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With the first fixture of the new League One campaign just over one week away, Leeds United look like a team who want to hit the ground running.
For the second time in five days, the boys came up against Premier League players and again gave a great account of themselves.
Leeds travelled north to face a club who seem intent on following them down the dark path into football obscurity. Newcastle United are a club in turmoil and there are no signs of them turning the corner any time soon.
The two sides played out a goalless draw in front of a crowd of just under 17,000 on a wet summer’s night on Tyneside.
I think Simon Grayson will be very happy with where the team are, heading into the new season. He has managed to hold on to the core of last season’s squad, whilst adding strength in positions where we showed weakness last time around.
New keeper Shane Higgs seems to be a real shrewd signing and could well start the season as number one after two fine performances this week. One of our main problems in the first half of last season was changing the keeper on what seemed to be a game to game basis. I think will Grayson will stick with the keeper he chooses for the first game.
New signing Patrick Kisnorbo has slotted into the side really well and already seems to have a good understanding with Rui Marques. It is vitally important we have a strong start to the season at the back to avoid the defensive nightmares we encountered in November and December of last year. The defence never really settled until Grayson came in, but unfortunately it was too late by then.
I feel we have a very strong League One squad – although saying that, another striker and a left sided midfielder wouldn’t go amiss.
The pre-season performances have been encouraging and the players have really stood up to the task of playing against better quality players. I just hope they can maintain that level of performance, especially against the less fancied sides.
It has been eight years since the memorable 2000/2001 Champions League campaign and haven’t things changed since then. Two relegations, two point deductions, three failed play-off campaigns and plenty of heartache in-between.
The players that took the field against Valencia in the Champions League semi-final all left the club during the subsequent years of financial strain. The team had the makings of something special but were broken up before anyone knew how good they could be.
However, player’s careers go on. I have taken a look at what has happened to the players involved against Valencia back in May, 2001.
The class of 2001:
Nigel Martyn: The former England keeper left Leeds in the summer of 2003 after losing his number one spot to Paul Robinson. Martyn joined Everton, ironically the team he turned down to join Leeds. He retired in 2006. At the time, David Moyes described him as his “greatest ever signing”.
Danny Mills: One of the many players to disappear into obscurity. Mills has gone on to play for five clubs, not really making an impression at any of them. It seems a shame given the potential he showed both at Leeds and during the 2002 World Cup finals.
Rio Ferdinand: Not one of my favourite ex-players, for obvious reasons! Ferdinand joined Manchester United for £29.1 million in 2002 and is still enjoying a successful time at the club, as well as remaining a key part of the England set-up.
Dominic Matteo: The former Leeds captain has played for Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City since leaving the club in 2004. He will always be remembered for that header against AC Milan at the San Siro.
Ian Harte: Harte joined Spanish club Levante in 2004, experiencing both relegation and promotion in his time there. He joined Sunderland in 2007 but moved on after an unsuccessful spell at the club. He now plays for Carlisle United in League One and should make his first return to Elland Road next season.
Lee Bowyer: It has been a major fall from grace for a player who finished joint top scorer in the 2000/2001 Champions League season. He has gone on to play for West Ham United (twice), Newcastle United and is now at Birmingham City. The most memorable thing I can remember Bowyer doing since leaving Leeds is fighting with Kieron Dyer!
Olivier Dacourt: Dacourt moved to Italy in 2003 to join Roma. He spent three seasons at the club before joining Serie A rivals Inter Milan. It was nice to see Dacourt back in the Premiership at the end of last season with Fulham. Although his performances don’t seem to have warranted a full-time contract.
David Batty: When David O’Leary was sacked in 2002, Batty never really got a look in under subsequent managers and retired in 2004. He was a huge favourite with the fans and will always be remembered as the tough tackling local lad.
Harry Kewell: Oh dear. I don’t think Kewell will be remembered with any fondness. Left Leeds under a cloud in 2003, lashing out at the club before ensuring his agent received £2m of the £5m paid for him by Liverpool. Worse was to come when Kewell joined Galatasaray in 2008, reportedly claiming their fans are the most dedicated he has ever seen. I think I’ll leave it there.
Alan Smith: Another player who upset Leeds fans with his choice of clubs. After saying he would never leave Leeds for Manchester United, he did just that. He enjoyed success there before leaving for Newcastle United, recently suffering the second relegation of his career. I have heard about a possible return to Leeds for Smith later in his career- it is fair to say opinion among the fans is split on that.
