Old Trafford... awaits Leeds United.

Quite frankly we’ll have no problems, as long as Casper Ankergren decides when he should and shouldn’t come out to punch crosses and that Lubomir Michalik actually jumps to head the ball, rather than the ball head him.

It should be interesting to see what kind of ticket allocation Manchester United give.

I’m almost certain that if it were a team of Gillingham or Plymouth Argyle’s magnitude they would be guaranteed in the region of 6,000 to 8,000 tickets. Hopefully the police don’t find some ridiculous reason to lower the number of tickets to a bare 3,000 (the corner section).

Video - Harry Kewell’s header at Elland Road.

You wonder if we will ever see Max Gradel in a Leicester shirt again after his latest exploits for Leeds…

The 21 year old, who recently extended his loan to the Elland Road club, came off the bench to score a superb 89th minute winner against Leyton Orient last night.
A poor display by Leeds was forgotten as Gradel received the ball on the edge of the area, twisted and turned past three defenders like an eel, and unleashed a shot from 12 yards that found the top left hand corner.
This is the sort of flash of genius we know the 21 year old is capable of, but we have not seen it often enough in a royal blue shirt and there appears to be no place for Max in Nigel Pearson’s side.
The pressure will grow on Simon Grayson to sign Gradel on a permanent basis if he keeps up this level of contribution to Leeds’ promotion push. His current loan period expires on January 2…

Reid... Leeds boss for just 22 games.

FORMER LEEDS UNITED boss Peter Reid recently reflected on his time at Elland Road.

Reid was initially appointed as manager on 21st March 2003 with the task of keeping Leeds United in the Premiership – a task in which he succeeded.

Two remarkable away results, a 6-1 triumph over Charlton at the Valley and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Arsenal at Highbury, helped keep Leeds in the top flight as they eventually finished six points clear of the drop zone.

“We managed to stay up and I think a lot of people forget that we got some great results”, said Reid.

After minor speculation linking the then Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, Reid with the Elland Road hotseat, Reid was then given a one-year rolling contract with the club for upcoming 2003-2004 season. However with the club in financial turmoil, Leeds were forced to sell their best players Reid explains:

“Harry Kewell went and we didn’t get enough money for him. It was a very  difficult time for the football club.”

Not only did Kewell sign for Liverpool for just £5 million, £2 million of that was rumoured to have gone to his agent. Olivier Dacourt’s loan move to Roma was made permanent for £3.5 million and Paul Robinson looked set for a move to Aston Villa to join up with David O’Leary.

Reid also loaned out Danny Mills (Middlesbrough), Stephen McPhail (Nottingham Forest), Matthew Kilgallon (West Ham) and James Milner (Swindon). Replacements were lined up.

“I tried to get Paolo Di Canio off West Ham but he went to Charlton and Patrick Berger off Liverpool but he went to Portsmouth. I panicked a bit and brought about eight players in on loan because there was not substance to the club.”

Di Canio... was Leeds target.

Jermaine Pennant, Didier Domi, Lamine Sakho, Zoumana Camara, Cyril Chapuis, Salomon Olembe and Roque Junior were all brought into the club on loan deals.

However having won just two games by early November, Reid was sacked.

“I was there at the wrong time. When I went in I didn’t realise that they were going to financially implode.

“Leeds is a fantastic club and I’m delighted that they’re doing well. I just want them to go up. It’s a club with a great tradition and a great support and I hope to see them back up there.”

After a stint as manager of Thailand, Reid is now assistant manager at Premiership club Stoke City.

We all know the saying “Cheat’s never beat”, but it’s only as you get older that you realise they sometimes do and especially in football. We all know it goes on and this week Thierry Henry’s blatant handball against the Irish highlighted it again. This incident on the back of Liverpool’s Ngog recent dive to earn Liverpool a penalty prompted the debate about technology in football and the bandwagon to rid the game of cheating completely. However as a fan, this cheating mentality in football raises question’s to which straight answer’s are hard to find because, lets be honest, the answer how you feel depends largely on  if you are benefiting from these action’s…

Here are two instances that go someway to highlighting the dilemma. First up, its 1999 and Leeds are away at Derby knowing a win for the boys will take us to the top of the league. O’Leary’s side had been flying, but the game was dour as both sides struggled to make any real impression. With 4 minutes added for stoppages, Kewell (scum) had raced into the box and went down under a half hearted challenge from Carbonari. From the view behind the goal, it looked a dive and all the Derby player’s rightly appealed the decision. That didn’t stop smiles all round the White Army as up stepped Harte to smash home the spot kick and nick all 3 points…

It was a dive, despite O’Leary claiming that Kewell(scum) was an “Honest lad” and “If he says he clipped him, then I believe him”! Well, none of us who travelled back North that day believed him and frankly, none of us were overly bothered that we had just gone 2 points clear at the top of the Premiership on the back of a dodgy penalty. That 3 point’s proved vital in the end as the club finished 3rd and entered into the Champions League the next season. The boot was then on the other foot during that season and it wasn’t the nicest experience! In 2001 on a barmy night in the Bernabeu, the travelling White Army packed in to sing the boys on and when we took the lead, it simply went mental…

Who would have even dared to dream that we could go to Madrid and take something from the game. However the wind was well and truly taken out of our sail’s when, just a few minutes later, Madrid levelled in the most controversial of circumstances. A cross from the left was guided past Martyn by the hand of Raul. It was the most blatant handball since Maradona’s “hand of god“, yet amazingly, it was allowed to stand. The White army fumed as the Madrid fans laughed, just as we had at Derby the previous season. Leeds of course went on to lose 2-3 and Raul was subsequently fined £8,000 and banned for 1 game by UEFA though this was amazingly dropped after appeal…

Both incident’s show that, whilst there must come a time where the players decide between themselves to show more respect for each other, the fans can’t have it both ways.  It was the topic of conversation on the way to Brighton as we embarked on the 500 mile round trip. In a fixture that often fails to fire the imagination, at least this year there was the installation of Poyet as manager that added some spice to the affair. With tickets like rocking horse shit, many of the White Army were forced to watch from the home end, including yours truly. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last that I have had to watch the White Army from afar…

