The Scratching Shed

For the second week in a row the league leaders put on a poor show and allowed the chasing pack to close the gap further. Make no mistakes, even with a slight revival and a decent spell of pressure in the second half, this was another dismal display from Leeds.

Although it’d be wrong to start calling this a slump in form, Wycombe and Exeter are teams the title favourites should be destroying. For the team to go to Old Trafford and knock the Premier League Champions out of the FA Cup, then drop five points against lowly Wycombe and Exeter is quite frankly obsurd. It indicates that something’s wrong in the Leeds camp at the minute and given Simon Grayson’s subsequent reaction, he knows it. Whether it’s simply complacency, or an unsettled team struggling to cope with the speculation of Beckford’s departure, it needs to be resolved quickly. Even if that does mean shipping Beckford out now at whatever price we can get.

From what I’ve heard of Simon Grayson’s reaction, he didn’t sound impressed. I believe he said something along the lines of ‘the team were still in the dressing room for the first 15 minutes’ and he isn’t kidding. The team may as well have been in the dressing room for the entire fixture as I honestly believe the U18′s could have given Exeter more of a game.

Exeter came at us from the off and Leeds struggled to get a foothold. It didn’t take long for the pressure to pay off when the Leeds defence went missing and Harley met a cross to fire the home side into the lead. A sleeping defence more or less watched the ball beat Casper Ankergren then looked around for someone to blame.

Nothing improved either. Infact, our best chance of the first half was thanks to Exeter when one of their players made a mistake and had to rush back to clear his own line. Never mind though, Simon Grayson will work his magic at half time and the second half will put things right. Well, so we thought anyway.

Leeds did reappear stronger than in the first and looked to attack, but Exeter wanted it more and kept us at bay. Jermaine Beckford’s mind seemed elsewhere as he missed a series of chances. Some of which were due to good goalkeeping, but on the whole, it was simply poor finishing. It’s too easy to blame the player heading for the door though and it wasn’t just him. The defence was weak, the midfield did little to help them and the chances we did have were squandered. Even Kis had a bad game for the first time since joining Leeds.

Exeter put the final nail in our coffin with just minutes remaining when Harley finished us off with a fine strike from range leaving Casper little chance. Another case of poor defending as no one picked him up and Leeds pretty much invited him to shoot, before looking at each other puzzled as to how he’d managed to put a second by the league leaders.

Make no mistake, Exeter were good but Leeds were shockingly bad. We were out-fought, out-muscled, out-tackled and out-played. The stats show that Exeter had 61% of the possession, which comes as no surprise to me whatsoever. If anything, I’d have expected it to have been higher. Quite simply, they just wanted it more.

This result is what should have happened against Wycombe last week. Last time we lost we bounced back well, but I aren’t so sure we will this time. The players just didn’t seem interested at times. A trip to Old Trafford may well have given them all ideas above there stations and the complacency that it’s been followed by has made the victory there somewhat bittersweet for me. As great as that win was, the most important thing has always been the league and the players need to be reminded of that. Hardly the time for a JPT distraction then!

In a fixture that should have resulted in another three points to the league leaders, Leeds United failed to show the class they did at Old Trafford last Sunday and dropped two points to struggling Wycombe, and in truth, we were lucky to get anything.

Before we delve into what was an extremely poor display from the Whites, the big news of the day was that Jermaine Beckford was named in the starting line-up. Despite an expected move to Newcastle due for completion anytime, Grayson risked unsettling the crowd by naming the wantaway striker alongside Lucciano Becchio. I have to admit, I really wasn’t expecting to see Becks at Elland Road today and this would suggest the move to Newcastle isn’t as far along as was originally believed.

Credit has to be given to both the Leeds United fans and Jermaine Beckford. The Leeds fans responded positively and gave Jermaine their support throughout, with choruses of his name being sang also. Jermaine responded in an appreciative manner by clapping the crowd and worked hard all afternoon. Had the rest of the team played as well as he did, I have no doubts we’d be reflecting on a much better scoreline.

Of course, there was the odd disgruntled fan who was vocally annoyed at Jermaine, but no one can really blame them given the manner in which his transfer wishes have been carried out by both himself and his agent. The majority though realised he was still in a Leeds shirt and while ever that remains the case, they had to give him their support for the benefit of the team as a whole.

As for the game, well, those that did drag themselves through the ice and snow and made the journey to Elland Road probably wished they’d stayed in bed as this was one of the worst performances I’ve seen at home in a long time. How we got anything from this game is anyones guess.

Jonny Howson opened the scoring early on with a shot from range and it looked like it’d be as easy as expected for Leeds United. From there on in though, things just never went to plan. The team didn’t settle, there was a lack of concentration in the passing and no one made much of an effort to close the opposition down when in possession.

By the time we reached the break, Wycombe had struck the woodwork and seen an effort scrambled off the line by Neil Kilkenny. It was easy to forget we were in front, despite having a couple of chances ourselves, most notably a Bradley Johnson header that he felt had crossed the line.

At half-time we were confident Simon Grayson would whip his under-performing team into shape and the Whites would return stronger, looking to put this match to bed. For the first few minutes, that appeared to be the case, but Wycombe refused to surrender and started to get the better of Leeds once more.

Casper had, had one of his busiest shifts of the season, but managed to keep Leeds in front. It wasn’t going to last though. Pittman got the better of Richard Naylor and fired low and hard into the bottom right hand corner to give the Wycombe fans a rare moment of celebration in an otherwise forgettable season so far.

Simon Grayson reacted as expected and brough Max Gradel on in place of Robert Snodgrass. With 25 minutes to go, we were all expecting a late moment of brilliance from the youngster, but he simply never got the chance as Wycombe pushed a hapless Leeds United and went for the kill. The final whistle was a welcomed one and it honestly felt like a point gained rather than two lost, such was the level of performance from Leeds.

