The Scratching Shed

Once a year in every football fans life comes the first Saturday after seasons end. It’s an unusual time for the thousands of us used to getting up early to stalk Leeds United around the country and the tens of thousands more whose lives are distracted for two hours whilst the game is on, desperately awaiting news of Leeds’ fate.

The irrational love of a person for his (or her) football team often means it takes over our lives, and when the season draws to a close, we’re left with an extra day in the week we somehow have to fill.

Some fans probably have a list of house work that they’ve been putting off and plan to get done before the next season starts. Others may use their free day to catch up with family and friends they neglect for nine months each year, but I imagine there’s just as many of us who never see the end coming; Who never make plans for the summer, and who are now sat around scratching their heads, compulsively checking the various Leeds United sites for any news worthy of providing them with that fix of football they desperately crave.

This inevitable silence that greets us at the end of each season is also filled with reflection. A time to look back at what we’ve achieved and celebrate. It’s not often these days that a season finishes with Leeds United making progress, but this summer is an happier one thanks to Jonny Howson and Jermaine Beckford’s goals that sent us up.

Here at TSS, I’m one of those poor souls who never sees the end coming and I’m now desperately trying to fill the gap football has left. Luckily this year is a World Cup one, so I’ll have something to watch for a couple of weeks before England go out in the second round with Wayne Rooney being rushed to hospital after breaking a tiny bone in his foot. Even England’s inevitable failure is something that can’t come soon enough though – last week I found myself volunteering to work on a Saturday. Something I’d usually consider treason.

If nothing else, the summer provides a time for reflection. Here at TSS, it’s been a great first year of growth for the site with thousands of you checking in daily to read, share and interact.

From day one, I wanted TSS to have an open door policy to its guests. I wanted a site where the news wasn’t just digested and commented on by myself, but where others could comment on the latest goings on – whether they agreed with my own particular opinion or not. With that in mind, the comments on TSS have been unmoderated from the off and whilst there’s been the occasional idiot hell-bent on disturbing the peace, the site has grown into a community of like-minded fans who seldom agree, but always offer reasonable debate.

The social element of TSS has no doubt been boosted by the fan pages set up on Twitter and Facebook. With everyone’s lives now shared between the numerous social networking sites across the net, I knew it was important to have The Scratching Shed featured on them and I’ve tried to link the main site with social networks wherever possible.

Since the start of the season, I’ve added a feature to allow Facebook users to login using their FB account. I’ve used the Twitter account wherever possible to post live updates from matches and I’ve also posted links to each and every post on both TSS’ Twitter and Facebook pages.

All of this has provided a steady flow of traffic from the social networking sites, which is why I’ve focused my attention on improving the integration between them. Yesterday I added a FB ‘like’ button to the bottom of all the posts on TSS, which when clicked, puts a link on your profile saying ‘NAME likes TITLE OF POST‘ and also increases the number next to the button below. If any of your Facebook friends have ‘liked’ the post, it will show their name instead of (or alongside) a number. (eg, Joe Bloggs and 3 other people like this)

There’s also been a return for the FB fan page box on the right, which provides a direct link to the TSS Facebook page and shows some of the current fans of the site. Much like the people promising to get household jobs completed over the summer, I’m hoping to tweak a few more little bits on TSS to keep the site moving forwards.

The first season of TSS has been one of joy, sadness, anger and one where controversy never seems too far away. More than that, it’s been one of growth and shared experience. TSS now gets around 20-30,000 unique visitors each month, and it’s thanks to those who have shared, invited and participated that it’s seen such success.

As we look back on a first season where Leeds United eventually brought us success, we look forward to another one of shared hope, shared joy and more often than not – shared despair! Thanks to all TSS’ visitors throughout 2009-10. On and on…

The wild scenes at Elland Road on Saturday, followed by some hardcore partying that ran well into Sunday morning are now behind us and the focus shifts to the possible transfer targets of this summer.

Strikers

No one will be surprised to see that the biggest story today is Jermaine Beckford. The majority of Leeds United fans are already resigned to the probability of Beckford’s departure, but Simon Grayson offered some room for optimism by telling reporters that Beckford had received a new offer from Leeds United. Grayson went on to add that it wasn’t easy when the competition is from Premier League clubs (Everton, Newcastle) but he remained hopeful that the striker would stay.

I’m reluctant to say that I think he’ll leave because I said that in January (and at this time last year), but it seems unlikely that he’d turn down the chance to play for Everton to remain at Leeds. Whatever happens, Beckford should be remembered for the goal-scoring machine he was. For all the controversy, he always did what we paid him for and for three consecutive seasons, he’s been our only consistent source of goals. I wish him well.

With or without Beckford, we need some more fire-power upfront. Regular readers will remember my relentless insistence that we sign Gary Hooper back in January and he remains a likely target. The striker position is often the biggest page turner, so don’t be surprised to see us linked with everyone from Gary Hooper to Billy Sharp to Cristiano Ronaldo (not that he’d be welcome). Losing Beckford leaves us looking very weak in this area. Those that remain – Becchio, Kandol, Somma and Grella – are either unproven or fail to provide goals on a regular basis, so it’s essential that we bring one, if not two more experienced strikers into the team.

