The Scratching Shed

Paul Dickov’s brief trial with MLS side Toronto ended quickly and he’ll be back at Thorp Arch training with the Whites shortly according to the official site. Oh joy!

It’s just sheer luncacy that Leeds are still considering signing Dickov when a MLS side deems him below their standard. For those that don’t have first hand experience of Major League Soccer, let me assure you that the majority of the players over there would struggle to get a place in Accrington Stanley’s first team. I went to watch one such game whilst holidaying in LA and returned thinking League One was the holy grail of footballing excellence.

I don’t want to disrespect the MLS as it’s still a relatively new league in a country that would rather watch paint dry (baseball) or a soft mans version of rugby (American Football) but it really is lightyears behind our top few divisions.

Toronto turning down Dickov is evidence for me that the bloke simply isn’t good enough. The fact that Grayson already had a personal relationship with him before he came to Elland Road leads me to suspect its a case of ‘jobs for the boys’ and at the age of 37, he’s not the kind of player any of us had in mind. Whilst those that like him will no doubt point to his ability to mix it up with the oppositions defence, the truth of the matter is, he’s just a thug who plays the kind of football Dennis Wise would cringe at.

Failure to capture Lee Barnard in the January transfer window was a major blow and has undoubtedly cost us points lately while Jermaine Beckford has been out, but this simply is not the answer. Mike Grella (someone who could make it in the MLS) deserves his chance before we start handing pensions out to footballers who don’t know when to call it a day. Failing that, the loan window opens shortly at which point there must be a whole host of strikers in the Premier League reserves who are desperate for a game who I’d much rather give a chance to than Dickov.

Christmas can often be a tough time for clubs competiting on so many fronts and Leeds United have been handed an extremely tough run of six league games and two cup games throughout the festive period.

A series of shots firing back off the woodwork and excellent saves from Kettering Town’s goalkeeper, Lee Harper made progress for Leeds United hard. It took 200 minutes for Leeds to finally make the break through when Mike Grella came on as a sub in the replay to fire us into a 2-1 lead. From there on in, the floodgates opened and Leeds United eventually progressed to the third round with a 5-1 win (AET).

That result set up a third round tie at Old Trafford with Manchester United. Maybe the War of the Roses game has been a slight distraction for us, or maybe it’s the mounting injuries and need to rotate our squad week in, week out that has led to a minor dip in League form, but so far in December, we’ve seen our lead over Charlton Athletic cut to just two points; albeit, with a game in hand.

December started with an away visit to Oldham Athletic. Simon Grayson made several changes to his squad with plenty of loan players starting the tie, including Max Gradel and Sam Vokes upfront. A cold Boundary Park had more Leeds United fans inside than it did Oldham and the lads didn’t disappoint. Max Gradel ran his heart out throughout and his persistance earnt him two assists for Neil Kilkenny and the returning Lucciano Becchio as Oldham struggled to compete with Leeds United’s second team.

Next up was the West Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield Town. Whilst Huddersfield had the best attacking record in the league, Leeds had the best defensive record. Huddersfield occupied one of the play-off places not far behind Leeds so this was never going to be an easy fixture. Leeds did manage to take the lead twice though and despite not being at their best, I felt it was two points dropped leaving Elland Road that day. I’d accept Huddersfield were probably the better team, but after taking the lead twice, I felt we should have been able to hold on, although a draw was probably a fair reflection of the game.

A rare trip to Boundary Park was next as Leeds met Brentford for the first time in almost half a century. For myself and the other travelling Whites, it was a long return home after witnessing a poor game, played on a poor pitch hindered by a poor referee. Neither team deserved to win the game, but the dismal performance set a few alarm bells ringing amongst the Whites fans. Brentford is definitely a place we should be taking three points from but never really looked like doing so and the match ended 0-0.

