The Scratching Shed

It’s a bit of a running joke amongst Leeds United fans that choosing to support the Whites should come with a health warning. Every team has it’s ups and downs, but after the last few years of following Leeds United to some of the most unusual and grottiest places I never knew existed, I feel as though we’ve had more than our fair share of downs.

There have been some ups of course. Every cloud does have a silver lining, but in Leeds United’s case, the cloud is a monstrously big black one and the silver lining is a fine, almost invisible shimmer around its edge.

It’s not only us fans that suffer the consequences of this seemingly never-ending sequence of disasters though. Our friends, family and loved ones can often fall victim to the aftermath too. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that my mood on a Sunday morning can often be dictated by the result the day before. Although it makes no sense to anyone other than those that live, breathe and love Leeds United, the 460 mile round trip to watch Leeds United fall to pieces in Gillingham is something I wouldn’t have missed for the world – no matter how annoyed I was afterwards.

My head tells me it’s just a game and that I’m insane for spending such an enormous amount of my income following this team through thick, thin and thinner, but somewhere inside me there’s an irrational love for this club that keeps me coming back time and time again, like a beaten wife to her abusive lover.

This season has once again taken Leeds United fans on a crazy rollercoaster ride of emotions. Leading the way early on and opening up a good lead at the top, Leeds United were unbeatable until the nasty thugs at Millwall drew the first blood. Leeds bounced back though with successive 4-0 wins that sent a statement of intent to the rest of League One.

As the season progressed, Leeds United were reminded of better days when the Premier League giants Liverpool visited Elland Road. Not even the most optimistic breed of Leeds United fan was predicting a win, but Leeds held their own and despite ultimately losing the match, there was a sense of pride amongst Leeds United fans few have felt for years. Liverpool may have won the match, but Leeds had shown millions they were on the rise again with a fearless display that almost paid off.

The seasons climax came in January though. Leeds were flying in the League and it seemed as though no one could stand in the way of our title challenge. The draw we’d all hoped for came next. FA Cup Round 3 – Manchester United v Leeds United.

"That" Jermaine Beckford goal

Expecting a slightly more defensive Leeds United was probably Man U’s downfall. Leeds came, they saw and they conquered. It was no fluke either. Leeds attacked from the off, and for the thousands of us that were lucky enough to have tickets to Old Trafford that day, we witnessed the proudest moment in our clubs recent history as Jermaine Beckford’s solitary goal knocked Man United out of the FA Cup. “We’re not famous anymore!”

Leeds dropped out of the FA Cup in the next round after taking Tottenham Hotspur to a replay, but these were proud days for the resurgent Whites. We’d held our own against Premier League competition, knocking out the English champions on their own soil in the process. As Leeds United ups go, this was the climax of a season. .

This being Leeds United however, when everything is going so magnificently well, something has to go wrong. Whether it was the Jermaine Beckford January transfer saga, a fitness problem caused by lack of rotation, our poor showing in the transfer market or an adverse impact of too many loanees unsettling the squad, the Leeds United rollercoaster was starting to derail.

The form dipped, and game by game, Leeds’ hold at the top loosened. By the end of January, Norwich had overtaken Leeds at the top and things didn’t improve. Despite a substantial lead on the play-off places, Leeds simply couldn’t turn things round quick enough and at the beginning of April, Leeds United dropped into third and the dreaded play-offs started to look like a reality.

Luckily for Leeds, through a combination of improved form and the rest of the league failing to capitalise on our errors we regained second place. A dismal points haul against the top six, disastrous results against the likes of Gillingham, Walsall and Exeter and the ongoing love/hate relationship between the fans and Jermaine Beckford could all be used as reasons to why we failed, but the truth of the matter is, this is Leeds United – We always do things the hard way!

What it all comes down to is one game. 90 minutes of football at a sold-out Elland Road against a Bristol Rovers side with absolutely nothing left to play for. Win, and we’re promoted. Lose, and the gates are opened for the rest to jump in. Whatever the fans think about the current playing squad, the manager’s tactics and selections or Jermaine Beckford’s selfishness is irrelevant. These people have put Leeds United in a position to escape third tier football. They’ve done it the hard way, but this is Leeds United and deep down inside, however frustrating they may be, it’s the ‘ups and downs’ that keep us coming back.

Keep fighting Leeds – We’re almost there!

Don’t forget to cast your vote in the TSS Player of the season poll by clicking here. Voting closes on Sunday at midday.

Possibly my favourite story so far this year as the Times Online discovers the best use for Manchester United fans. They’re going to target Old Trafford and other Manchester sporting venues for contributions to the nationwide sperm-bank!

Are the genes of Manchester United football fans in a different league to those of Manchester City fans? It’s a pertinent question because the NHS is out to recruit both groups as sperm donors.

Coming soon to boarded up offices in Manchester

I’ll answer this one. The genes of Man United and Man City fans are indeed very different. The latter for example tends to have an increased amount of common sense over the former, evident in the choosing of their football club. The former also has an insatiable desire for prawn and cucumber sandwiches and tends to reside further south than the latter.