Regardless of how poor Leeds were, Wycombe should be given credit for having the balls to come to Elland Road and attack. They’re on an absolutely dismal run at the minute and find themselves in the relegation zone. Today however, they proved they’re not relegated yet and with a couple of strong signings in January, they could well surprise everyone and escape the drop.

On the way to the match today we were chatting about the reverse fixture earlier in the season where Leeds won 1-0. As memory serves, Leeds United were pretty poor that day too and Wycombe ran the show in the first half. Leeds just had that little bit too much class for Wycombe though and a second half goal gave Leeds a win they really didn’t deserve. But even with that fixture in mind, I didn’t think we’d struggle again today. We’ve come a long way since our second gear performances early this season and this should have been a procession.

A poor result and a poor display from pretty much everyone. No one ever got going, the passing was dire, the closing down was often non-existant and Wycombe really should have beaten us. That said, this is probably why we’re top of the league. Both games against Wycombe this season we’ve come away with results we didn’t deserve, but that’s often the case with the league leaders. The trick to winning the league is consistency and grinding results out that others would lose. Twelve months undefeated at Elland Road for Simon Grayson’s Leeds United and this poor showing should only be seen as a minor stumbling block. We’ll come back stronger, with or without Becks. In Grayson we trust.

Chant of the day: “Are you Rooney in disguise?” From the Leeds fans as Wycombe’s striker missed.

TSS men of the match: All the groundstaff that worked tirelessly to ensure this game went ahead whilst many others were postponed due to the white stuff. Unfortunately, the only other game that went ahead was at Norwich who won 3-1, closing the gap on us to six. Maybe we should have dumped the snow we cleared on their ground? Just a thought…

Best moment: Cheering Jermaine on was good to see. Regardless of our feelings towards the transfer saga, he’s done well for Leeds and will always be remembered for knocking scum out of the cup.

Worst moment: The Leeds fans booing at full time. I aren’t saying I disagree with the boo’s, because to be honest I was so cold and annoyed at the lack of effort exerted, I joined in, but never nice to see fans booing their own team. Hopefully the lads will understand the performance was below par and look to respond v Exeter next week.

There’s something about wearing the all white strip of Leeds United that makes players insist on doing things the hard way. Top vs bottom yesterday was a perfect example. What should have been a stroll in the park for the runaway league leaders, almost turned into a disaster.

Credit where it’s due though. For a team that’s just lost ten in a row and look like they’re already relegated, Stockport were determined to make life as hard as possible for Leeds United. Had it not been for one of the most pathetic defences I’ve ever seen and a goalkeeper determined not to leave his line, Stockport could have become only the second team this season to beat Leeds United.

First things first – the pitch. I can’t describe how bad it was. Within minutes of kick-off it started to tear up and was somewhat reminiscent of Histon’s last year. Fair’s fair though, the game came close to being postponed due to the weather conditions lately and had it not been for the efforts of the Stockport fans and ground-staff, we wouldn’t have been playing at all. Besides, I played on enough bad pitches as a youngster, as I’m sure the pro’s did and we still managed to have a game.

Within the first two minutes Leeds had already turned Stockport’s defence inside out and Snodgrass fired us into the lead. Three defenders were around Snoddy as he advanced on goal, but none of them put a tackle in and Snodgrass was allowed to shoot from just outside the box. His shot deflected off the foot of one of the defenders, wrong-footing the keeper and giving Leeds a dream start. 0-1, and things were going as expected.

Stockport soon equalised though when one of their stand-out players, Carl Baker – who, incidentally is leaving them next week – went on an unchallenged run towards the Leeds goal. Eventually he was stopped by the Leeds defence, but only at the cost of a free-kick, from which County equalised. Baker took the free-kick himself, firing it low into the bottom corner, via another deflection from the Leeds wall. 1-1, and before anyone points any fingers, there was nothing Casper could have done about it.

Both keepers were kept busy as the teams exchanged blows. Bradley Johnson came closest for Leeds when his volleyed shot came back off the bar. Becchio also thought he’d scored just after the half hour mark, but the linesman decided he’d used his hand to control the ball. As half-time approached, Leeds enjoyed the better of the match but never pressured Stockport’s weak defence enough for me.

The second half started with both teams having chances, but it was Stockport who would take the lead just after the hour mark. A corner taken short from Stockport, was whipped towards the back post from the edge of the area where Leeds’ defence was once again missing and Mullins converted to give County a rare moment of celebration. After losing ten in a row, this wasn’t what the league leaders were expecting, nor were the home sides fans who were in total euphoria.

Simon Grayson made two changes shortly afterwards in search of more ideas upfront. The most important change was undoubtedly Max Gradel, who the Leeds fans had already called for. He replaced Robert Snodgrass and immediately started to torment Stockport’s fragile defence. Howson was also brought on for Doyle.

It took just five minutes for the equaliser and it was Patrick Kisnorbo with an unexpected assist. His cross found Jermaine Beckford who headed home brilliantly to restore parity. Who said Beckford was rubbish in the air? 2-2.

Gradel was busy running the Stockport defence ragged and Grayson made his final change replacing Lucciano Becchio with Tresor Kandol. The better chances were going Leeds’ way by now as Stockport looked happy to take a point.

Relying on such a poor defence was County’s downfall and ultimately cost them points as Max Gradel’s cross was poorly cleared, landing nicely for Leigh Bromby who struck beautifully on the half volley to send Leeds back infront with just two minutes remaining. 2-3. Queue a hysterical celebration from Bromby, who clearly hadn’t rehearsed anything in training.

