Thanks to Stephen Bridle from Five Year Plan Fanzine for taking part.

We last met at Elland Road in September when Leeds won 3-2. Has much changed for Palace since then?

A lot has changed since we met near the beginning of the season. I feel we played a good game against you and we’ve won many games this season having played worse football. Our fortunes have picked up since then and we’ve enjoyed many successes – with perhaps the most outstanding games being our 2-1 victory over Man United at Old Trafford and spanking Brighton 3-1 at their place.

We’re in good stead at the moment and spirits are high after beating Cardiff on Tuesday evening, so you’ll certainly have your work cut out.

You’ve had an impressive run in the Carling Cup, but do you think this has affected Palace’s form in the league?

Not really. We’d been using the cup to blood a few youngsters. Much was made of United’s changes to their usual starting line-up when we played them, but what most pundits seem to neglect to do is put any sort of research time into the lower league team when it comes to these sorts of games. If they had they’d have found we also have been making many changes throughout our cup campaign. We’ve got enough depth in the squad to have allowed us to stay strong in both competitions. While we’re not on the run that saw us a fixture in the play-off positions like earlier in the season I think we’ve still managed to hold our own.

With the play-offs still achievable, where do you expect to finish this year?

I expect we’ll finish just outside of the play-off positions. Which would be a huge achievement given the relegation struggles we’ve faced over the last few years. A season to regroup in mid-table could work wonders for us. Of course a finish in the play-offs with the prospect of promotion would be lovely, but I won’t be losing sleep if it doesn’t happen.

Who should we be looking out for in your side on Saturday?

If he’s fully recovered from his virus, right-back Nathaniel Clyne is the one to watch. He’s been linked with all manner of Premier League clubs this season – including Manchester United – and he’s really a force to be reckoned with.

Going forward most people tend to look at Wilfried Zaha, who it has to be said of late isn’t putting in the performances he was at the beginning of the season.

The Championship 2011/12: 3 up, 3 down?

Southampton, West Ham and Middlesbrough to go up. In that order.

In no particular order Millwall, Doncaster and Coventry to go down.

If you could sign one current Leeds player for Palace, who would it be?

It’d probably be Becchio. He always scores against us, so it’d be nice to see what he’d do if he was with us.

Finally, what’s your prediction for the game?

I think it’ll be a tough game, but this time we’ll come out on top. Expect us to play calm, defensive football looking to catch you on the counter. That’s seemingly how we’re lining up at home so far this season. We’re solid at the back – as a quick glance at the stats table will tell you – so a high-scoring game it won’t be.

Palace 2-1 Leeds

Far be it from me to preach to anyone about how they should conduct themselves at football games, but for those who filled the air Tuesday night with Istanbul and Munich chants, listed below are the 25 people that died in those disasters. Some were there to play football, some to report on it, whilst others were there solely to support their club, as was the case with our own fans, Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.

Captain Kenneth Rayment, Tom Cable, Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Duncan Edwards, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor, Liam Whelan, Walter Crickmer, Tom Curry, Bert Whalley, Alf Clarke, Donny Davies, George Follows, Tom Jackson, Archie Ledbrooke, Henry Rose, Frank Swift, Eric Thompson, Bela Miklos, Willie Satinoff, Christopher Loftus, Kevin Speight.

The reason I chose to list the names at the top of the post is because the tendency to constantly refer to these disasters by the place name in which they happened removes the human element. People forget that it was fans like you and me, and the players we all pay to go and support that died in these tragedies. And when that human element is forgotten, their deaths become nothing more than a sickening soundbite for terrace warfare.

On Tuesday night as Leeds and Manchester United faced off in a League Cup encounter at Elland Road, the supporters of both sides used the tragedies to anger their opposition. The untimely deaths of 25 people were used as nothing more than ammunition in a game of terrace one-upmanship.

The indifference with which some have shrugged off the chants, branding them “inevitable” was almost as disturbing as the chants themselves. We somehow managed to get through an entire game at Old Trafford in January 2010 without incident, yet the same fixture at Elland Road less than two years later sparked ugly scenes before the game had even kicked off.

What changed here was the premeditated actions of a few idiotic Manchester United “fans”, which many of you will have by now seen on YouTube. This however, was inside the stadium, and it’s impossible to ignore the fact that it all kicked off beforehand.

A common report I’ve heard is that the mood shifted when a coach arrived with a “Turkish Reds” banner on board. This was followed up by the Istanbul banner inside Elland Road itself.

These sickening, and premeditated actions, were designed to get a response from the Leeds United faithful. The idiots that created these banners came to Elland Road with the sole intention of causing trouble, of creating the kind of hostility that leads to mass violence and could quite easily have led to much more serious injuries than those reported.

I’m not saying the chants wouldn’t have happened regardless, but judging by the amount of Leeds fans that booed the Munich chants when they began and based on an altogether more peaceful affair at Old Trafford the last time round, I sincerely doubt they would have. These things always need a spark, and that’s what the sickening banners provided.

At that stage, even the most rational fan can get consumed by anger and find themselves shouting things they’ll later regret. I’ve seen it happen all too many times, peaceful matches turning incredibly hostile in a split second by a single incident.

Whether it’s a Millwall thug with a Galatasaray shirt, an opposition player making crude gestures to the crowd or an hate-fuelled banner, these are the kind of despicable actions that can turn an otherwise peaceful encounter into one where people get hurt.

This isn’t about who started it, but the people who brought along that banner were an entirely different class of scum who deserve extreme punishment.

The problem with chants inside football stadiums is that there’s very little the authorities can do about them – that’s entirely down to us, to boo the minority that join in and educate the ignorant as to what it is they’re singing about.

But in some rare cases, it is possible to isolate and punish the source. In this case, the video evidence will make it pretty easy to identify the worthless individuals who spent the night before this game creating a banner they knew would provide the spark a potentially volatile fixture would need to erupt.

Whilst they may have been sat in the Manchester United end, these idiots didn’t care any more about the memories of the 23 that died in Munich than they did about the Leeds fans that died in Istanbul – they knew what reaction they’d get, they were hoping for it.

It wasn’t just the 25 victims of Munich and Istanbul they didn’t care about though, they knew their actions would spark clashes outside the ground putting the innocent supporters of both sides, and the Police at risk.

They knew all this, yet still decided to create a banner and display it inside Elland Road. It was premeditated and unforgivable, and as such, the authorities should show these individuals the same level of consideration they showed everyone else when handing out punishment – absolutely none.

None of this gives anyone else the right to chant abuse and respond with violence however. Those that booed I applaud, those that joined in need to seriously consider what it is they’re chanting about – on both sides. The longer we continue to fight fire with fire, and use the oppositions actions to excuse our own, the longer this continues. It’s a vicious circle only the fans can break.

Leeds United have drawn them in the 3^rd round of the Carling Cup.

Undoubtedly the tie of the round, Simon Grayson’s men will “welcome” the red team from across the Pennines to Elland Road in the week beginning 19^th September. The exact date is yet to be confirmed but, according to the club, all will be made clear next week.

Following Leeds’ win at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in 2010, Manchester United will be looking for revenge at Elland Road.

It’s sure to be a fantastic atmosphere and Chairman Bates will be rubbing his hands together at the prospect of a sell out.

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.

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!

"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.

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!

“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!

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…