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Leeds United dropped home points for the first time in over eight months with a 1-1 draw against Carlisle United at Elland Road.
If ever we needed a game to remind of us why we need to get out of League One, last night was it. I spoke in my last blog about the poor atmosphere at Elland Road but it reached a new low against Carlisle. There were two periods when the atmosphere did improve slightly – in the last 20 minutes and in the bar at half-time.
It was a terrible game too. It looked to me like we didn’t have anything left in the tank, which is pretty worrying considering we are only ten games into the season. Granted, we have had an intense week but it’s only going to get tougher in the coming weeks, how tired will we look after the Millwall game?
No width
We very rarely got the ball down and played and the lack of width was worrying. For the second game in a row we had to make an enforced change at the back. Leigh Bromby limped off and was replaced by Neil Kilkenny. This injury really hurt us and Bradley Johnson must have been very frustrated having to move to left-back. He has been in such good form going forward – we lost a real attacking threat.
We desperately need Ben Parker back, or even Aidy White. With Jason Crowe missing as well we essentially had nothing going down the flanks. Robert Snodgrass got in behind a few times but the end product was poor.
I have to say the whole midfield was woeful last night. Jonny Howson and Michael Doyle happened to save their worst performance of the season for the same night and Kilkenny never really got into the game. It was the first time I have seen David Prutton for a while and I thought he was one of the better players when he came on. The chant of “you’re not Jesus anymore” was one of the night’s highlights of the evening!
The midfield’s lack of creativity paired with a lot of long balls meant a frustrating evening for the front two. They never really got into the game and were well marshalled by their centre-halves.
Our backline was solid again. Richard Naylor slotted straight back in and did well, although he did look rusty. The goal came from a set piece which is disappointing but it was a very good header. Casper still doesn’t fill me with much confidence – I hope Shane Higgs makes a speedy recovery.
Spot-kick nightmare
I’ve given up on us scoring penalties now. We have missed six of our last seven which is absolutely awful. Luckily it wasn’t too costly last night but it seriously needs to be looked at. Johnson needs to get the ball by any means next time we get a penalty. I would just give him license to hit it as hard as he can.
Simon Grayson admitted the team were below par last night and has acknowledged there must be an improvement before the Charlton game on Saturday. There is no reason to panic by any means – we just need to re-group, re-energise and remember we play at our best with the ball on the deck.
Leeds United put their 100 per cent record on the line tomorrow night against the last side to take points off them at Elland Road.
Carlisle United’s 2-0 victory back in January seems a very long time ago now and I can just sense a mood of complacency around the place, not on the pitch but in the stands. It is to be expected, to be fair. We haven’t just beaten teams, we have hammered them and not many teams have even pushed us close since then.
There is such expectancy now before every home game and that comes through in the atmosphere. It has sounded pretty flat this season, just waiting for something to happen. I reckon the team needs us more than ever on a Tuesday night against a team we are expected to beat heavily.
I don’t think Simon Grayson will allow any complacency amongst the players though, if he sees anyone slacking they know where they will be playing the following week.
Team News
Shane Higgs (thigh) and Jason Crowe (hamstring) look set to miss out which means a first start to the season for Casper Ankergren and a possible start for Richard Naylor.
Casper will be chomping at the bit to impress and he knows a few good performances could lead to an extended run in the side. I am a massive Higgs fan so would personally prefer to get him back in as soon as possible but it is Grayson’s policy to stick with people who are playing well.
I would give Naylor a first start of the season, I’m desperate to see him and Paddy Kisnorbo paired together. I know Lubo Michalik has been very impressive when he has featured but I don’t think you can look past the captain.
I would also shake things up in midfield. Some of the players are looking a little jaded so Neil Kilkenny and possibly Andy Robinson would come in for me. Luciano Becchio should start after the birth of his first child, Bianca. He should be buzzing and it will be good to have him back in the side. Congratulations to Luciano and Patricia on their new arrival!
