The Scratching Shed

A trip down South to the team that sounds more like a Chinese takeaway than it does a football club was quite an exciting one surprisingly enough. Even though I knew it was unlikely Jermaine Beckford would play and Kis was still out, I couldn’t help but get ahead of myself and predict a 3-0 win to the Whites. Not sure whether it was naivety or logical thinking, but Leeds’ wealth of attacking options for me were destined to destroy the pitiful Southerners.

In the first half things went as planned. Leeds dominated possession, had pretty much all the notable chances and were just missing the deft touch infront of goal that would give us the lead we so blatently deserved. Nothing to worry about though. All we’re missing is a striker capable of making something out of all this possession and attacking play and bobs your uncle. As chance would have it, there just happened to be a young American striker on the bench, described by many of his team mates as the most skilful player in the squad, and who has proved before that he can make a difference.

Unfortunately, Larry stood firm with his starting line-up and put his faith in Luciano Becchio, who, quite frankly, looks lost without Jermaine Beckford lately. I don’t want to be over-critical of a player who has given his all for Leeds United, but the difference between him and Becks was shown to all when it came to penalties against Carlisle. Whilst you’d have to prize the ball from Jermaine Beckford’s cold dead hands to get any chance of taking a scoring opportunity away from him, Luci doesn’t seem to have the same self-belief, nor does he have the same ability to get into key positions and score the vital goals on a regular enough basis.

Max Gradel meanwhile, was trying absolutely everything to find an opening and worked tirelessly throughout. It really did seem like if anything was going to happen, then he’d be involved somewhere along the lines. So, imagine my lack of surprise when it was Max who was removed to finally get Grella on the pitch for his standard fifteen minute cameo appearence. Anyone watching the game knew the right move was to get Gradel alongside Grella and torment Orient into submission, but for whatever reason, Simon Grayson decided to stick by the largely ineffective Becchio for the full 90.

When you’ve had every chance, all the possession and somehow not scored, it’s inevitable you’ll live to regret it and on 83 minutes, Orient took the lead. To be completely honest, I wasn’t even surprised as I’ve seen this happen so many times before, but credit to Leeds. They kept going and fought for an equaliser which came in the dying moments when Bromby’s throw-in caused havoc in the box and an Orient player put the ball over his own line. Lucky would be an understatement, but a point is no less than Leeds deserved.

 So, what did we learn from Orient? The true value of Jermaine Beckford would be my answer. Whether it takes him three chances to score or not, he’d have had fifteen chances in this game and we’d be sitting back on top of League One. Failure to capture another capable striker in the January transfer window may still come back to haunt us. We’d have been better off with Dickov on the pitch, and the thought of him signing for Leeds disgusts me.

The ups

Domination: It was too easy for us to retain possession at times and dictate play, but with no one to turn it into goals, a fixture from which we should have easily taken three points turned in to one where we dropped two.

Attacking options: With a reshuffled midfield, Leeds had a ridiculous amount of attacking options that could cause any team in the division problems. The problem we had however, was that our “Inconsistent, takes him six chances to score” striker wasn’t in the box to convert any of them.

Max Gradel: Good response from Max after the antics of the JPT. Was involved with everything and seems eager to shine for Leeds United.

Keep fighting: The last second equaliser was a tribute to the never-say-die attitude these players have shown all season. Shame we were in the position to need one to start with mind.

The downs

Becchio: It’s not so much Becchio that the problem is with, it’s the lack of a goalscorer alongside him in the last two games. We’ve had the ideal opportunity to let Grella show us what he can do and missed it to accomodate more midfielders than we could ever possibly need. I’m in danger of becoming repetitive but what on earth does Grella have to do to get in the starting XI?

Beckford: Kinda links on from my previous point, but what on earth would we do if Beckford was to become injured for the next three-four months? If Grella isn’t given the chance to shine, then I suspect we’d be freefalling back into the play-offs for another year in League One. All hypothetical of course, but once again I’m worried by our failure to sign another striker in January.

Defence: The difference Kisnorbo makes is ridiculous. The defence had maybe two problems to deal with all afternoon and one of them found the back of the net as no one could challenge for the assisting cross.