County tried to chase the game and get themselves a point, but the World’s greatest time-waster, Casper Ankergren had other ideas. When the ball went out for a Leeds goal-kick in the dying moments, Casper did his usual routine of lining the ball up, walking back slowly, re-aligning the ball, walking back slowly again, knocking the mud off his boots on the post… etc… etc. Understandably annoyed by Casper’s antics, one of the Stockport fans behind his goal launched a snowball at him, for what had to be the funniest moment of the match.

Casper’s time-wasting proved to be irrelevant though as Jermaine Beckford wrapped things up in injury. Tresor Kandol played him in and although his shot was a little tame, it found it’s way under the County keeper to secure the win for Leeds. 2-4, job done. Beckford clearly enjoying himself again and everything rosy once more in the Leeds United camp.

"The referee's a..."

Whilst the goalscoring had finished, the totally inept referee who had been handing yellow’s out like they were Christmas cards decided to go one better by sending off a County player. His challenge on Gradel wasn’t the best admittedly, but they’d already lost the game and Gradel was fine so I simply can’t see what the sending off achieved. 

Clearly one of those ref’s that was adamant the fans came to watch him rather than the football, he managed a total of eight yellow cards (six for Leeds) and one red. An impressive haul by anyones standards. His final booking was one of those rare moments I agreed with though. Patrick Kisnorbo - who’d otherwise had a relatively good game - decided to shout at David Poole as he was leaving the pitch. A stupid thing to do as the player had already been sent off and seen his team go from in front to two behind and was probably feeling bad enough already. Kis received a yellow card for his antics, but it could easily have been red with the way the cards had been dished out.

This was a poor game by our standards. We weren’t great defensively and never pressured a weak Stockport defence enough. The conditions didn’t help as players slipped all over so Leeds were never able to really take control.

Stockport deserve credit mind. Considering they’re struggling as much as they are it was a spirited display from them, but Leeds have more talent at their disposal. Having the luxury of being able to bring on Max Gradel, who can change games in seconds, is something most teams don’t have. Thankfully, we got the job done and end the year with a victory.

Elsewhere, Charlton could only manage a draw, so Leeds will start the New Year eight points clear at the top of League One. Back across the Pennines next for Leeds, who will be playing a largely unheard of team from Salford in the FA Cup.

There was an increased crowd at Elland Road, as is the norm for Boxing Day, the majority of whom were no doubt feeling a little sheepish after the excesses of Christmas Day and I was no exception.

Charlton had kicked off early and drew 2-2 with Swindon Town after Sam Sodje was sent off for a two-footed challenge early on and Deon Burton followed him just before half-time. Charlton were 1-0 up at this point, but with another half to follow and only nine men available, it wasn’t going to be easy. Predictably enough, Swindon came out firing and turned the game on its head. With only injury time remaining, they’d managed to get themselves 2-1 in front, but a last second equaliser from Miguel Llera (90 +4) put Charlton level and secured them a hard fought point. .

Norwich meanwhile had beaten Millwall 2-0 and Colchester also took three points away to Southend United. Nevertheless, the Leeds fans knew that a victory here today over the inconsistent Hartlepool would be enough to take us six points clear at the top as we approach the New Year.

Leeds were undoubtedly heavy favourites for the tie and as the game got underway, it looked like there would be no surprises. Robert Snodgrass had three early shots blocked by the visitors defence as he made himself available all over the pitch.

There was a stoppage in play early on after Andrew Hughes went down in some pain. It looked like he’d taken some kind of knock to his knee and the Leeds United physio came on to assess the situation. Hughes finally managed to get himself up and was taken off the pitch, returning shortly afterwards.

Leeds continued to pile on the pressure and the next chance fell to Jermaine Beckford who fired a shot on goal from a tough angle. It was an easy save from the Hartlepool keeper but there was an early indication of how the Leeds fans were feeling about their number one striker as the stands burst into a chorus of “Jermaine Beckford, Jermaine Beckford,” clearly indicating that last weeks incident had been put to bed.

Next up to try his luck was Jonny Howson who struck well from the edge of the area, but it went straight at the opposition goalkeeper who saved with relative ease.

The game lost a bit of pace and Hartlepool managed to get up the other end of the field. Their efforts resulted in a corner which was whipped in at some pace, being headed on to the back post where an unmarked Bjornsson knocked it in to send the visitors into the lead, totally against the run of play.

Leeds tried to reply but found themselves on the back foot once again. A shot from Adam Boyd deflected out for another corner as Hartlepool found some belief. The corner was subsequently cleared by Becchio, then knocked back in but the offside flag was up giving Leeds a free-kick and time to regain some composure.

The game then turned back in Leeds’ favour. Howson had another shot from range which deflected off a defender leaving the keeper wrong footed. The shot was spilled but as Jermaine Beckford moved in to poach a goal, the keeper managed to clean up and save his team from danger.

Beckford looked extremely hungry and the fans were more than appreciative of his efforts. There was still the odd one or two who stubbornly refused to forgive and forget, but on the whole, the Leeds fans had his back.

After a three on two move was ended by a poor pass from Beckford, the striker redeemed himself by levelling the scores. Neil Kilkenny took a shot which whizzed through the area and Beckford got a touch to it to make it 1-1 and put Leeds back on level terms. The striker’s celebration was somewhat subdued, perhaps because he was in front of the previously critical Kop, or maybe because of the poached effort. The fans reacted favourably though with a chorus of the striker’s name.

Robert Snodgrass continued to make himself available wherever and wasn’t afraid to shoot. Another shot from him was saved with ease by the Hartlepool keeper, but Leeds were totally on top once more.

As the three minutes of extra time came close to an end, Leeds got themselves in front. Some fans will have missed the goal as they headed in to the stand for half-time refreshments, but there was more than a little luck involved. As the Hartlepool bench appealed for handball, Howson sent a cross in which Becchio headed towards goal. The header took a deflection and found the back of the net to send Leeds in, in front at half time.