I think everything points to a comfortable home win. I know Carlisle have turned us over a few times in the past couple of seasons, including the win to halt our unbeaten start to the 07/08 season, but we are so confident right now and look so good at home. The only thing that can beat us tomorrow is complacency.
Prediction: Leeds 3 Carlisle 0
Robert Snodgrass headed a late winner to send Leeds United’s huge away supporter into raptures as Leeds left stadium:mk with all three points.
It wasn’t a convincing performance by any means, especially against ten men, but we are showing all the qualities needed to gain promotion. We are winning when we don’t play well, scoring late goals and giving sides nothing at the other end – we have conceded only four goals in nine league games and no goals in the first half of any game this season.
MK Dons will point to the fact they had their danger man Jason Puncheon sent off but we had setbacks of our own and have a very poor record against ten men anyway! Luciano Becchio missed the game because of the impending arrival of his first child while Jason Crowe and Shane Higgs both limped off with leg strains.
We especially missed Becchio’s ability to hold the ball up, Jermaine Beckford looked a bit lost without his strike partner. Hopefully Higgs won’t be out too long, he has been a revelation this season. I’m not too concerned about Crowe because we have a more than able replacement in Leigh Bromby.
Paddy Kisnorbo had a great game again and did well to keep his cool in spite of the persistent niggly fouls against him. Lubo Michalik was impressive off the bench and I thought Bromby had a good game at right-back.
The midfield wasn’t at its best yesterday. They found it hard to use the extra man to our advantage and lacked the spark we have seen in previous games. I guess you could put that down to a hangover from the Liverpool game.
Mike Grella looked lively but clearly needs more game time and Beckford had one of his away days.
Same old Ince
I have never liked Paul Ince and that is unlikely to change any time soon. This is what he had to say after the game: “I said before the game that Leeds are the yardstick, but after watching that game today I’m not so sure.”
Well, Paul, the table says different and you should know better than to judge a team on 90 minutes, especially after a game you’ve just lost.
He did rattle on a bit longer, the most astonishing quote was when he was talking about the sending off and said it was a game between two “massive” clubs. I spat my beer all over the telly when I heard that.
Now he’s got my back up I just want to talk about another annoyance – the terrible music and dancing that goes on at some grounds after a goal, it makes me cringe. In my opinion these places have to compensate for the lack of noise the fans make, it doesn’t have a place in football.
Leeds United travel to Milton Keynes tomorrow looking to put down a marker in their title charge, as well as gaining revenge for the mauling received at the same ground last season.
The 3-1 defeat to MK Dons before Christmas was the last straw for Ken Bates as far as Gary McAllister was concerned and was the fifth straight defeat in a disastrous run which ultimately cost us promotion.
We were totally outplayed and outmuscled on that occasion and the confidence going into the clash this time around couldn’t be any different. We look like a completely different team this year and the defensive frailties which blighted McAllister’s days in charge have disappeared.
We will take 4,100 fans to stadium:mk, which is incredible for a League One game, and I know the fans would love to get one over the franchise, especially now Paul Ince is in charge.
Team News
We have no fresh injury concerns going into the game. Ben Parker has suffered a setback and will be out for a bit longer than expected so Andy Hughes will continue at left-back. I have to say I’m warming to Hughes now and becoming more comfortable with him in that position. He did reasonably well against Ryan Babel on Tuesday and that should give him confidence, although Babel did look like Usain Bolt in comparison.
Leigh Bromby returns to the squad and Richard Naylor got through 90 minutes for the reserves in midweek so is pushing for his first start of the season. I can’t see Simon Grasyon making any changes though, he will probably stick with the 11 who played so well against Liverpool. It’s a sign of how well we are defending that our inspirational captain and one of our best players can’t get in the side.
One of the things I like most about Grayson is his loyalty. The players know if they are playing well and contributing to the side they will remain in the team. On the flip side, if you are not playing so well but he feels you are still contributing in some way, like Robert Snodgrass, he will stick with you. That must give the players a lot of confidence and is something which was really lacking under McAllister, who had a habit of chopping and changing too much.
