Bobby Robson

The death of Bobby Robson seems to have been coming for a long time now but now that the great man has gone it hardly seems possible. His battle with cancer was truly heroic, as was his struggle with Newcaste United 'directors' whe were never worthy of being on the same map as him.

As David Lacey reports in today's Guardian "Under Robson Newcastle finished fourth, third and fifth in the Premier League, so naturally they sacked him."

I have always felt a certain sympathy with the Newcastle fans who have won nothing for nearly forty years, and hope their descent may be turned around next season. But, as with Bobby, the clubs disgraceful treatment of both him and other recent managers, suggests that their decline too has been coming for a long time now.

Rest in Peace, Bobby, from myself and many other Leeds United fans across the world.

Burned by Burnley

I was reading a piece this morning about the 1968/69 season when I first started supporting Leeds United. We won our first League Championship that year, losing just two games - one of which was a thrashing 5-1 by Burnley. When we won the title again in 1973/74 I remember us losing 4-1 in a shock home defeat to...Burnley.

I wonder whether Simon Grayson's thinking in playing Burnley in a pre-season friendly is to fight the fires as early as possible?

Discuss Leeds United

I've only now got over the Millwall game. My sons and I leapt out of our seats to sing the Luciano Becchio song (meaningful if not very deep lyrics) and were then pinned to them until the equaliser. Two years running and still we're in League One. The Play-Offs will never work for us - maybe they were originally sketched out on Don Revie green paper?

Anyway, onwards and hopefully upwards now. I discovered this site today via being followed on Twitter: Discuss Leeds United. I'll be a regular visitor.

Stockport sinking

I was really sorry to hear the news today that Stockport County have gone into administration. I hope their 10 point penalty doesn't push them into relegation at Brighton on Saturday. Few people were sympathetic to the fate of Leeds United when 15 points were deducted at the start of last season and it would have been great to have got promoted after being so handicapped. But it wasn't to be. Hopefully we'll do it this season but Millwall (I'm sure it will be them) will be really tough, especially with their away record and the pressure that will be on the team at Elland Road.

Back to Stockport. I wrote in this blog last year about a visit to see Stockport play Peterborough United.

What a difference a year makes! Peterborough have gone straight through League One, having, like Stockport, only been promoted last year and will be in the Championship next season. Leeds and Stockport have had some good matches this season and I genuinely hope they survive.

Here's Jonny

Thank goodness for Jonny Howson. He scored after just nine minutes today and it proved to be the winner at Elland Road against Stockport County. I saw Stockport at Peterborough United last season and, though both teams eventually got promoted from League Two, Stockport were much the best team on the day. Although Leeds United dominated the match today, the away team could easily have snatched an equalizer and it was clear that this was in United's minds after giving away a two goal lead against Leyton Orient in mid-week through carelessness. However, today they saw the match out and, though I think automatic promotion is still beyond us, the Play Offs beckon again. I was thinking that Millwall would be the toughest opponents we'd be likely to face but their poor home form and surprise defeat at Yeovil yesterday does, as ever, make me marvel at football's unpredictability. We've now won our last nine matches at home - not seen since Howards's day - and I wouldn't have expected that either.

Why we love football

Phil McNulty's BBC blog today really sums up for me why we love football. Chelsea's win over Liverpool at Anfield last night in the Champions League was not only unexpected in the margin of victory but also because essentially the same team performed so much better than the last time they played there; hard to believe it was the same season.

I'm not sure if it was Guus Hiddink's arrival that has marked the change or that Chelsea might have felt the underdogs going into the tie. Whatever, it just shows that you can take nothing for granted and why the sheer unpredictability of this game keeps us hooked.

I'm still grieving over Leeds United condeding a 2.0 lead to the 10 men of Leyton Orient on Tuesday night but, as last night showed, who knows what will happen in the next match?

Colchester layered to rest

It was our first visit yesterday to the Weston Homes Community Stadium to see Leeds United beat Colchester United 1.0. It is a strangely distant setup in literally green field surroundings and feels a little like toytown. Leeds fans occupied a third of the stadium to give the home team their record attendance and a fantastic atmosphere.

Becchio's winner was a well-taken strike but no less then Leeds deserved as the team totally dominated the match from start to finish. Beckford could have wrapped it up before half-term but it was another fairly lazy and lacklustre performance from him, though he was the focus of most of Colchester's defensive prowess. However, we played some excellent passing football but were also resilient at the back and refused to be intimidated by Colchester in the second half when they seemed determined to kick us out of our stride. So, the winning run goes on and, going into the Play-Offs, that's exactly the time to be in good form.

Unfortunately the first announcement over the tannoy referred to that dreadful day at their former ground at Layer Road in 1971 when we lost 3.2 to Fourth Division Colchester in the FA Cup - certainly one of the worst days of my life and I was hoping that yesterday would offer some kind of resolution. I came home happy with the result but watching Ray Crawford and his team mates from that day come on to the pitch at half-time meant that the memory lingers on.

However, as the shuttle bus took us back to the station after the game Leeds fans were walking alongside Colchester fans, one of whom held his son's hand while the other clutched a teddy bear tightly. Memories may linger in isolation but hopes march on together!

Alan Shearer will be sheepish

Despite Alan Shearer always seeming to score against Leeds United (as well as most other teams) during his playing career, I admired him enormously as a player - not just because of his natural ability but sheer belligerence in the face of adversity. Obviously the nation came together to applaud this whenever he played for England and look at the stories this week when Peter Crouch appears to be the best we have now that Darren Bent is injured!

The papers and online sites are full this morning of his appointment as Newcastle United manager until the end of the season. He will need every ounce of that stubborn nature if he is to survive the Mike Ashley school of mismanagement or anyone else foolish enough to take over. It's one thing for Shearer to be critical from outside the club, quite another when saddled with collective responsibility.

I'm certain there will be sheepish statements to come when yet another 'legend' is forced to capitulate to a group of 'passionate' failures who resent his attempts at management rather than support them.

Beck foot forward

Thanks goodness for Jermaine Beckford of Leeds United. Yet again he made the difference in today's game against Swindon Town who were pointless in their approach and pointless in their exit.

I suppose a team in Swindon's position was always going to pack the defence and try to frustrate Leeds but, in the end, as Beckford indeed lost his head, so Swindon lost the battle. He headed in the only goal of the match just three minutes from time. Job done.

With home records falling, so the white mist fell but it will clear again and the Play-offs look that much closer this evening, though I suspect our newer strikers will want to make the most of opportunities that will come their way too.

ITV FA Cup coverage: did you miss it?

The Guardian are running a story today about ITV missing the goal last night. Instead of seeing the dramatic winning goal from Everton against Liverpool in an otherwise very forgettable Merseyside derby, we were switched to an ad break; not once but twice.

My son and I were watching the match on Sky+ having paused the lack of action on the pitch to get some real action from the kitchen toaster and kettle. We thought at first it must have been something wrong with our digital box and beggars belief that at precisely the moment when Everton fans across the globe should have had an indelible image implanted on their brains, ITV did their very best to blank it out.

The FA Cup game at Histon earlier this season is indelibly planted on my brain because of Leeds United being beaten but also ITV doing everything they could to hide the action behind blurred camera lenses. It isn't a blur to me, it's still very clear but I suppose they did their best for Leeds fans everywhere.

In these days of massive rights negotiations and digital delivery isn't it incredible that nobody appears to be able to keep their finger on the production button?

Post Walsall

I know that football isn't an exact science and probabilities are doomed to fail because of unlikely circumstances on 'level' playing fields. But how can Leeds United fail so dismally on Saturday and then Leicester City go there and win 4.1 last night. With MK Dons winning as well that automatic promotion place looks less and less likely.