There’s something about wearing the all white strip of Leeds United that makes players insist on doing things the hard way. Top vs bottom yesterday was a perfect example. What should have been a stroll in the park for the runaway league leaders, almost turned into a disaster.

Credit where it’s due though. For a team that’s just lost ten in a row and look like they’re already relegated, Stockport were determined to make life as hard as possible for Leeds United. Had it not been for one of the most pathetic defences I’ve ever seen and a goalkeeper determined not to leave his line, Stockport could have become only the second team this season to beat Leeds United.

First things first – the pitch. I can’t describe how bad it was. Within minutes of kick-off it started to tear up and was somewhat reminiscent of Histon’s last year. Fair’s fair though, the game came close to being postponed due to the weather conditions lately and had it not been for the efforts of the Stockport fans and ground-staff, we wouldn’t have been playing at all. Besides, I played on enough bad pitches as a youngster, as I’m sure the pro’s did and we still managed to have a game.

Within the first two minutes Leeds had already turned Stockport’s defence inside out and Snodgrass fired us into the lead. Three defenders were around Snoddy as he advanced on goal, but none of them put a tackle in and Snodgrass was allowed to shoot from just outside the box. His shot deflected off the foot of one of the defenders, wrong-footing the keeper and giving Leeds a dream start. 0-1, and things were going as expected.

Stockport soon equalised though when one of their stand-out players, Carl Baker – who, incidentally is leaving them next week – went on an unchallenged run towards the Leeds goal. Eventually he was stopped by the Leeds defence, but only at the cost of a free-kick, from which County equalised. Baker took the free-kick himself, firing it low into the bottom corner, via another deflection from the Leeds wall. 1-1, and before anyone points any fingers, there was nothing Casper could have done about it.

Both keepers were kept busy as the teams exchanged blows. Bradley Johnson came closest for Leeds when his volleyed shot came back off the bar. Becchio also thought he’d scored just after the half hour mark, but the linesman decided he’d used his hand to control the ball. As half-time approached, Leeds enjoyed the better of the match but never pressured Stockport’s weak defence enough for me.

The second half started with both teams having chances, but it was Stockport who would take the lead just after the hour mark. A corner taken short from Stockport, was whipped towards the back post from the edge of the area where Leeds’ defence was once again missing and Mullins converted to give County a rare moment of celebration. After losing ten in a row, this wasn’t what the league leaders were expecting, nor were the home sides fans who were in total euphoria.

Simon Grayson made two changes shortly afterwards in search of more ideas upfront. The most important change was undoubtedly Max Gradel, who the Leeds fans had already called for. He replaced Robert Snodgrass and immediately started to torment Stockport’s fragile defence. Howson was also brought on for Doyle.

It took just five minutes for the equaliser and it was Patrick Kisnorbo with an unexpected assist. His cross found Jermaine Beckford who headed home brilliantly to restore parity. Who said Beckford was rubbish in the air? 2-2.

Gradel was busy running the Stockport defence ragged and Grayson made his final change replacing Lucciano Becchio with Tresor Kandol. The better chances were going Leeds’ way by now as Stockport looked happy to take a point.

Relying on such a poor defence was County’s downfall and ultimately cost them points as Max Gradel’s cross was poorly cleared, landing nicely for Leigh Bromby who struck beautifully on the half volley to send Leeds back infront with just two minutes remaining. 2-3. Queue a hysterical celebration from Bromby, who clearly hadn’t rehearsed anything in training.

County tried to chase the game and get themselves a point, but the World’s greatest time-waster, Casper Ankergren had other ideas. When the ball went out for a Leeds goal-kick in the dying moments, Casper did his usual routine of lining the ball up, walking back slowly, re-aligning the ball, walking back slowly again, knocking the mud off his boots on the post… etc… etc. Understandably annoyed by Casper’s antics, one of the Stockport fans behind his goal launched a snowball at him, for what had to be the funniest moment of the match.

Casper’s time-wasting proved to be irrelevant though as Jermaine Beckford wrapped things up in injury. Tresor Kandol played him in and although his shot was a little tame, it found it’s way under the County keeper to secure the win for Leeds. 2-4, job done. Beckford clearly enjoying himself again and everything rosy once more in the Leeds United camp.

