The Scratching Shed

Loads of rumours, no confirmation

“Funny season” is well under way and Leeds United are being linked with everyone and anyone the papers can create even the loosest of links to. The problem with a management structure that likes to do everything behind closed doors is that all it leaves the rest of us with is guess work and here’s the most notable guesses thus far.

23-year-old Hereford winger, Marc Pugh is being linked after turning down a two-year deal at Edgar Street. Bulls News, the Hereford site which the rumour has been written on does however claim Pugh is more likely to move to Bournemouth, but gives no real indication as to why.

Arsenal’s young goal-keeper Wojciech Szczesny is another player strongly linked with Leeds United and is expected to come in on a season-long loan to fill the position left by Casper Ankergren. Arsene Wenger is known to be a big fan of the Polish stopper and is keen for him to get some games in at a relatively high level before being cast into the number one spot at the Emirates full-time.

Elsewhere, Billy Sharp is once again being linked after Doncaster Rovers failed to secure his services. It’s believed Rovers offered somewhere in the region of £650,000, but the other chasing teams such as Leeds and Derby would have to stump up around £1,000,000 to meet the Blades valuation.

Finally, Newcastle United’s 22-year old goalkeeper Frazer Forster has also been linked, whilst Neill Collins is expected to make his Elland Road loan spell permanent. Gary Hooper remains a strong favourite amongst Leeds United sites, and fans alike, but little seems to have been said from the more mainstream press.

Revie statue

The Yorkshire Post has revealed that a campaign is under way to raise £90,000 for a statue to be commissioned of the late Don Revie. ‘Not before time’ will be the view of most Leeds United fans as many of us have suggested he should be seen alongside the great Billy Bremner on approaching our stadium.

It doesn’t seem the club have any involvement in the campaign so the location of the statue is an area of some dispute. Rest assured though, as I’ve just emailed the campaign’s leader and am hoping for more information in the coming days. If all else fails, I’m sure the fans wouldn’t mind chipping a few quid in each.

Missing persons search

A bit of a quiet spell at the minute without much going on for Leeds United, which is part of the reason TSS hasn’t been updated all week. I noticed a few of the regulars having a bit of a laugh on a previous post with suggestions to my possible whereabouts. I’d just like to confirm Ken Bates hasn’t killed me, I’m not tall enough to be affected by the volcanic dust-cloud, I don’t holiday in Bridlington (or Cleakheaton), I’m not the agent of Lubomir Michalik and didn’t win a seat at the general election, although all the above suggestions were more interesting than my actual life last week, so feel free to pick one out and take it as fact.

After securing promotion to the Championship (albeit the hard way) Simon Grayson has wasted no time in clearing the deadwood and lining-up some new targets.

If you’re to believe the most popular circulating rumours then Leeds are frontrunners for Ian Harte’s signature and have also offered Norwich’s Darel Russell a better contract than what his current club can come up with.

Firstly, I’m torn on Ian Harte. I always liked him whilst he was at Elland Road (despite his non-existent defensive ability) and have been massively impressed by his goal-scoring record in 09/10. His overall performance when we came up against him earlier in the year wasn’t great, but then, I never expected him to perform miracles at centre-back. It’d definitely be nice to have a natural left-footer on the wing, and his goals would be most welcome. Age is a concern, but if he can do the business then so be it.

Once again, Russell isn’t the headline making transfer I’d hoped for, but he seemed solid enough when we came up against Norwich and should be able to ply his trade in the Championship. Not a young man by any means, but for the year or two I’m hoping it’ll take to get us back to the Prem (ever the optimist) he should suffice.

Although neither of these players have been confirmed as targets by Larry, I suspect there’s an element of truth to them both. They seem to fit the criteria of Ken Bates in that they’ll only need short-term contracts, won’t cost him anything in transfer fees and are a quick and easy way to pave over the cracks. I never expected a big-spending summer, but some evidence we’re looking towards the future would be nice.