Are we really so much poorer than Leicester who have set the League One pace this season; do we still kid ourselves that we're a big club and therefore have some divine right to be at the top of the league? Or did Walsall raise their game on Saturday and run out of ideas last night? Did Leicester play as well as we played badly?

So, will we make it to the Play-Offs and then make it four defeats in four finals? Too many unknowns, hopefully, for that one to be predicted.

Mike Grella

I've been on the Leeds United website off and on all day to make sure we haven't sold Fabian Delph or Jermaine Beckford - or even Jonny Howson. If the 'authorities' can extend the January deadline into February then Ken Bates can turn white snow into grey slush.

No news so far apart from a fairly cryptic message that this will be a 'busy' day.

We've bought a young American stiker - Mike Grella - who looks a prospect at 22 but let's wait and see.

Waiting seems to be the name of the game today and we've got to wait until next Monday against Millwall to get the pain of Walsall out of our systems, with tomorrow's game at Orient postponed.

Fabian Delph

I watched him score Leeds United's second goal against Brighton and Hove Albion on 'The Championship' this morning but for those who didn't, check this out: http://www.football.virginmedia.com/page/LeedsUnited/Home/0,,12555,00.html

As I said yesterday, I do worry about this January window, especially knowing that Manchester United allegedly have a bid in for him to eventually replace Paul Scholes. Ken Bates publicly denying that we'll listen to offers is much like a vote of confidence in whoever our manager is this week.

We have to build our new team around playrers like him or the future is League One obscurity. This was brought home to me again yesterday when seeing James Milner score for Villa!

Seagulls depart

After all the troubles Leeds United have had at Brighton and Hove Albion's Withdean Stadium, it was great to win there this afternoon. In fact it's the second consecutive victory there so let's hope the sea winds have changed for the better.

Good to see Lee Trundle scoring and hoping it's the first of many to get our promotion campaign going. Great also to see MK Dons let a lead slip and getting beat at Carlisle (what a good team they are after all) and also seeing Scunthorpe come up against the buffers at Crewe.

Obviously Fabian Delph's wonder goal will make the headlines today. I hope that isn't a double-edged sword with the vultures hovering over us until Jan 31st.

The best thing for me today, though, was our not conceding a goal - the first time since November 1st 2008. It seems the defence were better organised and played far more like a unit. Will this mean Michalik flying off across the channel?

Simon Grayson

So Simon Grayson is the new manager of Leeds United. I remember him playing for Aston Villa but little else - I certainly don't remember him as an apprentice at Leeds United in the early 1990's. Was he released because he didn't make the defensive grade? I hope not, because that is what sunk Gary McAllister.

We played some great attacking football but never got set for set pieces. I've seen Michalik and Marques this season and they've obviously gone missing big time. I always advocated Marques but, apart from that goal against Plymouth in the Championship, never found anything in Michalik's make-up that made me think he was good enough for Leeds United. He certainly seemed unable to read basic parts of the game much of the time.

Following six years at Blackpool, Simon Grayson will know all dangerous rocks around the coast. Hopefully he'll now be able to move our defense from being all at sea to the safety and security of dry land.

Another good win over Hartlepool

this afternoon and good to see Jermaine Beckford is continuing to score after his hat-trick against Northampton in the cup on Monday. Also good to get last Saturday's Huddersfield disaster out of the system.

I remember the away game at Hartlepool last season when we were briefly top of the league after a draw. However, that really marked the beginning of the Wise period. I can't help feeling that the wise man we now have in charge will bring us more gifts going forward.

Football supporters have very long memories

I was reading at the weekend how Sunderland supporters at the Fulham v Sunderland game had booed Jimmy Hill. Hill had come on as part of the tribute to Fulham great, Johnny Haynes.

The booing related back to 1977 when Hill was the chairman of Coventry City. He delayed the kick-off between Coventry and Bristol City and made sure that the teams were told the score from that day's Sunderland game so that the teams played out a featureless draw and ensured their survival. Sunderland were relegated.

It sounded amazing that such anger should remain after so many years but then I still remember Leeds United's games against Chelsea in the late 1960's and 1970 and, of course, Ray Tinkler in 1971...

Mauled at The Den

I don't think Leeds United played especially badly at The Den on Saturday but Millwall were obviously really up for it, like Peterborough United were when they played Leeds two weeks earlier. I felt on that day that our defence was never going to be strong enough for automatic promotion this year and we just seem to be vulnerable a lot of the time. I don't know whether this is basic organisational problems at the back or low confidence.

As witnessed on Saturday, we'll always create chances and score goals - Luciano Becchio's was a great strike - nut we have a soft underbelly at the moment and it doesn't take lions to gouge it out.

Yo'l laugh at this

I was reading the Sunday Times earlier today and, of course, waded through the hundreds of supplements in order to find the Sports section.

This section was worth the search as it included an article about Martin Jol and how he has had early success with SV Hamburg in Germany. He seems to have found real support and understanding and comes over as the same level-headed coach with a sense of humour that he did at Tottenham Hotspur. Unfortunately his conssecutive Top 5 finishes in the Premier League and Spurs's best league position for 25 years weren't considered good enough. But then level-headed isn't really what they do. Big-headed and arrogant is much more their style.

I hope that Leeds United will persevere with Gary McAllister as their manager and not look to short-term 'success.' We may have had a blip at Peterborough United yesterday but I do think we are building for the longer-term.

Tottenham Hotspur clearly didn't back Martin Jol in the same way and, given that they've lost at home again today - this time to Hull City - it's nice to see him laughing again.

Too posh for us

I was one of the 4177 Leeds United fans to descend on Peterborough today to watch the home team win 2.0

I was brought up near to Peterborough and used to go and watch 'The Posh' in the mid 1970's and I've always looked out for my hometown club's scores. Peterborough United got promoted into League One last season and they certainly play a good passing game, as do Leeds.

This is my 39th season as an obsessed Leeds United fan and it was odd to see the two teams do battle in the same league. I attended one of the previous meetings there in January 1974 when the great Leeds side won 4.1 in a 4th Round FA Cup tie. The battle was very one-sided that day, but not today.

0.0 at half-time and Becchio had wasted Leeds's best chance, although I thought he looked much improved since the last time I'd seen him play. Beckford had a very quiet game and was almost subdued, despite the home crowd holding their collective breath each time he got anywhere near the ball.

Peterborough scored immediately after half-time and, apart from Douglas, Leeds seemed to just lose their shape and their belief and, apart from an offside 'goal' late on, lacked real penetration to go with their neat approach work. Peterborough sealed it in injury time and I have to say that Leeds can have few compaints.

It's worrying that Leeds's resilience seemed to crumble right in front of us and I do feel that Prutton would have been a good choice to add that extra bit of nous in midfield, though Kilkenny did pretty well when he came on.

We were the poor relations today and will have to do much better when the teams meet again at Elland Road in January.

Tevez is, are you?

Interesting that an independent football tribunal has today ruled against West Ham United over the Carlos Tevez affair and will now agree a compensation amount to be paid to Sheffield United.

I'm pleased that bias is only selective against teams from Yorkshire and genuinely hope the Blades get what they deserve, having been relegated as a result of Tevez's goals at the end of the 2006/2007 season.

However, while the rest of the world could see the justice in Sheffield United's claim, and also the total injustice of Leeds United's draconian points deduction last year, how come the independent tribunal in our case chose not to see the blatantly obvious? Leeds are still suffering financially as a result of being in League One, despite our best efforts and against the massive odds last season.

Ah, but, all those fellow chairman who collectively voted against us can't be wrong...can they?

