The Scratching Shed

19-year-old, Nile Ranger

Newcastle United’s 19-year-old striker, Nile Ranger could be called in to ease our strikers worries with Billy Paynter expected to miss the start of the season, Tribal Football reports.

The Geordies are expected to loan Ranger out this season so he can get some first team experience elsewhere, and after promotion to the Championship, Leeds United could be the ideal choice.

Newcastle will be in no hurry to make a decision however, with more than one Championship club interested, they’ll want to consider their options first and ensure he gets as much first team action as possible. Crystal Palace boss, George Burley confirmed he’d like to take the youngster on loan earlier this week;

“I have spoken to Newcastle about Ranger and he is one we’re looking at”

Whilst Nile Ranger is clearly a talented youngster who would be a good player to have on loan at Elland Road, you have to wonder what this means for the likes of Mike Grella and Davide Somma.

Mike Grella has already found himself lacking in first team options, with Simon Grayson electing to bring in ineffective loan signings rather than give the American youngster a chance last season. It seems a shame that injury to one of our main strikers doesn’t present an opportunity to one of the youngsters waiting on the sidelines.

Somma prolific at Lincoln

An article in the Nottingham Evening Post reveals that Simon Grayson has done a complete U-turn on his plans for Davide Somma next season.

According to the Nottingham newspaper, Lincoln City had requested to continue Davide’s loan into 2011, after the South African striker impressed on loan there last season. They claim Simon Grayson was happy for Somma to return to Lincoln to gain further experience. However, it seems Larry has gone full circle with his plans and now wishes to keep Somma at Leeds – presumably after his performances on tour in Slovakia.

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With the World Cup now over (as far as I’m concerned) the attention turns back to Leeds United and the latest rumours gathering pace. With the transfer window opening in less than 48 hours, Leeds United fans may soon get an idea as to whether we’ll be spending anything this summer or whether Simon Grayson’s promise of ‘more signings,’ simply means ‘more free transfers.’

Jay Demerit

Demerit playing for the Yanks

We start with an out of contract American, who played against England at the World Cup. Demerit is a 30-year old centre-back, who has so far won 25 caps for the USA.

During the game against Algeria, Demerit received a nasty injury to his tongue. He continued to play through the pain barrier however, despite the injury requiring five stitches after the game. Demerit shows the kind of determined, ‘never say die’ attitude Leeds United fans love and would link up with fellow American, Mike Grella.

Demerit was also part of the team that beat Spain 2-0 in the Confederations Cup, later being described as ‘superb’ in the Spanish press. He’s spent the last six years at Watford, where he made 182 appearances.

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Elland Road bound?

Tresor Kandol today agreed a deal to join Scunthorpe United on the 1st of July when the summer transfer window opens.

Tres’ final game for Leeds United will be one he hopes to forget. After entering the field as a substitution in a crucial game against Norwich, Tres was sent off just 20 seconds later. That result ultimately paved the way for Norwich City to secure the League One title, whilst Leeds had to battle on to the final day. Kandol was never again included in the squad by Simon Grayson.

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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.

Another crazy day of mixed emotions for Leeds fans after we escaped from defeat at the Valley with automatic promotion still in our own hands. Throughout the game, the travelling Leeds United fans were kept informed of events elsewhere and when Andy Robinson made it 2-0 to Tranmere Rovers, Leeds United were one goal away from their seasons aim of automatic promotion.

This being Leeds however, things were never going to be that easy. The team had looked bright and hungry throughout the first half and although we went into the break at 0-0, there was a lot to be optimistic about. Unfortunately, things didn’t run quite as well in the second half and Charlton started to edge Leeds out.

Still at 0-0 and knowing the results elsewhere were going in our favour, Simon Grayson took a calculated risk to give Leeds United more options upfront. Beckford was the first player on, replacing Robert Snodgrass with Gradel dropping back a little. This was followed by Sanchez Watt replacing Micky Doyle ten minutes later and Mike Grella replacing Andy Hughes with about five minutes remaining.