Although Leeds deserved the lead, Hartlepool fans had a right to feel aggrieved. The referee was another fine example of how poor the officials are in this division and made so many errors it was often comical. The decisions did seem a little one sided at times too and I’m sure we’d have felt annoyed had it been the other way round. When things are going for you though, you have to take it.

After a quiet opening, Jermaine Beckford got the first chance of the second half when he broke free and unleashed a powerful shot that clattered back off the bar to deny him his second. He had another chance shortly after too as he met Snoddy’s cross but couldn’t direct his effort towards goal from six yards.

Things quietened down, giving me some time to interact with my followers on Twitter. Although a little over-eager at times, Beckford was having a good game and shortly after I suggested he may well hit an hat trick today, he added his second. A beautifully chipped shot over the Hartlepool keeper sealed the victory for the Whites and sent the 30,000 fans into raptures. This time, Beckford celebrated in style in front of the South Stand and last weeks antics were now but a distant memory.

As the half wore away, Leeds started to play ole football, safe in the knowledge that the result was confirmed. Simon Grayson made a few changes bringing Bradley Johnson on for Micky Doyle, Tresor Kandol on for Richard Naylor and Mad Max Gradel on in place of Lucciano Becchio. The referee meanwhile was handing yellow cards out like Christmas cards after an incident involving Bradley Johnson led to a bit of handbags at five paces.

There were a couple of chances left for Leeds, the first of which fell to Max Gradel who shot from range when he should have played one of the many White shirt wearing players around him in. Jermaine Beckford was eager to get his hat trick, but the best effort he would get was a long ranged strike that sailed in to the packed South Stand. The game ended with a poorly struck free kick from Max Gradel, but the victory was secured and Leeds move six clear of Charlton Athletic.

A couple of interesting facts from my followers on Twitter; Firstly, Leeds now have the best goal difference in England with +30. The next closest being Chelski on +28. Secondly, with that win secured, Leeds are now guaranteed to end the decade as they started it – at the top of the table. Obviously, we started at the top of the Premier League and end at the top of League One, but an interesting fact nonetheless.

A good result today and a good response to going behind in the first half. Good to see 30,000 Leeds fans at the game today, some of which looked a little worse for wear, but all seemed to be enjoying the Christmas spirit. Special shout to those that attended in fancy dress, there were quite a few of them today for us all to laugh at.

TSS man of the match
I can’t give it to anyone other than Jermaine Beckford. He was over-eager at times, but looked desperate to make up for last weeks antics and responded in the right way – as did the fans! Mini goal drought over and the January speculation will snowball from here on in. Can’t see him leaving ‘til the end of the season though.

Funniest fan award
Goes to the lad in the Kop who called his mate (who is a bit of an occasional fan) a fair-weather fan despite the fact it was one of the coldest games of the season. Love it.

Managed to get home and complete a match report by 18:15. That’s got to be a new record. Please excuse any grammatical errors, but the pub awaits. Happy Christmas to everyone – TSS.

I said before todays game that I hoped Jermaine Beckford would be the one grabbing Sunday mornings headlines rather than Rickie Lambert. Whilst my wish came true, the reasons he’ll be grabbing the headlines aren’t quite what I had in mind.

When taken off as a substitute today in place of Max Gradel, Becks threw the kind of tantrum that makes him so hard to like for many Leeds United fans. Clearly annoyed at seeing his name go up, Beckford left the pitch as slowly as possible, which led to boo’s from the Kop and around Elland Road. Jonny Howson encouraged Beckford to come off with him (as he was also being substituted) but the strikers teddy had long since left the cot and he continued his snail-paced walk to the touchline. Once there, he decided to head straight for the tunnel rather than join his fellow team-mates on the bench, no doubt leaving Elland Road straight afterwards.

When Beckford’s number originally came up, it was met with a cheer from the Leeds fans, but also encouragement for the striker with his name being chanted from the stands. Once the fans had realised he’d thrown a strop however, the mood changed and the crowd turned totally against him.

Simon Grayson was right to remove the striker. He’d not had a bad game, but nothing had fallen for him throughout and he’d struggled for decent chances. In fairness to Becks, what he had done, he’d done well. He’d passed the ball, chased it a bit and worked much harder than he often does. However, he was clearly getting agitated at some of the referee’s decisions (as we all were) and it seemed obvious it wasn’t to be his day.

Regardless of how frustrated he may be lately, his attitude is inexcusable and shouldn’t be tolerated. The Leeds fans made their feelings known with a chorus of ‘there’s only one Simon Grayson’ as Becks sulked his way off down the tunnel. It’s a team game and these kind of selfish actions won’t win you any fans at Elland Road, no matter how many goals you contribute a season.

Beckford’s behaviour will no doubt grab the headlines in League One tomorrow morning, but it shouldn’t detract from what was a much improved performance from Leeds United. With Patrick Kisnorbo alongside Richard Naylor, Rickie Lambert and co. struggled for opportunities throughout. Aside from a few nervy moments in injury time, Kis was always on hand to clear the danger and Southampton were kept at bay throughout.

Attack-wise, Leeds were also good. There were some stray crosses and a few broken down moves with bad passing, but on the whole we dominated and looked good going forward. Becchio played a blinder, holding the ball up when needed, playing people in and fighting to win it back in the opposition half. Although he deserves all the criticism he’ll get over the coming days, Beckford played his part too. He had a couple of half-chances, but what did impress me was his willingness to chase the ball and play others in. He can be very lazy sometimes, but he wasn’t guilty of that today.

What Leeds did best today though was closing down all over the park. Southampton were very rarely given any time on the ball. Whether it was a striker on the edge of the area or the goal-keeper trying to kick it up field, there was always someone in a white shirt moving in to put pressure on or stick a foot in and ultimately, that’s what made the difference.