This time they were so far away, I am not even sure they counted as being inside the ground. As an away fan in the home end, you are always fraught with danger and at anytime, one stupid action can lead to serious consequences. It’s a case of head down, keep your mouth shut and contain any excitement if and when the lads score. The task was a made a tad bit harder by managing to get a ticket in the only part of the home end that actually had fan’s with any passion and wanting to get involved. The majority of the ground were sat statuesque, whilst the last block of seats in the South Stand, to the right of the White Army, were at least pretending to be at a football match…

News filtered through on text that both Naylor and Johnson had been crocked in training, so Grayson had to shuffle the pack. In came Lubo to partner Kisnorbo at the back, with Howson moving to the right wing. With Brighton having a mini revival, it was going to be interesting how Poyet was going to set his stall out for this game, but it was soon to become apparent that we needn’t have worried. With the rain coming down, it was always going to make for an interesting game, but Brighton began well and tried to made a game of it as you would expect from a side looking to impress a new manager. Brighton began passing the ball around well but not really making chances until 13 minutes in…

A rocket of a shot whistled wide of Casper’s upright from the boot of Forster. Up to then our only chance was fired so high and wide by Beckford that NASA had to be contacted to find the ball.  As the half went on though, we started to control the game without overrunning the hosts. Keeping control of the ball well and looking to get Kilkenny on the ball at every opportunity and on 27 minutes, we were rewarded with a screamer. Kilkenny found Beckford in the box, he laid the ball back to Snodgrass who was running onto the ball around 20 yards out to the left of goal and in one sweet movement  he slammed the ball over the keeper and into the far corner…

10 seconds later, the White army in the distance realised it was a goal and went mental, whilst yours truly kept his gob shut. Moment’s later a great ball into the box found Beckford, but his shot hit the post when it seemed easier to score. From that moment, Brighton fought back into the game and had a great chance to level though Murray, but with that miss, you felt the home team would be punished and Beckford did just that on 43 minutes. A stunning ball through from Kilkenny was taken in Beckford’s stride and dispatched into the far right hand corner with ease.  2-0 should have been 3 seconds later as Vokes first real opportunity saw him pull a shot wide across goal when really a “Premier League” player should have scored…

Halftime saw more rain, the Leeds fans now looking like the Klu Klux Clan in white rain covers and moans from the home fan’s who had given up and were ready to accept a 6-0 drubbing. That, however didn’t happen as despite the Whites putting in excellent work rate. After getting his head to almost everything that came his way, Kisnorbo nearly added a 3rd from a corner but headed wide. It was a let off that gave Brighton hope as they looked to get a foothold in the game. A succession of corners were dealt with admirably by Lubo and Kisnorbo and after Snoddy had a half decent penalty shout waved away, you wondered if we would ever just kill this game off so we could go home and get out of the pissing rain…

At times, one also wondered if someone had killed off the Brighton fan’s as it was so eerily quiet, that you could hear the players chatting on the park. They did have a couple of times to get excited when awarded free kicks on the edge of the Leeds area, but each time they were squandered and we looked to break forward at every opportunity. With time running down, Grayson made changes and it was one of these that helped to ice the White cake. Prutton collected the ball on the right and hurtled towards goal in injury time. The ex: Jesus coolly looked up and played a great ball across the box and into the path of the onrushing Kilkenny who hammered home for a deserved goal and seal the win…

Overall it was a fantastic away performance and 3 more points in the bag. No requirement for lady luck today, just hard work and chances taken at the right times. A special mention also to referee Linington, who booked Lubo for persistent fouling, but on the whole allowed the game to flow and used common sense, if only we could say that every week. With the rain now taking the piss, it was time to leave the shit hole of the Withdean and start the trek back north. It was another of those days where, despite the win and performance you realise that you have spent the best part of 12 hours travelling for 90 minutes of football and you don’t even get to see the fucking sea…

Still, things could be worse and perspective was required upon hearing the news about Stephen McPhail  being diagnosed with cancer as we travelled back and our best wishes go out to the lad for a speedy recovery. So 6 points clear with a game in hand we stride onwards to what we hope will be promotion fully aware that similar thought’s were probably in the head’s of the Cartoon army as they raced 12 point’s clear at the top of the Premiership in 96, but fucked it up. Lets hope that Grayson can keep on delivering and keeping everyone focused…

Leeds United AFC… “At the end of the day, it’s all about results”… Keep Fighting…

Krishna... Elland Road trial.

WE ALREADY have our seemingly knowledgable world-wide scouting network to thank for Luciano Becchio (definitely), Mike Grella (one for the future), Rui Marques (of course) and Davide Soma (possibly).

And only a few days ago we learnt of another trialist, Argentinian defender Walter Garcia, who started the recent reserve game against Middlesbrough at centre half – we conceded four. So it wasn’t the best possible start for Garcia, but another player did impress.

Fijian winger Roy Krishna started the game on the wing and eventually found his way on to the scoresheet. Though it wasn’t enough as we lost 4-3 (Somma scoring the other two).

Krishna is contracted to Waitakere United in New Zealand but has recently been linked with a move to Europe – PSV Eindhoven have been touted as possible suitors.

He has represented Fiji eight times, scoring four goals.

It’s good to see Leeds United’s scouting network still covers the globe.

Check out Krishna’s brace against New Zealand in a recent World Cup qualifier – his second goal is very well taken.

Beckford... in his youth.

WHAT WOULD teams give for Jermaine Beckford’s registration documents now?

Well, around £5 million if you believe recent reports linking him with a move to Newcastle. And on that note, what club in their right mind would pay £5 million for a player out of contract in the summer?

Yes he’s quality and capable of moments of magic when being anonymous all game, but Newcastle have got a pretty good chance of bouncing back to the promise land that is the Premier League at the first time of asking – and that’s without Beckford.

Anyways, back to the point. We’ve got Beckford’s signature on the dotted line – no, not for a new contract unfortunately. It’s for Walpole Wanderers when he was just 13-years-old. Aside from the dodgy barnet, he’s changed one bit! I’m sure Uncle Ken could forge that signature somehow.

Pentru prima oara in Cupa Angliei un joc a fost difuzat video in direct si exclusiv pe pagina de internet a federatiei dar mai putin surprinzatoare a fost eliminarea inca din turul intai a 6 cluburi profesioniste de catre “buturugi mici”.