Finally, we come to the ‘released and retained‘ list published by the official site earlier this week. The best shot-stopper outside the Premier League (probably) will be leaving us. Casper Ankergren came to Leeds United and instantly won over the fans with some commendable performances and impressive saves. However, his inability to catch or kick the ball grew frustrating and his departure won’t surprise many. That said, I always liked Casper and wish him well.

Rui Marques is perhaps the most surprising released player on the list and his relationship with Simon Grayson has to be questioned. Rui and Kis formed the strongest defensive partnership of the season and looked destined to be first choice. However, an injury to Rui and the return of Naylor saw Marques cast aside and forgotten about. Despite a massive loss of ideas from Nayl’s, he retained his place whilst Rui slipped down the pecking order. Again, I wish him well and he’ll most definitely be missed.

Amongst the others leaving the club are youngsters Andrew Milne and Mike Whitwell who were both touted as potential first team material not so long ago. Simon Grayson’s decision to favour an out-of-place Andy Hughes over the talented Aidy White has often left me questioning his faith in the clubs youth structure, and it’s with that in mind I have to wonder whether that’s a big part of the reason for Milne and Whitwell’s release. Maybe I’m reading too much into it and they simply weren’t good enough? Only time will tell.

Alongside those that have been released are several players who have been instructed to find another club. Andy Robinson, Alan Sheehan, Tresor Kandol and Lubomir Michalik will all be looking for a new home as Larry trims the ‘deadwood’. I’ll always remember Tres for the great moonwalk he pulled on Soccer AM after introducing himself as “TK20 – Subs bench!” None are massive shocks, but all of them have done a service for Leeds United at some point or another and will be remembered for their efforts in trying to turn around a sinking club.

Seeing players leave the club is one of the hardest parts of following a football team. All of the above deserve thanks for their contribution to Leeds United FC over the past few years and I wish them all well. Unfortunately, in any area of life, success often has it’s victims. Football is no different.

All that transfer talk with no mention of Jermaine? A TSS first!

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.

Won on the night, drew overall, but out on penalties. Despite a defiant comeback from a never say die Leeds United side who were unquestionaly the better team overall, it’s Carlisle that will play in this years JPT final at Wembley Stadium whilst Leeds United are dealt a bitter blow by the coin flip that is a penalty shoot-out.

I left Carlisle on Tuesday night feeling extremely bitter. The JPT for me was always a pointless competition I cared little about, but the opportunity to watch Leeds United play at Wembley once more was always tempting. My bitterness stemmed from quite possibly the worst referee I have ever seen. I usually try to ignore referee’s performances, because on the whole, the lower league ones are largely useless and both teams have to cope with their incompetence, but this referee was a special kind of moron.

Clearly, this ref had just got himself a new whistle and wanted to show it off to the 10,000 fans who he mistakenly believed had come to watch him. His whistle spent so much time in his mouth that the game hardly had a chance to flow early on, but he did seem to let up a little second half (presumably after a bollocking from someone) and the two teams were actually allowed to play football in small patches.

What was all the more irritating about this referee than the usual jobsworth was his inability to give a decision that actually mattered. If a player coughed near another one anywhere outside the penalty box then this was a definite free-kick in his mind. However, when a Leeds United player was fouled in the box for the most clear cut decision I saw all night, he gave nothing! The final blow for me though came at the very end when he decided to have the penalties taken infront of the Carlisle fans rather than at the opposite end which was split. The coin toss became a little more weighted in their direction at that point.

When the ref did stop to capture his breath, the game was actually a really good battle. The scoreline says it all really, but the comeback from Leeds United was magnificent. Both teams will be questioning some of the defending in the aftermath, most noticably Lubomir Michalik on our part who got himself two assists for Carlisle. Whenever it looked like it was over, Leeds United just didn’t give in and you could sense Mike Grella’s goal coming and just knew this was going down to the wire.

Carlisle for me didn’t deserve their place in the final, Leeds were the better team and but for some poor defending and a few dodgy decisions, we’d be playing in the most exciting JPT final the competition has ever seen infront of a capacity crowd at the national stadium. Without us, the final will hardly be thought of outside Carlisle, but we bow out of the competition with our heads held high and are now fully focused on what has been the number one priority all along. Promotion.

