Wake-up calls, fighting talk and apologies TSS February 28, 2011 Leeds United 32 Comments It’s been a day of reflection at Elland Road with Andy O’Brien apologising to fans, Eddie Gray demanding that Saturday’s performance be used as a wake-up call and Simon Grayson begging fans not to write Leeds off. Starting with Andy O’Brien, the Leeds centre-back says Leeds didn’t make it ugly enough for Swansea City, making it all too easy for them to play their own game; “We weren’t at the races and I think we made them look better than they are. There’s no doubt they knock the ball about well but we didn’t make it into an ugly enough game.” O’Brien goes on to apologise to the 3,000 fans that made the trip for the abject performance, accepting that a lot of money was paid for them to travel so far and that Leeds United simply weren’t good enough. I wonder if he fancies refunding us? O’Brien’s observation that ‘we didn’t make it ugly enough’ is bang on the money for me. I’m not talking dangerous challenges and downright cheating, but the difference between the two sides was that Swansea closed Leeds United down whenever we had the ball and allowed us no time or space. Leeds meanwhile held off the Welsh side allowing them to pass around freely and look like Arsenal. Meanwhile, Eddie Gray offers Swansea City some well deserved praise for the manner in which they beat Leeds United, but also reiterates the words of most fans by adding that the game must to be used as a wake-up call. Eddie Gray’s column in the YEP concentrates more on the performance by Swansea than it does the mistakes made by Leeds, but his wake-up call comments are ones Leeds United’s players and staff must take on-board. Finally, Simon Grayson seems to be in a slightly petulant mood with this interview for the Official Leeds United site; “There’s twelve games to go and there’s still an awful lot of points to play for. “If people want to write us off that’s up to them, but we’ve lost two in twenty-one and we’re now challenging our players to maintain that. “We’re capable of going on a run. Just because we’ve lost we can’t be ruled out. If people want to, so be it.” What concerns me about this interview is that recent form is used to disguise our dismal defensive record. His comment that we’ve lost just twice in 21 games is wearing thin and is also repeated by club captain Jonny Howson. I’ve picked up on our poor defending after most games, but it’s difficult to be too critical of the team when our form guide shows so few defeats. But Swansea was the hammering we all knew we were capable of taking, and should have dealt a few home truths to the management. After dropping seven points in three games, conceding eight goals in the process, it’s a huge concern that neither our captain or our manager are talking of changes.