Further study has also highlighted a distinct attraction to shiny silver things in the supporters of Manchester United. Indeed, many of them would quickly jump ship and change allegiance in a shot if another team was to start collecting more of these precious objects than their own.

It would be easy to imagine fans chanting of their rivals, “What a bunch of sperm donors”, or something similar.

Nothing new there then! At least they’ll have a good use for Wes Brown.

Thanks to the Times Online for bringing this priceless piece of information to my attention (via @MOTForever). It’s really made my morning!

Once the club had responded to yesterdays revelation that Jermaine Beckford had handed a transfer request in, one thing struck me as unusual – the date.

"That" Jermaine Beckford goal

It’s not so much the fact that the transfer request had already been handed in before the Manchester United game, that didn’t surprise me at all as I expected him to leave as soon as Newcastle announced their interest, and besides, we’d been hearing them particular rumours for a week. No, the thing that surprised me was the fact that Leeds United published the date.

For a club that likes to keep the fans in the dark as much as possible, and for a club that has kept this transfer request secret for a week, was there really any need for them to reveal the date the transfer request was handed in? What could they possibly be hoping to achieve by doing so?

It makes me wonder if Newcastle United’s unsettling of Beckford through the media has caused a rift between Leeds United and Beckford – or more precisely, Bates and Beckford.

Ken Bates, Shaun Harvey or whoever was responsible for publishing that date aren’t stupid. The reaction to the Leeds United fans discovering the date of the transfer request, as you can imagine, was hardly a positive one. Leeds United (by which I mean the people running the club) will have known exactly how the fans would react, so for me; this seems to be a parting gift to Beckford as he leaves Leeds United FC.

Of course, I’m only speculating here, but the thing I’d guess caused this particular rift is the ‘take it or leave it’ offer Newcastle United issued shortly before the request was announced. If Leeds United are short on offers, then Newcastle United’s offer of £1.5m may be the only option they have. It’s a clever game Newcastle have played, ensuring they get Beckford for the cheapest possible price, but Bates has to cover his bases and by turning the fans against Beckford, when he does leave for less than we expected, we’ll be glad to see the back of him.

For me, I hate the way this whole thing has been carried out, but I refuse to hold anything against Jermaine Beckford. If someone was offering me three times the money I’m on now to do the same job elsewhere, I’d be off in a flash. Loyalty and emotion are rare traits in footballers, and Beckford has no reason to offer either to Leeds United.

He’s scored a lot of goals for Leeds United, provided us with a lot of good memories and will leave on the back of his famous goal at Old Trafford, which knocked Scum out of the cup. Leeds United will move on. We’ll find a replacement and we’ll still be crowned champions in May regardless of what Beckford does, because it’s Simon Grayson leading the team and in Grayson, we trust.

After the dust had settled on our famous victory at Old Trafford, I returned to work head held high to torment the Manchester United fans that I have had to cope with through the last six years of hell.

The victory inside Old Trafford was one thing, but the satisfaction of silencing the glory-hunting scum fans I work with is another. Sure I’d sent them messages after the game as I made the best of a rare opportunity to brag. None of them replied of course, they were far too busy sulking and avoiding us Leeds fans that had waited for this moment for the past 29 years. Much like inside Old Trafford, Manchester United fans have a funny habit of going silent when they’ve lost.

After retiring to their dark corners to sulk and dream up a list of injustices that had cost them the game, they entered the workplace, clearly expecting abuse from us proud Leeds United fans; and we weren’t about to disappoint them.

The funny thing was though, none of the Manchester United fans could actually think of an excuse. There were no injustices, no dodgy refereeing decisions in our favour (some even admitted Wes Brown should have been sent off), no cheating Leeds United players, nothing! This was Manchester United fans as I’ve never seen them, they were worried.

For over a decade now we’ve had to put up with the Manchester United fans arrogance. Even in defeat, they always have an excuse, and usually bounce back stronger. As much as I hate to admit it, they’ve been largely untouchable.

The fans always know best

I’ve read the stories in the Times, Guardian and other papers that claim Manchester United’s reign of dominance may be finally at an end, but that’s exactly the kind of knee-jerk reaction I expect from newspapers after a team with Manchester United’s legacy are so resoundingly beaten by a side forty odd places below them in the footballing pyramid.

The papers stories are easy to ignore, but they say the fans are the ones that really know the truth in football. It’s usually pretty true as well. Whilst people outside Leeds United can look at our success this season and accredit it to Ken Bates bringing stability to the club, the rest of us know he’s a crook and it’s a lucky appointment in Simon Grayson that has changed our fortunes. Managers that can bring success without any money are a rare commodity and Bates landed on his feet when he appointed an unheard of manager from Blackpool. 

With that in mind, it was hard to ignore the doom and gloom coming from my Manchester United supporting work-mates. Aside from Wayne Rooney, they see very little light in their clubs future. How can they compete with Man City and Chelsea when they’re burdened by a crippling debt that leaves them no money to buy the big names that have brought them success in the past? The next generation of players didn’t show the fight that their predecessors did; had that been a young team featuring Giggs, Neville, Scholes and Beckham on Sunday, you can be sure they’d have given us a much better fight.