Midfield

The midfield is an area many fans have been concerned about all season. When it’s good, it can be the engine that powers us past teams in second gear, but for too long towards the end of the season it became inconsistent and offered little support to a shaky defence. That said, I don’t necessarily think we need whole scale changes. Jonny Howson remains inconsistent, but I often feel that’s because he’s left playing a position that doesn’t suit him. When sent on solely to attack like he was against Bristol, he showed us exactly what he’s capable of.

I’m not overly concerned about the midfield because I think the Championship is a different style of football that may suit some of our players more. It’s certainly not as scrappy and as rough as League One and we now have the added bonus of not being everyone else’s FA Cup final. It’s been repeated by everyone throughout the season, but what we do need is a Batty-esque type player. Someone who will mix it up and offer support to the centre-backs. Doyle’s tried to play this role, but not always successfully. Elsewhere, it’s just shedding the deadwood and adding quality depth (which applies across the entire team). I’d like to see Arsenal approached about the possibility of a season long loan for Sanchez Watt, who has shown real glimpses of class, but may not be ready for a top four Premier League side.

Defence

This seasons defence has been a story in it’s own right. From the best defence in the league to one that looks like it had never played together before, all in the space of nine months. It’s hard to say who will be able to cut it in the Championship, but my primary concern would be the full-backs. We’ve struggled in the absence of Ben Parker all season, and this should have been resolved in January.

I’ve been puzzled for a while as to why Rui Marques didn’t return to the team because him and Kisnorbo were the best central partnership we’ve had in 2009-10. Richard Naylor has been a great servant of the club, but his time must surely be up. There’s a few others too that need to be set free, so I suspect the defence will be where most of our changes are made.

Finally, there’s the goalkeepers Higgs and Ankergren. Both have served us well this season and it’ll be a shame to lose either of them, but it’s hard to see Simon Grayson not moving for a new number one. That said, both could probably play in the Championship so if the money is a little thin, we might be set for another season of watching Casper’s goal-kicks head straight into the stands.

So, long summer ahead…

I guess whatever happens this summer depends entirely on money. Anyone who thinks the majority of this team couldn’t make it in the CCC is kidding themselves – after all, this is the same team that knocked Manchester United our of the FA Cup, gave Liverpool and Tottenham a run for their money and destroyed League One for most of the season.

Whole-scale changes are unlikely and unnecessary. What we need to do is trim the deadwood and replace it with some quality and depth, but there’s a lot of players in this team more than capable of playing at the next level and it’s only fair they are given the opportunity to prove it.

It’s through extremely blurred vision and with a very heavy head I write my final match report of the season. A season full of ups and downs, ended in a match many of us will be telling the next generation about in years to come. As the champagne flowed around Leeds City centre last night, the events of the day were celebrated and relived amongst thousands of ecstatic Leeds United fans, as the promotion party continued late into the night.

It could all have been so very different though. The match itself was as eventful as they come. Historically, Leeds United are well known for bottling the big games. You only have to look back to the drama of the play-off’s over the last few years to see Leeds United seldom do things the easy way, and this was to be no exception.

A sold-out and deafening Elland Road crowd sang their heroes onto the pitch for what we hoped would be the final game of the season. No Richard Naylor, Robert Snodgrass or Jonny Howson in the starting XI, Max Gradel moved out wide and Jermaine Beckford restored to the starting line-up as captain. Simon Grayson had hinted at changes, but few had seen this coming.

Leeds looked hungry and it seemed as though things would be simple. All we had to do was get in front, and with Leeds dominating as they were, it was unlikely that Bristol would be able to respond.

Controversy soon struck though; after Jermaine Beckford’s opener was ruled out by the linesman, Max Gradel sought retribution for an earlier foul and stomped on Rovers left-back Daniel Jones. Jones hit the floor like he’d been shot and feigned injury to his face. Chaos ensued, with Leeds and Bristol players clashing violently. Another dismal referee dismissed Max Gradel, but despite his part in escalating the situation, Jones escaped with just a yellow.

Marching orders for Gradel

The scale of the situation hadn’t escaped Gradel and he reacted furiously to the sending off. Jermaine Beckford in his new role as captain tried to play peace-keeper, but Gradel was a man possessed and determined to get his own back on Jones or the referee – whoever he could get to first. After several minutes of drama, Gradel was forcefully removed from the pitch by his team-mates, but he wasn’t finished yet and came back on for another go at whoever he could get to. This time, two pretty hefty security staff were sent on, finally managing to restore order.

The tense and nervous atmosphere inside Elland Road was replaced by one of anger and disbelief. To the on-looking Leeds fans, it seemed that we’d once again been the victim of a major injustice that could well have cost us our place in the Championship. The referee was subsequently ridiculed with chants of ‘this games too big for you’ and ‘you’re not fit to referee’ along with some more x-rated stuff towards half-time. Daniel Jones’ part in the incident hadn’t been forgotten either and he was booed every time he touched the ball from that point on.