MK Dons have started well again this season and should provide our sternest test to date. They have some dangerous players, namely Jason Puncheon and former Leeds loanee Jemal Johnson, but we will be determined to set the record straight after last season’s debacle and you can just sense this Leeds squad is determined to be part of something special.
Prediction: MK Dons 1 Leeds 3
Leeds United rolled back the years to give a Liverpool side filled with internationals a scare in last night’s Carling Cup tie.
The match had all the passion and controversy of battles of old in front of a packed house, with an atmosphere reminiscent of European nights at Elland Road.
A neat finish from David Ngog was the difference in a game Leeds dominated in large parts. The way the ball arrived to him reminded me of one of Mark Viduka’s goals in the 4-3 game nine years ago.
Leeds were unlucky to have a Lubo Michalik header ruled out early on when the linesman adjudged Jermaine Beckford offside. It’s obviously disappointing to have a good goal chalked off but it was a tough decision. I’m not of the opinion the officials favoured the ‘bigger team’.
Javier Mascherano was lucky to stay on the pitch after giving Beckford a clip around the back of the head. I’m not sure how the referee missed it because he was looking at the ball which was directly behind the incident. Ironically, it was the same referee who missed a similar incident when Beckford elbowed the Millwall keeper last season. I’m expecting a retrospective ban, much the same as the one Beckford received.
Snoddy comes good
It was a great all round team performance last night but the stand out had to be Robert Snodgrass. He has come in for a bit of criticism so far for not reaching the standard he set last season but he was back to his best last night. He gave Andrea Dossena a torrid time down the right side, it’s no mean feat to make an Italian international look ordinary. This should be the confidence boost he was looking for and I really hope he can kick on now.
Paddy Kisnorbo was an absolute rock again, how we got him on a free I’ll never know. He just looks so assured and I can’t see any striker in League One getting the better of him this season.
Luciano Becchio had a great game and I thought Jason Crowe was much improved too. Becchio holds the ball up so well – he and Beckford are League One’s Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey!
Beckford frustrates me – he is still to prove himself in the really big games. I am loathed to criticise him because he gets himself in the right areas and his work rate has improved this season – it just wasn’t his night.
The rest of the team were excellent too and I couldn’t fault any of the players. We tried to get the ball down and play Liverpool at their own game and at times looked like the side from the higher division. We played some great stuff but just couldn’t provide the finish. Michael Doyle’s chance was the most glaring. I honestly thought it was a goal, but that’s attributed to the fact I thought it was Bradley Johnson on the end of the cross.
It is probably the perfect scenario – a valiant effort, bowing out of a competition which would only distract us from our main objective. We impressed a lot of people last night and it’s up to Simon Grayson to get the players focused on a massive league game on Saturday.
Leeds United will renew an old rivalry tonight when they take on Liverpool at Elland Road.
The two clubs are worlds apart these days but it was once one of the fiercest rivalries in the country and the fact it will be played in front of a sell-out crowd of almost 39,000, including around 5,000 Liverpool fans, shows it still means a lot to both sets of fans.
Such big games have been few and far between since our relegation from the Premiership five years ago. This League Cup tie is an opportunity for us to show the Premier League what they are missing.
It is no secret the club and the fans have gone through hell in the past few years, but there is a real sense we are on the way back up and there is no better way of showing that than turning over one of the best teams in Europe, albeit a weakened side, in front of a full house.
With the greatest respect to some of the teams in the top flight now, they are there on merit after all, they can’t compete with us when it comes to history, stadia, fan base and pulling power in the transfer market. Some of the teams in there now will never be able to compete with the top four. With the right management a club like ours should be able to do that. However, it is a long road back and it is unrealistic to think we can bring back the glory days overnight.
But we can enjoy tonight and I just hope the game lives up to the hype. Four goals from Jermaine Beckford in a 4-3 win or a late Luciano Becchio volley in off the bar would do nicely!
Team News
Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are set to be rested so it very much looks like Liverpool will be playing a second string side. They will still have a lot of quality on show and we will need to step it up. We have shown glimpses of what we are capable of this season but need to sustain that for the full 90 minutes tonight to give ourselves a chance.