Dupa 6 tururi preliminare, The F.A. Cup a strans la start in First Round Proper, turul intai, si cluburile profesioniste din ligile a treia si a patra, editia cu numarul 129 intrandu-si astfel cu adevarat in drepturi. In cele 40 de meciuri s-au regasit asadar si dueluri intre David si Goliath, si nu doar jocuri intre echipe amatoare, ca pana in runda precedenta. Iar recompensa a crescut pe masura, la 18.000 lire sterline din partea federatiei pentru calificarea in runda secunda.

Iar cine asteapta turul trei din primul weekend al lui 2010 pentru intrarea in cursa a prim-divizionarelor, sa ia aminte totusi ca in primul tur s-au aliniat la centrul terenului 8 castigatoare ale Cupei Angliei. Ca traditia, palmaresul ori esalonul superior nu inseamna totul au aflat si cateva dintre triumfatoarele din trecut, eliminate fara mila.

In uvertura, vineri, au fost programate 3 jocuri in nocturna, Sven-Goran Eriksson si a sa Notts County, o castigatoare a competitiei in 1894, mergand mai departe in dauna unei alte grupari din liga a patra, Bradford City, la randul ei triumfatoare in 1911. Southampton, retrogradata in primavara in esalonul trei si pornind la drum cu 10 puncte penalizare datorita unor nereguli financiare, si-a indulcit amarul din campionat cu un 3-2 in Cupa Angliei la Bristol, pe terenul lui Rovers, o colega de esalon, in fata a 6.446 spectatori.

Sambata la amiaza, in meci televizat, o aparitie in premiera in turul intai pentru Paulton Rovers, un club vechi de 128 ani din comitatul rural Somerset, undeva la piciorusul insulei sub forma de iepuras, activand in Zamaretto League Division One South and West, un fel de esalonul opt. Dar surpriza nu s-a produs, “Canarii” abia cazuti si ei in liga a treia spulberandu-si amfitrionii: 7-0 pentru Norwich City. Cu Delia Smith presedinta, renumita autoare de carti culinare, si scotianul Paul Lambert la timona, preluata de fostul mijlocas al Borussiei Dortmund in aceasta toamna, “galben-verzii” au regasit ingredientele care le-au realimentat pofta de gol…

Apoi, in grosul jocurilor, respectand ora traditionala de start, cincisprezece, s-au regasit altele 3 purtand doar pecetea ligii a treia, Coca Cola League One. Tragerea la sorti fiind complet aleatorie, fara capi de serie ori diferentieri in privinta gazduirii intalnirii, asemenea imperecheri ale unor potentiale favorite ale turului I sunt inevitabile.

Iar un asemenea meci l-a inceput si romanul Adrian Patulea, in atacul lui Leyton Orient Londra, ce-l aducea in vara de la Lincoln City. La Liverpool, in fieful lui Tranmere Rovers, ce-l demitea recent de la carma pe John Barnes, The O’s au scapat cu fata curata, 1-1, intr-una dintre cele 7 remize ale rundei, ce sunt rejucate in aceasta seara de marti 17 noiembrie. Patulea, inlocuit in minutul 67, o fi gasind poate pe teren propriu drumul spre gol si calificare.

Dar surprizele nu s-au lasat totusi asteptate. Staines Town, trupa din urbea lui Sasha Baron Cohen alias Ali G, venind din seria sudica a ligii a sasea, s-a calificat pe terenul lui Shrewsbury, o pretendenta la promovarea in esalonul trei: 1-0. Colega de divizie a lui Staines, Bath City, reprezentand un oras universitar prolific in rugby, a invins si mai clar, 2-0, la Grimsby Town, din Coca Cola League Two, liga a patra. Diferenta de doua esaloane n-a contat in alte doua cazuri, micuta Kettering calificandu-se si ea cu un 1-0 in deplasare, la profesionista de liga a III-a Hartlepool, iar Oxford United, candva o prim-divizionara, scufundata acum in divizia a cincea, bucurand peste 6.000 de fani cu un 1-0 in dauna lui Yeovil Town, la randul ei o “buturuga mica” pana mai ieri.

Ca liga a cincea are nucile ei tari a dovedit-o si York City, ce a intors in ultimele 5 minute rezultatul la 3-2 in fata profesionistei Crewe Alexandra. Tragand linia si adunand, cinci grupari profesioniste au fost trase pe dreapta de echipe dinafara Football League.

Iar apoi, sambata dupa-masa, in premiera absoluta in Cupa Angliei, un joc a fost difuzat video in direct pe pagina virtuala a federatiei engleze, www.thefa.com. Un meci de fapt de liga a treia, intre Oldham Athletic si Leeds United, colege de esalon si in 1992, cand oaspetii, pe-atunci cu Cantona, Strachan ori McAllister, cucereau ultima editie in elita inaintea lansarii Premier League. Dar semifinalele de Cupa Angliei cu remize si rejucari pierdute in fata lui Manchester United, in 1990 si ’94, cand si retrograda din prima liga, nu i-au tinut acum de cald lui Oldham: 0-2. Leeds s-a calificat in experienta in direct pe internet.

Daca n-ar fi falimentat Setanta, canalul prin satelit irlandez ce avea drepturile de difuzare, nici Football Association n-ar fi apelat la o asemenea solutie. Iar duminica onoarea televizarii i-a revenit canalului terestru ITV1, ce a mirosit surpriza langa Manchester, la Northwich, locul 16 datorita unei penalizari de 10 puncte in seria nordica a ligii a sasea, ce a eliminat-o intr-o surpriza-soc pe Charlton Athletic, o prim-divizionara pana in 2007. Riley, un barman de 20 ani cu jumatate de norma, a marcat in minutul 81 in dauna castigatoarei din 1947 a F.A. Cup!

Cu un nume predestinat, Northwich Victoria a fost inclusa in urna tragerii la sorti a turului doi, cu premii de calificare de 27.000 lire sterline, derulata in transmisiune directa pe acelasi ITV1 imediat dupa jocul surpriza. Iar ca emotiile sa-i fie iute curmate, a iesit prima din urna, pentru jocul din 28 noiembrie, acasa cu Lincoln.