After five minutes added time, an angry Leeds United crowd left for the break where the events of the first half would be analysed further. Most of the crowd were busy watching Beckford at the time, so few had actually seen the incident involving Gradel. There was much confusion as to what actually happened and many believed Gradel had punched the left-back, probably because of his exaggerated reaction. You have to wonder whether the referee had drawn a similar conclusion, but either way, the odds were now stacked against Leeds United and we were in for a roller-coaster 45 minutes that would ultimately decide our fate.

Such is the way with these things, the villain of the day Daniel Jones hadn’t finished tormenting Leeds United yet. Minutes into the second half, Hughes failed to close Jones down and his cross led to a soft goal conceded by the make-shift Leeds United defence. 1-0 down, and the news elsewhere was that Charlton were winning. Whilst Millwall and Swindon were level, I can only imagine the roar that came from both sets of fans on discovering Leeds United’s troubles.

Leeds were wounded and in total disarray. Fresh out of ideas and struggling with a numerical disadvantage, Simon Grayson was forced into his first change of the day. Jonny Howson was brought on in place of Shane Lowry in what would prove to be an inspired substitution from the gaffer.

Just six minutes after coming onto the pitch, Howson levelled the scores. For all his inconsistencies and lack of goals, Jonny has a habit of scoring when it matters. Few will have forgotten his brace that sent us into the play-off final a couple of years back, but even those goals weren’t as big as this one. From the edge of the area, Jonny found himself in space and struck sweetly to curl the ball past the Bristol keeper and restore parity for the Whites. The roof lifted off Elland Road once again, but this time, it was a roar of defiant brilliance – Leeds weren’t done yet!

Howson levels the scores

It was easy to forget Leeds were a man down as they pushed Bristol back and went in search of a winner. All out attack was what the crowd wanted, and that’s exactly what Leeds United delivered. Those that did remain on the pitch will have been fully aware of what another goal meant for Leeds, and it seemed only fitting that Jermaine Beckford would be the one to get it.

For all his flaws, Beckford’s goal tally is a big part of why we were in this situation to start with. Even his most hardened of critics couldn’t knock his performance today, he’d chased everything, battled hard and been an exemplary role-model for the younger fans in trying to resolve the sending-off situation peacefully. As Leeds United exits go, Jermaine Beckford’s is unlikely to be forgotten.

The most valuable goal of the season, probably Jermaine’s final one in a Leeds shirt and the one that sends Leeds United up was beautiful in it’s simplicity. A classic poachers goal which was started by Jermaine’s hassling of the Bristol keeper. His poor throw was deflected by Beckford into the path of Bradley Johnson who surged down the left and sent a cross into the box. The Bristol defence struggled to deal with the cross and when it spilled free, Jermaine Beckford was on hand to send Leeds into the Championship. Needless to say, the Leeds fans nearly took the roof off Elland Road once more.

Leeds continued to try and put the game beyond reach, and Bristol gave us a few scares as the final whistle agonisingly drew closer, but the poachers goal from Jermaine Beckford would prove to be decisive. The pitch invasion began before the referee could blow for full-time, but it didn’t matter. As the Leeds fans spilled onto the pitch to celebrate a historic win, the reality of it all began to sink in. The PA man’s attempts to get the fans off the pitch proved completely ineffective, and it took a plea from Simon Grayson to restore some order so the players could come out for a well-deserved lap of honour.

"Na na na na na na na na na na, Leeds are going up..."

As the players and the fans struggled to control their emotions, all order at Elland Road was lost once more. Some cheer-leading from TSS’ player of the season, Patrick Kisnorbo would follow and once Elland Road was finally vacated, the party spilled into the streets of Leeds. After six long years of demise, Leeds United have finally began to rise again.

TSS man of the match

Before I return to a state of slumber to recover from one of the most vicious hangovers I’ve had in years, I’m left with the final man of the match of the season decision, and perhaps, one of the easiest. In what is most likely to be his final game in a Leeds United shirt, Jermaine Beckford led by example. Not only did he score the winning goal, but he also assisted in Jonny Howson’s screamer. One of the most dramatic love/hate relationships I’ve ever seen between a player and fans ends in style. Whatever happens to Jermaine Beckford from here on in, I wish him well and thank him for the memories.

With most Leeds United fans more interested in who wears the Whites armband than who will be occupying No. 10 Downing Street for the next four-five years, TSS has decided to express the concerns of some posters and instil a little democracy into our own leadership battle.

Much like the current leader of our great country, the current leader of Leeds United – namely, Richard Naylor – has come under much scrutiny in recent months. Much like Gordon Brown, Richard Naylor is an unelected leader of our never-democratic team, who has been criticised from all quarters for his lack of noticeable leadership skills. In Naylor’s defence however, he does come from the place he represents, unlike a certain Mr. Brown who comes from the cold foothills of Scotland. This is akin to Leeds United being captained by a Manchester born exile – touchy subject to say the least.

