Thanks to Adam Boxer from Vital QPR for taking part. His site is: www.qpr.vitalfootball.co.uk and can be found on Twitter @VitalQPR

Ryan – Firstly, congratulations on winning the league. Is this how you expected the season to pan out for you?

Adam - Many thanks – and I’d be lying if I said this has met with my expectations. I have a lot of time and respect for Neil Warnock as a manager and I thought with the group of players we had that we’d be certainties for the playoffs this season. Mind you I have had my fingers burned before so I was understandably not too vocal of these views!

I have for several seasons been reminding those on Vital QPR to keep the faith, and sometimes this becomes very easy to ridicule particularly in light of the circus that has followed us around in recent seasons. Nevertheless my faith, and the faith of thousands of QPR supporters has been rewarded – following a 15 year exile, we’re back!

Ryan - What are your expectations for your Premiership campaign next season?

Adam - I have no idea what to expect, we have achieved so much this season in terms of my own expectations and depending on how many additions and the quality of these we could be just about anywhere come next season.

I would initially say fourth from bottom is all that I hope for, and a couple of gutsy performances against our common enemy in Chelsea. If we do recruit wisely then we could push higher up, but baby steps need to be taken and I would rather we ensure that Warnock stays put and the right calibre of player is introduced.

Ryan - What do you make of the whole Alejandro Faurlin transfer saga that’s been in the news for the last few weeks? What do you think will be the result of the FA’s hearing?

Adam - This saga has taken several twists and turns over the past few weeks and the only people that aren’t talking about it are the parties that hold the key information, the FA and Queens Park Rangers, evidently so as not to prejudice the case.

The so-called experts and sources have waded in with their ill-advised ramblings. Sean Custis at The Sun has made more than a few enemies in recent weeks, spouting nothing but drivel and then back-tracking on his Twitter page – since then he has since to update.

People on both sides of the divide have their opinions, but from what I can see a fine would suffice as the evidence in the trial is based on QPR over-inflating their announcement of the £3.5m fee paid, evidently for PR purposes – and clerical errors on forms. Everything else, while interesting to discuss, is purely circumstantial and hopefully something we can now overlook.

Ryan - Despite there being nothing for you to play for on Saturday, do you expect QPR to be going all out for the win or taking it a bit easy?

Adam - It’s a question you probably know the answer to. Neil Warnock is our manager, I can’t imagine anything that man ever does is without 100% commitment and passion for the game – he will pick the right team accordingly and hopefully have them suitably motivated to play as champions in front of a packed house.

There are a few doubts for the game, and unquestionably he won’t risk certain players, but those he does pick in the starting eleven I’m sure will be suitably refreshed and motivated to complete the task on our home patch – by proxy snuffing out Leeds’ playoff hopes.

Ryan - In your opinion, who’s been your best player this season?

Adam - Adel Taarabt will unquestionably be mentioned by many as a misunderstood genius. An enigmatic individual that simply won’t have an average game. He’ll either light up a spectacle or it simply won’t happen for him, and it is an attitude that Warnock is attempting to modify to get the best out of the Moroccan marvel.

He however has been usurped for my money, Paddy Kenny has been for me the main reason that Queens Park Rangers have been so consistent and kept as many shut outs as they have. The ‘keeper oozes confidence and is the first to snuff a chance from the back-line wherever defenders have got themselves into trouble.

23 clean sheets to his name and hardly changes his disposition and confidence in making saves and helping the Rangers rearguard. That is why for me he pips Taarabt to the award, but they’re both very special for different reasons.

I cannot go without mentioning the other ‘bread and butter players’ as Warnock calls them – Shaun Derry, Clint Hill, Heidar Helguson, Jamie Mackie – they have proven that you don’t need class and total football to save the day – hard work and graft at times can be the key ingredient to haul you from this level.

Ryan - Who’s been the best team you’ve seen this season?

Adam - That is a very good question – a difficult one as well. The teams at this level are very inconsistent. Indeed Millwall and Norwich fans would be scratching their heads and wondering how we’re top, simply because of our off days against both teams – nevertheless there are others that will sit aghast at how well we’ve played.