Our fifth game in fifteen days brought us back to Elland Road for the JPT clash against Accrington Stanley. The first competitive meeting for the two sides should have been a straight forward victory for the Whites and on paper, looks like it was. The final score of 2-0 however doesn’t tell the full story. Leeds’ defence was extremely poor throughout, leading Simon Grayson to bring Patrick Kisnorbo on with twenty minutes to ensure progression. The five man back line seemed to sort things out a bit, but Leeds had definitely rode their luck with shots coming back off the inside of the post on two occasions.

The light at the end of the tunnel is finally shining for Leeds though. With Lucciano Becchio back to full fitness, Shane Higgs and Bradley Johnson training again and the extensive injury list finally shortening, Leeds should be a stronger side for this weekends visit of Southampton.

It’s been a tough run for the Whites that’s seen the team struggle with the chaotic schedule. Our early season form was built on the consistency of the line-up, but when Larry was forced into making wholesale changes, the teams looked weakened. That said, we’re still top of the League and however poor we may have been at times, we’ve not been defeated throughout a challenging month. Although our lead has been cut from six points to two on Charlton, we’re still eight clear of third and that’s all that really matters. As nice as it’d be to end as champions, I’d take second in a heartbeat.

After Southampton this weekend, the squad finally gets a chance to regroup with no midweek fixture next week. The next game will be the Boxing Day clash against Hartlepool before we head to Edgeley Park to take on Stockport County just two days later. The final game of 2009 gives us six days to prepare for our trip to Old Trafford, where you can only hope the Manchester United players are fatigued from too much partying.

A poor run maybe and I’ll be glad when it’s over, but we’re still picking up points, still top of the league and still with a decent gap over third place. Had we been offered this at the beginning of the season, I doubt many would have turned it down.

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When Hogan Ephraim’s shot deflected in after just eight minutes, it looked like it was going to be all too easy for Leeds United, but if the opening goal was lucky, the atrocious defending that went unpunished thereafter was miraculous.

Grayson rung the changes to his side. Richard Naylor returned to the team and partnered Lubomir Michalik at the back, with Crowe and Hughes playing at full-back. On-loan Liverpool goalkeeper, David Martin made his debut and there was also starts for Hogan Ephraim, Tresor Kandol and Mike Grella.

After Ephraim’s fortuitous opening goal, Leeds never applied any real pressure. The best chances we had for the remainder of the first half fell to Kandol, who had a shot blocked by the Accrington keeper’s legs and a hopeful shot from Robert Snodgrass that went wide.

Accrington meanwhile probably had as many chances as Leeds including a free-header from a corner that their striker really should have buried. The lack of man-marking from the set-piece was a sign of things to come as the shaky Leeds defence made the game harder than it should have been.

The second half brought with it another early goal when Ephraim crossed for Kilkenny who headed home. 2-0 to Leeds and things really should have been wrapped up.

Accrington never put their heads down though and kept fighting. Had it not been for a lucky save from David Martin which flicked on to the post and came back out in to the path of a White shirt, Accrington could have been back in it. More fortune for Leeds as the woodwork came to their rescue again and the Leeds defence continued to scare the life out of the 12,000 inside Elland Road.

Grayson changed the front two with Kandol and Grella making way for Vokes and Gradel. Neither of the departing strikers will have been happy with their shift as they did little to threaten Stanley’s keeper throughout. Gradel forced an impressive save from the Accrington keeper late on, but the substitutes didn’t have much more luck than the two they replaced and Accrington continued to look the more likely to score.

Such was the state of Leeds United at the back, Simon Grayson made the decision to bring on Patrick Kisnorbo in place of Robert Snodgrass, effectively changing the formation to 5-3-2. Probably not something he’d expected to have to do before the fixture, but Naylor and Lubo just weren’t keeping the visitors at bay.

Leeds managed to escape the fixture with a clean sheet, but if todays team was supposed to show the quality of this squads depth then we have problems. I know Doyle is often seen as the weak link in midfield, but the job he does in suring up the defence is invaluable. His absence today was noticable throughout. The partnership of Lubo and Naylor didn’t work and the full-backs didn’t inspire much confidence either.