The candidates

Jonny Howson is a Leeds-born, Leeds-bred lad playing for his favourite team and quite literally ‘living the dream’. He knows what it means to play for Leeds United and is often seen as the fans representative on the pitch. Leeds United fans are well-known for the love of their home-town heroes, but it’s a potentially disastrous situation as shown by previous hero, Alan Smith. Jonny  is currently the teams vice-captain and brings with him a fair amount of experience in the senior position, having led the Whites earlier in the season whilst Richard Naylor was out injured.

Left-back, right-back, right-midfielder, central midfielder and no doubt centre forward given half a chance, Andrew Hughes will be a surprise nomination to many as he’s often a player targeted for some heavy criticism. However, Hughes’ versatile roles within the side show his eagerness to play for the team regardless of position. Moreover, whilst his ability at left-back is easy to scrutinise, his commitment and effort can’t be. One of those ‘wears his heart on his sleeve’ kinda guys Leeds United fans usually love.

Patrick Kisnorbo would probably be the bookies favourite if anyone other than ourselves were taking this poll seriously. His introduction into the Leeds United side this season instantly solved the defensive frailties we’d been prone to throughout previous years. Unfortunately, Paddy was injured recently and Leeds have suffered ever since. Kis has continually shown his commitment to Leeds despite his injury by travelling with the squad to all their games since. He’s also a big favourite amongst the fans for his fearless, never-say-die attitude that was epitomized by the bandage he wore for most games this season. It covered an untreated head injury from earlier in the season that Paddy had played through the pain barrier of. Still, he is a foreigner… Come over here, steal all our jobs, fix Leeds United’s defensive problems…

Robert Snodgrass is another one of our beloved foreigners that gives everything for the team. Even when things aren’t going well for the Scot and his crossing ends up in the roof of the East Stand, Snoddy’s head never drops and the youngster keeps fighting for the cause. In interviews, he’s told how much he loves playing for the club and wants to be part of a legacy which includes other Scottish greats like Eddie Gray and Billy Bremner. Unquestionably a fans favourite, but does he possess the ability to lead such a great team at such a young age?

The final nomination is Luciano Becchio. An outside shot, no doubt, but his effort is something every Leeds United fan appreciates even when things aren’t going quite right for the Argentinian. Most of his time in Leeds has been spent living in the shadow of prolific goal-scorer Jermaine Beckford, but whilst Jermaine’s goals have undoubtedly put us in the position we’re in, Luci’s work-rate has been a big contributing factor – something that hasn’t gone unnoticed amongst the Leeds United fans and led to Becchio become a bit of a cult hero. A much beloved work horse, but does he have leadership potential?

I’ve also added an option to vote for ‘other’ so those that feel someone has been over-looked can select this option and add their comments below. The current captain has also been included in the poll for those of you that still believe Richard Naylor is the right man for the job. Thanks go to Mike R for suggesting the idea as well as the people who debated the captaincy issue on a previous post.

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A day that started with a tragic reminder of injustice ended with a tragic result as Leeds United were once again soundly beaten without response. Four consecutive defeats in four matches where Leeds United have failed to find the back of the net mean Leeds United now occupy a play-off spot after a start to the season that looked like we’d be going up as champions.

Friday had gone well for the Whites with Norwich being comfortably beaten and Millwall only managing a draw at home to Brentford. Saturday didn’t start off too badly either with Manchester United getting the biggest cheer of the day when they lost at home to Chelsea. Not often you see Chelsea goals being cheered in the Old Peacock but there is an exception to every rule.

Chris & Kev. Never forgotten!

Around Elland Road there were numerous people collecting in honour of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight for the childrens cancer charity, Candlelighters. Billy Bremner’s statue was surrounded by wreaths and flowers as the 10th anniversary of our fellow supporters brutal murders was marked.

The players arrived on the pitch carrying two wreaths that were laid behind each of the goals and a minutes silence preceeded the kick-off. The sickening thoughts of that night were only made worse by the knowledge that ten years on the families of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight are still without justice.

The game itself started out brightly for the Whites and the early indications suggested we may well get a result. The players were passing the ball better, getting stuck in, closing down and creating chances. For all their efforts however, the best chances fell to Andy Hughes who missed an absolute sitter infront of the dismayed South Stand and Jermaine Beckford who headed well, only to see his shot saved by the visiting keeper and former Leeds United player, Lucas.

Swindon had very little to cheer about early on as Leeds United dominated proceedings, but just three minutes before the interval with the scores still level, disaster struck. A fortuetous strike from Paynter beet Shane Higgs via the woodwork and sent the visitors into an undeserved half-time lead.

The teams returned for a second half to forget from a Leeds perspective. For all their efforts early on, the Leeds United team were behind and with confidence so notably lacking, the heads dropped and Swindon took control. With just three minutes gone of the second period, Swindon and Paynter doubled their tally and Leeds United never managed to respond.