"The referee's a..."

Whilst the goalscoring had finished, the totally inept referee who had been handing yellow’s out like they were Christmas cards decided to go one better by sending off a County player. His challenge on Gradel wasn’t the best admittedly, but they’d already lost the game and Gradel was fine so I simply can’t see what the sending off achieved. 

Clearly one of those ref’s that was adamant the fans came to watch him rather than the football, he managed a total of eight yellow cards (six for Leeds) and one red. An impressive haul by anyones standards. His final booking was one of those rare moments I agreed with though. Patrick Kisnorbo - who’d otherwise had a relatively good game - decided to shout at David Poole as he was leaving the pitch. A stupid thing to do as the player had already been sent off and seen his team go from in front to two behind and was probably feeling bad enough already. Kis received a yellow card for his antics, but it could easily have been red with the way the cards had been dished out.

This was a poor game by our standards. We weren’t great defensively and never pressured a weak Stockport defence enough. The conditions didn’t help as players slipped all over so Leeds were never able to really take control.

Stockport deserve credit mind. Considering they’re struggling as much as they are it was a spirited display from them, but Leeds have more talent at their disposal. Having the luxury of being able to bring on Max Gradel, who can change games in seconds, is something most teams don’t have. Thankfully, we got the job done and end the year with a victory.

Elsewhere, Charlton could only manage a draw, so Leeds will start the New Year eight points clear at the top of League One. Back across the Pennines next for Leeds, who will be playing a largely unheard of team from Salford in the FA Cup.

A bit of festive cheer was had by all yesterday as Leeds came from behind to win 3-1 at home to Hartlepool United. Beckford has deservedly stole the headlines, but here’s how I thought the rest of the team rated too.

Casper Ankergren – 7
Did what he had to do throughout and whilst the passes remain a little dodgy and his catching could use some improvement, he did well overall. Can’t be held accountable for the goal as it was sloppy defending that left their mammoth of a striker unmarked.

Leigh Bromby – 6
Quiet, but didn’t really do much wrong. A bit dodgy at times in the first half, but sharpened up in the second. Not an ideal solution - let’s say “adequate.”

Patrick Kisnorbo – 8
Another solid performance from Kis. Can’t put a foot wrong really, although the mammoth striker i mentioned who scored (Ármann Björnsson) was beating Kis and Nayl’s in the air for fun at times. Hardly surprising though as he was about six inches taller.

Richard Naylor – 6.5
Bit of an up and down performance from Nayl’s. His passing went astray at times (like others), and like Kis he was beaten a few times by the beast they had upfront. Also has to take some responsibility for the goal we conceded as the captain is the one who should be organising the defence in such situations – especially when he’s a centre-back. Leaving the back post empty is a major oversight. On the flipside, he got in with the tackles and blocks.

Andrew Hughes – 7.5
A very good performance from Hughes. Bit of a scare early on when he was down for a while with what looked like a knee injury, but pulled through and had a good game. Even delivered a couple of good crosses in.

Jonny Howson – 6.5
Poor in the first half but improved no end in the second. Distribution was way off early doors, but after the break he came back looking like a different player.

Micky Doyle – 5
I’m usually quite a fan of Doyle, but he served no real purpose in this game. Around the box he brings little to the party, but that’s nothing unusual. His strength usually lies in suring up the back line, which to an extent he did, but he gave the ball away far too often.

Neil Kilkenny – 7.5
Neil spreads the ball better than anyone else on the team. It’s like a natural ability for him to be able to pick out the right pass that creates openings for others. Great performance from him, but like last week, he could have shot more often.

Robert Snodgrass – 8
Absolutely tireless in his efforts. The passes didn’t always make it, nor did the crosses, but he was everywhere. Had several shots blocked within the opening quarter of an hour and I was surprised he didn’t get his name on the scoresheet.

Lucciano Becchio – 7.5
Not sure whether he’ll be awarded with the goal as it took a major deflection, but worked hard throughout, holding the ball up and playing people in. Was taken off after a daft yellow card he picked up for a handbags battle also involving Johnson.