Insa turul intai s-a incheiat abia luni seara, odata cu derbyul londonez Millwall – Wimbledon, colege in 1990 in prima liga, cu “Leii” acum in esalonul trei iar oaspetii in cinci. Dar ce mai oaspeti, blazonati cu cucerirea Cupei Angliei in 1988, in fata favoritei Liverpool! De asemenea succes n-a avut parte Millwall, in finala din 2004, 0-3 cu Manchester United, dar derbyul de pe The Den a fost inedit mai ales prin faptul ca a fost preluat de 31 posturi TV, printre care si Sportklub, insa niciunul din… Albion. Paradox ce mi-a amintit de exclamatia unui amic, fan Wimbledon, pe cand erau afisate pe Sky Sports rezultatele din ligile “mici”, dupa ce fusesem la jocul de liga a saptea cu Leyton, 0-0 in decembrie 2005: “Ha, ha, uite-ne numele la teve! Asta-i marele pas, intr-o buna zi sa fim si televizati, de exemplu intr-un joc de turul I al Cupei Angliei, pentru ca nu suntem fiste cine, ci urmasii unei castigatoare”.

Viziunea lui Nick s-a conturat, dar pentru telespectatori din Albania ori aiurea. Aici, jocul l-au vazut doar cei 9.500 spectatori, dintre care 3.339 fani oaspeti, prezenti la Millwall – Wimbledon 4-1. Inegalabila F.A. Cup in forma pura.

LEEDS UNITED’S summer transfer target Warren Feeney looks set to be released from his Cardiff City contract in January.

The Northern Ireland international looked to be on the verge of a move to Elland Road during the summer, but a hip injury scuppered the deal.

The 28-year-old has made just one substitute appearance for Cardiff and Leeds boss Simon Grayson is likely to be alerted to his availability.

Feeney started his career at Elland Road, but failed to break through into the first team. He is also believed to be good friends with ex-Leeds midfielder Harry Kewell and the pair were supposedly each other’s best man at their weddings.

Leeds United and a life in the Press Box

I HAVE recently just finished reading two books based on Leeds United.

The first was called Leeds United and a life in the Press Box written by John Wray. Now for me as a young aspiring journalist this was not only a fantastic read, but an interesting insight into the world of journalism and its development over the last few decades.

From sub-editing a match report between local teams Toby Jug and Squinting Cat to covering the European Cup final between Leeds United and Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, Wray paints a fascinating picture of his journalism career.

The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie's Leeds United

A fantastic book with some wonderful anecdotes, this really is a must read for any upcoming journalist, Leeds fan or not.

The second book I recently read was The Unforgiven: The Story of Don Revie’s Leeds United by Rob Bagchi and Paul Rogerson. Now as I’m still relatively young (20-years-old), my knowledge of Leeds United’s history is (or was until I read this book) a little vague.

This book paints a colourful picture of Revie’s time at the helm and gives an interesting insight into how he built a fantastic team.

For anyone who has any interest in Leeds United, young and old, this book is a must have.

Garcia... hoping to impress.

SIMON GRAYSON will decide whether to offer out of contract Argentinian defender Walter Garcia a deal at the club over the next week.

Garcia is currently a free agent after being released by Major League Soccer outfit New York Red Bulls and is hoping to impress during a trial game on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old previously had spells in Russia with Rubin Kazan and Italy with Catania.

If offered a contract Garcia would only be available to play for Leeds when the transfer window opens in January.

JPT... Whites paired with Accrington.

LEEDS UNITED have been paired with League 2 side Accrington Stanley in Northern Area semi-final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

The tie will be played midweek on December 14.

Simon Grayson’s side have so far beaten Darlington and Grimsby in the competition whilst Accrington have overcome Oldham, Shrewsbury and Bury to reach the semi-finals.

The other northern semi-final sees Carlisle entertain Bradford whilst the southern section see Southampton take on Norwich and Hereford against the MK Dons.

Gradel... with the Whites until the New Year.

LEICESTER CITY have granted permission for winger Max Gradel’s loan spell at Elland Road to be extended to the New Year.

Gradel’s initial deal was due to come to an end this weekend but after some lively performances from the bench Simon Grayson has been quick to extend the deal and expressed his delight to leedsunited.com.

“We’re delighted that Leicester have agreed to let Max stay on and I’d like to thank Nigel Pearson for allowing him to do that.

Max has done well for us. He has fitted in well, he has brought something different to the team and he was keen to stay.

Leicester do have a 24-hour recall, but as it stands we now have him as part of our squad until the New Year and with a busy period coming up after we start again at Brighton, he will have a role to play here.”

Another great signing from Grayson. I’m sure the fans will realise he adds another dimension to the side and who knows, if he performs well, maybe there’s a chance we’ll get him on a permanent basis. Admittedly his final ball does need some work on, but he is still young and a very exciting player to watch. Well done Grayson.

Higgs... contract extension.

WHEN Simon Grayson swooped to sign Cheltenham Town goalkeeper Shane Higgs in the summer, few eyebrows were raised.

After all Higgs had been with Cheltenham for nine years and all he had to show were two Division Three play-off final victories – surely a club of Leeds’ stature should be looking at a bigger name with Championship experience at least? Though to be fair to Higgs he did have a brief loan stint at Wolves towards the end of last season, but didn’t make any appearances.

We were all aware Grayson was after another player between the sticks to add competition for Casper Ankergren, but seriously, Shane who?

Now just a few months down the line Higgs has established himself as the regular number one and has been rewarded with a new one-year contract extension which takes his deal till the summer of 2011.

Higgs has kept six cleans sheets so far this season, but his good form has recently been halted by a thigh injury, allowing Ankergren to stake his place for the goalkeeper’s jersey.

Ankergren... backup keeper?

Grayson cannot be praised enough for the signing of Higgs and the competition it has developed in what has previously been a troublesome area for the Whites. Grayson said:

“We’re delighted to have Shane for another year. He has done well since he came in, and it’s good to have that competition with Casper. Shane did well in pre-season, got his opportunity, and he took it with some good performances and some good saves. He is out injured at the moment but is making good progress. Casper has come in and he has done well and I am pleased with the competition we have there because we have two good goalkeepers.”

I’m sure that when Higgs does recover from his groin injury he will be thrust straight back into the fold, regardless of Ankergren’s form, as Grayson tried to do in the Norwich game.