Personally, I don’t think this is the end of Manchester United’s success, but I do think we may look back on our victory as the moment when the Manchester United era began to fade out. I’m not saying they’ll never win anything again, but they’ll certainly have a much harder time in doing so over the next few years. Maybe they’ll win the League Cup this year and go on to win a fourth successive League title. They might even get lucky in Europe, but if the Glaziers don’t find some answer to Man United’s debts, then the next few years will gradually see them fade away. They’ll be like the 90’s Liverpool after the reign of dominance they experienced in the 80’s – competitive, but always chasing someone else’s coat tails.

Here’s hoping that in ten years time we look back on the 3rd of January 2010 as the moment the fortunes of Manchester United and Leeds United began to change. Hopefully, we’ll be looking back at a moment where Leeds United began to rise again, whilst Manchester United showed the first signs of collapse.

Doesn’t the result make Manchester United’s taunting all the more enjoyable? When I first read the headline of ‘Manchester United draw FA Cup minnows’ on their official site, I couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly they still held a soft spot for us and felt us worthy of such taunts. Had it not been Leeds United they drew, I imagine the official site would have been much more respectful of their opposition but this is one of those rivalries where there’s no love lost, so what would be the point building bridges?

On the approach to Old Trafford I came across a man with a masterplan to make money by selling those cup game scarves you see baring the colours of both teams with a 50/50 divide. Clearly he’d underestimated how much we both hated one another as I can’t see many Leeds United fans buying a scarf with Manchester United’s name and colours on it (and vice versa). He didn’t look to be having much success as I passed that’s for sure.

By this point there was Police everywhere as you may well expect. Apparently there’d already been some trouble between the fans in the station and a couple of fights outside the ground, but on the whole and considering the occasion, it wasn’t as bad as may have been expected. I didn’t encounter any problems with the opposition fans anyway and all the Leeds fans I saw were being their usual charming selves. I guess if anything was to kick off, it’d have likely happened after the game but there’s a funny thing about winning that makes our naughtier few better behaved.

The security element of the tie was doing their best to treat us all like animals. As the Police warned some fans to calm their passions “or else” I moved by swiftly before another unjustified altercation with the law that I could do without. Travelling away often presents itself with instances where the Police decide you have less rights than a terrorist and very little right to complain thereafter – regardless of whether you’d done anything wrong or not!

The temptation of asking the steward who searched me on the way into the ground if he’d at least buy me dinner first was hard to resist, such was the mans thoroughness and clear love of his job. I did resist however as there were more law enforcement officers around and they didn’t look like they’d need much of an excuse to arrest any fan they felt was being problematic, so it was through the turnstyles and in to Sold Trafford for the first time in almost six years.

You have to give credit to Man United’s manager for his approach to this game. As big a distaste for the bloke as we all may have, he rarely makes a mistake in his preperation for media frenzy matches like these and he wasn’t about to start now. All week he’d been stressing publically how big a match this would be for Leeds and the supporters of both teams. He’d told of how we shouldn’t be underestimated and warned his team for a battle and that’s exactly what they got.

From the off Leeds looked to take the game to ManU and it was clear we were in for a two-way battle. Most minnow teams like ourselves go to Old Trafford and look to leave with a respectable scoreline, but Simon Grayson was having none of that. If we’re going to play, we’re playing to win.

Chances fell both ways with Darren Gibson firing wide for ManU and Jermaine Beckford heading over the bar for Leeds. Danny Welbeck quickly settled into the game for Manchester United and was making a real nuisance of himself down the right. Andy Hughes was left wondering what had happened as Welbeck burst down the flank with pace and sent a good cross straight across goal, with no Man United player able to make a connection. Meanwhile, the older Donkey Brother was getting his usual reception from the Leeds faithful and was booed everytime he touched the ball.

Becchio had a good chance for Leeds with a headed attempt from Kilkenny’s cross but headed well over the top of goal. It was the best chance so far and Becchio knew he should have done better. Meanwhile, the crowd was in full voice as the Man United fans repeated “We all hate Leeds scum” again which they mixed with a song about Cantona and some nonsense about Rooney. Hard to hear them whilst munching Prawn sandwiches in all honesty. Leeds on the other hand had no time to snack and were busy working there way through a much wider range of songs. This was probably around the ‘we’re not famous anymore’ stage of proceedings.

On the pitch the exchanges were just as lively. Leeds were fighting for every ball and attacking at every available opportunity. Simon Grayson’s tactics of pushing men forward when in possession made for a brilliant end to end battle, but there were several nervy moments when the Reds countered and their pacey players like Welbeck broke free.