Five-star worries

I watched my home town club, Peterborough United, play Bristol Rovers on Sky this afternoon. They scored five goals but did their best not to win the game by allowing Rovers to score four. It was a game of poor defences and good, opportunist, striking. Rovers took advantage of Leeds falling asleep last week and did the same again today: certainly they are going to be one of the most difficult teams to kill off in League One this season.

Meanwhile Leeds United beat Crewe by five goals to two. It seems that Leeds were cruising and completely dominant until injury time when, couled with Michalik's sending off, Crewe scored two late goals to take the gloss off of a comprehensive vistory.

It's not often you end the day having scored five goals and being a bit worried but, in both cases, defences have to improve and not be allowed to doze when the team is winning; if this doesn't happen, sleeping sickness will turn into sleepwalking rather than marching up the table. Leeds are in the Play-Off zone tonight but, as we all know, that doesn't work for us so we need to try even harder.

The right blend of age and experience

I was reading in the papers this morning about Alex Ferguson dismissing Chelsea's Premier League chances next year because their squad was too old. While having experience in depth, he felt that they wouldn't be able to move up a gear. Elsewhere there was talk about Robinho, the young Brazilian striker. moving to join up with Scolari at Chelsea.

In a tiny piece at the foot of another column, Leeds United were linked with Dean Windass, 39, of Hull City - which both parties denied. Now, I know Dean has scored regularly at every club he's played for but why would he want to turn down Premier League football for the third division...and why would we assume he had a role to play for us, just because Dougie Freedman did such a good job up front last season? They are totally different players and we'd end up just upsetting Beckford who we probably only have for one more season anyway.

Leeds United: better but still not good enough

So Leeds United lost a big match again today. I thought Doncaster Rovers played well but if we had gone a goal up, our fitness levels would probably have carried us through. Certainly it was better than Cardiff two years ago and the Wembley disaster of 1996 - but still we haven't scored.

Leeds United have got to the final stages of the Football League Play-Offs three times now and failed each time. It reminds me of the Revie years where we so often fell at the final hurdle. In fact (maybe it was Doncaster's colours) today reminded me of the Sunderland game in 1973 more than any other.

So we stay in the third division and everyone will say we need to get automatic promotion next season and definitely not the play-off route. Play-offs to Leeds United are like penalties are to England. One day we'll get past them but nobody should assume it will be next season or the season after that. We were better today but still not good enough

Football League failure

So Leeds United failed in their appeal against the 15 point penalty that was handed down to us at the start of this League One campaign. We won't be promoted automatically but will have to go through the Play-Offs. Sections of the media and other clubs - such as the small-minded chairmen of Doncaster and Carlisle - seem to think we would have somehow cheated if the points had been handed back to us at this stage of the season. They do not think that cheating us out of five wins and doing their best to relegate us when they had their chances is the same thing at all. Woe betide them if the same injustice is applied to their clubs in the future.

But the real culprits are obviously the Football League. Asking fellow chairmen whether or not they thought Leeds United should be deducted points was weak-willed and Lord Mawhinney had a golden opportunity to admit that he just might have been wrong over all of this. To say that our appeal was lodged too late is obviously ridiculous when the decision was first challenged back in August 2007. Why football authorities across the world are so inept is remarkable, especially in the UK when we set the standards on the pitch if not off of it.

Critics of our chairman, Ken Bates, will no doubt be delighted by the decision. Well, no matter, we fight on against forty years of contempt for our club and, thanks to Ken, are still around as a club to challenge for everything. To be in the league position we are is nothing short of remarkable - especially given the desertions of Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet which could so easily have sent us off the rails. We are proud of this and our pride will outlive Mawhinney and his cronies, not to mention the little people at relatively unknown clubs.

Stockport on the up

I took our two boys to watch Peterborough United (Posh) play Stockport County in a League Two game yesterday. Both teams have had good seasons and Posh needed to win to gain automatic promotion. Stockport were fourth and the only team likely to prevent Posh going up. The occasion really got to the home team and Stockport won 1.0. It was a good afternoon though, with Peterborough playing the better football but Stockport robust at the back and lively on the break. What impressed me most was the Stockport away fans who really got behind their team and sung their hearts out from the opening whistle onwards. It made for a great atmospere in a crowd of over 10,000.

Peterborough could have clinched promotion if they'd won but at least have a definite play-off place. I'd be surprised if they don't go up but I have seen them in real promotion contention before - back in the 1970's when I had a season ticket, Peterborough being my home town - only to blow it quite spectacularly. Hopefully they won't do that again this season or they'll be nothing for anyone in the area to sing about.

My parting thought was that we sat in the 'South Stand' which is a modern cantilever stand. When I used to watch from either the North Stand or the London Road end, the South Stand was a large open terrace known as Glebe Road. Good to see that the row of houses is still there, which makes you feel like you're leaving via a series of back gardens. I suppose it's still home to those people and, in a strange way, to me too.

Walk tall

Leeds United can walk tall this evening after a fairly comfortable win over Walsall this evening. Certainly, Walsall were more adventurous at the start of the second half and could have equalised, following Jermaine Beckford's earlier strike. However, we rode this tricky phase and re-asserted ourselves in midfield. Neil Kilkenny was the difference between the teams as much as Beckford and Dougie Freedman. For years we have been lacking real creative vision in the midfield and he certainly has it.

When the children and I went to the Oldham Athletic game on New Year's Eve we witnessed the 'Dennis Wise id bored with all this now' episode and the 'Dave Bassett hump it in the air' combative approach that was dull to watch and ineffective. I know that League One may not be the place to get the ball down and play but, once the players are confident with that approach - as they were today - then it is altogether more exciting and more effective.

If we are to progress this year, playing football will be a much better base for take-off than physically grinding out results.

Arsene winning

I often buy The Independent at the weekend - more often the Sunday Independent but, today, as we were walking round Newmarket I spied a feature section on poetry - which is another of my passions. You can see my Poem of the Month via this link.

The Independent wouldn't be my first choice of broadsheet or online edition - that would probably be The Times or Guardian - as it always has been, but their journalists do write superbly about sport at the weekends and especially football. I read a piece about Jermaine Beckford and how he admits that the players at Leeds United became complacent after getting past the 15 points deduction and moving to the top of League One. I actually think it has far more to do with Gus Poyet leaving when he did and Dennis Wise caring more about his own bank balance than that of Leeds.

What I was really writing about, though, was the piece about Arsene Wenger when he again repeats his subscription to the view that there is more to football (and life) than winning. We've heard this before and, even for a lifelong Leeds fan who was thinking only yesterday about the cup finals we lost, I do find this refreshing. Make no mistake: Wenger's touchline activities, not to mention his embittered range of visages des Francais do give the lie to anyone who assumes this means he is anti-competitive. But I was thrilled that they beat AC Milan in the week and, as my barber hear in Burwell attests, if there was any justice in football, they would now go on to win the Champions League final. Certainly Arsenal's emphasis on flowing, passing football is great to watch and, I imagine, play. I do worry about the future of their youth players though as David Bentley cautioned Theo Walcott again this week

Sadly also there is no justice in football. I still remember 1970 as though it was yesterday; not to mention 1971 and, of course 1973. I actually hurt just as much after our Cup Winners Cup loss to Milan as the other one. Maybe that's why I was so pleased that Arsenal beat them over there, even though it isn't just about winning.

Oldham - Old Story

Our sons and I travelled to the Leeds United v Oldham Athletic game on New Year's Day.

I've been to a lot of 'festive' games in the past when the jelly's gone hard or the mince pies have cooled. The Oldham game was no exception. People around us called it a freak result as we went three goals behind in the first half and eventually lost 1-3.

