The Scratching Shed

Since I’ve decided match previews are about as interesting as watching people sleep on E4′s night time coverage of Celebrity Big Brother, the ‘Interview with an away fan’ series I’ve randomly done will serve as a direct replacement.

This week, with Wycombe the visitors to Elland Road on Saturday (assuming enough people can figure out how to drive in the snow) we’re joined be the co-editor of Wycombe Wanderers fan site, SMBU for what has to be one of the most entertaining interviews to date. 

TSS - Hi SMBU, thanks for taking the time to talk to TSS. Wycombe’s current form leaves a lot of space for improvement with four losses and one draw in your last five games. Not the best time to visit Elland Road, is it?

SMBU - There’s not really been a good time to visit anywhere this season. We’ve looked ill-prepared for the campaign from the opening day and though League One is seen by most Wycombe fans as our natural level, we’ve looked like League Two tourists on a minibus with bring-your-own binoculars most of the time. Obviously the trip to Elland Road was the one everyone sought out in June but while we probably thought you’d be top, I don’t think anyone thought we’d be so marooned in the mire come January.

TSS - Our top-goalscorer Jermaine Beckford revealed he wanted to leave this week and has submitted a transfer request to the club. This hasn’t gone down well with the fans of Leeds United and the chances of him playing Saturday are slim at best. Do you think that’s a good thing for Wycombe, or are you worried a defiant Leeds will go out intent on proving they can win this league without him?

SMBU - There’s nothing worse than a talented but grumpy wantaway striker. We had the same problem with Jermaine Easter a couple of seasons ago when he wept with rage at Wycombe denying him his rightful place in the upper echelons of the Premier League. How did that go Jermaine? To be frank, I’m sure whoever Leeds bring in on Saturday will still have enough to bring mayhem and muddle to the existentially ragged Wycombe defence so don’t worry on that account. Looking from the outside, it seems disappointing that he’s willing to jump ship when you’re homing in on the title but agents need their slice of pie, especially when you’ve got the central heating on all day.

TSS - Anyone in your team that we can buy to replace Beckford’s 30 a season?

SMBU - Yeah, tell Ken to make a sensational £30m bid for our entire squad and we’ll meet him in a layby near Chesterfield.

TSS - You’ve got the wrong Ken mate. Ours doesn’t spend money! As I said in my first question, you’re not in the greatest of form at the minute and lie 23^rd in League One. Is relegation an inevitability or can you turn this round?

SMBU - A few weeks it looked like we were turning a corner but a traditionally bleak Christmas (we’ve won once on Boxing Day in 16 seasons as a league club) has dumped us back in the doom zone. Certain brands of Wycombe fan may swan about town boasting about our undersoil heating but when it only allows you to lose games that could have been postponed it’s a bit pointless. I think there are enough poor teams in the division for us to make a dramatic escape but we’ll need to strengthen in the transfer window and I don’t know whether that will happen.  

TSS - Back in 2005-06, you were riding high in the league, but everything went wrong after the sad death of young midfielder Mark Philo, and John Gorman’s (manager at the time) wife dying. 21 matches undefeated turned into 6 straight losses as Gorman took time off to grieve. Gorman was later “relieved of his duties” as the club didn’t think he was in the right state of mind to continue managing the club, despite the fact he took over Northampton a few days later. What are your feelings on this?

SMBU - That was a very odd season. Some of the football played under Gorman beggared belief, all out attack and a defence made of play-dough. The deaths were an awful & bleak interlude and to see a record unbeaten run and a record run of defeats in the same season summed up the unreal nature at the time. John Gorman is one of the nicest men in the game but he came back too early after his wife died and the club probably did the right thing, for him more than anyone. His spell at the wretched shoe-goons in Northampton showed as much. It was good to see him back in the game at QPR.

TSS – Odd seasons hey? I once had a dream that we’d appointed an idiotic chairman who went crazy and threw money at over-rated players like Michael Dubious. It resulted in us going into financial meltdown and crashing down into League One… Oh wait…

Anyway, staying with management, like Leeds, you seem to go through them quite quickly. Paul Lambert and Peter Taylor followed Gorman, and Taylor has since been replaced by Gary Waddock. Is he the right man for the job, or do you wish one of the others had stayed?

SMBU – Lambert was a good manager, and turned the players that Gorman had signed into a proper unit, as evidenced by our run to the League Cup semis (indeed, Manchester City may be chipper at the moment but we’ve still been to more domestic cup semis this century than they’ve managed in the past 30 years). Taylor should be spoken of in great terms, the first manager since Martin O’Neill to get Wycombe promoted, but the football last season was like watching battery acid run down some double glazing and there were no tears when he departed in the autumn. Gary Waddock has turned things around, in the entertainment stakes at least. Even if we go down, he should be given a chance to get us back up but modern football likes to encourage relentless change like a divorcee at a one armed bandit.