Beckford celebrates the goal of his career

It was roughly twenty minutes in to an action packed first half when Leeds countered quickly and took the lead. Jonny Howson picked out Jermaine Beckford who had been busy giving the over-rated Wes Brown the run around with an excellent long-range pass that landed nicely for Beckford. His first touch took him wide of the goalkeeper and his second was a tame shot that beat the goalkeeper and slowly but surely crossed the line! Cue crazy celebrations in Old Trafford and silence in the home stands. “1-0 in your cup final!” Wes Brown meanwhile may as well have been sat in the stands.

Man United quickly tried to get back on level terms and had it not been for a Jason Crowe goal-line clearence, Wayne Rooney would have done so almost immediately. That was about the best Man United could offer in terms of a reply in the first half and as tempers began to flair, the horrible Wes Brown got himself booked for a foul on Lucciano Becchio. One of several poor challenges he made in a game where it was a miracle he didn’t get sent off.

After a cheerful half-time for Leeds United fans, we returned for the second half and rather unsurprisingly, Man United were throwing bodies forward. Their whinging players futile appeals for a penalty were dismissed by the ref after Howson dispossessed Welbeck and just minutes later, the tempers flaired again as Micky Doyle was brought down for a free-kick. Jonny Howson – who played an absolute blinder - decided he could take on Gibson and Brown and as tempers flaired, the ref had to intervene and calm matters down before normal service was resumed.

The ref - who despite his reluctance to send Wes Brown off for a series of challenges where he never got anywhere near the ball - had to issue some more yellow cards as the tackles started to fly in all over the place. Both Naylor and Gibson found their way into the book, but in truth, both teams could have received a lot more yellow cards but a very good ref allowed the game to flow throughout and tried to keep his cards in his pocket.

Nayl’s was solid and hungry throughout, as was Kisnorbo. Even the usually criticised Hughes and Crowe were sticking the tackles in and making life hard for Manchester United. The midfield were closing down and challenging players whenever Man U were in possession and Becchio seemed to play the majority of the match back there with them. When we had possession, we were never afraid to pass it about and run with the ball, particulary Johnson and Howson who deserve a special mention. The whole team as one were performing brilliantly and you have to give full credit to Grayson who was tactically spot on.

Man United, who had started strongly enough with a good defence and near-on £60m in strikers decided to make some more changes to try and win the battle of the midfield. Giggs and Valencia came on, but surprisingly Welbeck was removed which was a bit of a relief as the lad’s pace had caused us problems throughout. Strange move, but I’m sure there was motive to the madness.

Owen joined proceedings not long after but despite so many attacking options, Man U were still struggling in defence and Jermaine Beckford once again broke free to narrowly fire wide when one on one with the keeper. Hearts in mouths by now, as Rooney prowled and Owen looked to get in on the action.

Leeds would get another chance however, by which point Snoddy had joined proceedings in replace of the outstanding Jonny Howson. A free-kick in a good position had his name written all over and he struck beautifully, only to be denied by the bar. Despite leading, one more would have settled some nerves as we approached the end of the game and the inevitable five minutes of added time came. As the crowd mocked the officals with chants of ‘Fergy time,’ Man United looked for one final chance, but Casper, Nayl’s, Kis and whoever else could get their body in the way kept the Champions at bay.

The final whistle blew and Leeds celebrated a result we’ve not managed in 29 years. Victory at Old Trafford for the FA Cup minnows and third tier team. Every Man United fan you taunt over the coming days will inevitably claim it was a weak team or that the referee didn’t give them 29 minutes of ET and three penalties, but there’s no taking away from what Simon Grayson’s lads achieved today. They did us proud and thoroughly deserved their victory. A special day for Leeds United that I expect we’ll look back on in years to come as the first sign of our resurrection.

TSS man of the match
Jonny Howson for me. I could hazard a guess that ITV went for Becks and it wouldn’t be undeserved. He made Wes Brown look second rate throughout and was always a threat, but Jonny rose to the occasion like the Leeds lad he is. He knew what the rivalry meant and gave it absolutely everything. All the team played their part and all of them deserve the praise they’ll receive but Jonny grew today for me. He was like Leeds’ answer to Stevie G.

The draw for the fourth round gave us another trip down memory lane as we head for Tottenham Hotspur. Ken Bates will no doubt be delighted too at another obvious money spinner, which will once again undoubtedly be on TV.

A great start to 2010 I’m sure you’ll agree. Happy new decade for Leeds? Let’s hope we’re celebrating just as much in May! One things for sure now though. If Beckford does leave in the coming days, he’ll leave Leeds United a hero, in the meantime though, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his goal again!

While Manchester United fans and undoubtedly their horrible manager think up excuses for why they’ve just been knocked out the FA Cup by a third tier team, Leeds United fans everywhere will be celebrating a historic victory knowing that the lads did us proud.

“1-0 in your cup final!” Clearly meant with a little sarcasm from Leeds, but nevertheless, it’ll be the last game Manchester United play in this years FA Cup. I imagine the excuses range from having an unfit squad to a dodgy referee (despite the fact he should have sent Brown off at least twice) and lead on to explain why the FA Cup isn’t important and they didn’t care anyway. Quite. I mean, after all, it’s not like Alex Ferguson and co. have been hyping this match up all week. It’s not like Manu fans across the country have been telling us about how they’ll hammer us by several goals to nil. The warning signs were there against Liverpool. This team can compete with anyone.

