 year old Herr Taylor has impressed Lord Larry enough during his two weeks training at Thorp Arch to land a spot in the Leeds squad after struggling to find a club since leaving Birmingham in the Summer. Either that or we were just so desperate to sign any goalie he was in the right place at the right time! At least Ethel the Tea lady won't be needed now!

Alex Bruce's departure means we've now shed two centre halves in a week after Mr O'Brien's tantrums before the Burnley match. I can't say we'll miss either of them as we have a decent amount of cover in that so sensitive of positions and it should free up some of the wage budget for the crucial January transfer window. You never know we might even get a pleasant surprise in the new year? *Pig flies by and winks ironically*

Capt Birdseye's favourite Radio station, Radio Leeds, ran a piece on Wednesday investigating the clamour for standing to return to English football grounds. The catalyst for this was the furore created by our lamb loving Cardiff friends after twenty of them walked out in protest at the outrageous way they were treated on their recent visit to the Theatre of Hope. They had quite rightly objected to the heavy handed way the Leeds stewards had dealt with the "non offence" of persistent standing during the match. In the studio Gareth Jones had two guests, one from the Football supporters association and one a pure "jobsworth" from the wonderfully titled Football Safety Officers Association http://fsoa.org.uk/ Mr Jobsworth assured the listeners that he fully understood the needs of the average football fan but rules were rules and it is essential that nobody stands during a game as this compromises not only the safety of the fan who is standing but those fans around him as well? Mmmm........he then went onto to praise clubs who have got the balance between the quantity of stewards needed to "control" a crowd during a game and the need to keep everyone seated at all times. First one up Donny Rovers. " They have an excellent reputation within the FSOA of how to operate with minimum stewards and achieve compliance with current legislation regarding persistent standing" Mr Jobsworth proudly spouted his propaganda. By now I was shouting at the radio...........this is the same Donny Rovers that we have visited twice this season with a total of over 6,000 fans and not one of them sat down during the games other than at half time. And guess what.................unless I'm not mistaken there were absolutely no safety issues whatsoever. But then again there wouldn't be because the myth that persistent standing is a safety issue is one life's greatest untruths. I rang Radio Leeds to try and tackle Mr Jobsworth and get him to answer this question. Which of the following situations at our most recent away game was the most dangerous:

1. 4000 fans in the away end standing up during the game and watching the match?
2. 13,000 home fans jumping out of their seats and dancing about when Rodriguez scored the opener?
3. 4000 away fans file out through narrow aisles and gangways at the end of the match (stood up)?

Of course Mr Jobsworth would have said the first one if I'd actually got through but that would have just shown what a knobhead he is but it does emphasise how stupid the "persistent standing rule" is. I mean if it's dangerous to stand at a football match how can you safely enter and leave the stadium? I've never seen a steward eject a fan for standing up and walking out at the end of the game?

Enough ranting what about Saturday and the visit of our South Yorkshire Whippets from Barnsley. Our recent record against them is not good with the X rated showing at Oakwell last year one the all time horror shows from the mighty whites. Their away record this time out suggests they will be happy with a point come 5pm Saturday as they have had only one away win but four draws in their eight trips on the road. Hopefully Leeds can build on their back to back victories away from ER with a good stuffing of Barnsley at the Theatre of Hope. That would set us up nicely for the run up to the Xmas festivities firmly in the play off spots. Once again I think seat belts will be needed for this one. A white hot Yorkshire derby to warm the cockles of your heart on a cold Saturday afternoon is in prospect, bring it on! Guess what?
Can't wait.
MOT

PS
An enterprising Leeds fan and blog reader, Scott Kirby, is offering a special 15% discount on MOT's at his garage every time LUFC No 15, Adam Clayton, scores a goal. find out more at http://www.claytonsmot.co.uk/cms.php?op=index&content_type=1#33

Burnley v Leeds United Nov 19th 2011

2011-11-19T18:00:00.001Z

The sun was shining brightly as we passed the now not so dark satanic mills of Halifax and scaled the Wuthering Heights of Bronte country on our way to Burnley for our lunchtime clash with the Clarets. The Happy Chocker and the Quiet One were as ever anticipating another unpredictable Leeds performance but had still plumped for a 2.1 victory for the Mighty Whites. We found refuge in the welcoming pavilion of Burnley Cricket Club for our pre match refreshments. The Quiet One demolished an enormous helping of Yorkshire Pudding, sausage and beans with pictures of Burnley's favourite cricketing son, Jimmy Anderson, festooned on the walls of this very traditional cricket club adjacent to Turf Moor. The news that O'Dea had replaced O'Brien in the team wasn't a surprise but Sam replacing Pugh was. "Stoke have recalled him" an apparently informed Leeds fan revealed. "If that's true it's not a good start to the day" I grumbled.