Too many Leeds players were just poor. You can call it 'mentally tired' or 'under pressure' but I prefer poor. Except they aren't are they? We are the poorer for spending the time and the money. On Tuesday's display too many Leeds players felt they just needed to turn up to win and, never mind that, pocket more than I will probably earn in the next six months.

It won't stop me supporting Leeds; nothing could. In the shop afterwards, our eldest son, Nathan bought a new shirt "ready for next time."

Yes, the first Oldham goal was one of those that could have gone out of the ground, yes the third was just laughably Pantomime. But the second was just because there was no marking from the Leeds defence. Not bad marking, no marking.

Tresor Kandol was as poor as when I first saw him last season. I was really looking forward to the transformation of this player, but he was just inept. Frazer Richardson is not a full-back. It isn't that Gary Kelly at 101 would be better than him, he just cannot defend. Time after time - especially in the second half - he was just outwitted and Rui Marques had to cover. How is he going to be able to do that from Africa in the next six months?

David Prutton tackled but couldn't pass. Alan Thompson passed then argued with Matt Heath then forgot how to pass then left the field. Kishishev went off but nobody noticed - he is just past it and debatable as to whether he was ever in front of anything at all.

Andrew Hughes and Jermaine Beckford showed real spirit throughout.

My biggest worry, though, is that with Gus Poyet's departure and Dave Bassett's arrival as Assistant Manager, we have become Wimbledon. All Leeds did throughout the whole game was hoof long balls up the middle of the park in the hope that a tall striker would somehow get their head on it. Beyond that, nothing.

Sunnyset

As the grey sky gave way to darkness, the floodlights still shone over Elland Road this evening as the second biggest crowd of the season dispersed into the night. Most of them were smiling, some with relief, some just enjoying these moments while they last.

Leeds United left it very late today to win yet another game, this time against Yeovil. The men from Somerset defended as a well organised unit but the difference this season is that Leeds don't give up. The team attacks and defends to the end (as we saw at Gillingham last week after the referee had done his level best to ruin the game. Not only is this a new mental strength but also physical fitness. Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet have obviously turned things round in training and the pre-season set the team up to run and run.

I wonder now what would have happened if they'd been installed before the season started last year. We could definitely see things coming together but they just didn't have enough wins in the end. Even in a dull and tense game quite late on against Plymouth when we were losing, we still found extra strength and willpower to turn it round and win.

I am enjoying the moment as are our two sons, Sam and Nathan. The bubble will burst at some point but hopefully when the sun finally sets on this season, we'll still be singing and the shadows of League One will be a distant memory.

Leeds United - Top of the League

So Leeds United are top of League One. Well, not officially as the fifteen point deduction still stands at the moment. I don't hold out much hope of the appeal process as the FA and others don't really want us to be part of the 'football family' despite all footballing creditors being paid back during the summer. We're rather like the black sheep of the family; always have been and always will. Ironic really, given the shirt colour Don Revie chose for us when launching us on the glory road to become the English Real Madrid.

Yet again at Bristol Rovers last night, our three nil win showed strikers with confidence, taking the chances that came along. However, the defending of Matt Heath in particular showed that we know how and when to defend as well. It's Swansea at home next weekend. I still have a distant memory of a thrashing away at Swansea and, of course, Cardiff...

Here's to seven in a row. In the great season of 1973/74 our 100% win came to a halt after the seventh game when, in the eighth, we played Birmingham City at St Andrews and got a 0-0 result. It would be great to equal that record though!

We may not be top, but we're not bottom either.

Funny old game

So Emile Heskey has been recalled to the England squad and Zat Knight scored on his debut for Aston Villa - and at the right end too. I came online a few moments ago and these were the 'facts' presented to me. Could I have been in the garden for too long or was that ginger beer more beer than ginger?

I appereciate Steve McClaren's injury problems but didn't realise they extended quite as far into the memory bank of his brain as was first thought. Heskey is not a striker of international standing and Michael Owen is missing more than he is scoring at the moment. Great, let's laud the fact that they might now be spearheading our attack against mighty Israel.

Is this really the most imaginative solution we could have come up with? I've just walked past an old donkey, grazing in a field, with a dalmation running alongside, trying desperately to catch flies. Yes, you get the picture...

Kandol can do for now

As readers of this blog will know, I haven't had a lot of time for Tresor Kandol. But, hey, he scored again today - three in four games - as we continued our 100% start. He also missed a good few chances again but then at least he's managing to get into positions. I don't think he'd really make it a higher level but we're not at a higher level: we're a League One team and his efforts are to be welcomed by every Leeds United fan.

And there are lots of us - more than 26,000 again today. No matter how hard the authorities and media try to break us, Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet have got the young lads going and we never really looked troubled. Youth and fitness may well be our twin towers as we strive to build our own new Wembley again. Feeling good on a Saturday evening. I'd almost forgotten what that was like!

Ashley Cold

I was reading a comment, supposedly by Ashley Cole, in Metro yesterday when he spoke about the 'disgraceful' booing of Frank Lampard when they played for England against Germany at Wembley last week.

On the face of it, I agree that booing is unwelcome, whatever the circumstances. I don't like booing and jeering of others' national anthems either - even if it is Germany. I don't think it's necessary and would rather my team make their point on the pitch.

This is where Ashley Cole just doesn't get it. Frank Lampard has repeatedly whinged about his lot in public - or his out-of-control publicity agent has. Lampard did not perform well for England in the World Cup and often 'goes missing'in big matches. He isn't the first player that can't play at the very highest level and he isn't alone. However, when people pay enormous amounts of money and spend much of their lives travelling on poor quality public transport or congested motorways or cramped aeroplanes, they do have a right to express their opinions. Yes, it is a poor way to do so and probably unwelcome, but it is understandable.

Ashley should remember that, were it not for his being in the right place at the right time, his career might never have taken off. Most people are not in the right place at the right time and therefore have to spend a fortune on instead of earning a fortune from football. Ashley is not as worthy as he thinks he is, neither is Frank. Perhaps they should consider the effects of bad PR because the P stands for Public.

We've started but can we finish?

So Leeds United have had their best start to a season since 1995! Remembering back to those days, the First Division Championship had been won just three years earlier and the O'Leary era was yet to kick in. The backpass rule had found our defence out in 1992/93 and we had the Coca Cola debacle to come in 1996, and Howard Wilkinson's subsequent departure.

Obviously we needed to start well in order to try and deal with the 15 point deduction imposed by rival clubs, conveniently, via the unsupportive Football League. I'm delighted with progress, especially seeing Tresor Kandol scoring, as he didn't ever look likely to do that last season. But, as my son asked on Sunday morning "Is it because we're playing easier teams now?" I assured him that games were still for the winning and everyone still hates us and wants to beat us. That much hasn't changed.

But, we'll see. Tonight it's Portsmouth away in the Carling cup. Still begins with a 'C' but a long way from both 1996 and that 5-1 disaster when we were on our way out of the Premier League. Dennis Wise intends to give younger players an opportunity this season but I think that other 'C' word - Cash - might put more pressure on them than is really needed.

A fraud or afraid?

So, like all Leeds United supporters, I was beginning to come to terms with last season's relegation when the taxman reared his ugly head. Or is it the taxman that represents ugliness at Elland Road or someone or something else?

We spent last summer getting over the Play-off debacle and then the whole financial and management problems reared their ugly heads again. But we went past that, living in hope and still some expectation that we were moving forward and building for the future.

Is it the builders who have got it wrong or were they just managing with the materials they had left?