From there on in, things went from bad to worse. The team fell apart totally and Swindon had it all too easy. Their third and final goal came just ten minutes into the second half with the troublesome Paynter once again involved and Austin hitting home to secure the three points.

It was hard to believe the same Leeds United team had returned after the interval as the differences in performances were glaringly obvious. A few players did well and earnt their wages, most notably Howson who was getting increasingly frustrated at the fickle nature of the Whites side, but the majority of players heads dropped after the first goal and remained facing downwards until the end of the game.

As the Swindon fans partied and taunted the Leeds United faithful with chants of “top of the league and you f**ked it up” and “6-0 on aggregate” the Leeds United fans vacated Elland Road wondering just how we’d managed to lose the game by such a margin. By the time Swindon had netted their first goal, Leeds really should have been infront. Their lead was totally undeserved, but as the saying goes ‘goals change games’ and never has there been a more fitting testimony to that old cliché.

The result was a hard pill to swallow after seeing Leeds so dominant in the first half. I can’t help thinking that had Andrew Hughes not fluffed his sitter of an opportunity, or had Jermaine Beckford or Jonny Howson been a little more lucky with their attempts, Leeds United would have won this encounter, but after all the hard work, one goal was enough to totally destroy the lads confidence and leave us looking like a local pub team once more.

Yeovil tomorrow in the early kick-off where there will undoubtedly be changes to the starting XI with the game coming just 45 hours after our previous one. If Leeds are to stand any chance of getting out of the rut we’re currently in and making a play for the automatic position, then they have to get back to winning ways sharpish.

The ‘we all hate Leeds scum’ brigade were out in force as the Galpharm recorded its highest gate of the season for the visit of the Whites. Yorkshire derbies are rarely something worth cherishing for Leeds United fans, such is our lack of success in these fixtures but after a confidence boosting win against Oldham, we were expecting a good performance from the Whites.

Leeds didn’t disappoint and were quick out of the traps. So too however, were the play-off chasing Huddersfield whose attacking movement was quick and direct. Unfortunately, so was their fouling ability and after several Leeds United players were upended by the Town players with no response from the referee, it started to feel like it was going to be one of those days. Leeds weren’t no angels either mind, and as the tackles became wilder, the tempo rose and the atmosphere inside the stadium intensified.

It was Huddersfield who struck first blood in what was becoming an end to end encounter, with neither team being allowed much time on the ball. Pilkington’s tame shot from the edge of the area took a fortuetous deflection off a Leeds player leaving Casper Ankergren stranded and the home side infront. 1-0

Huddersfield should have made it 2-0 after that when the Leeds United defence got it embarrassingly wrong leaving a Town forward with a free chance from six yards. With only one man on the line in his way and Casper at the wrong end of the goal completely, he fluffed what should have been a gift of a goal and given Huddersfield a massive advantage.

Leeds pressed for an equaliser with Snoddy forcing a save from Huddersfield’s keeper and Becchio heading over what was probably our best chance so far. Both teams were still fighting for everything with the sole focus of seemingly on attack. So far and despite trailing, it had been a thrilling encounter, no doubt fuelled by the occasion.

It got all the more interesting when Leeds United levelled the scores just after the hour with Jonny Howson scoring a nice header from a Robert Snodgrass cross to temporarily silence the home fans. 1-1

Leeds sensed victory after that and came out on top in the encounters that followed. Beckford looked to be through only to be thwarted by the referee’s decision making, which had been the only questionable performance of the day. It seemed as though it wouldn’t matter though as Snodgrass was once again the provider for Leeds’ second goal when an uncharacteristically good corner was met with an uncharacteristically good header from Luciano Becchio. Who said Snoddy can’t cross and our forwards are weak in the air? (Don’t answer that)

2-1 and it seemed like the Leeds of early season that could get a result under any circumstances. Neither team gave up at that point and the thrilling encounter continued in much the same style as it had started. The tackles were hard and fast, both teams attacked with purpose and the referee continued to try and learn his trade.

The game was to deal one more twist however when Huddersfield equalised with just five minutes left on the clock. I’d love to say you could see it coming and I’d braced myself for disappointment, but in all honesty, I was already celebrating victory. The game was so unpredictable throughout you really didn’t know what was going to happen next, but a voice inside me said that this was our day. That this was the Leeds United of August and that we’d be leaving with three points no matter what.

It wasn’t to be though and Huddersfield got was undoubtedly a fair share of the spoils. Both teams had contributed to what makes a great derby match and the most thrilling encounter I’ve witnessed in the league this season. Despite the late sucker punch, I wasn’t really too disappointed, as it seems we’re on the up again at the right time and are definitely capable of raising our game for the bigger teams. This game simply wet my appetite for a rematch in the CCC next season.

No wins now in the last four for Leeds after another below par performance at Elland Road. Three home games at Elland Road were ahead of us last Tuesday, from which we should have realistically been looking to take all nine points, but after disappointing results against Walsall and Brighton, we’re now looking at a maximum of four as the gap to the play-off places disappears.