When you need a goal to secure promotion back to the Championship, it makes sense that you give yourself as many attacking options as possible upfront and Simon Grayson did the right thing. It had been another closely matched game where for large parts, both teams had absorbed any attacking threat from the other, but the changes opened things up noticeably. It worked in Leeds’ favour to some extent, allowing Beckford a good chance, but it also allowed Charlton more space on the attack too and they ultimately punished us for it with three minutes remaining when Akpo Sodje scored via the head of Richard Naylor.

The Leeds fans were silenced. It was a nervous performance from Leeds, and when playing it along the ground in the first half didn’t prove affective, they resorted to the dreaded long-ball and the chances became even fewer and farer between.

It wasn’t the most unexpected of results, or performances. The reverse fixture at Elland Road earlier in the season that ended 0-0 was just as frustrating as this one so it seemed unlikely the goals were going to flow at the Valley. The problem is that both teams play a similar style so neither ends up with much room.

What the result means is that there are now five teams capable of achieving automatic promotion from League One next week. Two of them play at the New Den as Millwall host Swindon. If that game ends in a draw, then both Charlton and Huddersfield could capitalise. Charlton would need a win away to Oldham, whilst Huddersfield would need to do a demolition job at Exeter City, but could mathematically go up by goal-difference.

As it stands, Leeds United lead the way though and that’s all that really matters. A win over a Bristol side who we destroyed 4-0 earlier in the season is all Leeds United need to escape the hell of League One football. In our previous meeting, Bristol had a defence made of play-dough and Leeds United came back in style after our first defeat of the season to Millwall. A similar display next week and it’ll be one hell of a party at the sold-out Elland Road.

With a lot of thanks to Andy Robinson and the usual unpredictability of League One, we head into the final game in a position I think we’d have all accepted at the beginning of the season. 90 minutes of football on Saturday will determine what division Leeds United play in next season and that’s all there really is to it. Our lack of points against the top six this season, the defensive hole Paddy’s injury has left, the lack of goals from midfield and our apparent need to do things the hard way have taken us all on a journey through third division hell that boils down to one game against Bristol. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going…’

Leeds United moved back into second place with a comfortable win over a Carlisle side with one of the worst central defensive partnerships you’re ever likely to see.

It was the strange cycle of League One results that helped Leeds United clinch back an automatic place. Only a couple of weeks back, Millwall strolled to a 2-0 victory over Leeds United. Leeds finally got back to winning ways however with a win over Yeovil Town, so logic suggests that Millwall are better than Leeds, Leeds are better than Yeovil so Millwall should pretty much walk past Yeovil. Unfortunately for Millwall, logic is something that rarely applies to League One and it was only a last gasp goal that clinched them a 1-1 draw.

Leeds meanwhile had a much easier time of it as they exploited a weak Carlisle defence without the help of top-goalscorer Jermaine Beckford. Before Leeds registered their first goal, Max Gradel missed what was a great one on one chance v the Carlisle keeper and Richard Naylor had a header ruled out for what I assume was pushing in the box. Snoddy also had a chance to put Leeds ahead but blazed his shot high over the bar as Carlisle’s defensive pairing – which included former Leeds United left-back Ian Harte – struggled to cope. All this, and the clock had only just hit ten minutes.

Just a few minutes later and Leeds took the lead they deserved with Luciano Becchio opening the scoring. A free-kick from Snoddy looked easy for the Carlisle keeper, but he spilled his catch and Luci was on hand to give Leeds United the lead.

The game continued in much the same manner with Luci missing a chance that was easier to score and Max Gradel losing out on another one on one chance against the Carlisle keeper. It’s no exaggeration when I say Leeds United should have been four or five goals up by this point.