Hopefully Higgs’ 100% play-off final record won’t need to be mentioned this season – but with more astute signings from Grayson and Higgs between the sticks, maybe next season it will.

When the FA Cup first round tie was drawn, feelings were mixed. With memories of the debacle at Histon still haunting, it was a relief to avoid a non league banana skin, but then again, it was another trip to bloody Oldham. Only the fact that is a short hop across the M62 gave some crumb of comfort and for that I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. Upon parking up it was pissing down (check), fucking cold (check) and fucking miserable (check). Yes, it could only be one place in the world that has the most dismal micro climate in Britain. Oldham Athletic, our one time nemesis, remains a shit hole and the most perennially depressing of places to visit. The kick off was pushed to tea time to accommodate the first ever FA cup game shown on TheFA.com. website. This followed on from showing a recent England under 21 game on the net as the FA continues to struggle to find a broadcaster to take over the rights previously held by Setanta…

All that can be hoped for on nights liked these is that the boys put up a good show and give the crowd something to feed off and escape with a win. Grayson had a few option’s team wise, but opted to tinker with the formation and play a 4/5/1 which could also have been viewed as a 4/3/3 at time’s. With Kandol’s 3 match ban kicking in and Vokes not able to play, Beckford was chosen as a loan striker. This was instead of a possible pairing with Enoch or Grella (both on the bench). With Snoddy and Johnson on the wings looking to support, the midfield trio was made up of Kilkenny, Howson and Doyle, the rest of the line up unchanged. It has to be said, the game was not exactly the best and with the exception of 2 early scares in which Casper thankfully came out on top, for 35 minutes nothing really happened. The game was controlled largely by Kilkenny and Howson as we tried to find an angle to get through the home defence, but it just wasn’t happening…

When it did fat arsed Gregan was picking up just about everything and Beckford was clearly not impressed with having to put in a lonesome shift whilst getting very little service. That said, Beckford had 3 defender’s for company whenever the ball got near his delicate little toes. So fast forward to 36 minutes in and just as we were about to fall into a deep freeze induced coma when Snoddy played a ball out to Howson on the left, about 20 yard’s out. Totally out of context to what had gone before, Howson took a touch then put his left foot through the ball and with the aid of a slight deflection, it whistled past Flahavan into the net off the underside of the bar for 1-0 to wake and warm the White Army for whom a small section of which rather disappointingly took their mind off the tedium presented before them with the Munich song and the odd racist chant. Perhaps this was an effect of the recent full moon as it was the first time this season to my ears and from a lot of unfamiliar faces…

We had hoped that this goal would provide a springboard, however it proved to be a false dawn and we were just thankful to be ahead at halftime. A full 15 minute rendition of “Champions of Europe” cheered spirits and kept people warm during the break as we dreamt of a Bristolesq second half. It was not to be however as the second half proved to be as grim, if not worse. People watching on the FA.com website may well have been dropping asleep as Leeds passed neatly, but failed to do anything incisive. Oldham did there best to try get a foothold into the game while the White Army took their shoe’s off to show they hate ManU. Oldham did come close with a Taylor snapshot being pushed past the post by Casper with around 70 minutes gone, but after that the game sunk back into to its mind numbing nothingness. To our right, due to Oldhams ground only really having three sides, the non footballing folk of Oldham did their best to help take our mind off matters…

Glorious firework displays were melting into the wet dark skies, but there were no fireworks on the pitch.  The football was getting no better, though that’s not to say there was no effort from either side, because there was. Sadly just very little quality and what there was of it was coming from both sets of defender’s. Kisnorbo and Naylor again excelling, but equally, Gregan and Hazel were too. As thoughts were turning to more exciting thing’s like getting home in time for X- Factor, the assistant put up 4 minutes of injury time. Grayson was keen to run the clock down with Grella on for Beckford and White on for Doyle, who second’s before had just picked up his 5th Yellow of the season and will now be banned for 1 game. It was in the very last minute of injury time that the White army were again rewarded with another goal out of context with what had preceded it…

An Oldham attack was broken down and Snoddy raced away. Snoddy fed the ball to White who powered down the right wing before crossing perfectly to Grella. The man from the USA took a touch before hooking the ball in off the keeper for a 2-0 victory. This wasn’t the best game in the world though many will care too much given the main aim was to be in the hat and Macca would have taken this last season for sure. After being drawn away to Kettering Town in the next round of the FA Cup, next up was the JPT tie at home to Grimsby. It was the last game before another two week break as Swindon had been postponed due to international call ups. It must have been with this in mind and the poor showing in the last round against Darlington that swayed Graysons team selection. It was a surprisingly strong side for the Sky camera’s and Grimsby must have feared the worst on the back of just being dumped out of the FA Cup first round by non- league Bath…

So with Casper in goal was protected by a back four of Lubo, Naylor, Hughes and White. Gradel was handed a start on the right, with Snoddy on the left whilst Kilkenny and Johnson took the central midfield spots. Beckford and Vokes started up front. In the last two season’s we have gone out of the JPT to lower league opposition in Bury and Rotherham and there was no desire from anyone to make it 3 in a row and the game began at a quick pace. The first 5 minutes saw the White’s attacking the South Stand that held the visiting fan’s and we pinned them back. Poor defending saw Vokes get a header just over after only seconds played. Gradel was keen to stamp his mark on what could be his last game for the club by running at the defence whenever he got the ball, though his crossing was largely ineffective and was forced to switch wing’s with Snoddy midway through the half…

It was then that we started to enjoy our better moments, however, Grimsby managed to get into the game after a nervy start. Had it not been for their clueless strike force repeatedly getting called offside, Naylor and co could well have paid dearly for keeping such a high line at the back. As with Saturdays game, it began to lose its way and it was on 40 minute’s that the crowd really had something to shout about. Gradel was fed the ball on the left, he twisted and turned before beating his man and firing across goal at pace. The ball took a wicked deflection off defender Lancashire and into the net for 1-0. Even Grayson could not deny that once again, fortune had favoured the Whites. It was then effectively game over 5 minutes later as brilliant interplay saw Kilkenny coolly picking up a one-two from Beckford, beating a man before striking a peach of a goal past the despairing dive of Colgan for a flattering 2-0 halftime lead…