Something is still very wrong with our club and tomorrow's match with Shelbourne has nothing to do with it. Whatever happens on the pitch, it seems to be occurring in a parallel universe. The glib corporate messages being posted on the 'official website' remind me hugely of those we were targeted with when the club was first failing to admit to meltdown.

So, we may be marching on together, as we always will, but what does the enemy really look like?

Trevor Francis and the dying swan

I was just on the 'phone to our web development partners - Senior Internet - in Nottingham. My contact there was lamenting Nottingham Forest's failure to make it through to this year's League One Play Off Final, whilst looking forward to tonight's Champions League Final. We discussed the Leeds v Forest fixtures next season and, obviously, how far our teams had fallen.

I was minded of the day, twenty eight years ago, when I sat the last of my first-year Economics exams at Leeds University and then headed off to the 'Swan with two nicks' pub to watch Trevor Francis head the winning goal for Forest in their European Cup final win over Malmo. It was a great way to celebrate the exams being over and a glorious June of beer and cricket and music still to come before a long summer holiday.

How long ago that all seems now and almost impossible to believe in footballing terms? My final exam was 'Economic Statistics' and that's what my club has become; just another economic statistic. Hopefully both Leeds and Forest will start to climb the leagues again soon so that we can turn lament into real anticipation.

Moore like Ian please

I was sorry to read this week that Ian Moore's contract is not going to be renewed by the club. Whenever I saw him he was lively and full of running, especially off the ball. I felt that he never really got the run in the team that he deserved and, unless he is injured, was surprised that he was being released.

I was also disappointed not to read of Tresor Kandol's imminent departure instead. If ever a player was the opposite of Ian Moore in terms of honest effort and ability, it is surely him?

Down in the murky depths

I wrote some time ago that I thought Leeds United would be relegated this season. Even when we were battling well and even scraping wins, you cannot leak as many late goals as we did and, quite frankly, lose as many games and expect to stay in the league you're in.

Let's forget about being in the Championship. Let's forget - as so many of us tried to do on the long journey home from Cardiff last year - that we were so close to the Premiership. These are just names of leagues, featuring teams that play each other week in and week out. Let's remember that we have had a glorious past; let's remember Don Revie and Howard Wilkinson, Billy Bremner, Lucas Radebe and all the rest but never forget that we are talking about the past.

Last season we were simply not good enough to remain in the league we were playing in. Whether we were/are a big club is completely irrelevant, as is the name of the league. We were not good enough to win football matches last season and, though the name of the league changes, we have to get that winning capability and mentality back again.

Like many people, football fans or not, I have a really challenging and busy job. For the most part I enjoy it and therefore things are generally successful; but only because I break things down into achievable chunks - things I can influence directly or make a difference over. If I really thought about the past, about who I was and what I could have done, or about the daunting challenges to come and their uninvited relations: expectation and necessity, that all sit on my shoulders at the same time, I would be paralysed into worry and fear and self-doubt. In short I'd stop winning and things would stagnate or go backwards.

Leeds United need to be given the chance, financially, emotionally and technically to break free of this straitjacket of the cracked mirror. What we see before us is what is: not what might have been or once was but not what could or should be either. This is the here and now. Of course we want to start winning again and moving through the leagues. Of course we want to hear successful team results and reports on Saturday evenings or share positive things on 606 on the way home from a game. But let's just settle for that, for now.

Hopefully the creditors will give us credit for what the new owners are trying to do. Whether we like Ken Bates or Dennis Wise or even whether or not we trust them is really immaterial because we cannot influence what they do and neither do we have options available. Let's not stress over anything other than turning up for that first game in August and cheering the team to one victory in one game; then let's do the same for the next one. Let's get the RAC routeplanners out, discover new places and put ourselves back on the map. Others have done it and so can we. Again, we don't have any option. But let's just focus on winning three points: there's no point in doing anything else.

Alan on the ball

When I first became interested in football at about six or seven years old, I remember reading a small pocketbook about the 1966 World Cup. It featured articles on the great Eusebio, pictures of the unlikely North Koreans and a match report on the final. Alongside the ubiquitous shots of Nobby Stiles and Geoff Hurst was a picture of Alan Ball. I remembered him from that moment on for the colour of his hair and for the comment that he was the youngest player on the day but covered the most grass.

Now, I knew that Alan Ball wasn't a new lawnmower - because they required petrol and looked different - but little did I realise then what a fantastic footballer he was. I vaguely remember the 1966 final, with my father and grandfather sitting in front of a black and white world which changed to brown as the ale was poured (at teatime!) and the live action turned to a moment of history. Only when Everton's Ball, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey destroyed Leeds's chances of the League in 1970 did I come to respect Alan Ball and believe what everyone had said about him.

He showed up in the FA Cup Final in 1972 as well, when Leeds beat Arsenal and I remember Paul Reaney saving one of his bullet headers on the line. Thanks for that Alan; a kind of justice was done for Leeds fans everywhere.

And that's it. Our paths haven't really crossed since but I'm sure they will again one day when I will sit in a corner, reading my never-ending football books and he will be out on the field, running: always running.

North End, South Stand

Preston North End were beaten last nightby Leeds United in front of Elland Road's South Stand. Of the 18,433 people there, a few loyal fans in the South Stand stood to confirm to the Kop that, yes, we had scored two goals and, yes, we'd won another match. This was Leeds United's fourth game without defeat, their second consecutive home win and the first time this season we'd come from behind to win a game. It also lifted us a point off the bottom of the table.

After suitable celebrations last night including ten green bottles that hung on to form a wall, I woke up this morning with a smile and replayed the match in my mind. I was impressed with the way Leeds battled against a Preston side seeking automatic promotion. There were some dodgy off-side decisions given against Preston but nobody takes any notice when Leeds fail to get the rub of the green, such as the blatant penalty not given at Southend last time. Leeds created some good chances throughout and the statistic of seven shots on target from seventeen attempts is far better than I expected against a team of Preston's calibre.

However, let's not get carried away just yet. While Michael Gray was excellent on his return, Frazer Richardson is never going to be a great defender and should play as an attacking midfielder. I know we need him there at the moment but let's take note now and not do an Ian Harte. Lubomir Michalik and Matt Heath were rank bad throughout, especially Michalik who reminded me rather worryingly of a certain R Junior. For a club that can boast Jack Charlton, Norman Hunter, Gordon McQueen, Jonathan Woodgate and so on, it's a tall order to be a centre back at Leeds but why do we keep bringing players in who think that defence is some kind of static wooden structure? Our defence will not survive another Championship season, if we're given the chance, and would prevent an early return from League One which no doubt everyone assumes would happen. I'm not convinced by Casper Ankergren in goal either.

On the bright side, of course David Healy and Robbie Blake scored but I thought that Jonathan Douglas had a storming game. My man of the match would be Richard Cresswell for his non-stop running and application to the game in hand rather than his former teammates: a pity his first-half header didn't go in, but thankfully it didn't matter in the end.

Not today anyway.

Half empty cup

I passed the Emirates stadium this morning, as usual, and thought how it could be perceived as a giant latte cup. I imagine that Arsenal are this morning feeling that it should be half full rather than half empty.

Following domestic cup defeats against Chelsea and Blackburn and last night's excruciating defeat to Ronald Koeman's (no, I still haven't forgiven him either) PSV in the Champions League, Arsene Wenger is widely reported this morning as saying that their latest defeat was cruel.

Without wanting to cite real-life examples of cruelty by way of contrasting word definitions, perhaps we should concentrate on another 'c' word: chances. Arsenal had so many that they didn't take over the two legs - perhaps they were too easy or 'ugly chances' that didn't fit the beautiful script? Either way, the coffee has long since gone cold as those of us who could smell it, knew that it would.

