The Scratching Shed

Matt Derbyshire

After a quiet few days, Betfair has re-awoken and we’re blessed with yet another transfer link that’s unlikely to ever happen. This time, the online bookmakers have scoured the net in search of a possible player to link and returned to us grateful Leeds United fans with the news that Matt Derbyshire wants to return to England!

Those of you that haven’t already leapt into the air with joy should feel free to do so now.

Read the rest of this entry →

I imagine that, like me, the majority of readers are fans of Soccer AM and will therefore have seen the following clip but for those that haven’t, here’s Jermaine Beckford and Neil Kilkenny being interviewed not long back (but before Enoch’s transfer).

Quite interesting to see them both rate Grella as the most skilful. I’m shocked that Enoch is considered the most intellectual, although these are footballers we’re talking about. It’s the equivalent to Peter Crouch going to China and becoming the tallest man – no hard feat at all.

Not so shocking was that Beckford is considered the worst trainer, David Prutton is the joker (watch any interview with him, the mans a comedy genius) and Tres the best dancer; the MJ tribute act he did on crossbar challenge was hysterical.

Gradel to stay?

Simon Grayson has revealed the club are in talks with Leicester City to discuss their options with Max Gradel. Gradel’s loan spell at Leeds United comes to an end after this weekends fixture when he will have passed the maximum time allowed for any short-term loan deal. Any further deal would have to be a loan until the end of the season or a permanent transfer.

Gradel’s introduction in games this season has often changed the game completely. He’s been a valuable asset to the club and it’s important we try to retain him until the end of the season at least.

Deadwood clearance begins

One of the worst players I have ever seen in a Leeds United shirt has left the club by mutual consent. Enoch Showumni’s time at Elland Road didn’t quite go as well as hoped and there’ll be no lost sleep with his departure. The striker is currently being linked with Scottish side Falkirk. Good riddance.

I think we were all pretty much on the same page in terms of what needed to be done in January and no one was under any illusions about the squad size. We have to get rid of some of the players which have little or no chance of bringing anything to the team and get some quality in to replace them as we look to build for the Championship.

Small manufacturing town in Lancashire

Just when you thought Old Kenneth had mellowed in his old age, he decides to take a swipe at Burnley. The soon to be ex-Premier League club were heavily linked with Simon Grayson when their previous manager departed which had some people in Leeds a little worried. Not Uncle Ken though, who in his usual charming manner said the following;

“Why would Simon want to leave Leeds for Burnley? I mean they are a small manufacturing town in Lancashire. Simon is a Yorkshireman. We have 10 times their population, 50 per cent bigger gates than Burnley and we beat them pre-season anyway.

“They might be in the Premier League now but I think they lost £9million last year and, if they come down, they will go back to where they came from – whereas Leeds are on the up.

“Simon has already asked why would he want to leave Leeds for Burnley? He wants to manage in the Premier League with Leeds United and that is what he is going to do, hopefully sooner rather than later.”

So, let’s brace ourselves for another war of words followed by the inevitable court case. Never a dull moment, is there?

“Erm… aren’t you forgetting someone?”

As for day 14 of Beckford watch, well, there’s simply nothing to watch. Leeds continue to play hard ball and no one else is saying anything. Maybe it wasn’t a forgone conclusion after all?

Just over a week until the transfer window opens and the rumour mill seems to have burst back in to life already with Jermaine Beckford unsurprisingly topping the list.

The most interesting rumour to have emerged so far is the one linking Becks with Middlesbrough, who are currently managed by our former captain, Gordon Strachan. Simon Grayson continues to dismiss all speculation however, reiterating his statement that Jermaine will be going nowhere until the end of the season unless a ‘ridiculous offer’ comes in.

Two reasons why I can’t see Beckford leaving in January; the first is that I simply don’t believe anyone would be stupid enough to pay over the odds for a striker they can sign for free in a few months time. They can even secure his services on a pre-contract once the window opens so it’d be insane to spend millions bringing him in a few months earlier.

The second reason I think he’ll be staying is kind of linked to the first. When we bought Becks from Wealdstone for the bargain price of £45,000, a clause was agreed whereby Wealdstone would receive a percentage of any fee received if Leeds United were to sell him (link is to the Wealdstone chairmans blog). I aren’t entirely sure what the percentage is, but many seem to think it’s 40%, which makes a sale seem even more pointless. Say we were to sell for £3,000,000, of which £1,200,000 goes to Wealdstone. The agents will undoubtedly take a cut as will Jermaine, so the amount of money Leeds will receive would not be enough to get another striker of any actual quality.