It was harsh on Grimsby but there was little doubt that we would surrender the lead and the second half was only 10 minutes old when we made it three. Bradley Johnson had been pretty subdue in the middle of the park up until now, but he picked up the ball on the half way line and drove forward. Once on the edge of the box he fed inside to Beckford, who took half a touch before dispatching sublimely past the keepers diving left hand. A superb finish on a night where both he and Vokes had failed to ignite the crowd. That had been left to Gradel who had grown in confidence through the game and was proving to be a real threat. With 3 goals in the bag and 35 minutes to play, we hoped for another goal spree, but Grimsby found a swift foothold in the game 2 minute’s later. A corner was punched away by Casper and ex Leeds man Sweeney, around 20 yards out, struck an instinctive volley back towards goal and in off the underside of the bar…

It stung the Whites back into action and after that man Gradel again showed magic, his perfect cross was met at the back stick by Snoddy, but his header was pushed onto the post and away to safety. Grayson threw on Robinson and Prutton as the Whites searched for a 4th and after Gradel lashed wide of the goal when a pass across the box would have been better, Grimsby had one massive chance to get into the game. Aidy White made a dreadful error at the back and Wood was onto it like a flash. Fortunately, he took a touch too many and there was Casper off his line to save the day. It proved to be decisive and after that, the White’s ran down the clock and marched into the JPT Northern Area Semi final. Two more games successfully negotiated making it 4 wins on the trot since the defeat at Millwall. With good football at times to boot and plenty of goals perhaps, in hindsight, it was the kick up the arse we needed. Next up Brighton and the return of Poyet…

Leeds United AFC… “Out to toast each other from that Silver Cup”… Keep Fighting…

LEEDS progressed to the semi-finals of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Northern section after an entertaining 3-1 win over Grimsby Town at Elland Road.

Some clever work from loanee Max Gradel helped open the scoring just before the break. The Leicester winger’s cross was deflected off Oliver Lancashire and looped into the far corner to give Leeds a deserved lead.

Kilkenny... dominant in midfield.

Neil Kilkenny then doubled the lead in first half stoppage time after rounding off a neat move by firing low beyond the Grimsby keeper.

In the second half Jermaine Beckford poked home the third after a powerful run from Sam Vokes.

Grimsby netted a stunning consolation goal when ex-Leeds midfielder Peter Sweeney struck a sweet full volley after Leeds had failed to clear a corner.

Simon Grayson’s men will now face either Bradford, Carlisle or Accrington in the upcoming semi-final.

Player Ratings

Ankergren – 7 – Looked solid and composed all game. Could do nothing about Sweeney’s wonder goal.

Hughes - 7 – Raided up and down the right flank well and delivered crosses well into the opposition area.

Michalik – 6 – Dominant in the air – rarely troubled.

Naylor - 6 – Again, rarely troubled, but it will be a worry that Grimsby found spaces to exploit.

White - 7 – Looked comfortable on the ball coming forward. A big future ahead.

Gradel – 8 – Caused continuous problems for the opposition and his hard work led to the opening goal. Chants of ’sign him up’ from the fans may persuade Grayson to try and extend his loan deal which is due to expire next week.

Kilkenny - 8 – Orchestrated play and capped his performance with a wonderfully taken goal. Pushing Doyle and Howson for a regular starting spot.

Johnson - 6 – Playing out of position in the centre of midfield. Looked comfortable but his talents are far better suited to the left side.

Snodgrass - 7 – Another typical battling performance from the Scotsman. Worked the full-backs well and delivered some top quality crosses.

Vokes – 7 – Worked hard but his first goal in white still eludes him. A good powerful run to set-up Beckford’s goal.

Beckford - 6 – Anonymous for large parts but came up trumps with yet another well taken goal.

Subs

Robinson (for Snodgrass 67) – 6 – Energic performance from the bench and lucky not to get booked for a poor challenge.

Prutton (for Johnson 81) – 6 – Came on and had little to do.

Showunmi (for Vokes 86) – 6 – Little time to make an impact for the big man.

Poyet... new Brighton boss.

FORMER LEEDS assistant manager Gustavo Poyet has been appointed as the new manager of fellow League 1 side Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Uruguayan was number two to Dennis Wise for just over a year at Elland Road but left the club to join Juande Ramos at one of his former clubs, Tottenham.

Poyet replaces Russell Slade at the Withdean Stadium and with the Seasiders languishing just above the League 1 drop zone, a good start could prove crucial.

Poyet’s first home game in charge will be against the mighty Whites on 21st November.

LUFC vs Grimsby Town – Johnstone’s Paint Quarter Final

SIMON GRAYSON’S men continue on the road to Wembley in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday night with a tie against League 2 outfit Grimsby Town at Elland Road.

The game is to be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 7.30pm and the United gaffer told leedsunited.com he expects to field a strong lineup:

“There might be a couple of opportunities for players, but there won’t be wholesale changes. We have no game at the weekend, some players need extra games,and we want to try and win it because if we win on Tuesday we are through to the semi-finals and three games from Wembley which would be a nice day out for everybody.”

Sweeney... set for Elland Road return.

Midfielder Max Gradel looks set to play his final game for the club as his month-long loan spell from Leicester City expires in the next few days, though Grayson had not ruled out trying to extend the deal:

“I would like to keep him because he has done well for us and he has enjoyed it, but he isn’t our player and I respect that. I will speak to Nigel (Pearson) at Leicester and ask the question and we’ll see where we are.”

Another loanee in Sam Vokes is back in contention after being cup-tied for the game at Oldham. Though the Whites are without the suspended Michael Doyle and Tresor Kandol whilst Luciano Becchio is still out with an ankle injury.

Peter Sweeney, who appeared nine times for the Whites, makes his first return to Elland Road since departing for Tuesday’s opponents during the summer.

HELLO AND WELCOME to the very latest site on Yorkshire’s finest ever football club – Leeds United.

We’ll bring you all the latest Leeds United news, comment and analysis straight from Elland Road, as the mighty Whites attempt to fight their way back to the top flight.

Keep up to date with everything Leeds United right here. Follow us on Twitter or join our Facebook group and most importantly of all, keep Marching on Together!