Elsewhere, Grella and Kandol never really had a chance to shoot. The difference between the two sides was only Leeds taking their chances. There were very few clear cut chances for the Whites as we rarely looked in a hurry to attack, but the ones we did have were converted. Accrington meanwhile will have been disappointed with some of their finishing, most notably the free-headet in the first half. However, they’ll also be cursing their luck with the woodwork coming to our rescue twice.

Regardless of how many changes we made tonight, we have to improve before the weekend. Southampton are a strong side and with Rickie Lambert upfront, they’ll be sure to punish such sloppy defending. The main thing is that we’re through to the final where we’ll meet Carlisle United. Although I’d have preferred to play the Leeds suburb of Bradford, we’re still in the race for Wembley and that’s the main thing.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to give it to the Elland Road woodwork tonight as without it, we’d have probably been knocked out on penalties. Hogan Ephraim deserves a shout too though. Although he did little to help out defensively (like the rest of the team) he got himself a goal and an assist, so an obvious choice.

Leeds and Accrington Stanley will tonight battle it out for a place in the Northern Area JPT final at Elland Road. Leeds come into the game on the back of two draws against Huddersfield Town and Brentford, whilst Accrington are in fine form having won their last four consecutive games.

A win for the Whites tonight could setup an area final against the Leeds suburb of Bradford. Leeds and Bradford last met in this competiton last season, when Leeds knocked the Bantams out with a 2-1 win at Elland Road. That day, Andy Robinson fired Leeds into the lead early on from the penalty spot and Becchio added a second just before half-time. Bradford did pull one back late in the second half, but it was Leeds who progressed.

Whilst Leeds have a glorious history of dominance over our neighbours, we’ve never met Accrington Stanley before in a competitive match, so they’ll be an unkown challenge as they visit Elland Road for the first time tonight.

A couple of current players share a link between the two teams. Young Scottish goalkeeper, Alan Martin was on-loan to Accrington before Shane Higgs’ injury forced Leeds to recall him and another youngster, Tom Lees is also getting some first team experience on loan to Accrington. However, I’m under the impression that there’s some kind of mutual agreement between the two sides meaning Tom Lees will not play at Elland Road tonight.

Accrington Stanley are managed by John Coleman who has been in charge at the club for 10 years. He has a pretty impressive record overall having guided Accrington to three promotions (all as champions) during his 465 games in charge. He also holds the record for the clubs longest serving manager and so far this season, his team sit comfortably in mid-table in League Two, still with an outside chance of reaching the play-offs.

Robert Snodgrass will return to the team tonight after picking up a one-match ban for five bookings so far this term. Simon Grayson has also suggested that Sam Vokes will return to the squad after being left out for the draw away to Brentford. Grayson said that the reason Vokes was missing was because he had already selected five loanees which is the maximum allowed under FA rules.

I’d be disappointed if we failed to progress tonight. Success in the JPT would mean a trip to Wembley, which would be good for the fans and just as good for the clubs finances. The possibility of a derby match against Bradford City too is hard to ignore, and after two draws in the League, we need to get back to winning ways.

Oliver Hotchkiss

Mansfield Town 0-0 Grays Athletic (Conference)

Been overlooking some players out on loan in recent weeks as I focused on Andrew Milne and Davide Somma. However, neither of them made their respective loan-teams this week so I thought I’d look around and see how our other lads are getting on.

Ollie made his third appearence for Mansfield (once as a sub), during which time he’s also managed to score his first goal. The team seem to rate him highly, describing the youngster as a ‘young Gary McAllister’ on their official site.

Ollie played all 90 minutes for the Conference side. Clearly not shy of the tackle, he’s said to have made several key challenges and been a strong presence throughout, although he did also pick up the honour of most fouls (3).

Tom Lees

Notts County 1-2 Accrington Stanley (League Two)

Tom Lees, on loan to midweek JPT opponents Accrington Stanley seems to be making a real impact. Although he’s had some injury problems whilst at the club, the full-back returned this week to get himself an assist as Stanley beat super-rich Notts County.