Mark Viduka: The Australian International joined Middlesbrough in 2004, after guiding Leeds to safety. He reached the UEFA Cup final with Boro but hasn’t been as prolific since he left Elland Road. Like Smith, Viduka suffered relegation with Newcastle last season. As with the majority of the staff at Newcastle, Viduka still doesn’t know where he will be next season.
The club splashed the cash in the years that followed as we ‘lived the dream’. All those players have moved on now, leaving the club with a mountain of debt. We even continued paying players’ wages long after they had gone.
Thankfully, the recovery is well under way and for the first time in years, things are looking up.
Leeds United saved their best performance of pre-season so far for their biggest test against a full strength Blackburn Rovers side. Leeds were by far the best team on display at Elland Road and were heading for a deserved victory before a cruel last minute penalty handed Blackburn a 1-1 draw.
Leeds could have gone into half-time four or five goals to the good, prevented only by the woodwork and the brilliant Paul Robinson. The former Leeds keeper will have been one of the few Blackburn players to enjoy their Elland Road experience. He engaged in playful banter with the crowd before throwing his gloves into the Kop when he was substituted.
At the other end it seems we may have found ourselves a new number one in Shane Higgs. He commanded the box with a lot more authority than Casper Ankergren, he showed great handling and pulled off a brilliant double save.
Jermaine Beckford, the player I love to hate, proved again why he would be a hard man to replace. He really does score for fun and it was another trademark finish from him. I think he is the key man next season. Both Beckford and Luciano Becchio were excellent on Saturday and are a perfect foil for each other.
Fabian Delph, back in his preferred central midfield role, again showed why he is interesting Premiership sides. I just wish he could suffer a bit of a dip in form until the transfer window closes at the end of August! The club have shown strength by turning down bids for the youngster, but you have to feel that if the right offer comes in he will be going.
It is nice to see the team perform so well against Premier League opposition. Simon Grayson indicated the side which took the field against Blackburn wouldn’t necessarily be the team to face Exeter City in the first game of the season. Of course he has to say that to ensure there is competition for places but I think you will find it will be pretty much the same team.
It’s on to St James’ Park on Wednesday night to take on crisis club Newcastle United. Unfortunately for them, I see a lot of similarities with what happened at Leeds and think it could be a painful few years for the club and their supporters.
It’s just over two weeks until the big kick-off and it’s almost time for the talking to stop.There is no doubt League One will be a very competitive league with three former Premiership teams coming down from the Championship. Norwich and Charlton seem the best placed to mount a strong challenge – Southampton start the season on -10.
The bookies have Leeds as favourites again next season, hopefully we won’t press the self-destruct button this time around. Other teams have been splashing the cash this summer and it all makes for a very intriguing season.
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Leeds have signed former Leicester City centre-back Patrick Kisnorbo on a free transfer.
Kisnorbo has been capped five times by Australia and joins the club on a two-year contract. The 28-year-old made 140 appearances for Leicester but only made 10 appearances last season.
It is good to see Simon Grayson has acknowledged our weakness at the back. The back four did look a lot more assured towards the end of last season with Richard Naylor and Sam Sodje at the heart of the defence – though it looks like neither of them will be starting the first game of the season against Exeter City.
That is why it is important for us to bring experienced defenders in pre-season to avoid the defensive lapses which cost us so dearly in the middle of last season.
Grayson described Kisnorbo as strong and aggressive with leadership qualities. I think they are among the main attributes you need to succeed at this level.
Leeds are also taking a look at French defender Mathieu Baudry, who played 80 minutes of the 1-1 draw at Grimsby Town last night. The centre back is contracted to Troyes and impressed Grayson with his attitude and general play.
The manager admitted to giving the players a bit of a dressing down at half-time. He labelled the first half unacceptable and the players responded with a much improved second half performance.
This echoes my thoughts in my recent blogs. The season starts here and we need to hit the ground running if we are to get out of League One.
Jermaine Beckford looks set to lead the charge back to the Championship after Leeds took the striker off the transfer list at the weekend.
Beckford was placed on the transfer list after turning down a contract extension from the club in May. But it now seems all parties are happy to review the situation at the end of the season after Leeds turned down a number of approaches for their top scorer.
This should be a big boost to the club. It is never easy dealing with speculation day in, day out, so to have seemingly resolved it takes the distraction away. All we need to do now is end the speculation surrounding Fabian Delph!
I am not Beckford’s biggest fan, solely based on his attitude, but he really seems to be enjoying pre-season – both on and off the field. He attended one of the Leeds On The Road nights, answering questions from fans and signing autographs. He has been jovial throughout pre-season and it seems like he can’t wait to lead the line next season.