Once installed in our rickety wooden seats along with 4,000 other Leeds fanatics we observed the one minutes applause in remembrance of Jimmy Adamson, Burnley hero and one time not so successful Leeds manager. Memories of Leeds' dramatic comeback in the corresponding fixture last year were fresh in the minds of the Leeds fans as the game got under way. Burnley opened brightly with Rodriguez, Austin and Treacy all looking dangerous in the first ten minutes. Despite the early start the Leeds fans were in good voice but were about to get a shock to the system. Leeds lost the ball in midfield and with Lloyd Sam out of position on the left Burnley moved the ball swiftly to that flank where Trippier swung over a pin point cross for Rodriguez to bury into the net at the far post. 1.0 to the Clarets and Leeds were rocking.

Buoyed by their early success Burnley pushed forward to hammer home their advantage. Thankfully McCarthy in the Leeds goal was in fine form as he expertly dealt with a dangerous one on one. At the other end Clayton knocked two half chances over the bar but it was the Burnley midfield who were winning most of the ball and threatening the Leeds back four. On the half hour Austin fell awkwardly as Kissy challenged him and left the field on a stretcher to be replaced by ex Leeds loanee Sam Vokes. "Well if he plays like he did when he was at Leeds he won't be any trouble" I mused.

Leeds best chance of the half came when McCormack latched onto a through ball only to be denied by a stray goalie's hand outside the box but the hurried clearance went straight to Keogh who for the 2nd game running failed to return the ball into an empty net from 40 yards. Leeds were still living dangerously though and once again McCarthy came to the rescue as he smothered a Rodriguez attempt and two long range shots. I shuddered as I thought what would have happened if Rachubka was still between the sticks. McCormack had the chance to bring the scores level just before half time as his free kick stung the home goalie's hands. Leeds trouped off at half time to the frustrated applause of the Leeds fans. Too few 50/50 balls won in midfield and too much slack marking in the defence for my liking. Very much like last year I thought. Wonder if they can turn it round in the 2nd half? Clayton and Howson were being over run by the Clarets midfield. Things did not look good.

The much needed lift in tempo by Leeds didn't happen as Burnley continued to have the better of the game. Sam was causing some concern down the Burnley right flank but Snoddy was struggling to make an impact on the other flank as he was smothered by the close attention of the home defenders. Leeds needed a change and a goal to get back in the game and they needed it quick as Burnley looked the most likely to get the all important next goal. On 60 minutes Nunez and Becchio replaced Keogh and McCormack. Before either of them adjusted to the pace Burnley could have had a penalty as the rather poor ref missed what seemed a good shout as White bundled over Bartley. Burnley would live to regret that as Leeds seemed inspired by Becchio and Nunez's appearance and their "never say die" spirit started to shine through. Leeds weren't playing particularly well but Burnley started to creak under the pressure. Sam jinked through and shot on goal. The increasing pressure saw the ball reach Sam out wide on the left................he looked up and pinged a lovely ball to the back post where Snoddy slid in to equalise for Leeds. Get innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! The away end erupted in delight as the Leeds hordes celebrated another late goal. "We've still got time to get the winner" I optimistically suggested to the guy next to me. "Fuck that I'll settle for a point now" he snapped back.............but Mr Uber-optimist had smelt blood and even though we hadn't played well I felt we could just sneak it?

13 tense minutes remained. Burnley's fragile confidence had taken a fatal blow with Snoddy's goal and there was just time to steal a winner. Nunez was to the fore as his free kick rebounded of the wall for a corner. The Leeds crowd were now trying to suck the ball into the goal. The corner came across and went beyond the majority of players but Nunez recovered the ball wide..............he beat his man and then picked out Snoddy lurking with intent and unmarked at the back post.............the Scot controlled the ball and then struck the ball beyond the Burnley goalie into the net. 2.1 Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeds and this time the roof came off the David Fishwick's stand that housed the wild celebrations of the Leeds fans. "You should have gone Xmas shopping" boomed out from the away end in reference to last year's taunting song when we came back from 2 goals down to win. Leeds survived the 3 minutes of added time for a famous victory. Snoddy picked up his TV MOM award in front of the delighted Leeds fans most of whom had nominated the impressive McCarthy in the Leeds goal for the award. He made half a dozen superb saves today to confirm the class keeper he is.