We were beaten by yourselves, who were very good in difficult conditions, Watford, who more than capitalised on our few frailties at Loftus Road, and the aforementioned Millwall and Norwich. Scunthorpe was an unmitigated disaster, but the less said about that the better.

Out of these teams I would say that Norwich have been the best we’ve played this season. Much like us with a solid consistent foundation they have strengthened well and existing talents like Grant Holt have stepped up. I was very happy to see them get the job done as frankly they are streets ahead of the likes of Cardiff City.

Ryan - Who’s been the best non QPR player in the Championship this season?

Danny Graham has been simply phenomenal. To score as many goals as he has in a relatively mediocre Watford side makes him a key candidate for Premier League clubs next season, who knows maybe even QPR will punt on the former Middlesbrough man.

Craig Bellamy, although I am loathed to say it, is a fine talent. Such fantastic vision and movement – here is a player that should definitely not be playing Championship football and fully expect him to step back up with another club next campaign.

Ryan – Are there any Leeds players you’d like to see in a QPR shirt next season?

Adam – This is going to sound horrendously cruel, but in the Premier League I think that maybe Kasper Schmeichel and Robert Snodgrass may be able to step up, but others – much like our current squad – would struggle to compete effectively.

Snodgrass would be my best bet if I had to pluck a player from Elland Road, purely for his skill and effort and ability – much like Taarabt – to conjure up something from nothing. He has a very useful cross on him and perhaps could slot into the present system.

Ryan – Finally, what’s your prediction for the game? I’m going for a 1-1 draw.

Adam - That sounds like a fair score-line to me. Radek Cerny will probably be between the sticks, and with all due respect to him he’s not Paddy Kenny. On Saturday it showed at times that the defenders were perhaps not on a similar wavelength to him which is understandable.

I fully expect Leeds to give it their all for 90 minutes in the hope that Forest will slip up, so while we could net a goal, I expect Leeds to be a side fully motivated.

Thanks to Rachel Neil from Norwich City blog Lets Be ‘Avin You. You can also find Rachel on Twitter (@letsbeavinyou).

Ryan - We last met in November when we drew 1-1 at Carrow Road, has much changed for Norwich since then?

Rachel - Things have gone really well for us since we met in November. Back then we were eighth in the table and, I think, had won just one game in seven. However, since the 1-1 draw with yourselves, we have lost just twice in the league, and find ourselves up in third. So to be honest, we couldn’t have asked for much more!

Ryan - We have both done considerably well since getting promoted, if Norwich were to get promoted how do you think they would cope in The Premiership?

Rachel - Both teams have done exceptionally well since gaining promotion from League One. If we were to get promoted to the Premier League, which I think may just be a step too far this season, there’s no doubt it would be a massive test for us. Our chances would of course be dependent on the sort of players we could bring in, however you only have to look at Blackpool, who have given a great account of themselves this season, to know that there’s always a chance. We certainly have a fantastic manager in Paul Lambert, and with him at the helm, I’m tending to believe that anything is possible at the moment! With an ever-increasing gap between the two divisions though, it would of course, be really tough, but you’ve got to believe, right?

Ryan - At the start of the season, did you expect Norwich to be pushing for promotion and did you expect Leeds to be up there with you?

Rachel - No, I never expected us to be challenging for promotion. I was more than happy to settle for consolidation: avoidance of a relegation battle, and a decent top ten finish, thank you very much! What we have achieved has been fantastic, and certainly exceeded most people’s expectations. We do not have the best squad on paper, but we have a group of players who give absolutely everything. Paul Lambert has been nothing short of fantastic for us since arriving at the club, and he has the players playing above and beyond their suggested capabilities. Our team spirit and mentality not-to-give-in have really set us apart in games this season.