The ups

The fans – As always, the fans did Leeds United proud. We outsang the pitiful Carlisle fans throughout and even when our backs were to the wall facing a two goal mountain the songs just kept coming. MOT!

Never say die – The penalty shootout aside, this was a display from a spirited Leeds United who never gave up and carried on fighting no matter what the scoreline read and however stacked against us the odds were. This is the kind of display that will win Leeds United promotion, however bad the defence may be at times.

Attack, attack… attack, attack, attack! When the goals were needed and the referee kept his whistle out of his mouth for long enough and even without Jermaine Beckford (who would have probably got sent off with that ref) Leeds were good when on the front foot. Becchio should have done better with a couple of chances, but the build-up play from McSheffrey, Snoddy and Gradel was usually very good. Snoddy even managed to cross pretty well so long as the ball was moving. Corners on the other hand… Well, one step at a time…

The Downs

Luciano Becchio – Bitterly disappointed with Luci who bottled the penalty shoot-out, leaving our on-loan full-back to take the decisive penalty instead. Only one regular striker on the pitch in the absence of Beckford and he didn’t have the balls to step up and take a pen for Leeds. Whatever his reasons, he’s a striker and should always be taking them before the full-backs. Also could have done better infront of goal, but as a lone striker Grayson was asking a lot.

Max Gradel – Too much time with Jermaine Beckford has led to the youngster developing a serious attitude problem. The referee infuriated everyone, but shouting at him was never going to get you too far Max. There was one point where Kilkenny tried to calm him down only to receive a load of abuse too. His footballing display was good and he tried everything to give Leeds the edge, but his attitude overshadowed his performance. Lucky not to see a red card.

Lubomir Michalik – Dreadful. At times he made some good tackles and got the blocks in, but when taken into context with his mistakes, he was dreadful and cost us the game.

The tactics – Becchio as a lone striker? I know he’s found his shooting boots lately, but that was never a good idea. What on earth does Mike Grella have to do to get in the starting line-up at Leeds?

When Hogan Ephraim’s shot deflected in after just eight minutes, it looked like it was going to be all too easy for Leeds United, but if the opening goal was lucky, the atrocious defending that went unpunished thereafter was miraculous.

Grayson rung the changes to his side. Richard Naylor returned to the team and partnered Lubomir Michalik at the back, with Crowe and Hughes playing at full-back. On-loan Liverpool goalkeeper, David Martin made his debut and there was also starts for Hogan Ephraim, Tresor Kandol and Mike Grella.

After Ephraim’s fortuitous opening goal, Leeds never applied any real pressure. The best chances we had for the remainder of the first half fell to Kandol, who had a shot blocked by the Accrington keeper’s legs and a hopeful shot from Robert Snodgrass that went wide.

Accrington meanwhile probably had as many chances as Leeds including a free-header from a corner that their striker really should have buried. The lack of man-marking from the set-piece was a sign of things to come as the shaky Leeds defence made the game harder than it should have been.

The second half brought with it another early goal when Ephraim crossed for Kilkenny who headed home. 2-0 to Leeds and things really should have been wrapped up.

Accrington never put their heads down though and kept fighting. Had it not been for a lucky save from David Martin which flicked on to the post and came back out in to the path of a White shirt, Accrington could have been back in it. More fortune for Leeds as the woodwork came to their rescue again and the Leeds defence continued to scare the life out of the 12,000 inside Elland Road.

Grayson changed the front two with Kandol and Grella making way for Vokes and Gradel. Neither of the departing strikers will have been happy with their shift as they did little to threaten Stanley’s keeper throughout. Gradel forced an impressive save from the Accrington keeper late on, but the substitutes didn’t have much more luck than the two they replaced and Accrington continued to look the more likely to score.

Such was the state of Leeds United at the back, Simon Grayson made the decision to bring on Patrick Kisnorbo in place of Robert Snodgrass, effectively changing the formation to 5-3-2. Probably not something he’d expected to have to do before the fixture, but Naylor and Lubo just weren’t keeping the visitors at bay.