This was another below par performance from Leeds and the result is no more than they deserved. Although there was an improvement on Tuesday’s performance, there’s still several issues that need to be addressed;

“What the **** is going on?”

Formation

We’ll start with the ever changing line-up, which yesterday was as below at kick-off.

Ankergren

Hughes, Naylor, Kisnorbo, Lowry

Howson, Doyle, Kilkenny, Johnson, McSheffrey

Beckford

The midfield is in no particular order as it was hard to make sense of who was playing where to be totally honest, such was the lack of order it seemed to possess. The key thing to note here however is that Beckford is upfront on his own, whilst our bench harboured the likes of Becchio, Gradel and Snoddy.

More to the point, on the pitch was McSheffrey, who I was led to believe was a forward. Clearly not a natural midfielder, would probably benefit from playing alongside Beckford as he’d be a much better targetman for the long-ball Leeds are insisting on playing at the minute and can also hold the ball up and create chances, which is what Beckford needs to be of any benefit to the team.

Much like when Luciano Becchio was playing alone upfront, Beckford was massively ineffective as a lone striker with poor support from the midfield. Leeds’ final ball was so poor that the Brighton keeper could have probably taken the day off and the scoreline wouldn’t have changed too much. Beckford and Becchio need each other to produce the goods. They both bring something to the party and neither can play alone.

I’m starting to think we’re dropping a striker in order to accomodate McSheffrey who must have been promised first team football. I don’t mind that as McSheffrey is a good player, but he needs to be playing alongside Beckford to keep the balance of the team and give us any real threat going forward.

The penalty

It was never a penalty in a million years, but these things happen. The referee was totally useless throughout and both teams had to cope with him so no sour grapes from me in that respect. Leeds had all the possession and really should have walked it against a pathetically weak Brighton side who we battered 3-0 in the reverse fixture.

The long ball

It’s becoming really annoying seeing balls pumped long to players who can’t bring them down. The supporters were once again whinging at Beckford for failure to move and fight for the ball, but he’s so useless in the air there was probably little point. The team plays better when we have some sort of flow and pass about a bit, but they just don’t seem to have the confidence to try and play football at the minute.

The celebration

The players goading Gus Poyet after we scored was totally unacceptable in my mind. Whether it was deliberate or has been taken out of context, I aren’t entirely sure. Maybe they were intending to celebrate with their own bench? I know Grayson wasn’t pleased anyway and nor was Gus by the sounds of things and it’s hardly surprising really.

The positives

The substitutions

Once we’d made our three changes we were back to our normal shape with Luci and Becks upfront and four in midfield. Snoddy, who started on the bench for some reason, came on and had an instant impact and it was no surprise he got the goal. After falling one down, it was the only time we looked threatening, but since this coincided with going back to basics in terms of line-up and formation, I’d suggest this played more of a part than anything else.

The defence

A million times better than on Tuesday. Doyle and Howson in midfield were nullifying attacks before they became a threat, leaving Brighton with nothing but the long ball option and Paddy was there everytime to head clear. We look so much better with them three in the team from a defensive aspect that if the formation remains the same, I think the clean sheets will return soon.

Max Gradel

Max was the victim of an absolute horror challenge that saw Brighton reduced to ten men late on. I honestly couldn’t believe he got up and played on afterwards as he must have been in some pain, so credit to the youngster for his determination.

The fans

Unlike midweek, it was a good turn-out with 24,000 there to cheer the Whites on. Good to see such a sizable crowd despite things not going our way at the minute. That said, the patience is growing thin and the growing sighs around the ground reflects the times. Most notable chant of the day was a chorus of “What the …. is going on?” when Brighton scored. No booing at the end though thankfully.

Overall

Better but still with flaws. It didn’t surprise me at all to see us improve massively when we went back to 4-4-2 and got the regulars back on the field. I hope we start the next match with the line-up that’s served us well all season and if we are going to play McSheffrey, then hopefully it’ll be alongside Beckford rather than out of place in midfield.

Defensively we looked a different team from Tuesday night, but upfront we’re lacking in ideas, despite the vast array of attacking players at our disposal. Back to basics for me. The worrying thing is that the gap to the play-offs has closed massively so whatever the reasons behind the current slump, they need sorting sharpish.

Can’t deny I’m worried at the minute, but not entirely surprised. Years of supporting Leeds tells me that we never do things the easy way and this season looks to be no exception. I have full faith in Grayson’s ability to turn things round, but the longer this goes on, the more the fans will lose confidence and the more the morale of the support drops, the harder it will become.

I’ve left this match report a little longer than usual as I felt writing it yesterday whilst I was still fuming from the worst display I’ve seen at Elland Road this season wouldn’t have made for good reading. I could see so few positives yesterday that it would have simply been a list of our faults. The only problem is that time hasn’t changed my opinion of the match and I’m still at a loss to find anything good to say about the Leeds team of Tuesday night.