Whilst Manchester United fans dream up their excuses, don’t forget to explain how Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov - two ridiculously expensive strikers - could be out-classed by our very own Jermaine Beckford. Someone you could buy twenty times over with the money these two are alledgedly worth.

If that was Jermaine Beckford’s last game for Leeds United, in ending a 29 year run, he’ll leave Leeds United a hero. He ran Wes Brown off the pitch today and thoroughly deserved the goal.

Full match report featuring the over-touchy stewards, the lovely Manchester Police and some idiot with the most flawed business plan I’ve ever seen tomorrow. For now, enjoy the victory, they don’t come much sweeter than this.

Premier League Champions 0-1 FA Cup minnows!

Spurs up next away. Good times. Marching on together!

It’s time to get out my crystal balls and morph temporarily into Mystic Gledders. Time enough perhaps to think about the possible outcomes of today’s match against Prawn Sandwich United.

Let’s get the bad one out of the way first. We get slaughtered. In such a case, we could point out that we are now a mere third division side playing one of the strongest teams in Europe and we all thought that this could happen anyway. Our greatest fear would be that it could derail our promotion hopes. But this isn’t going to happen on two counts: Firstly, I wouldn’t want to be Wycombe (our next opponents) because they will be the team to take the brunt of our resolve to prove that the Man U game was just an unfortunate inevitability. But secondly, Leeds are just not that kind of team. Even if the Yanks win by six goals, this team will battle to the end and I’m certain we’ll see a performance to be proud of.

The next case is that we narrowly lose. Well, it’ll certainly make a statement. For too long, other supporters have justifiably been able to smirk at us. Most of the last seven seasons have been part of a massive downward spiral. A battling display is going to send out a clear message that we are coming back because we want to be back. I’ve thought that we have played some really good football in patches such as under McAllister and Poyet that never got the end result that we deserved. Both times, it was like observing flawed genius. Poor defence, points deduction, something always spoiled the party. Each time we have reverted to long ball, ‘kick your way to promotion’ style football because that is how you get out of this league. But on our day, we can play against a side that will let us. Like Liverpool, this could be one of those days.

A draw would be a pretty good outcome too. That means getting the Red Drivel back on home soil at Elland Road. Maybe slumming it in a third division stadium might upset the form of their multi millionaire superstars just enough for an upset.

Finally, of course what if we win? Well I’m not even going there because surely it can’t happen. Or can it…?

Other consequences? Every Beckford goal puts another half a million on his price tag or else, if he fails to show up for the big game (again) we keep him until the end of the season, because nobody wants him anymore. No lose. If as we expect, Snoddy and Becchio play to their usual standard, I hope that there are no talent spotters waiting to buy them off Uncle Ken. I believe he’s already sold his own grandmother, so a few more million might not go amiss.

So, I leave you with a prediction. Whatever the outcome, I think the pubs in Leeds are going to have their best start to a January for a long time because anything associated with Leeds simply can not lose today.

Right, time to put the crystal away…

I was recently featured on The Republik of Mancunia blog answering questions in the build-up to our FA Cup clash at Old Trafford. The author of the site and lad who was putting the questions to me also agreed to do the same in return, the results of which are below.

Obviously, the temptation to try and wind him up was hard to resist, but I think he countered well throughout. 

1 ) Hi RoM, it’s been a while since we last played one another. I hear your fans have been enjoying themselves with choruses of ‘we all hate Leeds scum,’ so I take it you’re happy with the draw?

Made up about the draw. As all the teams were being picked out it became like a countdown with us two still left in it. Felt a bit like a Football Factory moment lol. I hate Liverpool more than your lot but we get to play them twice a year already, so it’ll be great for us to meet again, and hopefully, absolutely batter you.

2 ) When Ronaldo was sold for an extortionate sum of money in the summer, everyone expected Manchester United to be big spenders thereafter, but it never really happened, did it? Do you think the money was used to pay off the debt the Glaziers have burdened your club with and what are you feelings on the owners these days?

The official reason given by the manager was that the transfer market was crazy so we’d never get value for money that summer. You have to consider when Lescott is being bought for £24m, Tevez for £47m and Ribery is being quoted at £60m, it’s probably not the best time to buy! We had agreed a deal worth £30m for Benzema but then Real Madrid came in at the last minute and offered £5m more. If we matched that, they would have offered £10m more. You can’t get in to a bidding war with them. We’ll see what happens next summer I guess but of course I won’t rule out the possibility of the money being absorbed by the debt. Since the Glazers have been here, we’ve enjoyed one of our most successful eras, but that has been in spite of them, rather than because of them. The sooner they f**k off the better. The money we pay for our seasons tickets and the transfer money that come in should be for the improvement of the club, not to pay off some debt that shouldn’t belong to us. There are always rumours that someone else is ready to buy, but realistically, they would have to pay around £1billion for the Glazers to get anything out of the deal, which isn’t going to happen.