After Beckford had finally left the pitch and Grayson’s changes were put in place, you started to feel we were going to snatch a winner and Leeds didn’t disappoint. It was Robert Snodgrass who got us the three points with one of the most beautifully struck goals you’ll see this season. Twisting and turning to create space outside the area, Snoddy found an opening and let fly, curling it in to the top corner from distance. A wonderful goal from the Scot and a well deserved three points for the Whites.

TSS man of the match
A coin flip between Lucciano Becchio and Patrick Kisnorbo for me. Both players did exceptionally well today. Kis is like a rock in defence and the difference he makes is remarkable, whilst Becchio put in a fantastic shift, creating chances, holding the ball up and battling for everything.

Leeds have now reached the half-century mark in terms of points and extend their lead at the top to four after Charlton drew 4-4 with Millwall. We don’t play again now until Boxing Day which means we’ll be topping League One at Christmas. A great early present from the Whites. Whether Jermaine Beckford will play again in a Leeds shirt is the topic of TSS’ latest poll (below). After todays antics, I’m not convinced but let’s focus on the positives. Happy Christmas everyone.

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I’ve seen some poor games on my travels following Leeds United and the list continued to grow with Saturdays instantly forgetable bore-draw at Brentford.

The pitch was reminiscent of Histon’s last season, the referee was definitely in the wrong job and for what felt like a much more than 90 minutes, Leeds and Brentford failed to excite the crowd.

Patrick Kisnorbo made a welcomed return and Max Gradel was handed a rare start. The near-on 2,000 travelling Whites were pretty unanimously expecting three points, but I remained cautious knowing that Brentford had beaten both Colchester and Norwich on this ground.

A scrappy opening quarter of a hour passed with only one real chance. Kisnorbo was showing us exactly what we’d missed by organising the defence much better than in recent weeks and clearing anything Brentford could throw forward. Jermaine Beckford had the first real chance for Leeds smashing a powerful shot at goal, only to see the Brentford keeper touch it onto the woodwork.

That was about all the first half had to offer. Leeds were probably the better team given that Casper had been more of a spectator than a goalkeeper and not had to save anything that I remember. Capaldi was doing everything in his power to help Brentford out with another dismal performance that left me thinking he’d struggle to make the starting line-up of Farsley Celtic.

The under faciltated stadium caused a few half-time hiccups as 2,000 Leeds fans went for a break from the poor on-field performance. Leeds started the second half much brighter than the first and attacked from the off. Kilkenny and Howson were both providing chances for the Leeds attack, but Beckford missed a one-on-one I’d have put money on Showunmi scoring. That pretty much summed the days events up.

Whilst Brentford never really looked like winning, Leeds never looked like scoring. The pitch never helped matters and a referee unfit to take charge of an U9′s game couldn’t detract from what was a dismal day and a pretty poor performance all round.

So, the first trip to Brentford in half a century turned out to be a non-event. I’d usually give credit to the opposition for keeping us at bay, but the truth was they never really did. Leeds didn’t find it hard to beat their defence. Beckford broke the line several times, but aside from the thunderous shot he struck in the first half, seemed to have left his shooting boots at home. Capaldi was once again woeful and should be remembered alongside Roque Junior when he returns to Cardiff, whilst Larry’s substitutions proved unaffective for once.

I suppose on a positive note we remain top of the league by two points and with a game in hand. More importantly, we’re eight points clear of third place which is all that really matters. After conceding two against Huddersfield, Kis’ return brought with it another clean sheet. Some fans are suggesting this may be our bad patch and it wouldn’t surprise me as I’m never overly confident around Christmas, but if that’s the case then it’s the kind of bad patch we can ride out with ease.

Since the game Simon Grayson has criticised both the pitch and the referee. It’s not like Simon to be critical of anyone except his own team, but I think he’s more than within his rights to do. It was a frustrating day and the quality of the pitch definitely detracted from the quality of the football. Another poor referee spoilt any chance of the game flowing smoothly too.

Brentford manager, Andy Scott had the following reaction to Larry’s comments;

“Their left-back put the ball out of play three times. That wasn’t the pitch, it was the left-back not being able to keep it in play.

“We’ve had a lot of games on here recently and unfortunately we don’t have six groundsmen so it’s never going to be like Elland Road. I think any comments about the pitch will be taking away from a fantastic performance by my players.

“It was a physical game and I think that Simon is clutching at straws if he’s trying to blame the pitch and refereeing decisions.”

Although I understand Simon’s frustration as I felt pretty much the same, I’d be inclined to agree with Andy Scott. The left-back he mentions is Capaldi, who is truly, truly woeful. When all’s said and done, Brentford are a small club battling at the lower end of League One. They deserve some credit for holding the league leaders to a draw and irregardless of poor referee’s and poor pitches, Leeds should still have been able to beat them.

TSS man of the match
Great to see Patrick Kisnorbo back in the starting line-up and the fact his return coincided with another clean sheet is no coincidence. He organises the defence like no one else can, continually issuing orders and making important challenges. Truly invaluable to our promotion push!

I said before today’s game that I’d be disappointed with anything less than a victory. Huddersfield have been conceding far too easily and whilst they have the best attacking record in the league, I felt Leeds’ impressive defensive record should keep them quiet. Add to this the fact it was at Elland Road where we haven’t lost since January and the fact we’ve won the last five without conceding and all the signs pointed to a home win. However, much like our last three meetings, things didn’t quite go to plan.

Things couldn’t have got off to a better start. Whilst some of the 38,000+ fans were still trying to make their way in to the ground and find their seat, Robert Snodgrass capitalised on an error from the Huddersfield Town goalkeeper and slotted home to give Leeds United an early 1-0 lead. The chance came from a pathetically weak shot from Sam Vokes that their keeper somehow failed to keep hold of giving Snoddy the opportunity to open the scoring.