It will be interesting to see what Simon Grayson does with his team selection. If it was anyone else I’m sure he would rest a few players ahead of a big league game against MK Dons on Saturday, but it is Liverpool and it would be unfair to rest players on such a big night for them.
Leigh Bromby is cup-tied so there will be an enforced change at the back. It looks like a straight choice between Lubo Michalik and Richard Naylor. I would go for a fit Naylor every time but he has only played 60 minutes of football in four months so it looks like Michalik will get the nod – he has shown a lot of improvement this season, to be fair.
I think that will be the only the change to the side, although it is the cup so it is hard to predict which way the managers will go.
In the same way it is difficult to predict tonight’s result. I have been pretty successful/lucky with some of my predictions this season, this is the first time where I haven’t had a clue! I’m going to back Leeds to edge it in front of a partisan crowd.
Prediction: Leeds 3 Liverpool 2
Leeds United made it 15 league wins in a row at Elland Road with a convincing 4-1 victory over Gillingham.
Two first half goals from Bradley Johnson followed by Jonny Howson’s first of the season and Jermaine Beckford’s customary home goal were enough to see off the away side.
The fans now turn up at Elland Road expecting to win, understandable considering the run we are on, and I could almost just use a template for my blogs!
Gillingham looked dead and buried when the third went in but credit to them, they kept fighting and you could sense they believed they could get back in it when they pulled one back.
Simon Grayson saw they were dominating the midfield and shook things up. He brought Lubo Michalik on and put three at the back with five in midfield, including Neil Kilkenny who came on for Robert Snodgrass. Grayson reads the game brilliantly and really nullified their attacking threat when he made the changes.
Snodgrass worry
One worry for Leeds is the continuing bad form of Snodgrass, one of our best players last season. His confidence looks shot at the moment and seems to suffering second season syndrome. As I’ve said before though, we need to stick with him – you don’t just become a bad player overnight.
The rest of team seems to be clicking now. Shane Higgs is the best keeper we have had for a while, Paddy Kisnorbo is the find of the summer and the midfield duo of Howson and Michael Doyle are starting to gel now. Howson is revelling in the role of captain and seems to be developing as a player all the time.
I find Johnson’s turnaround in form incredible. He has never really impressed me and I couldn’t understand why he was in the side. I should have had a bit more faith in Grayson because he has been one of our best players this season.
It has been an excellent start but the real test will come in the next month when we face many of our promotion rivals.
Leeds United will be looking to return to winning ways with victory over promoted Gillingham at Elland Road.
A win tomorrow would stretch the winning streak to 15, the last time we dropped any points at home was back in January against Carlisle.
Gillingham have picked up where they left off last season so I’m not expecting a walk in the park. We saw last season with Peterborough and MK Dons that teams who come off the back of a successful League Two campaign often carry that form into the next season.
Simon Grayson has banned the players from talking about the Liverpool game next week. The last thing we need is the players’ minds drifting and dropping points in a game we really should win. I think Grayson will have the team fully focused on tomorrow’s game though, using the mentality that spots are up for grabs for the big game on Tuesday.
Team news
Skipper Richard Naylor played an hour of the reserve match against Middlesbrough in midweek so he is in line to start his first game of the season. It would be a big boost to the side if he is to return. The defence has been really tight so far and haven’t really offered anything to opposing strike forces, but Naylor is a big player for Leeds and seeing him alongside Paddy Kisnorbo would inspire the same confidence we felt when Sam Sodje partnered him at the end of last season.
Ben Parker is also fit again after limping off on the opening day with a hamstring strain. Andy Hughes has done an admirable job playing out of position but the return of Parker would give us balance at the back and provide more going forward.
Jason Crowe is doubtful with a hamstring strain so I expect Leigh Bromby to start at right-back in a strong looking back four. Rui Marques is likely to miss out again with an Achilles injury.
I imagine the rest of the team will be unchanged from the Southend game.
I think we will have too much for Gillingham with players wanting to impress Grayson ahead of the Liverpool game.