As we’ve seen so many times however, failing to take your chances usually leads to you being punished and there was no let off here for the Whites. Minutes before half time Ian Harte whipped in a powerful free-kick which was weighted perfectly for Richard Keogh to direct it home and level the tie at the interval. As bad as Ian Harte was in defence, he was Carlisle’s biggest threat elsewhere. His perfectly hit free-kick made it all too easy for Keogh to level the tie. 1-1

A frustrating interval for the Leeds United faithful who almost unanimously agreed Beckford would have had a hattrick by now. Although definitely out of form lately, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have had a field day with the endless chances Leeds United wasted and the sheer uselessness of Carlisle’s defence.

Despite the wasted chances of the opening 45 minutes, Simon Grayson stood by his starting line-up and was rewarded almost instantly when Max Gradel fired Leeds United back in front. Leeds pressed forward immediately from the restart and with the first proper attack of the second period a cross landed nicely for Gradel who headed home to put Leeds back in front.

Just three minutes later and the game was over when a ball from Gradel set Luciano Becchio free who slotted home to put the game totally beyond Carlisle’s reach with forty minutes left to go. Euphoria broke out in the away end with the Leeds fans fully aware of the score in Yeovil and sensing there may be more to come for the Whites. “Na na na na na na na, Leeds are going up!” A welcomed return for that chant.

The Leeds fans were now urging Luciano Becchio on to finish his hattrick and he was gifted the perfect opportunity but his header from close range lacked direction and was far too easy for the opposition keeper. However happy he’ll be with the two goals, Luci must be disappointed with the series of easy chances he missed.

The game kind of died off with Leeds comfortably in front and Carlisle posing little threat. Beckford and Grella got a bit of a cameo role with a couple of minutes left to play but this was probably more time wasting than anything else as neither had any chance to score with the team seemingly happy with the scoreline.

Can’t help thinking this should have been closer to a rugby score, but it was total dominance from Leeds. Three straight wins and back in the automatic spot so can’t complain really.

Leeds without Beckford

Hard to say we were better without him because Carlisle’s defence was pathetic and he’d have probably had a field day had he started. Some of the chances Luci missed were criminal, but not surprising as he’s never been the most natural of goalscorers (and may not be 100% match fit). I guess the major difference is that Luci relies on hard work to get his goals, whilst Beckford gets his with clever positioning and by playing off the shoulder of the last man. In this game, Beckford would have definitely been more effective, but in those games where the chances are few and far between, the hard-working partnership of Becchio and Gradel would likely pay off. A definite thinking point for Larry as the debate undoubtedly rages on…

TSS man of the match

Despite my criticism of his missed chances, Luci’s hard work paid off and he won us the game so the man of the match could be no one elses. I know it sounds like I’m yoyo-ing a bit here, but two six yard misses are hard to ignore. Still, he never gave up, kept his head high and sent us back to Yorkshire with three points.

A much more pleasent journey home for myself and the rest of the Whites travelling army as captain, Richard Naylor netted his first goals of the season to sink relegation dodging Yeovil to put an end to Leeds United’s losing streak.

The game started as planned with Leeds United’s brilliant travelling support turning their backs on the game as the whistle blew for kick-off to show our united disgust at the lack of justice served to the murderers of Chris and Kev. Ten years on and we still haven’t forgotten. Nor will we ever!

The result wasn’t as surprising as recent league form would suggest. Despite losing both games, there was real glimpses of the early season Leeds United on show in our previous two matches. We were ultimately unlucky to lose to a late goal away to Norwich and against Swindon just 45 hours before, we dominated almost totally until they got lucky on the break and Leeds fell apart.

Today, the luck turned in our favour as Richard Naylor netted his first goal of the season with a header that was almost certainly meant to be a cross, looping up and over the Yeovil Town keeper and landing in the back of the net. It’s that little bit of luck that escaped us at the weekend and despite all our efforts and domination, as soon as Swindon scored there was no way back as the heads dropped and Leeds went into submission.

Simon Grayson started with Max Gradel upfront alongside Jermaine Beckford. Max made a clear and noticable difference, tormenting the Yeovil defence throughout with his runs, control and hard work. Perhaps unlucky not to be on the scoresheet himself, Gradel shone throughout for the Whites and was much more affective than Grella and Dickov combined against Swindon.