I’ve been impressed with your season so far, although I always felt once you got yourselves out of League One, you had it in you to be competing at the top end of the Championship. Beckford’s departure didn’t appear to harm you at all, and you have some really talented players in your squad. Simon Grayson is a good manager too, and with a great fanbase, I don’t think it will be too long before you’re back in the Premiership. (I’m going to get some stick from fellow City fans for saying that, but it’s just my opinion!)

Ryan - Who should we be looking out for in your squad on Saturday?

Rachel - A couple of Leeds fans I know were hoping Wes Hoolahan might be on his way to West Yorkshire in the January transfer window! Fortunately, he didn’t go anywhere, and has, for the record, signed a new contract! He will certainly be one to watch out for though. Not to do disservice to other players, but much of our quality and ingenuity comes from him. On his day, he is one of the best creative midfielders in the division. Of course, Grant Holt is also a player to look out for. He is our talisman, and plays such a big part (literally some harsh critics would say!) in our side. Your defenders will definitely know they’ve been in a game, let’s just leave it at that!

Ryan - The Championship 2010/11 – 3 up, 3 down?

Rachel - Mmm…I’m rubbish at these predictions. Ok, if you’re going to push me on it, I’ll say QPR to clinch the title, with Cardiff scrapping into second..perhaps on a frantic last day? At best, I think we can hope for a play-off place…so who knows, maybe we’ll see you at Wembley come May?!

To leave the Championship, I would have to say Preston, Scunthorpe, and probably Crystal Palace.

Ryan - If you could sign one current Leeds player for Norwich, who would it be?

Rachel - I’ve always liked Robert Snodgrass as a player, and Max Gradel is a talent and had a good game for you at Carrow Road. However, I also really like Luciano Becchio, and he certainly knows where the goal is…so I’d probably go for him. I just hope he doesn’t score against us tomorrow now I’ve said that!

Ryan - Finally, what’s your prediction for the game? I’m saying 2-1 Leeds!

Rachel - Well I can never bring myself to predict a City defeat. I think it will be a really tough game for us, but I’m going to go for a 2-2 draw!!

Thanks again to Rachel.

Clean sheet denied by officials

A record all-seater attendance at Carrow Road reminded the travelling Leeds United fans that this was another team who hated us for no particular reason. We didn’t have to wait long for a touching rendition of ‘we all hate Leeds scum’ alongside other popular favourites such as ‘you dirty northern b**tards*’ and ‘dirty Leeds’.

Quite why a team from Norfolk with no geographical significance to Leeds and no real history against us holds this much contempt for the Whites, is anyones guess? But the hostility Leeds receive in places such as Norwich always boosts the atmosphere and this was no exception as the two sets of fans exchanged pleasantries throughout.

The match was just as frantically contested too and it started at a rapid pace with both teams attacking from the off. For Leeds, Bradley Johnson did nothing to boost his market value as he miscued wildly from range, whilst Jonny Howson also saw his shot drift away from goal.

When an advancing Luciano Becchio was hacked down on the edge of the area, the referee played advantage and as our Argentinian hit-man pulled himself up, Max Gradel fired low from the edge of the area, beating a poor Norwich keeper to give Leeds United the lead. 1-0.

Leeds gradually took control of the game with Max Gradel looking impressive and the midfield dominating the contest. Midway through the second half however, Norwich were on the attack with Grant Holt. Alex Bruce put in a clumsy challenge on the Norwich forward, giving the home side a free-kick and injuring himself in the process.

Whilst the Norwich fans made their feelings towards Bruce clear, Chris Martin lined up a free-kick which was saved by Kasper Schmeichel.

From there until half time it was almost entirely Leeds. Gradel twice had shots saved by the keeper, whilst Jonny Howson attempted to take on the entire defence and walk it into the net and Becchio saw his glancing header go wide.

At half-time, Leeds had been by far the better team. Failure to capitalise further on such dominance must have been a big talking point for Simon Grayson, whilst Paul Lambert will have been trying to figure out how to stop Gradel wondering by his full-back without breaking a sweat.