Nicholls not worth a nickel

I wondered why Kevin Nicholls had been left out of our 'must win' local derby game against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday. For the club captain to miss any game is unlikely enough, especially now that we're rapidly running out of them (captains not games? read on...). I assumed another 'top professional athlete' had also succumbed to injury.

Imagine my surprise this morning then when I read that Nicholls had approached Dennis Wise and asked to go back to Luton as soon as possible, citing his move to Leeds as a big mistake. Luton are in the mire with us and, funnily enough, are our next opponents at Elland Road. What did Nicholls think Wise would do: allow him to go back just like that and presumably help his 'new' club to achieve Championship safety for next season so that he could have a good summer off?

Even in the disloyalty club that counts so many players among its members, this really does beggar belief. Even in the farce that is Leeds United, when David Livermore was signed last summer and then quickly transferred to Hull City because 'Nicholls was better' this has to be a first. The club captain shows that captaincy is just a label to be thrown away and trodden into the mud. The only word he can spell reliably, beginning with a 'c' is cash.

It wasn't as if he was any good. If he thought his move then so must many Leeds supporters who saw him taken off in the away game at Norwich because he was arguing and causing disruption among other Leeds players. What would Billy Bremner have made of it?

Pointless?

From the various online match reports of Leeds United's game at Birmingham City last night, it seems that we were unlucky not to get something out of the game. A 'goal' was not awarded despite commentators, players and Dennis Wise consistently claiming that the goal had crossed the line in the first half. We were already one-nil down by then and to go in on level terms at half-term would have made a massive psychological difference, if only a small one numerically.

We appeared to have battled well (again) but failed to score (again). The cliches about 'things not going for you when you're at the bottom' are already getting an airing but at least we're 'creating chances'. For my part, with eleven games to go and our inability to turn battling performances into points, coupled with the long list of injuries to key players (Ian Westlake appears to be the latest), we're definitely looking at League One in August. If things remain uncertain behind the scenes financially, the certainty is that they'll be front of house by the summer months.

My head tells me I'm right; my heart clings on to mathematical possibilities.

Away and pointless?

I was away in Rome for a couple of days this week and returned to find stories about Leeds United's record crowd of the seaon for Tuesday night's game against QPR. Obviously 29,593 is a fine crowd for a Championship game and a pity they didn't see us score.

I can see why this story would appear on the official club site, with Dennis Wise duly thanking the fans and hoping they might repeat the exercise against Luton Town when ticket prices will similarly be reduced. Therein lies the ambiguity. Ken Bates came under a lot of pressure when he hiked up season ticket prices and left views of empty seats throughout Elland Road as a result. Surely this can't be a kind of back-handed dig at him on a site whose content he no doubt controls with the same scrutiny as his cash?

Given the way the team has performed in recent times, it is doubtful whether the ticket prices are the key factor anyway. We were at the Play Off first leg last season when the place was packed to the rafters and, similarly, at Cardiff we could have sold many more tickets than were available.

Roma were at home in the Champions League yesterday and the centre was packed with Lyon fans. The game ended 0.0 but attracted 55,000. Maybe it really is only if we're playing in a higher league or bigger competitions that we could sustain a higher attendance. Certainly the fan base is always there - as Howard Wilkinson and David O'Leary both discovered in more recent times. Price cuts must help, but cutting out the mistakes, goals from visitors and excuses must be the only way back to any kind of intimidating Elland Road 'fortress.'

Cardiff baying

So we're off back down to the city of Cardiff tomorrow. Our recent record is consistently bad in that we've lost against them almost every time since that ill-fated FA Cup tie when they should have been thrown out of the competition, given the behaviour of fans and so-called Chairman.

Of course Peter Risdale now has his feet under the table there; presumably it is gold-plated and he's moved up to an aquarium of sharks. After the fiasco over whether or not he was thrown out of the Directors Box in this season's home game at Elland Road or not, there will no doubt be a PR story regardless of what happens on the pitch.

For Leeds United fans who were last at Cardiff in May it does offer the hope that we might be turning the corner at last, albeit as slowly as though we were performing a three-point turn and unable to take our eyes off of the rear view mirror. Kevin Blackwell's lack of tactical nous was revealed at the Play-Off Final and he should have left during the summer. We can take any amount of baying from the crowd but have we now got what it takes to really turn things round?

Hold your hands up

So a statement on the Leeds United website is now responding to increased press speculation about who leaked the team to Crystal Palace. Apparently players were asked to hold their hands up at training on Monday and admit to it, either whether or not through naivety or indirectly.

This smacks to me of an escape route for the player concerned and is contrary to Dennis Wise's previous furious outburst on the same site where he stated that it was totally unacceptable (on whatever grounds but the inference was that it was deliberate and malicious), that he knew who it was and that the player would never play for the club again. Could it be that Wise has now been reigned in by Ken Bates, that further injuries have hit the team and that we actually need the player now or was it just an 'act of passion' because he cares.

I believe in a conspiracy theory - how could you not as a Leeds supporter, especially during these past few years?. I believe that Wise and Bates had identified a player they wanted to get rid of or couldn't afford to pay (remember Eirik Bakke) and were using this 'incident' as an excuse. Peter Taylor has said that he was amazed that it blew up in the way it did, further suggesting he too was aware of the Machiavellian landscape he was treading on.

How are we ever going to re-build our club if acts of 'transparency' are really designed to mask reality?

Back Rui Marques

Rui Marques has to stay at the back. I've no idea why Blackwell signed him and then didn't play him: presumably out of some kind of loyalty to Butler and - unbelievably - the hapless Gregan. Having seen such poor defenders at the back for Leeds United in recent seasons, I was reassured by watching Marques and Heath at Norwich last Saturday. I also felt Marques played pretty well for Angola during the World Cup but clearly Blackwell's mind was still on Cardiff.

Interesting to see the story on the Leeds' website this week about Kandol being diasappointed with his form and wanting to take his chance. Obviously this is a bit of player PR because the majority of fans around me couldn't see any positive attribute at all. Our main gripe was that, having travelled so far to watch the team, he just didn't try. Maybe he should watch the video of young Elliott who, at 16, is still at school but came off that bench as though he would had been given A* in any subject he chose. He chose football and tried his heart out. Is that so much to ask?

Can do without Kandol

I was at the Norwich City v Leeds United fixture yesterday along with 2,400 other travelling Leeds united fans. We are passionate about our team and never more so than when we are boxed into a corner as we were yesterday. Unfortunatly that was also the case on the pitch at the end.

We battled well in the first half and effectively stopped Norwhich playing. Howson got his first goal for Leeds and we were very much on top. Of course just as the Carrow Road faithful started to get at their team they equalised and then got the winning goal. Huckerby proved again that he is a great wing player (apart from when he played for Leeds) and also that Richardson may be a good attacking midfielder but he is never a right back. He was skinned several times in the game and reminded me of poor Ian Harte the way he was constantly beaten by good wing play.

But the biggest problem we have is Tresor Kandol who is our 'new' centre forward. He was one on one early in the second half and ballooned the ball over the bar. He cannot head the ball, cannot tackle and will not run. He is lazy and talentless and yet he played for 70 minutes - presumably in the hope (and it can only be that) that he'd actually make a contribution. A Norwich fan told me on the way back to the station that he'd only once seen a worse Leeds forward and that was Michael Ricketts. Yes, Michael was a disappointment but at least he tried. Kandol didn't even offer us that. Worrying.

European bans are double dutch

Supporting a club like Leeds United means I have often had to face accusations of violence and hooliganism, fuelled by ignorance as much as any drug. I read today that Feyenoord are appealing against a UEFA ban, following crowd trouble, and also the Italian authorities considering drastic action following a weekend of violence there.