Elsewhere, Grayson will undoubtedly be looking to strengthen a few areas. The full-backs still concern me, but Tony Capaldi is clearly not the answer to our problems. His performances so far have been painful to watch. Cardiff are unsurprisingly willing to get rid of him though and confirmed he was available for transfer. Thanks, but no thanks Mr Ridsdale.

Elsewhere, I think the teams pretty strong and more than capable of keeping the results coming. Max Gradel is a player we should definitely move in for but I suspect we’ll extend his loan until the end of the season and look into it then. We may bring one or two in, but I suspect there will be more going in the opposite direction.

Alan Sheehan seems likely to move to Swindon permanently and trimming some of the deadwood wouldn’t hurt matters. David Prutton, Andy Robinson, Enoch Showunmi and one or two others should be shipped out for a start, however much the fans like some of them. They aren’t going to get many games and the wages of their wages will undoubtedly be quite high for this league.

So whilst I think there’ll be some activity for Leeds next month, I don’t think Jermaine will be part of it. The key now is to get rid of some of the weaker players and bring in some Championship quality ones who can perform if/when we achieve promotion. It’s all about streamlining the squad basically.

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!

The Max Factor remains

Leeds United have just announced that talks with Leicester City to extend Max Gradel’s loan have been successful and the impressive youngster will remain at Elland Road until the New Year.

Although Leicester have insisted on a 24-hour recall clause, I don’t think this is anything unusual and wouldn’t see it as an issue. Hopefully Bates, Grayson et al are thinking longer-term and are planning to sign Max up full-time during the transfer window.

Max has impressed management and fans alike since his arrival at Elland Road and recently told how he was enjoying playing for the club and more than happy to stay.

Shane Higgs reaps reward

Despite his recent injury problems that have kept him out of the first team, Shane Higgs’ form so far this season has impressed everyone. Alongside Premier League leaders, Chelsea (who have played less games) Leeds United have the best defensive record in all four divisions and Higgs has played a great part in that consistency.

Leeds United have now rewarded Shane with an extension to his current contract, keeping the keeper here for an extra 12 months. The 32-year old thoroughly deserves the extension and I look forward to his return from injury.

E-noch, E-noch, E-noch

For me Enoch Showunmi is the weakest link in our entire squad. I don’t know what anyone saw in him when Leeds United brought him in, but he’s looked clumsy, awkward, out-of-place and 5-yards behind the rest of the players on the park everytime I’ve seen him play.

Much like Emile Heskey for England, I keep trying to convince myself that I’m missing something and there must be something that the management are seeing in him that I can’t, but alas, I give in – he’s truly woeful. Anyway, he may not be here for much longer as Rotherham manager, Ronnie Moore prepares to make another attempt to sign him on-loan after his first was refused.

He isn’t a League One player, never mind a Championship one and simply seems like a waste of wages. I’m sure he could do a job elsewhere, but he simply isn’t good enough for a team with Leeds United’s ambitions.  

…and finally

The Celebrity Leeds United fans post I added just before this brought another milestone for the site in that it was the 100th post. Thanks to everyone that’s visited and contributed towards the site and here’s to another 100. On and on…

Tresor Kandol for me is a bit of an enigma. There’s no questioning his goal-scoring ability, but at times he’s the most infuriating player to watch. The same could be said of Jermaine Beckford too I suppose, but Tres’ downfall is he doesn’t have the same flair as Beckford does.

What’s really impressed me about Tresor Kandol lately though is his determination to be noticed. Tucked away in the reserves, most players are easily forgotten about, but Tres has continued to make headlines by scoring for fun.

With Lucciano Becchio still a fitness doubt, Mike Grella clearly not the finished article yet and Enoch Showunmi hopefully demoted to cleaning the other players boots after his shocking display the other week, Tresor Kandol’s place in the pecking order must surely have improved?

You have to wonder what it is he needs to do to gain a place in the first team. On loan to Millwall last season Tres scored 8 in 16 appearences, only last night he hit a brace for the reserves to follow-up on the hattrick he netted the week before and he was probably the only player on the pitch against Darlington that really looked hungry to break into Grayson’s plans.

I’ll admit that I’ve had my reservations about Tresor Kandol for some time now, but when you look at the alternatives we have in the striker department, he’s the only one that will contribute enough goals to challenge Becks and Becchio for a permanent spot. If Lucciano isn’t fit this weekend, I’d be very disappointed to see anyone other than Kandol in the starting line-up – and if Luci is fit, I’d be equally as disappointed to see Enoch on the bench instead of Tres.