Leeds managed to escape the fixture with a clean sheet, but if todays team was supposed to show the quality of this squads depth then we have problems. I know Doyle is often seen as the weak link in midfield, but the job he does in suring up the defence is invaluable. His absence today was noticable throughout. The partnership of Lubo and Naylor didn’t work and the full-backs didn’t inspire much confidence either.

Elsewhere, Grella and Kandol never really had a chance to shoot. The difference between the two sides was only Leeds taking their chances. There were very few clear cut chances for the Whites as we rarely looked in a hurry to attack, but the ones we did have were converted. Accrington meanwhile will have been disappointed with some of their finishing, most notably the free-headet in the first half. However, they’ll also be cursing their luck with the woodwork coming to our rescue twice.

Regardless of how many changes we made tonight, we have to improve before the weekend. Southampton are a strong side and with Rickie Lambert upfront, they’ll be sure to punish such sloppy defending. The main thing is that we’re through to the final where we’ll meet Carlisle United. Although I’d have preferred to play the Leeds suburb of Bradford, we’re still in the race for Wembley and that’s the main thing.

TSS man of the match
I’m going to give it to the Elland Road woodwork tonight as without it, we’d have probably been knocked out on penalties. Hogan Ephraim deserves a shout too though. Although he did little to help out defensively (like the rest of the team) he got himself a goal and an assist, so an obvious choice.

I said before today’s game that I’d be disappointed with anything less than a victory. Huddersfield have been conceding far too easily and whilst they have the best attacking record in the league, I felt Leeds’ impressive defensive record should keep them quiet. Add to this the fact it was at Elland Road where we haven’t lost since January and the fact we’ve won the last five without conceding and all the signs pointed to a home win. However, much like our last three meetings, things didn’t quite go to plan.

Things couldn’t have got off to a better start. Whilst some of the 38,000+ fans were still trying to make their way in to the ground and find their seat, Robert Snodgrass capitalised on an error from the Huddersfield Town goalkeeper and slotted home to give Leeds United an early 1-0 lead. The chance came from a pathetically weak shot from Sam Vokes that their keeper somehow failed to keep hold of giving Snoddy the opportunity to open the scoring.

Less than two minutes gone and Leeds already infront. I was already thinking we may mirror the 4-0 demolition job we did on them back in 2007. Leeds continued to press, but Huddersfield high line of defence was causing problems for Beckford who got caught offside a couple of times. Vokes had a chance to double the lead though but his header from a Beckford cross went wide.

As the half wore on, the dominance changed in Huddersfield’s favour and they started to get more and more of the ball. Leeds did have another chance though in injury time when the Huddersfield Town keeper made a good save to deny Robert Snodgrass his second and keep Town in the game.

The second half started much the same as the first with a goal inside the opening two minutes. This time though, it was Huddersfield’s turn as sloppy defending from Leeds kept an attacking move alive for the visitors. A shot deflected into the path of Lee Novac who headed by Casper Ankergren to level the tie.

Leeds had a couple more chances but Huddersfield looked the better team for much of the game. The crowd had already been calling for Lucciano Becchio long before the substitions came on. Vokes and Kilkenny would make way for Becchio and Leeds United super-sub, Max Gradel.

With our first choice frontline restored and Max Gradel on to run at the Huddersfield defence, it felt like Leeds would get another one yet. It didn’t take long either. Ankergren kicked a long ball upfield which headed towards the opposition goalkeeper. Beckford went up for the ball as well though and the challenge led to another error from the Town goalie. Gradel was on hand to pick up the loose ball and subsequently rounded the keeper and fired home to put Leeds back on top.

Poor marking from setplays, not for the first time in this fixture left Leeds looking fragile at the back. A short corner routine that Huddersfield had pulled off twice was unexpected by the United defence who were perhaps a bit tired from getting up early. Town got another shot away, but this time fired wide.