Less than two minutes gone and Leeds already infront. I was already thinking we may mirror the 4-0 demolition job we did on them back in 2007. Leeds continued to press, but Huddersfield high line of defence was causing problems for Beckford who got caught offside a couple of times. Vokes had a chance to double the lead though but his header from a Beckford cross went wide.

As the half wore on, the dominance changed in Huddersfield’s favour and they started to get more and more of the ball. Leeds did have another chance though in injury time when the Huddersfield Town keeper made a good save to deny Robert Snodgrass his second and keep Town in the game.

The second half started much the same as the first with a goal inside the opening two minutes. This time though, it was Huddersfield’s turn as sloppy defending from Leeds kept an attacking move alive for the visitors. A shot deflected into the path of Lee Novac who headed by Casper Ankergren to level the tie.

Leeds had a couple more chances but Huddersfield looked the better team for much of the game. The crowd had already been calling for Lucciano Becchio long before the substitions came on. Vokes and Kilkenny would make way for Becchio and Leeds United super-sub, Max Gradel.

With our first choice frontline restored and Max Gradel on to run at the Huddersfield defence, it felt like Leeds would get another one yet. It didn’t take long either. Ankergren kicked a long ball upfield which headed towards the opposition goalkeeper. Beckford went up for the ball as well though and the challenge led to another error from the Town goalie. Gradel was on hand to pick up the loose ball and subsequently rounded the keeper and fired home to put Leeds back on top.

Poor marking from setplays, not for the first time in this fixture left Leeds looking fragile at the back. A short corner routine that Huddersfield had pulled off twice was unexpected by the United defence who were perhaps a bit tired from getting up early. Town got another shot away, but this time fired wide.

The poor defending from the corner and play that followed should have served as a warning sign for Leeds to buck their ideas up, but Huddersfield restored parity once more with twelve minutes left on the clock. A cross was fired in from the right and Jordan Rhodes rose above everyone else to beat Casper Ankergren and earn the visitors a point.

The remainder of the match was played on the back foot by Leeds and the final whistle actually came as a relief. For the first time in a while, I can honestly say that poor defending cost us today. We looked weak from crosses, corners and free-kicks and the Huddersfield Town wingers made our full-backs look like they were in the wrong game.

Derby matches are never as simple as they look on paper. Whilst myself and presumably many others would have expected a win today, the occasion often means things aren’t quite as straight forward as one would hope. Huddersfield were unquestionably the better team for large parts of this game. Leeds’ defence was largely weak and the midfield weren’t much better with the exception of Snodgrass. Still no killer instinct from Vokes and a couple of chances wasted by him, whilst Beckford’s attempts to break were too often thwarted by the flag.

One person I refuse to blame today who is often an easy target is Casper Ankergren. Whilst he still flapped at too many crosses and can’t catch a cold, his ball created the second goal and he made a few vital saves that earnt us the point. The two we did concede were more the fault of pathetically poor defending than they were the goalkeeper.

Nice to see Lucciano Becchio on the way back to the starting XI as we look a lot stronger with him than we do Vokes. The impact subs of Grayson once again paid dividends and you can only hope Max Gradel’s stay will become permanent.

I think I’m willing to write today off as one of those derby days where it’ll never be as easy as expected. We need to forget about what was a below par performance and re-group before the next League One tie next Saturday away to Brentford. Before that though, there’s the small matter of an away day at Old Trafford up for grabs against Kettering Town on Tuesday.

TSS man of the match
Was suprised when Robert Snodgrass was substituted late on as he looked like the only player on the park that had caused them problems all day. Always the man for the big occasions and today was no exception. The Scot worked tirelessly and the goal just adds icing to a great performance in an otherwise disappointing display.

Leaving the stadium tonight whilst passing comment to friends about the atrocious weather we always seem to face at Oldham, one of their fans told us that we’d actually come on a good night. It was two degrees when we got in the car for the journey back down the M62 and the rain had barely let up all night. I’d have said I’d hate to see it on a bad night, but I’d been there for worse.

The same Oldham fan seemed extremely pessimistic about his team’s chances, telling us he wouldn’t be surprised to see the team relegated at the end of the season. It wasn’t hard to see why as Simon Grayson’s reserve team strolled to victory and our march towards the League One title continued.

Only Jonny Howson could be considered first team from the starting XI. Jason Crowe and Leigh Bromby would be the next closest although the defence has been reshuffled so many times this season, I aren’t entirely sure what I’d consider our best back four. Loan-signing Hogan Ephraim made his debut, David Prutton made a rare start and Max Gradel partnered Sam Vokes in an unusual Leeds United front-line.

For a stadium in such desperate need of redevelopment, the irony of our stand being sponsored by Leesfield Development didn’t escape me. Oldham actually only have three stands as one was torn down a while back for reconstruction that clearly isn’t happening. I think they’re hoping to build a new stadium, but how they’re going to pay for this when they can’t manage a decent attendance is anyone’s guess.

Oldham’s support is so low that Leeds United’s 4,000+ travelling fans outnumbered the home fans. The atmosphere in the home stands was almost non-existent, aside from an annoying drum that was repeatedly beaten throughout much of the first half. The only audible noise in the ground came from the ever-vocal Leeds United fans who did all they could to keep themselves warm throughout.

A few chances fell either way early on, with Leeds’ best attack being thwarted by the linesman when Neil Kilkenny released David Prutton. Oldham looked a bit better than the team that we beat in the FA Cup a few weeks back, but you could see why they’re struggling throughout.

Sam Vokes wasted an opportunity to send the Whites into the lead ten minutes before half-time as Leeds started to dominate. After beating the offside trap and finding himself one on one with the keeper, he failed to take his chance and fired straight at summer target, Darryl Flahavan. Vokes continues to disappoint me with each passing game. He isn’t a natural goal scorer and exerts very little effort throughout. He just doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds and I’ll be glad to see Becchio back in the starting line-up.