TSS - Funnily enough, the afore mentioned Duberry currently plays for Wycombe. Not someone I’m particularly keen on given his involvement in the Bowyer-Woodgate incident. It also didn’t help that we paid him a ridiculous amount of money when the fish in Ridsdale’s office were on a par in terms of usefulness. The last time I saw him, he looked a little on the heavy side; Is this still the case and how is he getting on as captain of Wycombe?

SMBU – Duberry may currently be paid by Wycombe but there’s not much chance of seeing him on Saturday. He’s done more lumbering than a Canadian truck driver this season and to say the Wycombe fans are unimpressed is an understatement. He was appointed captain based on his reputation but has shown nothing but chunky thighs and the turning circle of the Austrian naval fleet. Clubs like Wycombe should be bringing through young talent and hunting through the non-leagues for rough diamonds, not paying faded stars to bring some glamour and a carbon footprint to the training ground car park. 

TSS – Another ex-Leeds player Ian Westlake also plays for Wycombe. I met him when he was younger and was always a fan of the lad. Always thought he’d do well at Leeds, but wasn’t to be. How’s he getting on?

SMBU – Bit of a panic signing by Taylor at the end of the summer and hasn’t featured too much. Has shown some nice touches on occasion but has also looked well off the pace and injury prone, plus it’s fairly clear that Waddock is keen to get rid sooner rather than later.

TSS – That’s a shame, he’s a nice lad and the talents definitely there. Guess he’s doomed to be another ‘could have been’ though. Aside from Dubious and Westlake, what other players should we be keeping an eye on this Saturday?

SMBU – Midfielder Tommy Doherty is one of the classier players in the lower leagues though has a temper on him, while wideman Matty Phillips has come through the youth team and is showing some genuine promise. We’ve also got local lad Scott Davies on loan from Reading, a youngster who started with Wycombe as a kid before moving to Berkshire in the Nathan Tyson deal, and he’s been a step above most players in the past few months, This will probably be his penultimate game, sadly.

TSS – I’m always quite interested in what other clubs think of Leeds, especially since we were voted the most hated club in football (despite our demise). What are your feelings on us?

SMBU – I always have soft spot for any big club who slip down to the third tier, like seeing a heavyweight boxer fighting at the local carnival for candyfloss and a bus fare. We were the only team to do a league double against Man City in 98-99 but they still escaped at the first attempt. You should clamber out this time and we’ll wave you on your way. Let’s be frank, Wycombe and Leeds have no history so any Wanderers fan dishing it out is skating on thin ice. Then again, it works both ways so if you start saying that a club formed in 1887 has no history then you’re just as bad.   

TSS – A soft spot for Leeds? That could well be a first! Finally, what’s your prediction for the game?

SMBU – Leeds to cruise into an early lead before the ref abandons the game due to frost on the stanchions. 

TSS – I’d be more confident in the game being called off by frost than Leeds romping to an early lead. Even when we’re on the up I can’t help but feel the next fall is just around the corner. Years of experience taking it’s toll I guess! Thanks for taking the time to talk to TSS and best wishes for the rest of the season.

I don’t always get around to doing pre-match previews for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s lack of time, sometimes there’s just too much else going on, whilst other times it’s just lack of inspiration. For me, Oldham needs little introduction though.

It’s not that they’re massive rivals of Leeds United or look like they’ll be challenging for the title at the end of the season. Oldham just seem to get the better of Leeds whenever we meet.

Over the last two seasons we’ve beaten Oldham just once, which was back in 2007 when a last minute Ian Westlake strike earnt us all three points following a fairly poor performance from the Whites.

Since then, Oldham have taken seven points from a possible nine. Six of those at Elland Road, where very few teams tend to leave with anything. In the reverse fixture during the 07-08 season, Oldham had effectively killed the game off before the half-time whistle by which point they’d already put themselves 3-0 up. Leon Constantine pulled one back just after the break, but the comeback was never on and Leeds were well and truly beaten.

Fast forward to August the following season and Oldham were at it again. This time it was 0-0 at the break, but two second half goals from Chris Taylor earnt them another win at Elland Road with no reply from the men in white.

That brings us to our last meeting back in March. Leeds were battling to get out of League One whilst Oldham were floating around mid-table. Once again it was 0-0 at half-time, but shortly after the break, Lee Hughes fired Oldham into the lead. This time though, Lucciano Becchio equalised shortly after to leave the scoreline at 1-1. A less than convincing display from the Whites, but we left happy with a point.

Those that read my ‘Interview with an Oldham Athletic fan’ post from yesterday will have seen a less than confident fan worried about mounting injury problems at Oldham. Of course, Leeds have their fair share too, but that shouldn’t be any major concern with the depth of this squad.