Certainly times have changed at Elland Road, as at football grounds up and down the country and I'm pleased to say that that 'Seventies mentality' has largely been despatched from our society (though there are still pockets of resistance if you look). But we were banned, as were other English clubs. Turkish fans frequently act in an abhorrent fashion at club and international level yet they seem to escape as Feyenoord probably will. How can this be right?

If Platini is going to do anything we will be proud to remember him by, it is about creating a truly level playing field, and not the one the players 'play' on. I have a long memory, just as the ignorant 'I hate Leeds United' brigade appear to do.

Brendan Ormsby speaks

I don't remember a time when former Leeds United captain Brendan Ormsby spoke that it made any kind of news headlines. In fact I don't really remember his comments getting much more coverage than the pitch. Truly, in terms of great captains we've had, I wouldn't have named Brendan as a rock on which Leeds United could build.

Imagine my surprise then when I saw his picture and soundbite on the Leeds United website as the lead item. Brendan thinks we'll get out of trouble and will not get relegated again. Really! Well that's alright then; we can all stop worrying. Except Brendan is featured as part of a 'celebration' of the last time we got to an FA Cup semi-final twenty years ago. Really! Well that's alright then; on cup weekend we can still remember that sad day against Coventry and many of the sad ones since.

Come on Leeds. Let's stop dragging up bizarre memories and stop convincing ourselves that we're too good to go down. We were relegated at Bolton and I've just watched Bolton hold Arsenal to a draw at the Emirates - yes, in the FA Cup. Let's stop talking up our chances and aim to reduce that twenty years until we play against their like again - in the FA Cup or any other competition.

Gus Poyet scores for Leeds

I was reading on the Leeds United website about how Gus Poyet had scored a goal in a friendly match against a Cypriot XI. Unfortunately I think this is the PR machine whirring into Bates mode and smoothing the way for an announcement that Poyet and Wise may soon be playing for the first team.

I realise that our poor league form needs some pretty urgent remedial action but this whole possibility rings hollow when you see Aaron Lennon hurtling up the Tottenham wing and James Milner doing the same for Newcastle; not to mention Kilgallen accepting the Warnock shilling. Suppose we do get out of it this time - where is the future of our club? Anywhere but Leeds it would seem.

Poppies, Peace and Ron Atkinson

I was reading in The Guardian today of Ron Atkinson's return to football as the Director of Football at Kettering Town, nicknamed the Poppies, at least until the end of the season. Peace and harmony have not been prevalent for either the Conference side or Ron himself in recent years.

Kettering chairman, Imraan Ladak, previously placed his faith in Paul Gascoigne which proved unwise as the relationship lasted just 39 days. Ron has a little longer and possibly a lot longer if it doesn't end in tears before teatime (or opening time). Ron famously left the football arena after his racist remarks on air about former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly but has been in training for a recall and returned to the club where he started out in football management.

I happen to think that his comments were unforgiveable and his own PR occupies far more column inches than any meaningful analysis of his football coaching skills would: a bit like Terry Venables. But people make mistakes and just because his were made in the public glare doesn't mean that others' racism and bigotry isn't prevalent in fooball dressing rooms up and down the land.

Ron used to make me laugh and usually for the right reasons. Hopefully the same will be true for Kettering supporters.

Baggies beat Leeds United

So the Baggies of West Bromwich Albion have now beaten Leeds United three times this season. Yesterday they won at Elland Road despite both of Leeds's 'new' players getting on the scoresheet.

Although Leeds laid siege to their goal, especially in the second half, the damage was done in the first with the team going in three-one down and having conceded just on half-time. On the face of it, another bad defensive day? It seems that Sullivan alone kept the score down?

I can understand the manager looking at fitness levels and relative ages of players. I can also understand the need to be robust in order to survive rather than relying on pretty football. Yes there are signs that we are becoming more competitive again, but we're not picking up points and are six points adrift of safety.

When we came down from the Premiership lots of us worried but never thought we'd really be relegated because there were 'encouraging signs' that we all latched on to. But we were relegated and we realised that we had been looking though a PR-led smokescreen. The smoke has long since cleared and I'm not sure that we're prepared to be fooled again?

John Barnes on intellect

I was reading in Metro that John Barnes thinks black football managers are subject to 'sub-conscious' racism. There are currently only two black managers in the Football League and Barnes thinks that this is due to racism rather than intellect.

I suppose you have to look at the statistics and wonder. I know and work with successful black people as well as white and certainly a wide-ranging assumption of inferior intellectual ability is ridiculous. Also, when I was growing up there were very few black players such that Clyde Best at West Ham was constantly held up as an icon to the extent that his breakthrough impact waned considerably and quickly. However, now there are many, many players from all kinds of ethnic and international backgrounds playing football in our country. So why do so few make it as managers.

Maybe there is something in what Barnes says or could it be that, citing his dismal failure at Celtic (more to do with Dalglish nepotism than talent perhaps?) or his hapless performances as first a pundit and than an anchorman on Five, black people are put off by him as a great footballer who couldn't hack it in non-playing roles?

Backwards or forwards?

I note that the loan deals that brought Ugo Ehiogu and Tony Warner to Leeds United have now expired.

 

I'm not sure what happened at Stoke on Saturday when we'd played our way back into the game by half-time only to throw it away in the second half? What I do know is that those two were involved in both second-half goals. I also don't know how bringing in Ehiogu squares with letting Butler go as he was 'too old.'

 

I know Sullivan was injured earlier in the season which is why it was so strange that Blackwell allowed Beeney to go to Sheffield United (I can only assume it was a financial decision) but Warner struck me only as a good shot-stopper and not very much more.

 

Funnily, Sullivan returned yesterday and without Ehiogu we managed to beat Coventry. Have we returned to sanity or are we heading into the second half of the season without really understanding how it could have happened?

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Iain Dowie

I was amazed to hear of Charlton's decision to part with Iain Dowie last night.

 

What short memories some people do have? Alan Curbishley took some time to arrive at a Top 7 side with any degree of stability and had plenty of critics throughout that time despite the team's relative success. And yet Charlton stuck with him.

 

Why have they been so quick to act on 'recent results' when it looked as though the Charlton players were finally beginning to gel in Dowie's new system?

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Funny football

When people ask me why I travel long distances to watch football matches or even short distances in appalling weather, I usually reply long the lines that there's no substitute for live football. Yes the radio or television take you there in a sense and keep on taking you there with replays and analysis, but you don't feel the crowd in the way you do when you're there. You can't sense an urgency or despondency or just sheer excitement when it comes via airwaves.

 

You especially can't appreciate the humour that football fans share willingly and freely. Having said all of this I was amused by the Sky commentary team today assessing Stephen Carr's injury at Manchester City as 'Carr needs the garage!' so there you have it - a paradox to every theory.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Alan Smith

I read today about the possibility of Alan Smith coming back to Leeds on loan; apparently Manchester United had agreed a deal with Cardiff but Smith wasn't at all sure about Wales. Probably the last time he played in Cardiff was in the ill-fated FA Cup tie which we lost after leading. I was there in May and similarly disappointed by the Play-Off Final result. Come back to Leeds, Alan. It's closer and you're closer than you could ever be to Cardiff City

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

Try the all-new Yahoo! Mail . "The New Version is radically easier to use" – The Wall Street Journal

Banning orders

I was listening to the news on the radio recently which reported on the 'success' of banning orders in the eradication of violence among football 'supporters.' At the end of the piece it said that Leeds United fans had the worst reputation.