Jermaine Beckford – 9
I can’t believe there are still people criticising parts of his play when he scored twice. He was a bit over-eager at times, granted, but he worked hard throughout and was unlucky not to get the hat trick considering the shot that came back off the bar. That’s the kind of answer we all wanted from Beckford after his recent antics, let’s hope he can keep it up.

Substitutions
Gradel was too eager to score for his own good and a little selfish in truth. Johnson and Kandol didn’t really get much of a chance to do anything (other than get himself booked in Johnson’s case). By the time they came on, the match was won and the rest of the team were more interested in playing olé football than they were scoring again.

I often find myself disagreeing with Phil Hay’s attempts at rating performances, mainly because he refuses to give anything less than 5/10. Maybe he’s been reading TSS, because since I mentioned his reluctance to give anyone really low scores, he hasn’t rated them. Anyway, it’s unfair to criticise others for something you don’t do yourself, so here’s my first attempt.

Casper Ankergren – 5/10
Never had a single save to make throughout the entire game. Anything Southampton tried was nullified by the defence and midfield making Ankergren more of a spectator than a goalkeeper. Still getting sarcastic cheers from the Kop whenever he catches the ball, and his kicks still have a habit of finding touch, but doing his job well on the whole.

Leigh Bromby – 6/10
A pretty solid performance from Bromby. Closed down well, passed well and essentially did what he’s supposed to do.

Patrick Kisnorbo – 9/10
Kis was everywhere and I only remember him making one slight error that was cleaned up easily by Nayls. The difference with him in the team is remarkable. Irreplacable for me, an absolute rock at the back. Bandage still on from his clash early in the season. I’m starting to think it’s a fashion accessory.

Richard Naylor – 8/10
Not as influential as Kis, but a solid performance nonetheless. Not sure Nayls is 100% yet, but there were few signs of fatigue or lack of match practice.

Andrew Hughes – 6/10
Probably one of his best performances so far for Leeds. He actually looked like a full-back for once. Was beaten a few times down the wing, but overall he had a good game, getting the tackles in and pushing forward when possible.

Jonny Howson – 7/10
Going forward he was missing in the first half, but had a good second period before being substituted. Defensively he was consistently good throughout, closing down quickly and getting back to help out when needed. Tried to sort Becks out during the substitution saga but to no avail.

Michael Doyle - 7.5/10
His defensive contribution was much more important than his attacking one. Like most of the team, he lacked ideas going forward but helped to dominate the midfield by closing down quickly and getting stuck in to make sure Southampton had no time on the ball.

Neil Kilkenny – 7/10
Also played his part in denying Southampton time and space, but much like Doyle he seemed a bit lacking in ideas infront of goal. Felt he selflessly passed up a few shooting opportunities that he probably should have hit, but overall another good shift from Killa.

Robert Snodgrass – 7/10
Had it not been for the spectaculor goal, Snoddy would have scored lower. His crossing was poor throughout leading to many wasted attacking opportunities. He kept the work rate up though and even on a relatively poor day by his standards, he made the difference.

Jermaine Beckford – 6/10
Contrary to most reports, Jermaine didn’t have a bad game. It seems that a lot of fans are too willing to focus on the negatives now though and refuse to give him any respect for what he did do well. Becks chased the ball, closed down with the team and tried to play people in throughout. Nothing really fell for him, but the one chance he did have saw him slip and whinge at the referee. Whinging and substitution antics aside, not a terrible game for Becks.

Lucciano Becchio – 8.5/10
I said it was a coin flip between himself and Kis for man of the match in my report, but Becchio did let himself down by putting an unmarked header over the bar from six yards. Aside from that, he hassled the opposition whenever they had the ball, held the ball up well, linked well with the other players and worked tirelessly throughout.

The substitutions
The usual introduction of Max Gradel brought with it some new ideas in the second half, whilst Bradley Johnson, who came on at the same time also had a good run out and brought the game to life. Although neither of them were really involved with Snoddy’s goal, they did seem to give Leeds an edge.