The People newspaper is doing over-time with Leeds United rumours today. It started by claiming Robert Snodgrass is the target of a £500,000 Everton bid and has followed up by linking us and Charlton with Scunthorpe striker, Paul Hayes.

I’m happy to disregard the first rumour on the basis that £500,000 is a fee we can quite easily turn down for one of our key players. Snodgrass will be catching the attention of a few clubs after his Scotland call-up and display against Liverpool, but it seems an unlikely gamble for Everton.

However, the Paul Hayes link could have some truth to it. I’m not sure what the extent of Becchio’s injury is, but whether it’s a week or six months, it was clearly evident on Saturday we need some better options upfront.

Enoch Showunmi had an absolute mare of a game. His passes rarely reached their destination and his first touch was clumsy. Mike Grella is coming on leaps and bounds and an extended run in the first team might be just what he needs, but I think Grayson would be wise to give himself further options.

The 26-year-old forward isn’t the most prolific of goal-scorers. So far this season he’s scored 3 times in his 14 appearences which is about average to his overall record.

The Scunthorpe official site is quick to defend his unimpressive goal-scoring record though and adds that “[Paul is] more than just a goalscorer. Hayes drops back behind the striker and is one of the club’s main creative outlets”.

He sounds as though he could be a bit like Lucciano Becchio. Jermaine Beckford will always be on hand to turn the ball home, but Becchio is often a key part of the build-up and his lay-offs and passes create the chances that Beckford thrives on. If we are going to have injury problems with Lucciano, then Hayes could be ideal cover.

Before todays game Leeds knew that a win over the Addicks would move them six points clear at the top of League One, but the Elland Road faithful had to endure a disappointing and frustrating 90 minutes as the match remained goal-less throughout.

The best chance came in the first half when Bradley Johnson’s shot forced an impressive full-stretch save from the Charlton keeper. Leeds had looked the better side early on, passing and moving well and closing down quickly. As the game went on though, Charlton began to get more of the action.

The real change in the match seemed to come when Lucciano Becchio went off injured in the first half. He was replaced by Enoch Showunmi who had an absolute mare of a game and should have been taken off just as quickly. His passing seldom reached it’s destination, his first touch was weak and clumsy and his performance as a whole will be something he’ll want to forget. 

It wasn’t just Showunmi though whose passes continually went astray. The team as a whole struggled to keep possession as the game went on, which seemed to make the players more and more frustrated and ultimately resulted in them shooting from forty yards rather than working an opening.

Casper Ankergren did little to help matters either. His goal-kicks remain truly hopeless, with a couple going straight into touch for an opposition throw. The ones that didn’t weren’t much better and rarely reached a player in white. He also remains a worry whenever the ball is crossed into the box. If he moves, he chooses to punch rather than catch which rarely relieves the danger, but even worse is when he doesn’t move at all and the defence are left to try and scramble away a ball that should have been taken care of with ease.

Overall, a cold, frustrating and disappointing day at Elland Road was had by all. The 31,000+ crowd were quiet considering their numbers and despite the Kop’s best efforts to get songs going, they rarely carried around the stadium.

Despite failing to capitalise on the “six-point” fixture today, other results have once again gone our way and we remain top of League One. We’ve actually extended our lead over the play-off places after Bristol Rovers were battered 5-1 away to Norwich.

Simon Grayson had the following to say after the game;

“Over the course of the game a draw was the right result.

“The conditions made it very hard for both teams. With the wind swirling about so much it made it hard for players to judge passes and things like that.

“I think it was always going to be a tight game because neither side wanted to lose the game and the players didn’t want to make mistakes.

“To keep a clean sheet against a team like Charlton is very pleasing too.”

I can’t disagree with anything he’s said, but he’s defintely concentrating on the positives. I suspect the players will be hearing a lot more negatives than the above. The wind conditions were poor, but they were poor for both teams and on home soil, I’d have expected a win.

TSS man of the match
Absolutely unquestionably Patrick Kisnorbo for me. Had he not been on the field today, I suspect we’d have lost the title of ‘last undefeated team in England’. So far this season we’ve conceeded just five goals and a lot of the credit for that has to go to him.

The last team to beat us at Elland Road triumphed again as they held us to a 1-1 draw. The result brings an end to the fifteen successful league wins at Elland Road, but the Whites will take some consolation knowing they remain undefeated and move three points clear of Charlton who were hammered 3-0 by Colchester.  