3 ) If it’s any consolation, you cheered us lot up by making our debts look pathetic in comparison. Anyway, you hit a bit of a rough patch lately with defeats at home to Villa and a battering away to Fulham. Surely a team of your stature should be able to deal with a few injuries a bit better than that?

I suppose that’s the brilliant thing about football, isn’t it? If it was all won on paper, with which team should beat another, then there would be no point playing. We’ve put ten goals past Wigan this season, whilst Chelsea lost to them 3-1. That’s why football is great because it’s so unpredictable. I’d argue that having just one fit defender, left back Evra, is more than “a few injuries”. I’ve never known anything like it. Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Jonny Evans, John O’Shea, Gary Neville, Rafael and Fabio all being injured. I can’t recall a club ever being hit so badly in one position like that. One of the biggest problems with the injuries, when playing our second choice keeper and three midfielders in defence, was the issue of other players being out of position. For example, Fletcher has been one of our best performing players this season in the centre of the park, bossing the midfield, but he can’t have much of an impact on the game from right back! Carrick plays a big role with his creativity in feeding the wingers/strikers, again, something he can’t do from defence. We lost 4-1 to Liverpool at home last season with our strongest team and beat Chelsea 3-0 with a weaker team. You’ve got to make the best of what you’ve got and on your days things can go your way. Against Fulham it just wasn’t our day. You move on. We’ve scored eight goals in our two games since and conceded one (a penalty). That’s football.

4 ) Yeah, you certainly seem to be back on form now, which is a bit of worry for us with Sunday in mind. Surely it’s not just me that thought Jenson Button deserved Sports Personality of the Year? Ryan Giggs hasn’t even got a personality!

I’d argue Michael Owen and Kelly Holmes are more void of personality, if I’m honest! Didn’t stop them winning it though. It is awarded to the sportsperson “whose actions have most captured the public’s imagination”. Winning eleven league titles (three more than any other player in the history of English football), playing in his third European Cup final and being voted as the PFA Player of the Year by his peers is pretty good going. I feel bad for Button because it was the best year of his career, but did he achieve as much in 2009 as Ryan Giggs? Depends where you rank an individual sport against a team game I suppose. I couldn’t give a f**k about F1 and have worshipped Giggsy for years, so you’re asking the wrong person!

5 ) What happened to Smith being the new Roy Keane?

Whatever happened to Alan Smith being a Leeds legend who kissed your badge? Things change. He had some great games in the centre of midfield for us, namely our 1-0 victory over Chelsea who had gone 30 games unbeaten (and we had just lost 4-1 to Boro the week before!). That was some midfield too – Lampard, Essien, Makelele, Joe Cole. Essien got subbed off at half time because he didn’t get a sniff, which Mourinho commented on after the game. But he just wasn’t good enough. Worked hard and we loved him for it, but he just wasn’t good enough for United, sadly. We still haven’t found the new Keane, or the new Cantona… maybe some players just can’t be replaced.

6 ) No, we never quite replaced Cantona either (ARGH!!!) On a more personal note, I have a friend who comes from the outskirts of Liverpool and now lives in Leeds. In his entire life I don’t think he’s ever set foot in Manchester and he’s certainly never seen Manchester United play, but still calls himself a fan! That’s not a fan, is it!?

I honestly find the idea of supporting a team from someone else’s city, who you never go and see play, as weird. I can’t imagine doing that. But it’s very easy for me to say that, as a lad born and bred in Manchester. If I lived in the middle of nowhere and if my local team was sh*t, would I support them? I hope so. But I can’t preach about glory fans because my local team is Manchester United, so it’s not like it’s hard work to support them. Would you support Leeds if they had been in Division Three when you first started getting interested in football? I think it’s pretty sad for people who are glory supporters, because I don’t think they’ll ever connect with the club the way locals do with their clubs, but as for whether it makes them fans or not, I think it is more difficult to define.

7 ) Glad you agree he’s a glory hunter! I can’t see you or Arsenal overcoming Chelsea this season. Their squads enormous and full of talented players that could get a place in anyones team. They’re champions in waiting surely?   

Champions in waiting? Hardly. United have been playing without any defenders, yet Chelsea are only two points ahead of us with a goal difference better by two. I think that is shocking and if the situations were reversed I would be wondering why the f**k we hadn’t raced ahead of Chelsea. What excuse do they have for dropping so many points? No key injuries, no particularly difficult fixtures, yet their advantage is tiny. Add to that they’ve yet to come to Old Trafford, they beat us in the most ridiculous of circumstances at Stamford Bridge, we are always much stronger in the second half of the season and they are about to lose their two best players to the ACoN. Nothing is in the bag yet but I’d rather our situation than anyone elses.

8 ) Alex Ferguson is knocking on a bit now and has nothing left to achieve really. Is retirement looming, and who would you like as his successor?