Prediction: Leeds 2 Gillingham 0
Charlton Athletic boss Phil Parkinson was named League One Manager of the Month for August this week, pipping Simon Grayson to the award.
Both Leeds and Charlton had identical 100 per cent records in the first month of the season. It looks as if Parkinson got the prize because of the difficulty which comes with being a newly relegated side in a competitive division. He probably deserves the award when you take that factor into account.
I do find it astonishing that Grayson hasn’t won the award since he took over as Leeds boss. I don’t know the stats for this calendar year but I would say we have the best record of all the League One teams.
He inherited a team with next to no confidence before the turn of the year and the transformation since then has been incredible. He has won 24 of his 36 games in charge, drawing six and losing six.
We have a tough September coming up, with games against Charlton, Bristol Rovers, Norwich and Millwall, if we are still unbeaten at the end of next month the panel will find it very difficult to ignore Grayson.
Leeds United maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a hard-fought draw against a determined Southend side.
Leeds were indebted to a brilliant Shane Higgs penalty save as they recorded a 0-0 draw for the first time in almost 18 months.
It wasn’t the best game by all accounts but it’s important to keep your concentration during those types of games and come away with something.
I’m pleased with the point but not so pleased with some of the drivel I’ve read on forums. Some fans seem to think we only have to turn up to take the three points, despite this being our third season in League One.
The majority of fans have their heads screwed on and realise Southend is one of the tougher places to go in this league and had one of the best home records last season. Others are saying it feels like a loss, “if we can’t beat Southend we’ve got no chance of going up” and there are calls to drop players – what a load of rubbish.
These fans have ridiculous expectations. Yes, we all want to win every game and that’s the mentality any team should have, but grinding out results when your back’s against the wall is the sign of a champion side.
We haven’t conceded a goal from open play in seven league games and I don’t think we have played anywhere near our best yet. If we can get 19 points from 7 games playing average, how will we go when we start playing well?!
You’re not just going to turn up at places like Southend and be allowed to play, they will make you scrap for every loose ball and it can be very difficult to play the style of football you prefer.
We look solid at the back, even without the influential Richard Naylor, and know if we get chances at the other end we have players to put them away.
Robert Snodgrass’ form is a bit of a worry but he’s not the only player to find the going a bit tougher in their second season. He will come good and it’s important to stick with him through this bad patch. He is obviously a bit low on confidence so it will boost his morale to show faith in him rather than dropping him after only 9 games of the new season.
All in all it was a decent result last night, we are top of the league and there is a lot more to come from this side.
Leeds United will try to extend their winning run with a tough Friday evening trip to Southend – a venue which doesn’t hold happy memories for the club.
Leeds have only taken one point from three games at Roots Hall and will have to work hard to equal the best league start to a season, recorded in 1973 and during our point deduction season in 2007.
A lot will depend on the fitness of Jermaine Beckford. Although he wasn’t the best traveller last season and saved some of his more subdued performances for away days, he looks as if he is determined to fire Leeds to promotion this time around. His work rate is up and he seems to be enjoying his football, something which wasn’t apparent on occasions last term.
Paddy Kisnorbo and Rui Marques are back from international duty but Marques has been ruled with an Achilles injury. I’m expecting Kisnorbo to partner Leigh Bromby at the back with Beckford replacing Mike Grella up front.
I’m still uneasy about Andy Hughes at left-back. Unfortunately we don’t have many options at the moment with Ben Parker and Aidy White injured and Alan Sheehan out on loan. Hughes will always give you 100 per cent, I just don’t think he’s a left-back.
Southend haven’t had the best start, only winning one of their first six games, but they will be really up for tonight’s clash – they always seem to enjoy hosting us. It’s up to us to silence the home fans and I’m confident we can do that, our away form is much improved under Simon Grayson.
However, for the first time this season I’m not predicting a Leeds win. I think the winning run will come to an end tonight and we will have to settle for a point.
Prediction: Southend 1 Leeds 1
With a month of the new season gone, Leeds United have laid themselves a great platform in their bid for automatic promotion.