The smiles on the faces of the Leeds fans streaming away from Turf Moor said it all. No we hadn't played that well but we had kept going right to the end and not for the first time this season we were rewarded for that persistence by late goals and 3 precious points. Up to 5th in the table now! Wahaaaaay.

Even the slow traffic on our crawl home from Burnley didn't dampen our spirits. News filtering through that Andy O'Brien has played his last game for Leeds after refusing to play didn't exactly spoil the mood. After all he's 4th choice centre back for me so if he wants to take his bat home I doubt there will be any tears shed by any Leeds' fans. In fact there will be plenty who wish he'd done it in the summer!

The final laugh of the day was as we passed through Todmorden and the Quiet One spotted the weirdest named restaurant/pub I've ever seen, "The Polished Knob". "There's only one dish you can order there then.............Meat balls" I suggested. The Quiet One was still chuckling as we passed the team bus on the outskirts of Leeds. Another good away day and another 3 points for Leeds. The Happy Chocker was nervous though. Next up are Barnsley at the Theatre of Hope and as HC works with numerous "Barn acres" fans this is one we can not afford to lose. So it looks like a week of Pre Match Tension for HC but for me I've only one thing to say.................
Can't wait!
MOT

Burnley, Blatter & New Year dreams!

2011-11-17T20:20:00.001Z

Leeds return to action after the international break with a trip to Burnley for a Saturday lunchtime battle of the Roses at the wonderfully traditional football ground Turf Moor. On our last visit we witnessed one of the games of last season as over 4,000 mighty white's fanatics roared their team back from the dead to win 3.2 with a famous Jonny Howson winner 5 minutes from time sending the Leeds faithful into ecstasy. Even writing about it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was one of those games that was an absolute pleasure to be there. Victory that day pushed Leeds to the dizzy heights of 4th in the table and when we beat high flying QPR the following week we were in 2nd and a precious automatic promotion spot. This season we find ourselves in a similar position placed 7th but just 6 points off 2nd spot as a whole bevy of clubs jostle for a play off position to take into the new year.

So have Leeds got what it takes to mount a promotion challenge in the new year? Certainly on the evidence of the Rachubka inspired five goal embarrassment against Blackpool the answer is a resounding no but with the hastily recruited McCarthy between the sticks against Leicester suddenly we looked contenders again. Admittedly the shot shy Foxes didn't exactly pepper him with shots but what he had to deal with he did competently and instilled some much needed confidence into the back four and their long suffering fans. With Lonergan apparently sidelined until at least Xmas I will be hoping the Reading back up goalie has an enjoyable and fruitful stay with the mighty whites.................Just hope Mr Federici doesn't get injured and our potential saviour has to fly back down the M1 to rescue Reading. If we can get through the Lonerganless games without too much collateral damage we should be reasonably placed come the new year for another shot at aiming for that tantalising dream of challenging for promotion..................but then again there's another 12 clubs who have currently got the same dream...............should make for another "interesting" end to the season?

So in a strange week when Sepp Blatter once again showed his unique lack of understanding of Football in the 21st century, England somehow beat the reigning World Champions, Spain, and Carlos Tevez pissed off the ever forgiving chief of the PFA, Gordon Taylor, it's good to know that on Saturday there's a good old fashioned proper game between two teams who have a rich seam of unpredictability running right through the middle of them. Should make for a cracking atmosphere and a cracking game.......and guess what?
Can't wait!
MOT

Leicester City v Leeds Utd 6th Nov 2011

2011-11-06T23:45:00.000Z

The clear blue sky put a spring in my step as I made my way to York station for the trip to the newly named King Power Stadium, home of Leicester City. As usual the Happy Chocker and the Quiet One were accompanying me as we threaded our way through the cross country rail network towards Leicester. To say we were all a bit apprehensive is an understatement after all memories of the midweek humiliation at the hands of the Tangerines was still far too fresh in our minds. Alex McCarthy had arrived from Reading to shore up the goalkeeping slot but has he got enough experience to play at this level we wondered.................and then there was the delicate subject of who was going to step into Tom Lees boots at centre half? O'Brien? Bruce? Bromby? None of them were that much of an inspiring prospect especially if they had to face the pace of a certain Mr Beckford. Despite all of the apparent problems Leeds were burdened with I still hesitantly went for a 2.1 Leeds win along with the Quiet One. HC was not convinced as he hedged his potential disappointment with a bet on a 3.1 win for the Foxes.