The poor defending from the corner and play that followed should have served as a warning sign for Leeds to buck their ideas up, but Huddersfield restored parity once more with twelve minutes left on the clock. A cross was fired in from the right and Jordan Rhodes rose above everyone else to beat Casper Ankergren and earn the visitors a point.

The remainder of the match was played on the back foot by Leeds and the final whistle actually came as a relief. For the first time in a while, I can honestly say that poor defending cost us today. We looked weak from crosses, corners and free-kicks and the Huddersfield Town wingers made our full-backs look like they were in the wrong game.

Derby matches are never as simple as they look on paper. Whilst myself and presumably many others would have expected a win today, the occasion often means things aren’t quite as straight forward as one would hope. Huddersfield were unquestionably the better team for large parts of this game. Leeds’ defence was largely weak and the midfield weren’t much better with the exception of Snodgrass. Still no killer instinct from Vokes and a couple of chances wasted by him, whilst Beckford’s attempts to break were too often thwarted by the flag.

One person I refuse to blame today who is often an easy target is Casper Ankergren. Whilst he still flapped at too many crosses and can’t catch a cold, his ball created the second goal and he made a few vital saves that earnt us the point. The two we did concede were more the fault of pathetically poor defending than they were the goalkeeper.

Nice to see Lucciano Becchio on the way back to the starting XI as we look a lot stronger with him than we do Vokes. The impact subs of Grayson once again paid dividends and you can only hope Max Gradel’s stay will become permanent.

I think I’m willing to write today off as one of those derby days where it’ll never be as easy as expected. We need to forget about what was a below par performance and re-group before the next League One tie next Saturday away to Brentford. Before that though, there’s the small matter of an away day at Old Trafford up for grabs against Kettering Town on Tuesday.

TSS man of the match
Was suprised when Robert Snodgrass was substituted late on as he looked like the only player on the park that had caused them problems all day. Always the man for the big occasions and today was no exception. The Scot worked tirelessly and the goal just adds icing to a great performance in an otherwise disappointing display.

The Ku Klux Klan, Leeds

KKK at Brighton. From MOT at Travels of a Leeds fan.

Anyone that attended yesterdays stroll in the park win against Brighton may have taken a little offence to the makeshift rain poncho things provided by Brighton.

With blustery, wet and cold conditions at the seaside, Brighton’s ramshackle stadium, which most Conference teams would deem inadequate provided no cover whatsoever for the crowd. Brighton’s answer to their sub-standard accomadation was to provide the fans with White rain protectors, that made the Leeds fans look like a travelling branch of the Ku Klux Klan.

I guess that’s what happens when you fail to listen to your Mother’s advice and go prepared for all eventualities. I think Brighton may need to re-address the policy though, as the picture I’ve “borrowed” from MOT at Travels Of A Leeds Fan shows, it was an obvious resemblance to the racist idiots.

100 and counting for Becks

Jermaine Beckford celebrated his 100th appearence for Leeds United yesterday with another goal, taking his seasons tally to 12. Well on track to match last years impressive tally, assuming he’s still wearing a Leeds shirt at the end of January that is.

Kilkenny vs Howson

Noticed a poll on a Leeds United forum I’m a regular on asking whether Howson should be dropped in place of Neil Kilkenny.

Killa played brilliantly yesterday and I don’t want to take anything away from his performance. He’s continually impressed lately and is getting more time in the first team as a result. However, Jonny has hardly put a foot wrong all season so why on earth is he the one who should be dropped?

My overall feelings on this issue is that the midfield works. Killa is snapping at the other players heels and thats a good thing. He’s making them fight for their place and keeping them on their toes, but one excellent game doesn’t mean he should replace a consistently good player.

Much like the defence, with Rui, Michalik, Naylor and Kisnorbo all performing well this season, the midfield also has options and that’s what makes a great team with enough depth to challenge for the title. Killa got a game yesterday as Johnson seems to have picked up an injury. Naylor was also missing and Michalik was in as a replacement. Despite having a few first-team regulars missing, we cruised to victory.