Norwich improved in the second half and went close when Chris Martin hit the woodwork and Grant Holt was denied by Kasper Schmeichel. As Norwich pushed, Leeds tried to capitalise on the counter-attack but the final delivery continually evaded Snodgrass and Gradel.

Despite Norwich’s improvements, Schmeichel was at his best and never looked like being beaten so Norwich cleverly took him out of the equation by throwing him to the floor from a corner as Barnett headed the equaliser. 1-1

It was the cherry on top of all our recent injustices. Twice we’d contested the referee’s decisions not to punish players for viciously assaulting Luciano Becchio, and twice we’d been quoted FIFA rules that claim the FA ‘can’t re-referee games.’ Clearly this only applies to Leeds United however, as Norwich had just had a red card successfully overturned on Grant Holt – is that not re-refereeing?

I don’t wish to sound bitter and vindictive, but I am, so that’s how it comes across.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming Norwich here. I’m complaining about the dreadful standard of refereeing we’re subjected to week after week. Norwich fans should be able to sympathise to an extent as they had Holt sent off last week – a decision which undoubtedly changed the game.

Leeds meanwhile saw Hull and Cardiff get away with blatant red card decisions, which the referee clearly missed on both occasions. Yet, when we appeal to the FA we’re told the referee saw the incidents and felt an elbow to the face, and a potentially career ending lunge were both fair challenges?

And yet again, the referee and the other officials cost Leeds as they failed to spot a push on Kasper Schmeichel that left him sat down as Norwich City denied us of two points. Admittedly, I missed the shove as I was watching the flight of the ball, but as a spectator, that’s what I pay to watch! The referee and linesman are paid individuals that are supposed to be watching the players – especially from a corner when there is always shoving going on! They have no excuse whatsoever.

Anyway, back on level terms and Leeds tried to get back in front but the final ball continued to escaped us and Norwich sensed an opportunity to rub salt into the wounds. Hoolahan – who had come on a sub just after the hour mark – was a particular nuisance to us but despite chances for both sides, the game remained level and Leeds were left to bemoan another poor display from the officials.

Overall, it was an excellent match. Real end-to-end stuff with the emphasis on attack and free-flowing football. Leeds really should have killed it off in the first half and rendered poor decisions from the officials irrelevant but they failed to do so and it ultimately cost us two points.

TSS man of the match

Max Gradel was the stand out man, but he was brilliant and infuriating in equal measures, often taking too long on the ball and not shooting quickly enough when presented with an opening. George McCartney continues to impress whilst Kasper Schmeichel was back to his old self and truly deserved a clean sheet. Overall, the officials had the biggest impact on the game so maybe they should get it?

The fact of the matter is though; Beckford is just one of eleven. As a team we’ve performed well this season, as a team we lead the division and as a team, I think we’ll get promoted with or without Beckford, assuming Simon Grayson is given the necessary funds while the transfer window is open.

At League One level, Jermaine Beckford is an exceptional striker and I do believe he could do a job at a higher level. In the Championship he’d definitely provide goals. Whether or not he could do the same in the Premier League is questionable, but let’s not get into another debate about where his natural level is because quite frankly, no one is ever going to agree and it’s becoming tedious.

The thing is though, Beckford is not irreplaceable. There are plenty of strikers out there capable of scoring one in two. As the League One scorers charts currently show, even in this division there’s one striker with more goals to his name than Beckford (Lambert), one with the same amount (Holt) and another just one goal behind him in a much weaker team (Barnard). That’s three strikers that match/exceed him on stats in just one division, so Beckford is hardly a one off. 

What’s made this such a major issue is that the fans of Leeds United expect blind loyalty from anyone wearing the shirt. That all white strip means a lot to us and we expect it to mean the same to those wearing it. Unfortunately, that’s very rarely going to be the case. A football player, like a builder, a landlord or a lawyer is just a job and much like the builders, landlords and lawyers, the players will move when offered a better opportunity elsewhere. It’s that simple, and each and every one of us would do the same.