Whilst I wanted to avoid a simple list of faults, there’s little else to focus on, so here goes;

1) The defence: Starting at the back and working my way forward then, I’ll start with the defence. Never has a team been so reliant on one player as we seem to be Patrick Kisnorbo. There’s no organisation without him, the closing down is slow and we look nervous under pressure.

I’ve always liked Richard Naylor, but I think this probably stems from his performances last season and the fact he’s a Leeds United fan. Being our captain, he’s unlikely to ever be replaced from the team and being a Leeds United fan, the fans are more tolerant of his poor displays than they would be Rui Marquis’ or Lubomir Michalik’s. The fact is however, age has caught up with him and he can no longer keep with the pace of League One. How he’d cope in the Championship is anyones guess, but I’m not too optimistic.

Clearly Kis has made the difference all season and that’s become blatently obvious by his absence. I’ve lost count of the amount of man of the match awards I’ve given him and I know others have always been of the same opinion. What I’d not realised was how much he was carrying Richard Naylor though. Looking back now, the best defensive pairing I’ve seen for Leeds this season was Rui and Kis early on. Ended by injury and the return of Naylor, but something I’d like to see reinstated as soon as possible.

It’s been too easy to make Lubo a scapegoat lately and we’ve all been guilty of it, but when the defence looks disorganised, sluggish and slow to close down, you can only turn to the captain to get it sorted and get them in gear. Nayls is failing miserably on that front at the minute.

The midfield: In an attacking sense we sometimes look OK. I’m willing to accept the new additions will take time to gel, but those thats been around longer don’t seem to be doing any better. Howson and Doyle have taken a lot of criticism from fans this season as they don’t play the pretty, attacking football like Snoddy and Johnson, but in their absence, it’s clear to see what they did do and that’s sure up the defence.

Doyle is an experienced player with a good head on his shoulders and is always there to get stuck in and win the ball before it becomes a defensive issue. He’s always back helping the defence when they are in danger too and the same can be said of Howson, which is why I’ve always been reluctant to criticise either players attacking play.

It’s all well and good having four attack minded players on the pitch when we’re in possession and moving forward, but as soon as the tables turn we’re looking weaker than ever and short on numbers as the opposition breaks. Whilst it’s good to see Simon using the squad more, I can’t help but feel he’s changing the dynamic of the squad with his changes, rather than the players for fresher ones.

Let’s take the introduction of Gradel as an example. Whilst I know the lads giving everything for Leeds and provides something different going forward, he isn’t Micky Doyle or Jonny Howson, who are both more defensive minded players in my mind. As a man for man replacement, we’re adding more players to one end of the park and losing them from the other changing the balance of the team entirely.

Now, I aren’t one of Andy Robinson’s biggest fans. It’s nothing personal, but I think the Leeds fans overrate him massively because ‘he tries’. However, the lad can mix it with the best of them, has a much more defensive nature to his game when needed and would be a much more suitable replacement when Doyle needs to be rested.

My other problem with the midfield is the final ball, or lack thereof. For the overwhelming amount of attacking players we have on the pitch, we’re producing very few clear cut chances in the oppositions half at the minute. Johnson resorted to shooting from anywhere and seemed to have brought his rugby boots with him and we never really looked all that much of a threat, despite dominating much of the game.

The attack: Finally we come to the attack, who can’t be blamed for anything as it all comes down to mismanagement for me. Luci gave everything but was replaced at half-time in favour of Grella, who also tried to get stuck in but the midfield created so few real chances that neither of them were ever likely to score.

Then there’s Beckford, and as much as we’ve missed him and need him back in the starting XI, he clearly wasn’t 100%. He just seemed a yard behind all the game and I was convinced he’d be replaced at half-time or around the sixty minute mark, but Luci was brought off instead.

So, do we no longer trust Grayson? I’ll support whoever Leeds’ manager is whilever they’re in the job and do believe Grayson will get it right again. Hopefully, he’ll do it sooner rather than later as failure to secure promotion will likely cost him his job. He’s a young manager whose team have hit a bad run and he needs to find a way to get them out of the rut. It’s that simple really and however much I criticise his decisions I still have faith in him and hope he can get us back on track.

…and that goal? The goal that didn’t look like a goal is irrelevant for me. Had Leeds performed well and lost to a dodgy decision I’d be calling for the linesman and referees head, but in truth it was no less than we deserved after failing to do anything with all the possession we had.

My biggest problem with it now is Casper is using it as an excuse for the defeat, as others in the team are no doubt doing too. It gives them an easy scapegoat to pin the blame on, but each and every one of them need to wake up and see the reality that they only have themselves to blame. Bemoaning your luck will get you nowhere. Getting your heads down, getting stuck in and giving the same kind of effort that we have for much of this season wins points, not pointing the finger and looking for someone else to blame.

It’s good to be a Leeds fan again this morning after our 2-0 victory over Colchester ended the dismal run of league form we’ve been experiencing lately. The frustrating run of results left many Leeds United fans pulling their hair out when taken into context with the brilliant FA Cup displays they were sandwiched between. Simon Grayson called for an improvement, and a reshuffled Leeds United delivered.