Laurent Blanc and Pep Guardiola seem to be front runners at the moment. I’ve long tipped Blanc to the throne though and with every season does more to make himself a good shout. But Fergie’s got plenty of years left in him yet. Premiership managers seem to be having operations left, right and centre, but Sir Alex is fit as a fiddle and will continue to manage until his health changes. You say he has nothing left to achieve, but I think he’s always gagging for more trophies. Who wouldn’t want to win the European Cup three times? Who would want to win a twelve league titles? Thirteen? Fourteen? If you’re still capable of creating teams that will compete for honours, why on earth would you walk away from it?

9 ) Personally think Jose Mourinho will be your man. He wants to return to the Prem and I think Alex will view him as his natural successor. Moving on to the FA Cup clash. What kind of team should we expect on Sunday from Man United? Will Fergy give the youngsters and reserves a game, or will he field a full-strength side to try and avoid the kind of upset that would be a massive embarrassment for himself and your club? If he does field some reserve players or youngsters, who are the ones to watch?

We’re all hoping he fields as strong a side as possible, that will dish out a huge thrashing, but that might be wishful thinking. We’ve got a semi-final three days later and a Premiership game three days after that, so we can’t afford to be playing our strongest teams. Hopefully the Da Silva twins will get a game – proper feisty pair of Brazilians who really like getting stuck in. Darron Gibson will most likely start and he tends to score screamers (LINK). Danny Welbeck and Macheda might play up front, although I wouldnt be too surprised to see Owen start up front and maybe Welbeck on the wing. Gabriel Obertan is a really pacey winger who has won the fans over straight away, it would be good to see him play. I imagine we’ll have a strong bench though, with players like Rooney and Scholes who can come on and change a game if necessary. To be truthful though, there’s no way in predicting Ferguson’s lineups anymore.

10) Why on earth did you smash little old Barnsley up and are you worried about the potential for trouble as Leeds and Manchester United renew their rivalry?

I don’t know what it’s like in Division Three, but we have some horrible scrotes who want to get in the action on away days. Getting tickets for aways in almost impossible these days but Barnsley midweek was easy enough. So a load of them showed up, the kiosks decided it would be sensible to pull down the shutters and not serve beer to the people that had been waiting, and so stuff kicked off a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not nice, but we’ve all seen a lot worse. A bit of ketchup getting flung about and the till robbed? Hardly murder is it.

Who’s worried about what Leeds are going to do though? Have the club said something? I have no doubt your lot will run riot in the away stand, this is the biggest game you’ve played for years, so of course people will get overexcited. Then we’ll send you and the FA the bill to clean it up, just like we did after the dippers got giddy with their Munich and Shipman graffiti in their FA Cup semi in 2006.

11) I think the Police will be worried for a start. I don’t envy the task they have ahead of them! Finally, what’s your prediction for the game?

I predict Leeds players to kick us about the pitch, maybe even score, but for United to come good. It will be a good test for our younger players and I honestly hope the scoreline gets embarrassing – that is probably wishful thinking though.

Leeds can’t lose either way in my opinion. In all honesty, you should beat us given that you’re two divisions higher and have a squad full of internationals. No ones expecting us to win, so it’s no major loss if we don’t. On the other hand, if we do pull off an upset, we’ll be hailed as heroes and you’ll suffer a massive embarrassment. Should be a great occasion either way. Cheers Scott.

Sunday will see 9,000 Leeds United fans descend on Old Trafford for the first time since 2004. In those six years that’s passed, the fortunes of the teams have been contrasting to say the least. Whilst Manchester United have been successful in both Europe and domestically, Leeds plummeted to the third division and have struggled to escape the ghosts of our debts.

Things are looking brighter now for Leeds however who lead League One by eight points with a game in hand on second placed Charlton Athletic. Hopefully free of our problems and on the road back to the Premiership, the upcoming FA Cup clash provides an early setting for renewed rivalry.

Arguably Leeds’ most important player, Robert Snodgrass is in a confident mood ahead of the tie telling the BBC that;

“We’ve shown on numerous occasions that we can compete with higher standard teams. “In the Carling Cup this season we beat Watford and gave Liverpool a good game before losing 1-0.

“And you don’t have to try to get yourself motivated for a trip to Old Trafford – everyone is raring to go.”

Snoddy goes on to say that the rivalry is up there with that of the Old Firm in Glasgow, but Leeds will approach the tie as ‘just another game’.

Meanwhile, Alex Ferguson has also been talking about the rivalry and said he believes Leeds United are now on the up;

“We don’t need to spell out what Sunday’s game means to the Manchester United fans.

“There have been some fantastically feisty occasions over the years. And there was always a tinge of hostility.

“We always told the players to make sure they behaved properly on the pitch because we didn’t need to add to the problems off it.

“Leeds are bringing 9,000 fans, so it will be a busy day for the police. But it will be an absolutely brilliant atmosphere and should be a good cup tie as well.

“I used to enjoy the rivalry. It makes you perform.

“We had some great games at Leeds. The atmosphere was always electric and our record was pretty good.”

“…They will not be too far away from the Premier League in the next couple of years,”

“When you look at the position they are in at the moment in League One, they look certain to be in the Championship next year.

“And with the motivation and drive that is coming from the manager, they have a great chance of going further.