Leaving the stadium tonight whilst passing comment to friends about the atrocious weather we always seem to face at Oldham, one of their fans told us that we’d actually come on a good night. It was two degrees when we got in the car for the journey back down the M62 and the rain had barely let up all night. I’d have said I’d hate to see it on a bad night, but I’d been there for worse.

The same Oldham fan seemed extremely pessimistic about his team’s chances, telling us he wouldn’t be surprised to see the team relegated at the end of the season. It wasn’t hard to see why as Simon Grayson’s reserve team strolled to victory and our march towards the League One title continued.

Only Jonny Howson could be considered first team from the starting XI. Jason Crowe and Leigh Bromby would be the next closest although the defence has been reshuffled so many times this season, I aren’t entirely sure what I’d consider our best back four. Loan-signing Hogan Ephraim made his debut, David Prutton made a rare start and Max Gradel partnered Sam Vokes in an unusual Leeds United front-line.

For a stadium in such desperate need of redevelopment, the irony of our stand being sponsored by Leesfield Development didn’t escape me. Oldham actually only have three stands as one was torn down a while back for reconstruction that clearly isn’t happening. I think they’re hoping to build a new stadium, but how they’re going to pay for this when they can’t manage a decent attendance is anyone’s guess.

Oldham’s support is so low that Leeds United’s 4,000+ travelling fans outnumbered the home fans. The atmosphere in the home stands was almost non-existent, aside from an annoying drum that was repeatedly beaten throughout much of the first half. The only audible noise in the ground came from the ever-vocal Leeds United fans who did all they could to keep themselves warm throughout.

A few chances fell either way early on, with Leeds’ best attack being thwarted by the linesman when Neil Kilkenny released David Prutton. Oldham looked a bit better than the team that we beat in the FA Cup a few weeks back, but you could see why they’re struggling throughout.

Sam Vokes wasted an opportunity to send the Whites into the lead ten minutes before half-time as Leeds started to dominate. After beating the offside trap and finding himself one on one with the keeper, he failed to take his chance and fired straight at summer target, Darryl Flahavan. Vokes continues to disappoint me with each passing game. He isn’t a natural goal scorer and exerts very little effort throughout. He just doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds and I’ll be glad to see Becchio back in the starting line-up.

The opening goal didn’t take much longer though. Max Gradel fired a nice cross across goal and Neil Kilkenny touched it home to send Leeds 1-0 up. Gradel tried his luck from range shortly after with a curling shot, but his effort failed to trouble Flahavan. Leeds finished the half strongly though and deserved their lead.

The second half continued much the same as the first ended as Leeds looked to kill Oldham off. Flahavan proved to be quicker than Vokes and denied the striker a chance before Prutton headed over. As we approached the hour, Vokes showed once more why he’ll never make it as a striker, firing over the crossbar with an excellent opportunity that he should have been able to keep down. Hate to be too critical of anyone in a Leeds shirt, but I really don’t like the lad. He doesn’t look like he wants to be at Leeds, he didn’t chase much all night (whilst Gradel chased everything and drove the Oldham defence mental) and quite simply, he isn’t good enough.

Oldham’s best chance of the night came shortly after. Some poor defending from Leeds left Paul Heffernan with the goal at his mercy, but he failed to take his chance and fired into the side netting, much to the relief of the Leeds defence and 4,000 travelling Whites.

Two changes for Leeds saw Snodgrass and Becchio come on in place of Vokes and Ephraim. It’s hard to say how well Ephraim played as the opposition were poor and he never did anything really groundbreaking. That said, he didn’t do anything wrong either so it’ll be interesting to see what he does in the next game.

Snodgrass almost got lucky immediately but was beaten to the ball by Flahavan. Another half chance for Oldham followed, but Simon Grayson’s other substitution made the real difference. Max Gradel once again the provider for Becchio to put the game beyond doubt. A skilful finish from the returning striker was celebrated in style with the management and players on the bench.

The Leeds fans went wild and a large portion of the away fans headed for the exits. Interesting thing about Oldham is that the players in the stand running along the pitch have to exit up a set of stairs straight in front of the away fans, which predictably led to chants of ‘Time to go…’ as the Leeds fans celebrated another win waving the Oldham fans goodbye.