It does represent a bit of a gamble, given Beckford could leave on a free transfer next summer, but Simon Grayson thinks his goals can take us up next year. I agree with him – with Beckford’s goals and a stronger defence this time around, I can see us winning the league.
The tour of Ireland continued on Saturday with Leeds’ most convincing performance of pre-season so far. We beat Northern Ireland side Glentoran 3-1, goals coming from Robert Snodgrass, Beckford and Enoch Showunmi.
It was nice to see Showunmi’s name on the score sheet. I don’t particularly rate the guy as a player but he did suffer a blood clot in his lung so it is good to see he is back to full health.
We take on Blackburn at Elland Road on Saturday. It will be nice to play a Premiership team again. Let’s hope it becomes a regular event in a couple of year’s time.
Leeds United continued their pre-season with a trip to Ireland this week and soon realised they weren’t the only team in town.
The fanfare that follows Real Madrid was clearly evident when Leeds touched down in Dublin on Monday. Not so long ago, Leeds and Real were locking horns in the Champions League. They have spent the summer spending ridiculous amounts on the world’s best players whilst we are desperately trying to hang onto our League One stars. A lot can happen in eight years.
Leeds have always had a strong Irish following and played the first game of the tour in front of a crowd of 3,343. Shelbourne provided the opposition – a club that sits top of the Eircom League.
Leeds again fielded a different team in each half and the half-time score of 2-0 demonstrated the gulf in class. However, for the second game running, the half-time changes unsettled the team and it was a disjointed second half performance.
The game finished 2-2 and it was another example of Leeds not being able to close out a game. If you read my blog ‘Start as you mean to go on’, you will know my frustration with Leeds allowing teams back into the game. I understand it’s very much trial and error in pre-season but it happened on a number of occasions towards the end of last season and needs to be looked at by the management.
The tour continues in Belfast on Saturday with a match against Glentoran, a team who were hammered 6-0 this week in a Champions League qualifying tie against Maccabi Haifa. Let’s hope we can put in a complete performance and get into some good habits.
Leeds United kicked off pre-season on Sunday with a short trip up the A64 to York. I know it’s early days but there were signs of a tendency which hampered the team towards the end of last season.
Leeds were 3-1 up heading into injury time, seemingly cruising, but imploded and left the Kitkat Stadium with a draw. Even though the personnel were different from the normal line-up, I was reminded of the lapses which cost us valuable points in our automatic promotion race.
The game at Leyton Orient sticks out – 2-0 up with 25 minutes to go against 10 men and somehow only leaving with a point. There was a game at Crewe where we were winning 3-0 at half-time, again against 10 men, and tried our best to throw that away before coming away with a 3-2 victory.
Other last minute concessions include the games away at Bristol Rovers and Leicester City. On such things, promotions are won and lost.
I know this was only a friendly and fatigue may have set in at the end, but it’s important we remain switched on for the whole 90 minutes regardless of who were are playing. We need to hit the ground running in pre-season and eradicate these mistakes before they cost us vital points again next season.
After a quiet start to the summer, it’s all been happening at Leeds United in the past couple of days.
First news broke that Leeds have rejected bids for both Jermaine Beckford and Fabian Delph. I like the show of strength from the board. It shows the ‘bigger’ clubs that, despite our current situation, we won’t be bullied into selling our star players on the cheap.
Apparently Aston Villa returned with an improved offer for Delph today, offering England-19 International Nathan Delfouneso on a season-long loan as part of the deal. If we get a good cash offer for Delph we should take it, it’s in the club’s long term interests. The fact we get a highly-rated striker for a season sweetens the deal.
Another one of our excellent academy products has been nicked from under our noses. This time Everton are the ones to take advantage of our League One status by signing Luke Garbutt. There will always be a downside to having one of the best academies in the country whilst being in the lower leagues.
Speaking of which, does anyone remember Tommy Taiwo?
Taiwo left Leeds to join Chelsea in 2006 and today joined Carlisle on loan. He is just one of the many players who left Leeds too early and failed to make an impact at a Premier League club. These players obviously have time on their sides but more often than not they end up back where they started.
Elsewhere, two former players have signed for League One teams. I was under the impression that Frazer Richardson and Jonathan Douglas left for more money and for a challenge at a higher level. I find it strange they have settled for Charlton Athletic and Swindon Town, respectively.
I like the signs of activity on the transfer front. Hopefully things keep moving quickly and we can start to plan for next season, with or without Delph and Beckford.