Bob, the Oldham fan I “interviewed” actually predicted a Leeds United win despite their record against us saying that he thought the final scoreline would be “3-1 to Leeds but we are at our most dangerous when everyone writes us off so who knows?”

Not sure who they have out injured, except for Chris Taylor who scored the brace at Elland Road last season. Sean Gregan will need no introduction to Leeds United fans after his 63 league starts for the club, but could be a potential headache. It’s often the case that former players seem to raise their game against their old club so I’d expect a performance from Sean (if fit).

For those of you that have been living in a cave, the FA have decided to stream this game live from their website. After seeing the England match in the Sports Bar in the centre of Leeds, I wouldn’t get your hopes up too high. The coverage was truly woeful and made for an extremely unpleasent viewing experience – I actually walked out long before the final whistle and went to watch the Leeds Rhinos game instead.

As part of their loan agreement, both Sam Vokes and Max Gradel will be unavailable for the tie, which means Grayson will be forced to make changes. I’m half expecting him to rest the likes of Beckford anyway, so there maybe a starting place for both Mike Grella and Tresor Kandol. The one worry is that if we are struggling for options, Max Gradel has been used as an impact player to come on to change the game. Not sure we have many others with that capability.

Really not sure what to expect from this Saturday’s clash. Not sure how much I care either. The romance of the FA Cup has long gone, but the chance of drawing Manchester United in the third round means it’s almost worthwhile.

Taking Oldham’s injury problems and recent form into account – only one win in the last five – Leeds should be able to get a result here. The problem is, this is Oldham and if any team in this division looks like a potential banana skin, it’s most certainly them. We’ll be meeting them again in League One in a few weeks too. Oh joy!

The English transfer window has now closed bringing an end to the summer long speculation surrounding Jermaine Beckford’s future.

Becks has been linked with an host of clubs throughout the summer, most of whom play in the Championship, but it was the latest rumour involving Bolton Wanderers that had Leeds United fans worried as we headed into the final few days. The rumour was that Gary Megson was preparing a last minute £3m swoop for Becks should he fail to sign another of his targets.

Beckford’s been an integral part of Leeds United’s early season success. So far we remain 100% in League One with Beckford scoring five in the first five games.

The news will bring some much welcomed harmony to Elland Road – at least until the next transfer window opens in January. Although there would be no point whatsoever selling Beckford in January as no right-minded club would pay anything for him, he would be able to sign a pre-contract with any club he chooses. He will undoubtedly remain at Elland Road until the end of the season though and that’s the main thing.

On the final day Leeds brought in 24-year old South-African striker Davide Somma who has been on-trial with us but only played behind closed doors so far. We’ve also loaned out Alan Sheehan to League One rivals Oldham Athletic, initially on a one month loan.

Full list of summers ins and outs.

*Estimate fee

Leeds United will play Wycombe Wanderers (informally known as the Chairboys) for the first time in their history on Saturday as the League One campaign continues. The Wycombe Wanderers official site is describing the game as ‘one of the biggest in recent history’.

The club play their home games at Adams Park in Buckinghamshire and are currently managed by former England U21, Leicester City and Hull City manager Peter Taylor. Taylor also acted as caretaker manager of the national side in 2000.

Taylor has been quite successful in lower league management getting Hull promoted twice during his four years at the club. After taking over Wycombe in May 2008, he guided them to promotion at the first time of asking finishing third in last years League Two championship.

Adams Park can hold upto 10,000 fans although rarely achieves such an attendance. Last season the clubs average was just over 5,000, but they’ll be expecting close to a full house on Saturday as most clubs do when Leeds United are in town. We’re not famous anymore!

Michael Duberry back in his 'happiest days' at Leeds United.

Leeds fans will be familiar with at least two of the players in the Wycombe line-up. Former players, Ian Westlake and Michael Duberry both play for the club these days, with Michael Duberry in the role of captain.

Duberry told the offical WWFC site that his “time at Leeds was probably the happiest of my career.’”

He goes on to add that “We had a great team spirit in those days and the players used to come in a couple of hours before training just to have breakfast together and talk football. They were great days and I was sorry to leave”.

Anyone who attends the game on Saturday will be able to sample more of his interview including his thoughts on giving evidence at that trial we all want to forget about.

On paper, Leeds United should walk this game, but Wycombe shouldn’t be underestimated. Peter Taylor is a good manager, with years of experience and is sure to have done his homework. You also have to factor in the ‘Cup Final’ factor. As Wycombe admitted on their official site, this is a huge game for them. The club has just started making steps forward under Peter Taylor and this is by far the biggest game they’ve played so far, so the players will need little motivation ahead of the fixture. Having said that, the quality of the Leeds side should be the decisive factor and I’d be disappointed with anything less than three points.