It is unlikely that there were too many, if any, glasses raised in celebration from the football community when the M1 motorway celebrated its 50th birthday recently. Yet for football fan’s up and down the country, this road is godsend that is taken for granted as we follow our team. It’s not the most glamorous and it’s certainly not the most exciting part of fan’s match day experience, but life without it seems incomprehensible. It’s often called the “Backbone of the country” and it’s become like a reliable old friend in the era where it feel’s like every away game is in some far flung place. One can only imagine the amount of time it used to take getting from say Leeds to Highbury in the day’s before it’s construction in 1959. Well, that’s not factually correct as the first part of the motorway was opened in November 1959 and it only measured 62 miles (London to the Midlands)…

It was 1967 before an extension made it as far as Sheffield and then 1972 before it reached central Leeds. Though it’s not just travelling by which the M1 has significance for Leeds United AFC. You may well remember a time, just after the link road between the M1 and the A1 was completed back in 2001, it figured highly in relocation plan’s. The club’s PLC board, spearheaded by then chairman Peter Ridsdale, decided at the time that the club was now growing at such a rate that plan’s were needed to either redevelop Elland Road or consider a new ground on the outskirts of Leeds. This would be situated just off the M1 and be a state of the art affair, “Just what the club and its fan’s deserved”. A statement released by the club in May 2001 said:

“Leeds Sporting Plc, the parent company of Leeds United Football Club, today announced that due to the ever-increasing demand for its match day facilities, it has commenced a feasibility study into either building a new stadium on a virgin site in Leeds or redeveloping the existing Elland Road site.”

After months of spin by the board in the press, everyone was caught up in the hype with even O’leary getting in on the act suggesting that:

“If we can move and build a brand new, modern stadium it will only make Leeds bigger and better”

By way of a letter to supporter’s written in a way only Ridsdale could, a vote was to be held amongst the White army. In the letter he pointed out that “Option A” of redeveloping Elland Road would cause substantial disruption and be more expensive than building a new stadium. More importantly that “Option B” – the new stadium – would cost nothing to shareholder’s and O’Leary’s transfer fund as it would be built solely on the proceeds of the sale of Elland Road (Estimated £20 million)  and “Stadium Naming Rights” before going on to say:

“As a supporter of Leeds United for the last forty years, I truly understand the emotion attached to Elland Road. I do, however believe that we owe it to our children and future generations to provide both a world class team and a world class stadium.”

Out of the 28,250 voting forms sent out, the club received back 18,577, of which a massive 16,276 (87.6%) were in favour of leaving Elland Road and starting again at a new ground.  As some dumbstruck fan’s asked for a recount, Peter pressed on: “I will now be packing my bags in search of a global sponsor” he said and the club prepared itself to move on, leaving behind the decades of history and a gypsies curse that encapsulated Elland Road. The naming right’s were crucial to the success of the whole project and with the club ruling out Tobacco, Alcohol or Sports supplier’s, option’s were proving pretty hard to come by. It’s not a new idea, over the year’s clubs up and down the country have of course travelled this same route. Arsenal have the Emirates Stadium, Wigan the JJB, Bolton have the Reebok, Leicester the Walkers and Stoke the Britannia to name just a few…

More recently the Cartoon army have been up in arm’s again with Mike Ashley, the only chairman of a club more unpopular than our own Ken Bates, announcing that Newcastle have confirmed that their stadium will be renamed by the mind boggling and somewhat amusing “sportsdirect.com@StJames’ParkStadium” until the end of the season. This was quickly followed by Chelsea announcing they will do the same and many wonder how long before Bates follow’s suit. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and history of course tell’s us that the then Leeds board failed to secure the deal they needed to fund the new stadium. One excuse for this was that we were all living in a different climate just after the attack on the world trade centres on 911. However there was also a hell of a bad smell hanging around the club due to the bad publicity surrounding the Woodgate/Bowyer court case…

If that wasn’t bad enough, there was also of course the fall out over O‘Leary‘s book. After all the hype and the fan fares, the board dropped plan’s for the new stadium in 2002 with little publicity and it was of course around this time that the wheel nut’s on the PLC bandwagon were beginning to loosen off. The new stadium was to have been ready for the 2004 – 2005 season but instead of a new ground opening, a new era was dawning as the club faced up to our first season after relegation from the Premier League. Shortly after, Krasner’s board had sold Elland Road to a chap in Manchester called Jacob Adler in a “leaseback deal” that got the club just £10 million, half that of what the PLC had aimed to get.  Krasner’s deal saw the club remain at Elland Road for the next 25 years, with the option to buy back…

In 2006 it then emerged that Adler had sold Elland Road to a company based in the British Virgin Islands called “Teak Commercial Limited“. When asked on the matter, Shaun Harvey said:

“The change in ownership has had no material effect on us. It makes no difference that the company who now own Elland Road is based in the British Virgin Islands. We still have the same lease as originally entered into, albeit with a different company. More importantly, the buy-back provision has also been transferred.”

At the time, many fan’s questioned “Who are Teak Commercial”? and what link’s do they have, if any, with Bates or Forward Sports. Some fan’s investigated, but found dead end’s along with conspiracy theories and rumour’s. The issue melted into the back ground somewhat until 2007 when plans were underway to find a location for the Leeds council’s “Leisure Quarter” including the much vaunted arena. However, counciler Andrew Carter had no luck tracking down the people behind Teak Commercial either and in a statement that man Shaun Harvey said:

“The club does not know who owns Teak commercial Ltd but our contact with them is still Jacob Adler so(we) have no reason to believe it is anyone but him.” Before going on to confirm that Bates had no connection with Teak Commercial…

Once again, the dust settled and the issue only came back to life when Bates took the club into administration shortly after. It was then that one of Bates long list of arch nemesis’s arrived back on the scene to try and buy the club out of Administration with a £10 million pound bid and a plan in hand to begin a development project which, Morris claimed, would see £400m invested in the Elland Road site (including two other pieces of land – one owned by Leeds City Council and the other by British Road Haulage) and would provide the White’s with a 50,000-capacity stadium. A source connected with Morris at the time told the YEP:

“SR Morris Group acquired an interest in Elland Road a few weeks ago.”