The Lanchashire Telegraph said;

Stanley were able to recall fit-again right back Tom Lees and he provided the pass on the hour mark for Symes to score after rounding Kasper Schmeichel. Ryan then volleyed a second goal in the 74th minute.

Lees played all 90 minutes for Accrington Stanley and Leeds fans may be able to see him in action on Tuesday, that’s assuming there’s no clause in his contract permitting him from playing us.

Hereford jealous of poor internet stream

Seems the fans of Hereford United are a little jealous of ourselves, Charlton and Norwich after arguably the biggest teams in the 1st round of the FA Cup were picked for live coverage.

Whilst the Norwich and Charlton games will be shown live on Sky Sports, the FA have decided to follow the England streaming catastrophe by showing the Leeds game using the same technology – this time live from their own website.

Anyone who was unfortunate enough to watch the England game being streamed live over the internet will have seen a poor game, shown by a poor service that constantly staggered throughout.

As for Hereford, well you guys really need to see the bigger picture. There’d be very little interest in yourselves playing on Sky or via the net and the powers that be need viewing figures to sell advertising space so they can make a profit. Unfortunately, that’s the nature of the business and ourselves, Norwich and Charlton have far bigger fanbases which means far bigger revenues. It’s a dog eat dog world and until you start barking, no ones going to take any notice.

Alan Martin recalled to Leeds

Hardly a massive suprise that Scottish U21 goalkeeper, Alan Martin has been recalled from his loan to Accrington Stanley. Shane Higgs thigh problem continues to keep him sidelined and few are convinced by Casper Ankergren’s ability. The goal’s conceeded ratio has increased significantly since his return, which is hard to write off as a coincidence, although Naylor did little to impress either against Millwall.

Peter Ridsdale turns over a new leaf

The naive fans of Cardiff City really are becoming more delluded by the day. This extract from their vitalfootball author almost makes him out to be a shrewd operator with a good head for business!

In the eyes of most Cardiff City fans, Peter Ridsdale has performed little short of a miracle in keeping the club going – and has been working tirelessly to attract funding, one potential investment in advanced negotiations from Malaysian mogul Dato Chan. Ridsdale has a savvy media head, and talks a good game – some doubts remain as to the clarity of our situation and of course, he has been handsomely paid for his efforts.

Little short of miracle? Didn’t he initially blitz a load of money to put you in this mess to start with? If I remember rightly, he gambled on several big name players in an attempt to make the Premier League, and when that failed, your poor finances started to unravel. Almost left me with a feeling of de ja vu.

At least the author has some sense when he accepts Ridsdale knows how to talk a good game and is clearly profiting nicely from his latest endeavour. Just me that’s wondering whether or not he has a new collection of fish yet?

Dave Jones (Cardiff manager) also claims Liesdale is a changed man;

‘Peter may be on his own crusade to right what people think he did wrong at Leeds – and what he has done here is phenomenal – but I said to him the other night, “you gave your last managers at Leeds millions upon millions and you won’t give me two bob.”

There’s two ways you could look at this.

• 1) (AKA. the incorrect way) Ridsdale is a changed man who has seen the error of his ways and simply wants to succeed at Cardiff to prove himself after the mess he made at Leeds. He’s found a new sensible approach to money and has been extra vigilant with the clubs funds.
• 2) (AKA. the correct way) No one is daft enough to lend him any money anymore.

I suggest you go with option 2. At a time when lending across the country is tight anyway, no one in their right mind would lend a penny to Peter Ridsdale – or a Peter Ridsdale run club – after the mess he made at Leeds. When you declare yourself bankrupt, you don’t get people running in with hands held out offering you loans. Get real Cardiff. The mans an egotistical, attention craving crook.

We’re not famous anymore

Before the Manchester derby the other week, Alex Ferguson’s usual mindgames began when he told Manchester City they were a small club, with a small mentality. However hard he tried to write off the derbies significance, he couldn’t help getting caught up in it all. His celebration after their winner, which came SIX MINUTES (only at Old Trafford!) into injury time showed just how much the victory actually meant to him.