Eight wins from eight games should tell its own story but the manner in which we have won those games is the most impressive thing. The team have shown characteristics which weren’t associated with last year’s side.
Under Gary McAllister we were known as a team who played attractive football, but teams knew they could get at us. He didn’t have the ability to adapt the team’s style to different circumstances – he had no plan B. We were easily bullied and our defending from set-pieces was nothing short of woeful. A corner was as good as a goal for opposing teams in the run up to Christmas.
There was no doubt in my mind that McAllister had to go, he had clearly lost the dressing room. The players were so low on confidence it seemed the season was over before the turn of the year.
The much maligned Ken Bates shocked a few people with Simon Grayson’s appointment. I will hold my hands up and admit I was a little underwhelmed when I heard the news. But that lasted all of five minutes. After doing a bit of research and speaking to a few people, I realised it was a very shrewd appointment.
Grayson turned our season around almost immediately and took us to within one game of another Wembley visit. Unfortunately, there was too much to do after that dreadful run of results pre-Christmas.
But there is a real sense this is going to be our year.
Grayson has stamped his authority on the club and is close to assembling his own team. Leeds fans had never heard of the likes of Paddy Kisnorbo and Shane Higgs before Grayson took them to the club. They have been a revelation so far and they cost nothing.
It is not always easy to win over the Leeds fans but Grayson has had no problem doing so. The fans trust the manager now. Even when he made the strange decision to bring on Andy Robinson for defender Leigh Bromby and reshuffle the back four, despite having Paul Huntington on the bench, there was a sense of “he knows what he’s doing”.
It’s the same with transfers. I don’t have a clue who Davide Somma is, I’d never heard of Shane Higgs, but I don’t panic like I once would. This manager knows what he’s doing.
I said to a few mates at the start of the season that we would top 100 points this season, they laughed. I’m not the kind of person who thinks Leeds are still the best and deserve to beat everyone because of our history. Last season I thought we would struggle to make the play-offs and we only just made them thanks to a late surge.
But as I’ve said, there is a real sense this is our season and even a few bad results won’t change my mind on that.
Leeds United broke two long-standing club records with an easy 2-0 victory over Stockport County.
Goals from Mike Grella and Lubomir Michalik were enough to see off the men from Lancashire in front of a subdued crowd at Elland Road. I put the poor atmosphere down to the expectancy to win every home game now and the fact it was a pretty boring match.
There will be tougher challenges ahead but it was an important three points with a number of key players missing.
Mike Grella got a first league start in place of the injured Jermaine Beckford and took his chance well. It was great to see him get his first goal and he looks like a decent understudy to Beckford and Becchio. We suffered without Beckford last season so it’s a good omen that we went alright without him – though I do appreciate it wasn’t the toughest of opposition.
The biggest plus was keeping a clean sheet without our three main centre-halves and first choice left-back. It was a patched up back four but they coped with what Stockport had to offer. Paul Huntington must think his time at Elland Road is up after being overlooked as replacement for the injured Leigh Bromby – Simon Grayson opted for Andy Robinson and a reshuffle at the back.
Referee Danny McDermid did his best to steal the show. He is the ref who sent Beckford and Tresor Kandol off at Gillingham a couple of years ago. He makes some really strange decisions and I hope it’s a while before we see him officiating us again.
First choice 11
When everybody is fit I would go for a team of: Higgs; Bromby, Kisnorbo, Naylor, Parker; Snodgrass, Howson, Doyle, Johnson; Becchio, Beckford.
Bromby would be my first choice at right-back because he is an experienced campaigner and Jason Crowe hasn’t really impressed me so far. Plus, Bromby’s long throws are going to be a real weapon for us this season. There were a couple of occasions where he caused a bit of panic in the Stockport box and he should be able to take more playing at right-back.
It’s a tough decision for Grayson to make regarding the middle of midfield but I would go for Doyle’s aggression over Kilkenny’s creativity.
The rest of the team almost picks itself.