At Sheffield two Leicester fans joined the train. For some reason I christened them Pinky and Perky as they chattered away about the prospects for the forthcoming game. "Beckfords shite and you can have him back" young Pinky shouted. "Well he did score 85 goals for Leeds so he must have done something right" I suggested. "No he couldn't hit a barn door from 8 yards and he's lazy" young Pinky confidently stated with the older Perky nodding incessantly in the background. "Well Sven must have thought different or he wouldn't have paid £2.5m for him" I said unsuccessfully trying not to laugh. They then launched into a duet about how crap Sven was as a manager and how they're doing quite nicely without a leader at the helm. Mmmm maybe, maybe not I thought. Thankfully Leicester station came into sight to save us from more of the gospel according to Pinky and Perky.

After pre match refreshments in The Hind public house we joined the stream of fans heading for the ground. 3,300 Leeds fans had made the trip and as ever they were in good voice. Leicester had laid on some impressive Remembrance day tributes starting with a Royal Navy helicoptor delivering the match ball followed by a poignant rendition of the last post before the game got underway. Andy O'Brien started alongside Kissy at the back with the new recruit, Alex McCarthy, between the sticks. One thing struck me straight away and that is Alex is not a small lad. His huge frame filled the goal. Talking of huge frames but this time with a lot more padding on Leicester's drummer boy was once again banging his drum to try and enthuse the home fans. He certainly hadn't lost any weight since we were last here! Jermaine Beckford got a rousing chorus of the song about his goal at the Scum shit hole as he took his seat on the subs bench to which he acknowledged warmly.

Leeds started well with the back four looking rock solid. Maybe the knowledge they had a goalie who could catch a ball and not parry shots to the opposing striker helped? Snoddy tested Kasper Schmeichel early on with a weak shot whilst at the other end the giant McCarthy had to tip a cross cum shot over the bar. It was Leeds who were looking the more dangerous in a very tight opening twenty minutes. Ross Mac was incensed when he appeared to be pulled down in the box as he attempted a header on goal after another Leeds attack. Danny Pugh combined with White to make an opening but his right footed shot just went the wrong side of Schmiechel's post. 30 minutes gone and this already had the look of a very tight game. Leicester had Steve Howard up front and whilst he was constantly making a nuisance of himself Kissy was dealing with his threat effectively. Maybe this wasn't going to be too painful after all?

As the game neared half time the game became more of a stalemate with both teams cancelling each other out. Alex McCarthy must have been slightly frustrated as the only "save" he had to make was the simple tip over the top from the cross cum shot. But he did catch any balls that came his way very well! Leeds had edged the first 45 minutes as they trooped off for their half time oranges. The half time parade of serviceman and veterans was quite moving. The Leeds fans struck up an impomptu chorus of Rule Britannia as the parade passed the away end. An old veteran draped in a Union jack and bedecked with medals stopped and saluted. Classic!

The 2nd half continued as the first half had finished with the game very finely balanced. Leeds did look to have the more potent attack though. Keogh so nearly made Mr Schmiechel pay for an awful clearance that went straight to him but his attempted 40 yard return never threatened the Dane's goal. Snoddy jinked down the right and crossed for Ross Mac who again appeared to be dragged to the ground just as he was about to pull the trigger. The game needed a goal to lift it out of the tense attritional warfare it had drifted into. When it came it was straight out of the top drawer. Adam Clayton latched onto a ball some 25 yards out and arrowed an unstoppable Exocet past Schmiechel right into the top corner of the net. The away end erupted with joy as the Leeds players celebrated a well deserved lead in front of their adoring fans. 1.0 Leeds.