Take away the fans emotions from football and you’re left with a business like any other. If football is the oil business, then Leeds United would be Esso. Jermaine Beckford meanwhile would be one of the sandwiches you find in their petrol stations. Much like the sandwich, Beckford’s value depends on a date and his best before is the end of this transfer window. After that, should we keep him I have no doubts he’ll bag another 15 goals this season, but Leeds United would lose £1.5-2,000,000 and our most important striker.

But promotion is worth more than any £2,000,000 I hear you cry? I can’t argue with that, it’s a good point, but he still should be sold while he has a value and can make the business that is Leeds United football club money.

The main reason I stress he should be sold is because if he is, we arguably have £2,000,000 to play with. There are things to deduct from that figure such as the Wealdstone cut, but that’s beside the point. Whether Beckford leaves now or in the summer, he has to be replaced. If we can sell Beckford now and get a replacement in for £x,000,000 then you can deduct whatever we made from Beckford from that sum and the overall cost is not as much. Leave it ‘til the summer when he’s worth nothing to Leeds United and that £x,000,000 still has to be forked out, but none of it’s recouped from anything. We lose Beckford, we lose the money he was worth and we still have to replace him.

It all comes down to whether you want Leeds United to be run like a business, or dictated by fans emotions. The latter is how Peter Ridsdale ran it, whilst the former seems to have done us well so far. I know which I prefer.

So who do we get to replace him? TSS looks at our options.

Lee Barnard

Southend United, 25 years old.

As consistent as they come at League One level, Barnard has found the back of the net 35 times in his 73 appearances for Southend leaving him just short of the one in two mark.

Although there’s been no rumours linking Barnard to Leeds, he is a proven goal scorer and his contract expires in the summer, so it’s likely we could get him on the cheap (Ken Bates’ favourite word). Likelihood factor: 4 out of 10

Grant Holt

Norwich City, 28 years old.

A bit long in the tooth in comparison to other possible candidates, but Holt certainly has an eye for goal with 14 in the League and 20 in all competitions so far this season. No stranger to the transfer market after with Norwich being his eleventh professional club, Holt has seemingly never settled anywhere.

Only joined Norwich at the beginning of the season and is integral to their promotion push. Selling him would show a massive lack of ambition for a team chasing at our heels so this one for me, is extremely unlikely. Likelihood factor: 1 out of 10.

"You're the one that I want..." Gary Hooper

Gary Hooper

Scunthorpe United, 21 years old

At just 21 years old, Hooper has to be seen as a good signing given that he’s managed 31 goals in 62 games for Scunthorpe and could well develop and take the next step with Leeds United. Contracted until 2011, but with Scunthorpe a likely replacement for Leeds in League One next year, he may be interested in a move.

With his age and record to date, Hooper is my personal favourite, but any a sale would not go down well in Scunthorpe and do little to help their relegation battle. Likelihood factor: 5 out of 10

Billy Sharp

Sheffield United,  23 years old.

Out of favour at Sheffield United and currently on loan to Doncaster Rovers, where he’s found his form hitting 10 goals in 16 league appearances. Billy is from Yorkshire and proved himself to be a natural goal scoring talent at Scunthorpe where he knocked in 53 in 82 games, breaking club records in the process.

Sheffield United will undoubtedly be willing to sell, and I think Billy would be happy to stay local to his home town. At just 23 years of age he’s definitely in the right age group and should be able to take the next step up with Leeds United. Likelihood factor: 9 out of 10 (Heavy favourite)

What about Lambert?

I’m sure Rickie Lambert will be a talking point but we have absolutely no chance of getting him as far as I’m concerned. Southampton don’t need the money and are likely to make the play-offs, so there’s no reason for them to sell.

Anyway, I’ve opened a poll below for you to cast your vote.