It’s a great feeling knowing the squad has so much depth and can beat teams when we pick up injuries. The first team however doesn’t really need changing. Everyone deserves their place and until someones performances drop, you can’t change that. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

Edit: You know what, stuff it. This isn’t the EU. Democracy is king at TSS, let’s have a poll.

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Struggling League Two side Grimsby Town are our visitors tonight for the area quarter-finals of the Football League Trophy. Leeds are unsuprisingly favourites for the tie after our dominant start to the season and Simon Grayson has admitted the lure of playing at Wembley means the players shouldn’t need much motivation for this clash.

The distance between these two teams and the contrasting fortunes so far this season has left us 2/9 favourites for the tie, whilst Grimsby aren’t given much of a chance at 11/1.

Aside from a 2-0 win to Leeds in the 1998 FA Cup, the last time Leeds and Grimsby competed against each other was in the 1980′s in the Old Division Two. Throughout the 80′s Leeds and Grimsby met ten times, with Leeds winning four, Grimsby winning two and the rest ending in draws.

So far in this seasons Football League Trophy, Leeds have played just once beating Darlington 2-1. The game saw Simon Grayson make several changes to his usual line-up handing starts to Lubomir Michalik, Aidy White, David Prutton, Andy Robinson, Neil Kilkenny, Tresor Kandol and Mike Grella. There are rules in place to ensure teams play some of their usual line-up, but I’d expect a similar amount of changes tonight.

Although Leeds won their first FLT game of the season 2-1 against Darlington, Simon Grayson was publically critical of his sides display. Leeds started brightly enough and were 2-0 up before the half hour mark, but the foot came off the gas thereafter allowing Darlington to get back into the game. Simon told his fringe players that they should be making the best of these opportunities to impress and that failure to do so will see them given less chances.

Grimsby Town’s first game of this seasons Football League Trophy saw them beat our fellow League One rivals, Hartlepool 2-0. However, they’ve also lost 4-0 to Tranmere Rovers in the League Cup so I wouldn’t read too much into that.

It gets worse for Grimsby too. They haven’t won in their last five games and currently find themselves one place off the bottom of League Two. The only team with a worse record is the one we met in the last round of this competition, Darlington, who have managed just five points from fifteen games.

A familiar face returns to Elland Road tonight and is definitely one to watch. Peter Sweeney had little luck at Elland Road but has fit straight into Grimsby’s first team. In the ‘interview with a Grimsby Town fan’ I did, Rob told us how Peter was getting on in Grimsby;

He’s a good player, probably our most skillful player, the biggest problem is his mouth. He gets booked at least every other game for dissent. He’s suspended on Saturday against Bath for 5 bookings, probably all for dissent!

I also asked Rob for a prediction and he said a draw meaning it would go to penalties.

Personally, I’d be disappointed with anything less than a comfortable victory. I’m hoping to see Sam Vokes, Max Gradel and Aidy White given an entire match. As I said earlier, I think there’ll be mass changes to the usual line-up although with this weekends game postponed Simon doesn’t have to worry too much about resting anyone. Either way, (without wanting to sound arrogant) we should be too strong for Grimsby.

TSS welcomes back Gledders (from askgledders.com) for a four-part post in which he offers advice to our less than popular chairman.

Part I – The Chairman needs to know why his ‘customers’ spend money with him.

Leeds United fans are an exceptional bunch of customers. Not difficult to understand at all. Our description could include high expectations, but with a tolerance for masses of disappointment. We have to accept the dictates of the board, but usually respond with a vulgar chant. As payback, football has given the best of us a special kind of paranoia. It’s what happens.

Let’s take a look at the current state of play for our football club. First in our division, seven points clear and I don’t care what anybody says, still able to play some attractive football when given the chance. We have only lost one in fourteen or fifteen and despite some key injuries, we have managed to deliver the goods. At last Leeds has a team again, not a collection of individuals. Good times.