When Leeds United were relegated from the Premiership in 2004, few would have predicted what has happened since. A further relegation, two point deductions and three failed play-off campaigns have made it a disastrous decade for the club – one which started so promisingly.
The club have always had the reputation as perennial chokers, going right back to the 60s and 70s. There could be many reasons for losing finals, perhaps just losing to the best side on the day. I think it is a different story with Leeds.
Every player who comes to Leeds speaks of the club’s history and the lure of joining a ‘big club’, even as we have dropped down the divisions. It doesn’t take long for them to realise playing for a club steeped in history brings the pressure of expectation.
I think the current players are also feeling the pressure of all the failings before them. Each year that goes by without success is another year away from being back where many people think we belong.
That is why it is essential that we don’t accept anything less than automatic promotion next season. We have an awful record in play-offs and I can’t see that improving anytime soon.
The build-up to last season’s play-offs was massive in Leeds. Expectations were high after a great end to the season and there was a feeling among the fans that this would be the year to end the play-off hoodoo.
The closer the Millwall games got the more that expectation turned into doubt. The players were saying all the right things but when it came to the crunch they looked riddled with nerves and had seemingly lost that confidence they had in the run in.
The atmosphere for the home leg was one of the best I’ve heard for a long time. Whenever there is a big crowd in Elland Road these days it seems to inspire the away side and has the opposite effect on the Leeds lads.
When a League One team plays Leeds it is billed as their cup final. That means every team is gunning for us and ups their performance. Hopefully the three newly relegated former Premier League clubs will take some of the spotlight away from Leeds next season.
Simon Grayson has the task of picking the players up this summer after yet another disappointment. I think he is the type of character who can take the pressure off the players and I’m sure he will have them ready for the start of our promotion charge.
Leeds United have snapped up veteran goalkeeper Shane Higgs on a one-year contract.
The former Cheltenham stopper spent the latter part of last season on loan at Wolves and will provide cover for Casper Ankergren.
Though Higgs has other ideas, he told the Yorkshire Evening Post he hasn’t come to the club just for bench duties and is eyeing the number one jersey.
Simon Grayson seems to be looking for players with League One experience. That is a good move in my opinion. The joy of playing a midweek game at Bristol Rovers on a cold winter’s night will not be alien to these players.
I have to admit I haven’t heard of Shane Higgs but I guess that is just a sign of the times. The days of bidding for the likes of Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Keane have gone.
I just hope we can build on Grayson’s great start and canter to promotion; I can’t bear the thought of another season in this league!
Leeds have confirmed transfer target Warren Feeney will not be joining the club.
After a week of speculation, it seems the club couldn’t agree a deal with the 28-year-old Northern Ireland striker. It is not clear why the transfer has fallen through.
It has been a strange series of events since news broke earlier this week of Feeney having a medical at the club. The player was even quoted saying: “”Cardiff have given permission for another club to sign me. Leeds United are a massive club and I am excited.”
It may just be another case of Ken Bates and the board rigidly sticking to the wage budget. Feeney was reportedly looking for Championship wages.
When questioned, Simon Grayson didn’t give much away, as usual. He admitted he had talked to Feeney but said he was among a number of players he had spoken to.
I recently blogged about how Grayson doesn’t do transfer dealings in the media, yet still believed the Feeney transfer to be a done deal after reading the story on Sky Sports News. In future, I will only blog about transfers that are confirmed on official Leeds United sites!
News broke today that Leeds United chairman Ken Bates has been ordered to pay £50,000, plus legal costs, to a former director of the club who claimed Bates had persecuted him.
Melvyn Levi sued Bates over comments he made in his programme notes in 2006 and 2007, where Levi was accused of being a “shyster” who had tried to blackmail the club over money.
The sad thing is I don’t think this will affect Bates at all. I’m pretty certain he will pluck the money from the club funds.
Yes it’s not a lot of money in footballing terms but when you’ve been through a financial struggle every penny counts.
Leeds fans have been trying to get the club back in the black by paying over the odds for League One football. Last season it was more expensive to watch Leeds at home against Tranmere Rovers than it was to go see Liverpool vs Real Madrid in the Champions League.
I’m not as critical of Bates as other fans, he did get us back on our feet after all, but to write defamatory comments for the world to see is just stupid. Trying to fight it in court is pretty ridiculous too. It’s not just the money either, the club is in the media spotlight for all the wrong reasons again and it is because of a chairman who loves a bit of controversy.
I just hope Bates pays for this out of his own pocket and doesn’t make the Leeds fans foot the bill again.