Grayson substituted Gradel shortly after and the player received a standing ovation from the travelling Whites. Chants of ‘sign him up’ were once again aimed towards Simon Grayson who would no doubt love to do nothing less.

For Leeds United to be able to beat Oldham with their second team is incredible. Twelve months ago, that was unthinkable, but Grayson continues to impress. The march towards the League One title continues at Elland Road on Saturday when Leeds host Huddersfield in the Yorkshire derby.

TSS man of the match
For his tireless work ethic, skill, flair and of course, the two assists, it couldn’t be anyone other than Max Gradel. It’s like watching an over-enthusiastic kid in the park, who never gives in, chases everything and just seems to love playing. ‘Sign him up!’

League One’s leaders go head-to-head tomorrow in what is probably the divisions biggest game of the season.

Season so far

Leeds United remain undefeated so far, whilst Charlton have lost just one game and sit three points behind Leeds in second. Both teams had a disappointing Tuesday night as Leeds were held to a 1-1 draw by Carlisle United, whilst Charlton were hammered 3-0 away to Colchester.

The growing injury list at Elland Road looks set to rule out Shane Higgs, Leigh Bromby, Ben Parker, Jason Crowe, Rui Marques and Robert Snodgrass. Leeds do have depth though and the last undefeated team in England will be confident infront of an expected crowd of 30,000.

So, what brings you here?  

Charlton Athletic – also known as The Addicks or simply Charlton – are a London team based in the district of Greenwich, formed in 1905 they’ve played their home games at The Valley since 1919.

Charlton have had a bit of a rollercoaster history and finding themselves in the third tier is nothing alien to them. However, not so long ago they were battling against Leeds in the Premier League under the guindance of long-serving manager, Alan Curbishley.

Alan Curbishley left the Addicks in 2006 and with his depature came a serious slump in form that saw Charlton relegated. Despite being touted as favourites to make a swift return to the Premiership, Charlton’s luck didn’t improve. A string of managers came and went, losses of £13,000,000 were reported and the club was relegated again.

Charlton are now managed by former Hull City manager, Phil Parkinson who joined them in 2007 as assistant to Alan Pardew. He took over the role from Pardew late in 2008, but couldn’t save the club from relegation.

Head-to-head

Leeds United and Charlton last met in the Premier League in 2004. An early goal from Holland put Charlton into the lead, but Leeds fought back with goals from Matthew Killgallon, Jermaine Pennant and an Alan Smith penalty giving us a 3-1 lead. Another penalty, this time for Charlton was converted by Euell to make it 3-2 and he scored again minutes later to earn the visitors a point and subsequently relegate Leeds to the Championship.

In the reverse fixture earlier that season, Leeds won 1-0 courtesy of a goal from James Milner, but perhaps the most memorable result was at The Valley in 2003, when we hammered the hosts 6-1. That day, Ian Harte scored a penalty, Harry Kewell scored two and Mark Viduka hit an hattrick.

Overall, our success rate against Charlton is pretty good. Out of the 45 competitive meetings between the teams, Leeds have won 24, lost 14 and drawn 7.  

They also played for Leeds

A few recognisable faces once again in the Charlton line-up including Frazer Richardson who will need no introduction to the Elland Road faithful. Sam Sodje is also applying his trade at The Valley now and the more observant of you may remember Matthew Spring who had a brief spell with us back in 2004-05.

Prediction

It’s a tough one this weekend with so many players out injured. The performance on Tuesday has done little to inspire any confidence in me either, but Charlton’s form seems to have dipped a little too so both teams will be looking to prove themselves.

Quite often, when you’re expecting a thriller, you find that teams cancel one another out and there are few clear cut chances for either side – MK Dons being a prime example of this. The defence looked a bit shaky at times on Tuesday and Casper Ankergren has never convinced me in goal. That said, I think we have enough quality and depth in this side to win matches like this at home and I’d be disappointed with anything less.

Snoddy selected for Scotland

Robert Snodgrass has been called up to the Scotland squad for their October the 10th friendly against Japan. As great as it is to see Snoddy’s talent recognised, it’s not the greatest news for Leeds United as the tie will rule him out of the Bristol Rovers clash.