The opening goal didn’t take much longer though. Max Gradel fired a nice cross across goal and Neil Kilkenny touched it home to send Leeds 1-0 up. Gradel tried his luck from range shortly after with a curling shot, but his effort failed to trouble Flahavan. Leeds finished the half strongly though and deserved their lead.

The second half continued much the same as the first ended as Leeds looked to kill Oldham off. Flahavan proved to be quicker than Vokes and denied the striker a chance before Prutton headed over. As we approached the hour, Vokes showed once more why he’ll never make it as a striker, firing over the crossbar with an excellent opportunity that he should have been able to keep down. Hate to be too critical of anyone in a Leeds shirt, but I really don’t like the lad. He doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds, he didn’t chase much all night (whilst Gradel chased everything and drove the Oldham defence mental) and quite simply, he isn’t good enough.

Oldham’s best chance of the night came shortly after. Some poor defending from Leeds left Paul Heffernan with the goal at his mercy, but he failed to take his chance and fired into the side netting, much to the relief of the Leeds defence and 4,000 travelling Whites.

Two changes for Leeds saw Snodgrass and Becchio come on in place of Vokes and Ephraim. It’s hard to say how well Ephraim played as the opposition were poor and he never did anything really groundbreaking. That said, he didn’t do anything wrong either so it’ll be interesting to see what he does in the next game.

Snodgrass almost got lucky immediately but was beaten to the ball by Flahavan. Another half chance for Oldham followed, but Simon Grayson’s other substitution made the real difference. Max Gradel once again the provider for Becchio to put the game beyond doubt. A skilful finish from the returning striker was celebrated in style with the management and players on the bench.

The Leeds fans went wild and a large portion of the away fans headed for the exits. Interesting thing about Oldham is that the players in the stand running along the pitch have to exit up a set of stairs straight in front of the away fans, which predictably led to chants of ‘Time to go…’ as the Leeds fans celebrated another win waving the Oldham fans goodbye.

Grayson substituted Gradel shortly after and the player received a standing ovation from the travelling Whites. Chants of ‘sign him up’ were once again aimed towards Simon Grayson who would no doubt love to do nothing less.

For Leeds United to be able to beat Oldham with their second team is incredible. Twelve months ago, that was unthinkable, but Grayson continues to impress. The march towards the League One title continues at Elland Road on Saturday when Leeds host Huddersfield in the Yorkshire derby.

TSS man of the match
For his tireless work ethic, skill, flair and of course, the two assists, it couldn’t be anyone other than Max Gradel. It’s like watching an over-enthusiastic kid in the park, who never gives in, chases everything and just seems to love playing. ‘Sign him up!’

It’s been a while since we had to rely on a last minute goal to net us the points, but none of us had forgotten that capability as the match neared the final whistle tonight. One of the oldest football clichés states that it’s ‘a game of two halves’ and that’s certainly what we witnessed tonight.

For much of the first half Leyton Orient had the better chances. Leeds probably had more of the ball, but the end product just wasn’t there. Orient meanwhile were carving out more chances than most teams manage in 90 minutes at Elland Road.

Maybe it was complacency from Leeds, afterall tonight would provide us with the opportunity to go twenty games unbeaten at home and in the last three games we’d scored eleven, with no reply. Whatever the case, the Leeds United that so effortlessly cast aside Brighton on Saturday had been replaced with a much scrappier side that seemed to have lost their flair.

It’s not that we were bad, far from it, but in the first half Orient were definitely the better team. We’d had the better of the possession, but a few stray passes – most notably from Robert Snodgrass – were making the team frustrated and we just didn’t do enough with the ball. The best chances from a Leeds point of view in the first half were a shot from range by Kilkenny and a skied effort from Sam Vokes. Neither troubling the Leyton keeper.

The second half started slowly, but Grayson made a couple of impact substitutions that proved decisive. Aidy White replaced Andy Hughes shortly after half-time, but it was Grayson’s next change that would prove the difference when Max Gradel replaced Sam Vokes.

It took half the second half for anything of interest to happen, but Leyton had definitely been pinned back by this point and were finding chances to break far more scarce than the first half. Gradel meanwhile was starting to make a real nuisance of himself in Leyton’s half, putting in a couple of good crosses and striking the first real chance of the half with his back to goal. The shot ultimately went over, but Gradel had once again sparked a resurgence in Leeds.

Although the frustration was evident in the faces of the fans and players alike, Leeds continued to try and work an opening. Two penalty appeals were denied by the ref (again) although one was admittedly a bit soft, but the other looked like a clear handball to me.

Grella was the next player to come on in place of Howson as Simon Grayson continued to look for options. Interestingly, Davide Somma was the other striker on the bench with Tresor Kandol nowhere to be seen, despite his return from suspension. Maybe the sending off was one chance too far for the frontman?

Both Max Gradel and Mike Grella forced saves from the Leyton keeper as Leeds continued to pile on the pressure in desperate search of all three points. News from Charlton was that they were in the lead and we certainly didn’t want to give them a chance to close the gap.

The ball was forced forward again and again with pretty much everyone in White in the opposition half at times, whilst Orient’s entire squad were back defending. It just didn’t look like the goal was going to come and the game was beginning to feel like a lost cause.

This Leeds United however is a different breed from ones in the past. This Leeds United doesn’t give up until the fat lady has sang and we’ve developed a bit of a reputation for snatching late winners over the last couple of years, so why change such a profitable habit? Since Gradel had come on, he’d changed the game and it seemed somewhat inevitable that if anyone was going to change the score, it would be him.