Morris was the person who brokered the deal with Adler in the first place but question’s were being asked as to why Teak Commercial would co-operate with Morris but seemingly not the club or council. As we know, Morris failed in his bid and was hit with scandal as the Daily Express revealed his true plan’s for the area via “Project Peacock” in which the aim was to acquire all three above sites for development, relocating Leeds United to a site nearby which would be supported by retail outlets and a 50,000-seat arena. Any interest that Morris had in Elland Road is now likely to have disappeared as in October 2009 he went bankrupt and was subsequently arrested along with his father Bryan as part of a fraud and money laundering investigation by West Yorkshire Police. To this day no one outside Simon Morris and Jacob Adler appear’s any the wiser as to who ultimately owns the ground…

All this is quite apt really given the current furore surrounding who ultimately own’s Leeds United AFC. We fast forward to the present day and despite still not owning it, plan’s are underway for redevelopment at Elland Road with the club investing half a million quid on Ken’s vision of hotel’s and shopping mall’s thus far. According to Bates, £80 million pound’s will be sunk into this project (you may recall we couldn‘t find £6 million for Thorp Arch). All this time on and many also wonder why the PLC felt it would be better to move than redevelop, yet Bates has the opposite view. Many fan’s simply wonder why on earth we are building hotel’s at Elland Road in the first place. As ever, Shaun Harvey has the answer’s and he claim’s:

“The development is designed to increase non-matchday income streams at Elland Road, which in turn will support and supplement the club’s efforts on the pitch. It will play a vital part in the regeneration of the area, and will also create opportunities for local people.”

So there we have it, not only will football be played at Elland Road for the next few year’s instead of some city outpost near the Birthday boy M1, but in a few years time, we will all be able to both sleep and shop at the ground too. All safe in the knowledge that the buy back option was taken and the club own the ground again because surely Bates wouldn’t place the club in debt to build something onto a stadium we don’t own. Meanwhile, those lucky Leeds United PLC fan’s in that parallel universe are very much at home in their new “Bank of Lehman” stadium along with a host of cup’s and Premier League title’s that O’Leary has won for them, whilst conquering Europe with the reserves. Whilst at the same time, Ridsdale has been given the key’s to the city and is running for the position of Mayor of Leeds, something he will do in his spare time. Where did it all go so very wrong…

Leeds United AFC… “Motorway’s, Madness and Leeds United”… Keep Fighting…

…as a man naturally my mind turns to manly things, like half -naked fellows clutching each other to their breasts and then occasionally poking each other. Haye vs. Valuev, possibly the most boring heavy weight title fight ever. One isn’t a natural heavyweight, can’t box and has a huge mouth, the other is of an unnaturally heavy weight, can’t box, and has a forehead resembling some craggy outcrop. There are three ponts of interest to this pointless bout though, firstly watching Haye get hurt can only serve to amuse, secondly Don King’s prediction (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8347139.stm) is a masterpiece of gibbering that would make Boris Jonson proud and finally Valuev’s face.

One wrinkly bugger who thinks he's hard...

He seems to suffer with the same crippling wrinkle inducing illness as Gordon Ramsey.

...one wrinkly bugger who actually is.

No doubt you’ll have heard of Gordon ‘I’m a hard bastard ‘cos I’m frae Glasgae’ Ramsay’s chin modification, which apparently “bloody hurt”, but I fear Haye’s fists won’t have the same effect upon poor Nikolay. No he seems doomed to walk this Earth with a face half man, half crevice.

Aside from an over-hyped boxing match there is also some over-hyped football going on. How will Newcastle fans react to the new name of their stadium? Probably by calling it St. James Park and continuing to dislike their owner. Will the ‘big four’ ever be broken? Well, one of those ‘goliaths’ is in seventh, so maybe. Will the massively wealthy Man City rampage all over the league? No, they’ve drawn their last 5 games. So all in all that’s pretty pants, woo hoo for hype. On the other hand though, Spurs are 41 places above Leeds, so it’s not all bad news.

haha, setelah sekian lama saya melihat banyak orang menonton film ini dan sekaligus mereviewnya, hmmm, saya sumpah sangat tergiur, karena pertama, saya juga lumayan menggemari bola, dan lumayan suka dengan film film bertema bola, tapi The Damned United ini benar benar menyuguhkan sesuatu yang berbeda, menyuguhkan keidealisan dari salah satu pelatih inggris paling kontroversial yaitu brian clough yang diperankan oleh michael sheen, menyajikan perjalanan karirnya serta jatuh-bangun karirnya dia dimulai dari mengangkat tim underdog Derby County untuk akhirnya bisa mencicipi titel juara liga inggris hingga dicaci maki setelah pindah ke Leeds United untuk menggantikan Don Revie, sang manager yang dipuja puja oleh pemainnya sekaligus rival Clough sendiri. well, untuk sebuah biografi, dan untuk sebuah kejeniusan pelatih serta bagaimana caranya bermain bola indah, The Damned United adalah pilihan yang tepat untuk menjadi tontonan anda.

It appears that Max Gradel is destined to play in the third tier of English Football…

He made a lasting impression while on loan at Bouremouth in 2007-08; made a big contribution to City’s promotion from that level last season; and is currently on loan at Leeds playing a supersub role that has helped to keep Simon Grayson’s side on top of League One.

 
Gradel’s initial loan term was for one month, but both Leeds and Gradel are keen to extend that to the middle of December after some impressive performance from the 20 year old. He scored his first goal for the club in the 4-0 win over Yeovil last week.
Grayson said of Gradel: “He’s got a certain something about him, that va va voom which can turn games. Give him the ball and he can run at people and create chances. He’s an exciting player who can be anything he wants.”
Having been unable to break into Leicester’s first team this season Gradel will be keen for first team football, and there is talk that the move could be made permanent in the New Year.

I want to thank Sean and the other thugs for allowing me to voice my opinions here.  No you will probably not see me post videos of me in my underwear saying that the other teams suck (we save that for our bald-headed gorilla friend who supports Aston Kutcher), but instead I will try to provide you dear readers with higher stuff.

That said, I’m sure no other thugs are readers of Powerline, and so they miss out not only on a great conservative blog, but also the musings of other American EPL fans.  Just today Paul Mirengoff posted on a new film called The Damned United, in theaters now.  The film is about Brian Clough and his short term as manager of Leeds United, a team with former glory in the Premier League, but who are currently sitting atop the third tier in League One.

Check out the post, and then maybe the film too.  Heck we might even have to have a thugs field trip to the local cinema.

Man U sucks!  Chelsea 1-0 on Sunday.