“Simon Grayson is a local boy himself, as well being a former player. Some people have targets in life. He has reached his and his team are not letting him down.”

The last time the War of the Roses clash took place was at Old Trafford in 2004 where the game ended deadlocked at 1-1. Alan Smith equalised for Leeds United that day before Ruud van Nistlerooy missed an absolute sitter to earn Leeds a point.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Simon Grayson’s reign as Leeds United boss, and what a fantastic year it’s been. Time to take a look back at all those ‘ups and downs!’

UP – The revival

Gary McAllister’s reign as Leeds United boss came to an end after five straight defeats, which included the embarrassing exit from the FA Cup away to lowly Histon. Simon Grayson quickly identified the flaws, strengthening the defence and inspiring a new confidence in Leeds United that led them on a remarkable run, ending the season just five points off the automatic spots in position for another dice roll in the play-offs.

DOWN – More playoff heartache

The reborn Leeds United appeared almost untouchable under Simon Grayson’s leadership, but our second attempt at escape from League One via the play-offs ended once more in heartache for the Whites. This time, we went out in the semi-finals to Millwall 2-1 on aggregate. Clearly, the only way to escape League One for Leeds United was automatic promotion and Grayson was under no illusions that that’s what we needed in 2009/10.

DOWN – Villa make Fabulous signing

After weeks of rumours, the inevitable sale of Fabian Delph was finally confirmed. Leeds United’s brightest prospect was to be sold to Aston Villa and with his exit, the Leeds fans feared we’d taken a step backwards and this showed a lack of ambition from the current board. The fans were spirits were temporarily lifted when Bates left us under the impression the money would be used to help repurchase Thorp Arch. Another ‘down’ in waiting as the board screwed us royally again, the funds vanished and the training complex’s deadline would pass without repurchase.

UP – Fresh faces, fresh start, fresh approach

With almost no money spent on the transfer market whatsoever, Leeds fans feared the worst as the new campaign got underway. The players Grayson had brought in for nothing however proved to be more than capable, especially Patrick Kisnorbo and Shane Higgs who strengthened the defence massively and led Leeds to the longest unbeaten run in the country.

Whilst leading the team to the top of League One looking like we were in second gear for much of it, Grayson also smashed two of Don Revie’s records. The first would come early doors when Grayson’s team won their first eight consecutive games breaking a record that had stood since 1973.

UP – Fortress Elland Road

Another record breaker for Grayson as his side won fifteen consecutive matches at Elland Road. Impressive in it’s own right, but possibly surpassed by the current run of remaining unbeaten at home for almost a year (and counting).

UP – Cup kings

Early in the season Grayson’s team secured a showpiece Elland Road clash against the mighty Liverpool in the League Cup. Whilst none of us expected to win the game, the Whites came close and ran Liverpool ragged for 90 minutes. A simply brilliant display from the lads, who were unlucky to eventually lose 1-0.

Meanwhile, in other competitions Leeds United are set for a trip to Old Trafford to start the new year with a rekindled rivalry against Manchester United. We’re also well on course for a trip to Wembley in the JPT if we can overcome Carlisle United in the regional final. I’m still unsure as to whether the mighty Simon Grayson can turn around our fortunes at Wembley, but I’ll try and remain optimistic should the chance arise.

DOWN – The Jermaine Beckford saga

The endless rumours surrounding Jermaine Beckford have been a constant area of media attention for Simon Grayson. Whilst reassurances have been made again and again by the board and manager, the national rags can’t resist linking him with every club in need of a few goals.

Beckford may have made the decision to sell a little easier for Leeds United though. They’ve said all along that should a ‘ridiculous offer’ come in, then they’d have to consider it, but as it stands he’d be at Leeds until the summer. His antics against Southampton, where he sulked off the pitch and down the tunnel seem to have turned even more fans against him though and a transfer could well be inevitable.

UP – It’s going to be a White Christmas

Victory over Southampton put Leeds United four clear at the top of League One with a game in hand on Alan Pardew’s chasing Charlton Athletic. It also put Leeds well beyond the halfway point in expected points to win the League and the Whites’ sit comfortably on 50 points having played 21 games. This time last year, Leicester City topped the table with 47 points.

Leeds have only lost once in League One so far this season and will head the table on Christmas day, just like Leicester City did last season. Simon Grayson’s record so far at Leeds United speaks for itself. Of the 57 games he’s took charge of for the Whites, Leeds have won 38 with an overall success rate of 73%. Even the legendary Don Revie couldn’t top that with his record standing at 62%. Of course, the sample size is much smaller and they competed in different leagues at different times, but under Grayson we seem to be going from strength to strength.

UP – In Grayson we trust

I hope Grayson has a chance to look back on his first year in charge and celebrate everything he’s achieved so far. His performance as Leeds United manager has been remarkable and he’s been the answer to every Leeds United fans prayers. A lifelong Leeds fan himself, he knows exactly what the fans expect and is striving to deliver. I congratulate him on his progress so far and hope he continues to build upon that success. Marching on together!