There’s an old saying in football that it’s a game of two halves. This match however, was a tale of two halves of the first half. Leeds started looking a little panicked and shaky across the field, but slowly gained confidence as the scoreline remained level. On-loan signing, McSheffrey found his feet and started playing some excellent link-up play with the other attacking players. His ball holding skills proved valuable throughout and there’s no mistaking how good an addition he was.

The on-loan striker made his first real mark in a white shirt in the build-up to our opening goal. As Leeds found their feet and confidence, the sheer strength of our attacking options started to pay dividends with McSheffrey, Snodgrass, Becchio and Beckford all present to trouble the Colchester defence, forcing them to keep more players behind the ball than they probably would have liked. It was Becchio that was brought down inside the area for another one of those nervous penalty moments, but McSheffrey’s contribution to the build-up shouldn’t be overlooked.

Cue Beckford once more with the penalty. No nonsense from the Leeds United striker, struck firmly into the side of the net to send Leeds infront. Colchester’s keeper did guess the right way, but Beckford got the fundementals right by hitting it with enough pace to leave the U’s keeper with no chance. Before the Spurs game, we’d only scored one of our last seven penalties. Beckford has now buried the last two and our penalty woes may finally be at an end.

Meanwhile, our second new addition was a left-back from Villa called Lawry. Another great signing by Simon Grayson who has successfully identified the weak spot in our team once more. For the first time in as long as I can remember, the Leeds United manager seems to be reading from the same page as the rest of us. His arrival is a welcomed one and the youngster gave a very impressive performance for the 70 or so minutes he played before being forced off with what looked like cramp. That said, the last full-back we got on-loan from Villa got injured in the warm-up to his debut so I wouldn’t be surprised if lightning has struck twice. This is Leeds after all, we’re hardly the luckiest team in the world.

Both the new arrivals were involved with the next major Leeds United move which followed the opening goal and looked destined to make it 2-0. Lowry’s break fed Beckford who selflishly linked with McSheffrey who was massively unlucky not to score on his debut. Only an excellent one-handed save from the impressive Colchester United stopper spoilt the dream debut for McSheffrey who was realing starting to make his mark on the fixture.

The second half started much the same as the first ended with Leeds on top. The teams confidence had clearly built throughout and the vast supply of attacking options Leeds had was keeping Colchester’s defence extremely busy. Elsewhere, there was a massive improvement on recent weeks in Howson and Doyle’s display who ran the show in the centre of the park, battling hard throughout.

By this point, McSheffrey and Beckford were looking like the ultimate combination upfront, linking well and creating chances almost at will. However, the second, and ultimately final goal came ten minutes into the second period via Jonny Howson. Jonny brought the ball down neatly to create an nice shooting opportunity and struck sweetly, only to see his effort come back off the woodwork. Jermaine Beckford was as alert as ever inside the box though and pounced on the rebound to give Leeds a two goal lead and a much needed three points.

From there on in, we continued to create opportunites. Beckford was unlucky not to bag an hattrick when his third goal was ruled out for offside. Not sure on that one, but I’ll give the officials the benefit of the doubt since we won. McSheffrey received a well deserved standing ovation as he was replaced by Max Gradel who himself went on to nearly make it three after Beckford played him in and his shot was saved by the Colchester keeper.

Overall, and despite a shaky opening period, this was more like the Leeds United we’ve got used to this season. The new additions were integral to the performance bringing some much needed life to what had been a fading team. Colchester played well enough and won’t be too dishearted by the result, but Leeds’ attacking options proved the difference.

The tactics used by Grayson in this match showed a real belief in the manager who could have easily tried to iscolate any threats and hope Beckford gets lucky. Instead, he fielded a very attack minded team in what was at times a 4-2-4 formation. Howson looked much more comfortable in the centre of the park with Doyle alongside him doing what he does best in making the challenges and cleaning up the mess.

Aside from the three points we needed desperately, what makes this victory extra sweet is the satisfaction of silencing the anti-IGWT (In Grayson we trust) contingent. Whilst I was cynical of the decision to play the same team in the cups as we have in the league, changes in form will happen over the season and the main thing is that Grayson identified the problem, acted on it and resolved it before it became anything too serious. That’s what makes Simon different from the rest of the managers who have passed through Elland Road over the last decade or so and that’s what will take this football club forward.

And finally…

That just leaves the man of the match, which could easily go to McSheffrey as his contribution was excellent, but for me, it was Jermaine Beckford. Even without the two goals he delivered, he was brilliant. He linked well throughout with everyone, creating plenty of opportunities and seemed to enjoy every second of the game. Nice to see him smiling and enjoying life at Elland Road once more.

The goals from our 1-1 draw and dismal display at home to Wycombe. The match did bring with it a new record for Simon Grayson whose Leeds United side have now remained undefeated at home for a year. TSS’ match review can be found here.

Leeds United 1 (Howson) Wycombe Wanderers 1 (Pittman) 
Elland Road, 09-01-2010