12 yard problem
We missed yet another penalty yesterday, this time Snodgrass was the culprit. I can only remember us scoring one penalty last season and we must have had at least five or six. We were lucky it didn’t really matter yesterday but it is something which needs sorting.
I would give the responsibility to Johnson and just tell him to hit it as hard as he can – he couldn’t do any worse than our recent efforts!
Leeds United go into today’s game against Stockport County knowing they are on the verge of breaking two long standing club records, set by Don Revie’s great sides of the 60s and 70s.
Victory would make it 14 league wins in a row, bettering the best ever home league winning sequence set by Revie’s title winners in 1969. A win would also set a record for most games won at the start of a season – Revie’s side won seven league games in 1973 before drawing the eighth in the UEFA Cup.
Some people may think it’s a hollow achievement given the fact we are in the third tier but at the end of the day this is our level at the moment and we have beaten teams of a similar standard to us.
Team News
The blossoming partnership between centre backs Rui Marques and Paddy Kisnorbo will be broken today, both are away on international duty. That means a debut for Leigh Bromby. I’m sure he will be relishing the opportunity to play for the club he supported as a boy. The other spot should be taken by either Lubomir Michalik or Paul Huntington.
I’m a little worried about the continued absense of Richard Naylor, he seems no nearer to a return. I can’t imagine it’s easy recovering from a back operation. I just hope he’s back on the park soon because he’s a massive player for us.
Other than the defensive changes, I can’t see Simon Grayson tampering with the side.
Stockport will bring a young side to Elland Road and I don’t think they will be able to cope with a rampant Leeds side.
Prediction: Leeds 4 Stockport 0
After months of speculation, Jermaine Beckford will be staying at Leeds United until at least January.
The transfer window closed today and it was greeted with a sigh of relief from fans who thought Beckford was destined to leave after being transfer listed back in May.
When the final whistle went against Millwall, to signal the end of another failed play-off campaign, I was resigned to losing Beckford and Fabian Delph. I also had doubts over the future of players such as Luciano Becchio and Robert Snodgrass. To only lose one of our best players over the summer speaks volumes for Simon Grayson’s ambition.
He says all the right things in the media and it no longer seems we are a selling club. In both Delph and Beckford’s case, the club said we didn’t have to sell the players and if we did it would be for an inflated price. We managed to get big money for Delph, a massive fee for a League One club. You can really sense this is going to be a very exciting period coming up in the club’s history.
I am really pleased Beckford will be a part of that. I was critical of him at the end of last season, despite scoring over 30 goals. He showed a poor attitude at times and I was frustrated with his tendency to go missing in the big games. But he has had a great start to the season and seems to be enjoying himself much more, long may it continue. He has yet to sign a new contract though, I guess a lot will depend on the position we are in come January.
Deadline deals
Two new faces should be in the squad to face Stockport County on Saturday. Those deals took our summer signings to six and I think Grayson will be happy with his squad. If I had one complaint it would be that there is still some dead wood hanging about. I guess we can still send them out on loan.
Leigh Bromby seems to be another astute Grayson signing. He is a very experienced defender at Championship level who can play either centre half or right back and is a boyhood Leeds fan. He has a Rory Delap-like throw which will interest the likes of Becchio and Bradley Johnson.
I don’t know too much about Davide Somma, other than he is a South African striker and has been on trial with the club over the summer. If he is half as good as the last unknown South African we signed, I think we will have uncovered a gem!
Elsewhere, I was gutted when I found out Sam Sodje had signed for Charlton. He became a cult hero at Elland Road towards the end of last season and there was a real hope he would sign permanently. Never mind though, we have Paddy Kisnorbo now and he has made an excellent start the season.
Much ado about nothing
I got home from work just after four this afternoon and turned on Sky Sports News to watch their take on the last hour of the transfer window. I thought it was amazing how excited they were getting when there was virtually nothing happening. I am a big fan of the programme but it was hard to watch, even Georgie Thompson looked a little embarrassed by Jim White’s theatrics. Maybe I’ll stick to teletext in the future!