The match saw a welcomed return for Leeds United skipper, Richard Naylor who partnered Patrick Kisnorbo at centre-back. Casper Ankergren also came in for the injured Shane Higgs. Jason Crowe was out injured with the adaptable Leigh Bromby switching to right-back whilst Lucciano Becchio returned after missing the MK Dons for the birth of his baby girl, Bianca.

There were a few recognisable faces in the Carlisle line-up with Ian Harte making his return to Elland Road for the visitors. Former academy players, Tom Taiwo and Gavin Rothery were also in the team, although Rothery remained on the bench throughout.

Leeds had the better of the opening stages with Lucciano Becchio heading over in the first minute and Robert Snodgrass went close. The game lacked urgency though and there were few decent chances for either side.

When the referee blew his whilstle on the half hour mark, both sides looked puzzled as to why. Micky Doyle had gone down fighting his way through the defence, but no one expected a penalty to be given, not even the Leeds fans. Leeds’ fortunes from the penalty spot failed to improve as Jermaine Beckford’s tame effort was saved by Pidgeley. The Carlisle keeper couldn’t keep hold of the ball though and Beckford followed up to tap it in. 1-0.

The game sprang to life briefly after this and Snodgrass went close to making it 2-0 when his curling effort beat the keeper but came back off the post. Carlisle countered, which led to Casper having to make his first save of the game. Carlisle created a bit of a threat when a curling free-kick had to be pucnhed clear by Ankergren (still not learnt to catch then!) but Leeds went in ahead at half-time.

The second half started as the first ended with Carlisle’s confidence building. Johnson hit a shot from range that went just over the bar, but it was Carlisle who applied the early second half pressure after that. They couldn’t find the finishing blow though and the game began to fizzle out. Jonny Howson did fire a shot wide, but other than that, Leeds had taken their foot off the gas and seemed happy to sit on the 1-0 lead.

Leeds paid for their failure to kill the game off when Carlisle brought on Scott Dobie. Within five minutes of coming on to the pitch, Carlisle had earnt a corner that he headed home. It would be easy to put this down to the return of Casper Ankergren, but for me it was more to do with the reshuffled defence that gave the striker far too much space.

Leeds sprang back to life with Prutton going close and Leeds firing balls in from corners and free-kicks. The final chance fell to Jermaine Beckford though who couldn’t connect quite right and fired over the bar after a nice flick from Enoch Showunmi.

Overall it was a poor game. Maybe it was the busy schedule the Whites have had lately leaving the team a bit tired or the changes Simon Grayson had to make, but either way we should have won this. Definitely two points lost rather than one earnt.

Looking on the positives, it’s good to remain undefeated and as Simon Grayson said after the match, we’d have taken this at the beginning of the season. That said, Charlton seem to have hit a bit of a rough patch at the minute and we need to take advantage of that and give ourselves some breathing space.

Both Robert Snodgrass and Leigh Bromby went off injured last night as the injuries begin to build already. Casper Ankergren still doesn’t convice me and if Shane Higgs is to be out for a while then he definitely needs replacing. Snoddy is a major concern too as he looked in serious pain when he went down and could be out for a while.

Simon Grayson’s reaction to the game and season so far;

“It was a quiet dressing room after the game but you have to be positive with the start we’ve had

“Being honest, we would have taken four points from the two games against MK Dons and Carlisle and we would have taken the start we’ve had – every team in the country would take it.

He goes on to add “I’m disappointed we didn’t win but ultimately it’s another point

“We were lacking the sharpness and quality we’ve had in other games, but you get performances like that.

We’ve had a busy schedule and there’s a few tired legs, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse.”

Elsewhere, Greg Abbott – who had earlier been sent to the stands for arguing with the officials – was left annoyed at the penalty decision but happy with his teams performance;

“We’ve had a run of bad decisions against us lately and that was another. Their player was outside the box. I just wanted to ask the referee why he had awarded a penalty kick but I think the officials wanted me out of the ground and out of town! “I told the referee I wanted to talk to him. There was no swearing and no abusive language, though I suppose he will find something. They wouldn’t even let me on the pitch at the end to congratulate my players who had done themselves and the club proud, but those are the rules I suppose.”

TSS man of the match
All the team looked a little jaded and out of sorts at times, except for Jonny Howson who has continually impressed me all season. He battled well in the midfield, tried to create things when his team mates were lacking in ideas and ultimately stood out in a tired display from the Whites.

Next up is probably the biggest game of the season at home to Charlton. An expected crowd of over 30,000 will be at Elland Road for the clash of the top two and with Charlton currently looking a bit out of form, this could well be the chance to put some breathing space between us.