Twenty minutes remained. Plenty of time for nail biting as we swung from going for a 2nd killer goal to defending desperately to protect the precious lead. Becchio replaced Keogh. Leeds had chances to hit Leicester on the break as they pushed on for an equaliser but the 2nd goal didn't materialise. At the other end the introduction of Beckford added some much needed pace to the home attack and he so nearly silenced his East Midlands critics as he cut inside Connolly and beat McCarthy with a shot that Kissy hoofed off the line magnificently. The ref blew his whistle to signal another Leeds away win. "1.0 and we've spent fuck all" the Leeds fans taunted the disappearing home fans who might now be thinking they do need a manager. Leeds deserved to win if only because they offered more threat going forward and the quality of Clayton's sublime winning strike. Man of the Match was a toss up between Kissy and Clayton. Kissy won anything that went near him in the air and even though the Leeds defence retreated far too deep in the last ten minutes the clean sheet was very, very welcome.

The journey home was a good one safe in the knowledge that we had bounced back from that Blackpool game in some style. AOB had a good game which surprised a lot of people not least me. I don't know why we were so apprehensive! Another international break next weekend so it's Burnley away a week on Saturday and already looking forward to sampling the delights of Burnley Cricket club's pre match fare before seeing another Johnny Howson show? I do hope so. Hope springs eternal on Planet Leeds once again and we will travel to the home of Alistair Campbell's favourites in good heart. Suddenly all's well with the world again.
Can't wait!
MOT

Goalies, Foxes & former heroes!

2011-11-04T19:55:00.000Z

Let's face it Wednesday night was not a good night for Leeds United Football club. To lose at home is bad enough but to ship 5 goals without reply is embarrassing with a capital E. The defeat finished off an 8 day period in which we had gained a single miserly point from a possible nine available. Compare that to the previous unbeaten run of seven games where we gratefully amassed seventeen points from the twenty one available. So is this a blip or the start of a downward spiral back to the scary end of the table? To read the various message boards and listen to the radio phone ins the downward spiral theory is the favoured conclusion. So are the all the doom and gloomers correct?

Paul Rachubka has certainly had a major impact for all the wrong reasons on the team since his forced introduction at Doncaster after Lonners departed with a sore finger. I still can't get over his performance in the first half against Blackpool. Never has one person caused so much damage to his team in 30 minutes as Mr Rachubka did on Wednesday. And I'm not just talking professional football. If he was playing for The Dog & Duck on a Sunday morning and he gave the opposition 3 goals and got his own star defender sent off inside thirty minutes he would have been chased off the pitch by his own players. Either that or somebody would have slotted him! Lord Larry should take the hit for this though. He brought him in from Blackpool because he presumably saw him as better stand in keeper than Shane Higgs? Even before Wednesday he'd given plenty of indications against Coventry, Posh, Brum and to a lesser extent against Cardiff that he was a car crash waiting to happen but did we scour the loan market for a short term replacement? No. Now Lord Larry has had to go cap in hand for an emergency replacement or call up Ethel the Tea Lady to stand in! No Mr Grayson this hasn't been your finest hour in the annals of football management by a long chalk. News that we have now captured Reading's back up goalie, Alex McCarthy, will at least settle a few concerns amongst the battle hardened Leeds fans. He is an England under 21 international so he must be a reasonable shot stopper but his loan career up to press is far from illustrious with spells at Team Bath, Woking, Aldershot, Cambridge United, Yeovil Town and Brentford on his CV! Beggars can't be choosers though.

There was a rich irony in Capt Birdseye's programme notes on Wednesday night as he crowed about the problems Leicester City have had even though they had splashed the cash over the summer in comparison to Leeds' more frugal approach. The point the bearded one was trying to make with his usual literary sledgehammer was "Aren't we clever we don't need to spend silly money bringing good players in. We manage comfortably with shrewd signings that are just as good" Yes.................................. just like Paul Rachubka I presume?

And so to Sunday's match at Leicester City. Murphy's law of Football dictates that Mr Beckford will definitely score and Schmeichel will have his best game yet for the Foxes as they return to play against their former employers. Add to that the possibility of the blues being lifted by the "New Manager" impetus a club naturally gets on the appointment of a new boss and the fact that O'Dea and Lees will both be missing from the Leeds back four things are looking a tad bleak. O'Brien and Bruce up against Beckford..............the very thought of it brings me out in a cold sweat! A point is the best we can hope for with this one it would seem. A backs to the wall performance needed from the mighty whites cheered on by another massive travelling army.

Anything's possible in this league though. Dare we hope for a 3.2 win? Everything crossed and seat belts fastened we're going through some mid season turbulence. Hang on in there because it's not like we've not experienced this before is it? We are Leeds after all.
Can't wait.
MOT