"Well I suppose technically I am a tax exile, yes." said Santa

We all know the results are coming good on the pitch and the table proves we’re doing something right. I have no idea what the current financial statements might be, but I should imagine that off the pitch, we should be doing quite well too. We can look to a few facts that we know to give us a clue. In Summer, we sold Delph. Surely we must have at least part of the transfer fee in our account by now and we didn’t buy anybody for significant money to reduce it. We have been on television or the internet (same fee,) more times than just about any club other than Newcastle. Linked to the TV appearances are our decent Cup runs, indeed the clash against Glazer brothers’ Manchester Disunited is worth about £750 000 alone according to our own chairman. I would guess the fact that the Boxing Day match was a home game must have been worth a few quid too. It certainly looked busy. Finally we might just have found the winning formula after so many years in a downward spiral. So why, oh why are we even considering letting our top scoring striker go? You don’t have to like him to see that he scores goals. Just read the statistics.

Logic dictates it’s not about money. The points above surely re-inforce this. I doubt even that it could be about disharmony in the team. I was quietly impressed that Beckford gave a Hartlepool player a shove when he clattered into Bradley Johnson. It’s the same principle as sticking up for your mates. Is it about attitude? The mark of disrespect when Simon Grayson subbed him isn’t a big deal. An apology and perhaps a bit of a grilling and things like that should be forgotten. I did a lot worse at his age and Simon Grayson is not Peter Reid. So for those fans that don’t like Beckford, I say enjoy the goals, just don’t invite him round for dinner. What about the Millwall penalty and other big occasions when he apparently fails to shine? Well I would just say that there are two teams on the pitch and Beckford has a reputation big enough to justify man-marking him. Even in this league, there are defenders good enough to keep him quiet.

Maybe this is a time when we the fans have been caught bang to rights. It’s us that could be the difference between our best striker staying or leaving. I’ve been reading blogs pointing out a fact that had escaped me, which is that if Beckford scores 100 goals he becomes one of our most prolific strikers relative to the time he’s been here. (Sorry I can’t find the exact details again, but you get the idea.) Surely this should make the lad a legend and yet a sizeable number of fans want him to leave because he throws his teddy out occasionally. It’s not our fault directly if Beckford leaves because we’re not the ones signing the paperwork but if our board thought that selling Becks would make gate receipts suffer, he would already have the most lucrative contract since Seth Johnson. We should be getting behind his performances because for every quiet patch or miss, he bounces back with goals at some point. I’ve even seen him work his socks off in a few games recently. But soon it seems it’s going to be too late to sing his name.

Personally, I wouldn’t be quite as bothered about Becks going if I thought there was a plan B. I’m sure Simon Grayson has got one, because he’s obviously a very smart fellow to have got us this far, but we just don’t know if he has one because nobody talks to the fans anymore. It’s fair to say that Leeds United’s PR is even worse than Eurostar. Over a hundred thousand fans worldwide have to wait for the South Shields Gazette to find out anything about the most important thing to happen to the team for two seasons. Grayson has already said that only a silly money offer would tempt the club, it’s true, but that was October. It’s now December and a hundred thousand people want to know if you have changed your mind.

So never mind Maria, how do you solve a problem like Beckford? Who could replace him? I think he’s irreplaceable at our kind of money. It won’t be Ricky Lambert, under contract to Southampton who have more financial clout than us with their new chairman. I can’t imagine our chairman making them an offer they can’t refuse so we can forget that idea straight away. If you were in charge of Norwich would you sell Holt either? A weakened Leeds United means a player like him could help them lift the title. They have a good enough team. We could look to higher leagues but then we have that problem of money. We would have to pay decent money for someone such as a Cresswell, Healy, Hulse or Blake like we used to have last time in the CCC and Healy’s best tally was only 14 goals in the 05-06 season. More money for fewer goals? That’s not good business. But the fact that Leeds have even talked to Newcastle speaks volumes. It’s probably now just a question of money and then I guess we unearth a stop-gap player from the loan market or lower leagues. So if he is going to go, how much is the right price?

If Chris Hughton is reading, let me save you some time. I can give you the mathematical equation for the correct transfer fee (F) to offer for Beckford:

F = (T*W)+P

To the rest of us, that’s the total of this years’ court costs (T), add 20% for Wealdstone’s sell on clause (W) and then add the cost of a private return jet flight to Monaco to sign the paperwork (P). Our board doesn’t factor in anything for the future good of the club (FA)

Happy New Year.