Leeds once again tried to keep the ball down and create chances. After failing to get the results they needed with this style of play against both Swindon and Norwich, it would have been easy for them to give up hope and revert back to the horrendous hoof-ball nonsense we’ve witnessed in other games. The only thing we’d really been missing from the last two games was the shooting, but once Naylor fired Leeds United into the lead the Yeovil keeper had to work hard to keep the scoreline down. The confidence had returned and Leeds United were once again looking like the capable team they are.

Just six minutes after his opening goal, Naylor once again netted from a set-play. His strength and movement proved too much for Yeovil and his headed finish was joyous to watch. 2-0, and things seemed simple again.

Leeds continued to dominate proceedings and Yeovil looked resigned to defeat. Midway through the second half however, they pulled one back after Leeds’ defence failed to deal with their advances and Bowditch found the bottom corner of Shane Higgs’ goal with a placed finish. Of course it wasn’t going to be simple – this is Leeds after all. 2-1

From there on in, Leeds started to look a little suspect once more. Yeovil applied the pressure and Leeds struggled to clear their advances. With twenty odd minutes left to play, the fans were starting to expect the worst.

Our full-backs once again went missing and Yeovil used the wings to their advantage, getting cross after cross in with very little effort made to stop them. Despite his brilliance in netting the two goals and having several other headers saved by the Yeovil keeper, Richard Naylor still didn’t look up to the job in defence. Out of them all, Collins was probably the strongest player but even he had some dodgy moments.

Elsewhere, Doyle made several blunders in midfield (one of which cost us the goal) and was largely inaffective all game. Both of the wingers did little to support the full-backs and the only player in the midfield that I’d actually praise when our backs were to the wall is Howson. Not someone who usually shines defensively, nor did he here, but he did do better than the rest.

I don’t think we’re totally incapable of defending with our current line-up, although Hughes still isn’t a left-back and Ben Parker’s return can’t come soon enough, but with the confidence still a little fragile, we seem to make too many mistakes and stand-off players for too long.

Overall, you have to be happy with the three points. After our dismal run of form lately, I’m delighted with a win no matter how hard we made it for ourselves. We are getting glimpses of the early season Leeds United once again and you can only hope this win does something to re-inspire the confidence before Southend’s visit this weekend. Still making it hard for ourselves, but the automatic goal is still attainable. On and on.

TSS man of the match – Max Gradel
Would be easy to select Naylor after his two goals. He was brilliant from the corners and set-plays and could have had an hattrick had it not been for the Yeovil keeper’s damage limitation efforts (maybe we can move him to centre forward?). His defending however remains suspect, so with that in mind, it has to be Max Gradel. The youngster ran Yeovil ragged all afternoon. He held the ball up well, moved past players, created chances and had several shots of his own saved. Hopefully more to come from Mad Max.

Welcome to a new section on TSS called Terrace Wars. The big debates that go on around Elland Road will be discussed here and put to a vote in the true democratic style our country so truly loves and chairman refuses to consider.

First up for debate is Luciano Becchio, a player many think should be dropped in favour of our other strikers. The usual suggested replacement is Mike Grella who has showed flashes of brilliance this season from the subs bench. His team mates rate him as the most skilful player in the side (Jermaine Beckford, Neil Kilkenny, Soccer AM team mates 2010) and many fans believe he should be given an extended run in the team to showcase his ability.

Grella isn’t the only contendor though. Paul Dickov is an extremely experienced and consistent (if somewhat dirty) forward that many believe could produce more goals than Luciano Becchio even though he is close to drawing a state pension.

Tresor Kandol is also back in contention and has somehow become a bit of a cult hero at Elland Road. Not so long ago he was less popular than Peter Ridsdale, but since he rediscovered his scoring boots in the reserves and while out on loan, there’s been calls to have him returned to the first team. He also does an exceptional moonwalk, which must be taken into consideration.