However, he still maintains that the Liverpool game is a much bigger fixture and Paul Scholes agrees. Not only does Paul Scholes agree, but he goes one better by telling City’s fans that lowly League One club, Leeds United (that’s us!) are also a bigger rival.

“City probably aren’t the closest of rivals, but in terms of geography, if you like they are close rivals and it’s a game you want to win

“But Leeds away was just pure hatred towards us, but we always did well when we went there and we thrived on it. Liverpool is the same. We have done quite well there, although we have lost a couple of times, which is no surprise because it’s a hard place to go.”

Seems Man U’s fans agree too. Reading the comments below the post on The Republik Of Mancunia blog shows just how much they really miss us. We’ll be back soon enough, don’t worry!

Ken Bates forgets if he owns us or not

Finally someone else is asking the question that the fans have been asking for years. After a story in The Guardian revealed that Ken Bates “accidentally” lied to a court when claiming he was co-owner of Leeds United the Football League may be forced to investigate the clubs ownership under the fit and proper person rule.

Bates had previously claimed he co-owned the club, but has now changed his mind and decided he actually doesn’t. Maybe his age is catching up with him? Either way, it could cause a lot of complications for Leeds United if the Football League are forced to investigate.

The mystery surrounding the ownership of Leeds United has deepened after the club’s chairman, Ken Bates, admitted that he had made “an error” when he said in January that he jointly owned the club.

Bates had previously informed a court in Jersey that he and his long-term financial adviser, Patrick Murrin, each held one “management share” in Forward Sports Fund, the Cayman Islands-registered company which owns Leeds.

Yet in an affidavit sworn for the same court in May, Bates stated that in fact he does not have any shares in Forward at all. His previous statement, that he had been the joint owner, was “not correct,” he said, and “an error on my part”.

Coming in the wake of the controversy surrounding Notts County’s own mysterious ownership, the revelation that Leeds, one of the Football League’s biggest clubs, have unnamed offshore owners, will now prompt pressure on the Football League to investigate.

The affidavit, sworn in a legal action Leeds are bringing against a Jersey-based company, Admatch, for money Bates says the club is owed, attached a letter from the director of Château Fiduciaire, financial administrators of Forward, based in Geneva. The letter said there are 10,000 “participating shares” in Forward, and the owners will not be revealed because Château Fiduciaire protects its clients’ anonymity unless ordered by a court to disclose them.

Bates, in his affidavit, said: “Neither I, Mark Taylor [his solicitor and a Leeds director] or Shaun Harvey [Leeds' chief executive] are able to confirm who the ultimate beneficial owners of Forward are.”

According to the League’s regulations, club directors, anybody owning 30% or more of its shares, or anybody “who exercises or is able to exercise direct or indirect control over the affairs of a club” must declare themselves to the League and be passed as a “fit and proper person”.

As Bates had previously said he and Murrin owned “management shares” in Forward, and Taylor said they were the only shares, it seems logical to conclude that Bates and Murrin were submitted as Leeds’ joint 50% owners.

Neither the club, Taylor or Bates responded to the Guardian’s questions about who was submitted to the League as the club’s owners, nor how Bates could have made his “error” about whether he owned the football club.

The League does not disclose who have been named as the owners of a club for the purpose of the fit-and-proper-person test, claiming that it cannot do so under the Data Protection Act. But the fact that the owners of Leeds United are now revealed as holders of 10,000 shares in a Cayman Islands company, whose administrators will not disclose their identities without a court order, does beg the question about whether they have ever been passed as fit and proper.

That raises the possibility that Forward’s takeovers of Leeds, with Bates as the chairman, in 2005 then in 2007 when Forward bought the club from administrators, may never have been properly ratified by the League.

Not sure how to take this news. I’m intrigued and somewhat concerned about how owns the club, but do we really need all the turmoil this will inevitably create right now?

Meanwhile…

Elsehwere, former player and manager, Gary McAllister has failed to agree terms to take over at Fratton Park. Tom Lees has extended his loan at Accrington Stanley and injury worries begin to set in as Leigh Bromby and Robert Snodgrass were taken off injured last night.