We have some key players with injuries. To me, this is best demonstrated by Becchio’s injury. I think that his assists are part of what have made Beckford such a prolific scorer. I think his sheer hard work occupies defenders well enough to allow Beckford a bit of freedom that he certainly doesn’t earn himself. Perhaps the Oldham game was proof. Yet, I thought the Beckford goals would just stop when Becchio got injured and they didn’t. Millwall was pants, but Bristol Rovers and Yeovil perked me up. It’s this thing about football being a game not a science that keeps my interest I guess.

Our defence has really smartened up its act since Steve Staunton left. Perhaps the hangover has cleared. (Was that really Michalik at centre half against Liverpool?) Even without Delph in midfield, I don’t think we really lack much creativity or pace in those games where the opposition are trying to kick the ball and not just our players. Modesty aside, I think we look pretty good for this league and I’m enjoying watching some pretty tidy football when the opposition is good enough. That’s why I would love a decent FA Cup run; to get that entertainment that only comes when playing better clubs. I want to feel the same way I did when Liverpool were in town. Always room to improve any side but half of our squad are a decent foundation.

The funny thing is though, that despite logic telling me that this is a good patch and taking all the positives above, I’m still expecting it all to go wrong! I can’t help it anymore. It’s the paranoia I mentioned above. But perhaps it’s partly because that just as everything looks right, something comes along to unsettle us? This particular paranoia of mine doesn’t come from the pitch. Despite re-assurances about our ownership, I can just see us getting docked 15 points on the day before we lift the trophy! Perhaps this Chairman should take the view that the Courts are a game and not a science and just stay away from them. Oh and if he does go back, could the real Ken Bates kindly take the stand.

Gledder’s article was really long so as I said at the start, it’ll be published in four parts. I’ve set each part to be published at 5pm all week (Monday-Thursday) so you can see Part !! – The chairman needs to know his history – at 5pm tomorrow.

Tres banned for three matches

Tresor Kandol has been handed a three match ban for the shoving match that followed our 4-0 victory over Yeovil Town last Saturday.

According to Sky Sports, Tres lashed out at Yeovil striker Sam Williams. Tres has accepted the charge of violent conduct and the ban will begin with this weeks FA Cup tie against Oldham Athletic.

Although I was leaving the stadium at the time and couldn’t really make out what was going on, it looked like a petty pushing match more than anything serious. I know Tres has accepted the charge, but I’m suprised it’s actually come to this. Then again, this is Leeds United and the FA do seem to have a soft spot for us.

Swindon Town game postponed

The game against Swindon Town has been postponed due to international call-ups from the Leeds United squad. Rui Marques and Patrick Kisnorbo have been called up by their country, whilst Lubomir Michalik is on standby. Alan Martin will also play a part in the Scotland U21′s match.

George Burley will also announce his squad tomorrow and Robert Snodgrass will be hopeful of another call-up after injury kept him out last time. On-loan Wolves striker, Sam Vokes may also be selected for the Welsh side.

Much like the Bristol game that was postponed, there seems to be a lot of maybes. We aren’t the only team in this division with international players (there’s a lot of U21′s in this league for a start), yet we seem to be the only one that needs to cancel matches, despite the fact we have the biggest squad.

It also doesn’t look like we’ll lose too many first team players – 2-3 at the most. So there’s absolutely no reason why this game shouldn’t go ahead as planned. My major grievance is that I – like many other fans no doubt – had already made arrangements for the Swindon game and this just doesn’t seem like a valid excuse for postponement.

Our next League One game is now Brighton on the 21st of November, which I’m half expecting to be changed as well. Leeds United have a bit of a reputation at the seaside, so there’s always a chance they’ll move it to the Friday night, or an earlier kick-off Saturday. Why even bother releasing a fixture list if it means nothing?

Leeds keen to keep Max

It’s been confirmed that Leeds United have approached Leicester with a view to extending his current loan period. The current agreement keeps him at Elland Road ’til the middle of this month, but Leeds would like to extend the deal until January.

Leeds have also asked Leicester for permission to play Max in the FA Cup tie against Oldham this weekend. No decision has been made by the Foxes as yet, so fingers crossed for both.