FInally, we come to our newest candidate; Davide Somma. The inexperienced South African is working wonders at struggling Lincoln City and has managed six goals in as many appearences during his loan spell there. Some are suggesting it could be similar to when Jermaine Beckford went on loan to Scunthorpe.

Of course, Luciano Becchio has his fans too. A lot of people point to his work rate as a reason he should never be dropped. Some also claim he’s as much to do with how many Beckford scores as the man himself, and that without him, Beckford would struggle. Hardly the most prolific striker, but definitely has his strengths.

So, should Luci be dropped from the starting XI? Vote and comment below.

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Another one of those games ear-marked as an easy three points looks set to be a lot harder than anticipated as we head to Tranmere tomorrow night who will be high in confidence after a 2-1 win over free-scoring Southampton.

Prior to the game, it was a no-brainer for the betting man amongst us. Southampton had just knocked ten past their previous two opponents, including a 5-0 demolition job on play-off chasing Huddersfield Town. In stark contrast, the fortunes of Tranmere couldn’t have been much different, who themselves had fallen to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the same Huddersfield side just days before.

This being League One, shock results don’t really tend to shock. What a team does one week rarely gives much indication of what they’ll do the next, but even by League One standards, the change in fortnnes for Tranmere was quite simply, unbelievable.

It stands to reason then that Leeds United would be their next opponents. We always seem to time things just right for an epic fail. Much like Tranmere’s fortunes seem to be changing, so too do that of Leeds. From having the title almost tied up just a couple of months ago, to desperately trying to avoid slipping into the play-off places, Leeds United are upto the same old tricks and insisting on doing things the hard way. Quite frankly, Tranmere couldn’t have timed this encounter much better.

If that wasn’t enough, Leeds United also seem to have another injury crisis brewing with Richard Naylor, Andrew Hughes, Shane Lowry and Mike Grella all doubts.

This weekend saw Leeds United drop another valuable two points to mid-table Brentford, who came and pretty much parked the bus. Perhaps unlucky when you take Michalik’s effort (which came back off the woodwork) into account, it still wasn’t the most inspired performance we’ve seen at Elland Road this season and there was a lot of room for improvement, not least in terms of applying pressure and urgency.

Even without that sense of urgency, Leeds dominated throughout and missed more chances than I care to recall. Earlier in the season, it’d have probably been quite a comfortable win, but things aren’t going for us at the minute and expecting the results to just come for us, won’t work.

The goal that put us behind was a bit of a sucker punch after we’d dominated the entire fixture and we did respond well to get the equaliser. Still, no matter how much Simon Grayson insists otherwise, it was by no means a great performance and the players know it was two points lost. Their confidence levels after recent performances and results must be a concern for the boss.

So what we have tomorrow night is a Leeds United team struggling for form, probably low on confidence, with nothing going for them at the minute and with injuries starting to pile-up, against a much improved and more confident Tranmere side determined to raise their game for the visit of the Whites and grab a surprise three points in their bid to stave off relegation. In my mind, we’re the underdogs!

Perhaps underdogs isn’t a bad thing though? With Leeds United I often worry more when we’re expected to win with ease. The three consecutive home games we had recently which the official site was dubbing “Operation Nine” inevitably turned into catastrophe as the players reached a whole new level of complacency and played the most dismal football of the season so far.

Manchester United meanwhile, no one expected us to win so that’s exactly what we did. Leeds have been doing the same thing for as long as I can remember. Cup finals that should have been all too easy (Sunderland) and League Championships with unsurpassable leads were blown, solely because we got overly confident (and the fixture pile-ups never helped). Then you look at the Champions League a few years back where everyone expected us to be out in the first match. We shocked Europe, because stubbornly and definatly, that’s what Leeds do.

In a roundabout way, by beating Southampton and raising the stakes of this game, Tranmere may have done us the ultimate favour. The players and management will have taken note, that this is a team capable of beating the big boys on their day and with that in mind, they’ll hopefully settle in quickly and focus on obtaining what has somehow become an unlikely three points.

Defiantly and stubbornly optimisic! On and on…