The youngster didn’t disappoint. With just a minute of normal time remaining, he picked the ball up inside the box, created a nice angle and fired home to give Leeds a 1-0 win. With only injury time remaining, it would have been easy for Leeds to run the clock down, but with Leyton still pinned back, they carried on and went for another with Snoddy hitting the side of the net.

Overall and despite Leyton’s early dominance, Leeds deserved the win. Credit where it’s due to Leyton, they put us under the kosh at times in the first half, but they never kept the momentum going and eventually Leeds punished them for it.

As for Leeds, it wasn’t the most inspired performance but job done and another three points. Hard to complain when you’ve just gone twenty matches unbeaten at home, but Snoddy was off his game tonight and the jury is definitely still out on Vokes who contributed nothing. Aidy White deserves a mention as he gave a very good performance in the second half.

Elsewhere in the top six
Charlton and Colchester both won so no change in the top three. MK Dons lost 4-3 at home to Carlisle whilst Huddersfield lost away to Swindon. Norwich were the big movers of the night who capitalised on those defeats thrashing Brighton 4-1. Honeymoon period well and truly over now then for Gus.

On Sunday we play Kettering Town (29/11) in the FA Cup, followed by a trip to Oldham Atheltic in the League (01/12). That’s followed by the local derby at Elland Road against Huddersfield next Saturday as the heptic Christmas fixture list gets underway.

There’s nothing like a late November trip to the seaside to remind you that global warming is doing little to improve our winter climate. Cold would be an understatement for days like these and for the travelling Leeds United fans, you just hope and pray the on-pitch activities will produce something that will warm up our shivering Northern souls.

After another one of those international breaks that left myself and countless other Leeds United fans with a weekend to scratch our heads and wonder how to spend the time, the Whites returned fresh and hungry. The Leeds United faithful were all too aware of Gus Poyet’s managerial talent and with two wins in his two games so far – including a 3-1 victory over in-form Southampton – there was some cautious predictiors, including myself. I thought we’d do well to leave with a draw!

The teams were a class apart however and the gulf between Leeds and Brighton in the standings is not by fluke. Brighton simply couldn’t contend with Leeds United despite the fact we’d lost two key players to injury. Bradley Johnson and Richard Naylor were sidelined with Lubomir Michalik and Neil Kilkenny in as replacements, whilst Jonny Howson picked up the captaincy.

In years past, the loss of key players often resulted in clueless below-par performances, but credit to Simon Grayson and Leeds United. We have enough depth in this team now to ride out even the most disastrous injury crisis. Lubo looks like a man transformed and gave a very solid display whilst Neil Kilkenny continued to impress everyone.

Brighton had given Leeds a pathetically poor allocation of 900, which is probably just in-line with the minimum of 10% that the FA demands. Brighton has one of the most ramshackle stadiums/huts you’ll ever visit, so it’s hardly suprising. You’ll see better attempts of a football ground at your local park. Many of my fellow fans that had managed to get tickets had donned some cheap and tacky plastic rain-coats/bin-liners that made them look like the Leeds branch of the KKK. Either way, if you hadn’t come prepared, they’ll have been welcomed as the Whites faithful settled in for a cold, wet and blustery afternoon.

Luckily, the on-pitch activites kept us all warm as we sang our hearts out for the lads. After a shockingly bad penalty shout was missed by another outstanding referee (not that we’d have scored it anyway) Robert Snodgrass fired the Whites into the lead just before the half hour mark. A great strike from some range swerved into the net to leave the Brighton keeper stranded and send Leeds United 1-0 up.

Beckford hit the post, Brighton had a couple of half chances, but overall Leeds were by far the better team and controlled the game throughout. We were rewarded for our dominance just before half-time when a beautiful long range pass from Neil Kilkenny found Jermaine Beckford who had all the time in the world to calmly slot home and give Leeds a 2-0 lead.

The second half continued in much the same style with Leeds clearly on top. Brighton tried to get into the game but never really gave Leeds too much to worry about. The referee continued his impressive display by failing to award another clear-cut penalty to Leeds when Robert Snodgrass was the victim of a WWE-style challenge from the Brighton defence.

Brighton simply never had the opportunity to play. Leeds pressed them whenever they were in possession and gave them no time or space to create anything. Leeds looked much more comfortable on the ball and the result was never really in doubt.

As the final seconds of the game ticked away David Prutton linked well with Neil Kilkenny who smashed a shot beyond the Brighton keeper to give Leeds a 3-0 win, which was no less than they deserved. Kilkenny had a very good game and should definitely be giving Grayson a bit of a selection headache when Johnson returns.

It was just too easy for the Whites today. Brighton simply weren’t up to the challenge and Leeds out-classed them in every area. I think overall, Brighton will be happy with 3-0 when you consider the two clear penalty decisions Leeds were denied and Beckford’s unfortunate shot that came back off the post.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to go with Neil Kilkenny, although in fairness, all the midfielders were contendors. None of them did much wrong all game and the fixture was definitely won in the centre of the park. Brighton were closed down quickly, given no space at all and Leeds commanded respect throughout.

Elsewhere in League One
Charlton came back from 1-0 down to earn a draw at Yeovil, whilst Colchester failed to take their chance and could only manage a 2-2 draw at Oldham. Huddersfield move up to third after beating Hartlepool 2-1 and Norwich also drew away to Southampton.

Leeds now sit nine points clear of third place Huddersfield and six clear of Charlton with a game in hand. We’ve still conceeded just eight goals in the League, which is still the best in the country alongside Chelsea who are easing towards the Premier League title with a 4-0 win. It’s still early doors, but the title is definitely ours to lose.

Stephen McPhail
Just like to send my best wishes to former Leeds United player, Stephen McPhail who has been diagnosed with stage one matt lymphoma – a type of cancer. He’s set to receive treatment for the disease shortly and is hoping to be back in action for Cardiff by January. Best wishes, Stephen.