Since I’d been away for a couple of days prior, and was almost literally living in a cave, Sam Vokes’ name being read out on the Elland Road PA system was how I discovered we’d won the race for his signature. I knew we were in the race for the striker, but had no idea the deal had been completed or that he’d be starting the game tonight.

His performance didn’t do much to impress me over the course of the game. He clearly had a good first touch and was an excellent prospect, but his eagerness to get his name on the scoresheet meant he opted to shoot from 30-40 yards rather than play the ball to those with a much better chance infront of him.

Another suprise was the return of Shane Higgs who I’d been led to believe was out for another couple of weeks yet. As it turned out, he clearly wasn’t ready to return to the first team and was taken off early on and replaced by the ever-unconvincing Casper Ankergren. Robert Snodgrass and Jason Crowe were also welcomed back to the squad after the two week break gave them time to recover from their injuries.

Leeds started the game brightly and were rewarded early on when Bradley Johnson opened the scoring by netting his sixth of the season after converting a corner with his head.

Norwich weren’t going to be beaten easily though and it soon became clear as to why they’d moved up the league so quickly and won their last four games. Their passing was simply a joy to watch, they moved the ball well and created chances whilst Leeds struggled to deal with the constant threat.

Norwich’s efforts soon paid off as Grant Holt got the better of Bradley Johnson and scored to send the teams in level at the break.

The second half started well for Leeds with Beckford having the first chance for the Whites. However, Norwich soon re-established themselves and became the dominant force once more. A good save from Ankergren and a fair bit of luck were the only things that kept Leeds United level as they struggled for ideas and started to look like the away team.

No one so far this season has managed to make Leeds look so easily out-classed at Elland Road, but in Norwich we’d found a serious stumbling block. Grayson made his final two changes within minutes of one another, bringing on Tresor Kandol and another loan signing, Max Gradel.

It was the latter who made the biggest impact on the game, although Tres also had his chances. Max Gradel’s introduction changed the flow of the game completely and the youngster’s pace and vision gave Leeds United hope.

Only a brilliant save from Norwich’s keeper kept the scores level as Gradel did well to send Beckford through one on one. After trying his luck from distance, Gradel once again laid another chance on a silver platter for Jermaine Beckford to convert, but the striker missed a golden opportunity to give Leeds all three points.

After two golden opportunites to win it for Leeds, it looked like it wasn’t going to be our day and in all fairness, a draw would have been a fair result. However, Jermaine Beckford managed to redeem himself after a comical error from the Norwich keeper saw him gifted another golden opportunity, of which he made no mistake. It may have taken three attempts, but eventually the frontman came good and Leeds move back to the top of League One.

Overall, a game we probably didn’t deserve to win, but three points we’ll very happily take. You have to ride your luck at times when challenging for the title and we definitely did that here. Overall, the performance wasn’t terrible, but Norwich were definitely the better team.

Jermaine Beckford’s failure to convert several good chances was a bit of the worry, especially since he found himself one on one with the keeper twice (thanks to Max Gradel).

Another shocking referee that made some extremely poor decisions and refused to let the game flow spoilt the match a bit throughout and frustrated both sets of supporters. I was also extremely annoyed at the Norwich City team for their lack of sportsmanship when Shane Higgs was struggling with an injury and in desperate need of replacing. The ball went out for a throw, which was when the Leeds bench expected to make the change, only for Norwich to rush it so they couldn’t with no interference from the ref – perhaps the only time he kept his whistle out of his mouth for the entire game!

TSS man of the match
When David Beckham was awarded man of the match for his cameo appearence in the England game last week, Capello likened it to gicing Barack Obama the Noble Peace Prize for his eight months in office. Although I totally understand what he means by this, I think the only Leeds United player worthy of man of the match was Max Gradel. Much like Beckham did for England, Gradel changed the game for Leeds and created chances where there were none before. His contribution earnt us the three points in my eyes.