Update: It’s since been announced that the Bristol Rovers game will be postponed due to several international call-ups from the Leeds United squad.

Charlton’s confidence builds

Charlton’s confidence is building ahead of our top of the table clash this weekend. The South London Press has picked up on our growing injury list and with the likes of Snodgrass, Higgs, Parker, Bromby, Marques and Crowe all ruled out, Charlton will be confident of getting a result at Elland Road. Simon Grayson does have a decent size squad though and the fringe players will have to be at their best.

Oldham winger set for Leeds?

Leeds are being linked with a move for Oldham winger, Chris Taylor. The highly rated winger is out of contract at the end of the season and could be part of a part-exchange deal with Alan Sheehan heading in the opposite direction.

The 22-year-old came through the ranks at Oldham and has since made 150 appearences scoring 19 goals. This isn’t the first time Leeds have been linked with the winger. On the 8th of June, there was reports of a £500,000 deal but nothing ever transpired.

We’re not famous anymore

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

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

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

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

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

Ken Bates forgets if he owns us or not

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The team Simon Grayson has built may have missed out on promotion last term, but their achievements so far have broken records which stood for four decades. The greatest start to a season and the most consecutive league wins were records previously held by the great Don Revie’s team of the late sixties and early 70′s, but records are there to be broken and that’s exactly what Mike Grella and Lubomir Michalik did on Saturday.

Although Simon Grayson’s Leeds United play two divisions below the one Don Revie’s great side did, his achievement shouldn’t be undermined. The turn around at Elland Road is remarkable. The team look confident, comfortable and capable of beating anyone. Even without Jermaine Beckford, Patrick Kisnorbo and Rui Marques, Grayson proved his squad had the depth to get the results. Mike Grella got his first Leeds United goal in his first start and Lubomir Michalik returned to the first team and gave Grayson something to think about.

The buzz around Elland Road remains and is building all the time. The confidence levels of the fans have reached a new high. It’s been a while since we had reason for such optimism and everyone seems to be enjoying it. The pre-match entertainment came courtesy of the other 100% league side, Charlton Athletic, who kicked off before us and won 2-0. Leeds would be looking to match them and remain level on points. I’d decided we could beat Stockport 6-0 and take the top spot, such is my confidence at the minute.

There was some area for concern as the teams warmed up. Jermaine Beckford was missing, the defence was unproven and the referee sent two of our players off last season. Mike Grella started in place of Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol was keeping the bench warm.

It didn’t take long for any doubts to be forgotten though. Within minutes of the kick-off Leeds took the lead courtesy of New York born Grella. A classy finish by the American and Leeds settled in for an easy game. 1-0.

A new stength in the side quickly became evident as Leigh Bromby’s long throw expertees were unveiled. He threw a few into the box which caused Stockport’s defence trouble throughout and gave us an extra attacking option.

The second goal came just before half time when Robert Snodgrass shot from a free-kick. The Stockport keeper made a mess of his save and spilled it to Lubomir Michalik who was more than happy to clean up. 2-0 to Leeds and the game was as good as over. On another day we could have gone to town on Stockport and scored a few more but it was a poor match in all honesty. Robert Snodgrass could have made it three in the second half but his feeble attempt at a penalty kick was saved with ease. Still one problem left to sort out then!

There’s little more to say about the match as it was a pretty dull affair overall. We could have had more but never seemed to put in too much effort. The stand-in defence did well enough but were never really pushed. Stockport are a poor side that will undoubtedly struggle this season. I know we’ve already had this debate but how this was a Cat A is anyones guess? The fact that only 22,000 could be bothered turning up for the fixture says it all. I’m hoping Jermaine Beckford’s injury isn’t too serious as I remain unconvinced by Mike Grella’s finishing ability despite his goal. He’s a good player that works hard for the team, but he doesn’t have the killer instinct yet.

100% record intact, five points clear of third place and looking comfortable. However dull the game was, you can’t complain while winning!

TSS man of the match – Jonny Howson
Jonny’s impressed me all season. He’s stepped up to the next level this season and fights hard for the team. He creates chances, passes well and gets stuck in.