 

I remember going to Elland Road in the Seventies and it was certainly far more hostile than it is now with racism and drunkenness prevalent as in most other grounds in the country at that time - or in parts of Europe today. Leeds United fans are probably the most loyal in the country and travel to away games in large numbers so if there is a benchmark ratio of disturbance to volume then they are more likely to exceed it due to a mathematical probability rather than necessarily any other root cause. Why is it then that we are still tarred with a brush that others are not? Why do people still try to condemn our club as Dirty Leeds?

 

In the Sixties and Seventies these sentiments were borne out of jealousy and ignorance. Ignorance obviously persists. Let's hope that jealousy returns soon as well.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Banning orders

I was listening to the news on the radio recently which reported on the 'success' of banning orders in the eradication of violence among football 'supporters.' At the end of the piece it said that Leeds United fans had the worst reputation.

I remember going to Elland Road in the Seventies and it was certainly far more hostile than it is now with racism and drunkenness prevalent as in most other grounds in the country at that time - or in parts of Europe today. Leeds United fans are probably the most loyal in the country and travel to away games in large numbers so if there is a benchmark ratio of disturbance to volume then they are more likely to exceed it due to a mathematical probability rather than necessarily any other root cause. Why is it then that we are still tarred with a brush that others are not? Why do people still try to condemn our club as Dirty Leeds?

In the Sixties and Seventies these sentiments were borne out of jealousy and ignorance. Ignorance obviously persists. Let's hope that jealousy returns soon as well.

Leeds United stand off

I didn't get to see the Leeds match at Barnsley yesterday but watched the highlights on ITV1 this morning.

 

Going into the game I was quietly optimistic. I thought there would be a reaction against the 4-1 mauling at Preston in midweek and, after all, Barnsley were one of the few clubs below us in the league at the start of play. I deliberately didn't tune-in to latest scores throughout yesterday afternoon as it has been so stressful lately that my family have suffered. I found out the result at about 5.10pm and suffered.

 

Our defence looks as leaky as ever and yet, even under Kevin Blackwell, this wasn't the case. I still maintain it was time for him to go because he'd been found out tactically, but it just shows how confidence can destroy even the most adept defenders and make them look awful as they certainly did yesterday

 

Blake took his goal well and it's good to see him playing again. Two goals just before half-time away at a struggling team should have been sufficient to see us home but we just allowed them so much space in the second half, you'd think we had been briefed by NASA.

 

Dennis Wise commented that he'd about the players and 'a few other things.' Let's see how he applies that knowledge.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Sean Gregan

I read today that Dennis Wise, the new Leeds United manager, has told Sean Gregan that the player is not part of the manager's future plans for the club and that he will listen to loan offers.

Kevin Blackwell thought that Gregan would do a good job for Leeds and chased him for some time before securing the transfer. The fans were unconvinced and Gregan had to endure a good deal of personal abuse following his early performances. Blackwell stood by him. Now both will soon be gone.

I wasn't impressed by him in any of the games I saw him play. His tackling too often resulted in free-kicks to the opposition and his passing was inconsistent. I also thought his positioning was suspect a lot of the time and though he could anticipate the play, his pace often did let him down. Curiously, I felt he performed better when Paul Butler didn't play, especially during last season's play-off matches. When he got to Cardiff he was poor and probably would have had a better match had Butler not been rushed back into action - another strategic disaster from Blackwell.

It's a shame when it doesn't work out for players but we can't carry defenders who have no pace. Kelly and Butler must face reality as Harte eventually had to. All of them live in the shadows of Charlton, Hunter, Cooper, Reaney, McQueen, Cherry and few can compete with them let alone the opposition.

Wembley: Will be or won't be?

So Wembley Stadium is due to open in 2007? I note that no commitment to the FA Cup Final has been made so it could easily be next December before the British public finally believes it.

 

I see that the builders are being paid an extra £35 million because of design changes? I thought one of the reason for the delay and extra expense was because they couldn't join drainage pipes together properly?

 

We have to ask ourselves again: why, when Manchester United and Arsenal can have such fine club stadiums built and open when they say they're going to open; when the Welsh can build such a fantastic national stadium in Cardiff, why has Wembley been such a problem.

 

Perhaps it is because the FA have only been involved in one of the above four?

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Violence is not a game

I was saddened to read the latest Home Office report showing that levels of domestic violence increased by 31% during the last World Cup. It seems that drink played as much a part as the poor England performances and frustration spilled over as a result. Apparently domestic violence leads to two women each week being killed in England and Wales and more of a quarter of all violent crime is 'domestic' in origin. The report is at pains to point out that though a correlation has been made, football is not seen as a particular cause beyond any other.

 

Isn't it sad that the word domestic that should conjure up synonyms such as 'safe', 'secure', 'home' often doesn't mean that at all? In the same way, soccer is supposed to be special but only in so far as it is a sport, not because it helps violent people to offload on those closest to them or used by some as an excuse to abuse.

 

My final memory of this World Cup summer was of myself and our two sons, arm in arm during the penalty shoot out; of tears and recrimination certainly but assured in our love for each other if not for a game that can be anything but beautiful.

 

 

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Leeds United website

I've used a Yahoo desktop shortcut to the 'official' Leeds United website which was hosted at www.lufc.com

 

At the weekend I noticed that this link was no longer working and went for www.leedsunited.com instead. I work with websites each day and, if there is ever a problem with or changes being made to our web addresses, ensure that all of our users are aware of the situation. I haven't seen any kind of advance warning about this website change either on the site or via e-mail. To make matters worse, I've been in regular contact with the club about Membership Packs for my children and myself - all via e-mail.

 

How can disconnects like this occur when supporter communications are easier than ever before? I think it is probably symptomatic of a greater malaise than even a 4-0 home defeat to Stoke City and I'm beginning to fear the worst.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

England lose the plot

Playing against any international football team should not be underestimated. Playing away against a team that haven't lost at home since the country's formation 12 years ago is not, I would have thought, a time for experiments with the team's formation.

 

Some might say that Saturday's poor display and result against Macedonia meant that changes were required. I happen to think that McClaren changed the tactics last night after pressure from the media. He may assure us that the players do not run the team but the soccer hacks will gladly fill that void for him if he's not careful - they always do.

 

Now the fans, the media and the players are disgruntled - not a happy tripartite in any England manager's 'career.'

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

Talking up internationals

I can't bear it in the days running up to international matches. The papers are spiked with articles about players and managers talking up the forthcoming games.

 

Ledley King is injured but Rio Ferdinand comes back in. Who knows whether or not the England formation will change? Ashley Cole would be happy with a draw against Croatia. Scotland need to consolidate as do Northern Ireland. The Republic just need something, anything.

 

I realise that this is like slow news days but maybe, ironically, it just makes is want the matches to come more quickly so that all of this non-news will be outbid by proper, interesting stories.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

England my England

Just when we were beginning to get over the World Cup again and think ahead to the European Championships in 2008, England serve up a performance that sows doubts in our minds once again. England didn't play badly, just not well enough. Macedonia didn't play well, just not badly enough.

 

I have been through this cycle so many times. We flatter to deceive but convince ourselves that we will win simply, and often only, because we are England. We then fail and chastise ourselves for lacking vision. We gradually get over it and flatter to deceive once again.

 

One day we will truly break out of this defence against insanity and realise that players are human and it doesn't always go according to any plan. It doesn't mean the plan is wrong or that the players won't be able to execute our collective ambition. My son scored a hat trick in the last two of his under-12 games. Today he couldn't score, no matter how many chances he had. I still believe in him.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

The all-new Yahoo! Mail goes wherever you go - free your email address from your Internet provider.

Jermaine Beckford leaves Leeds for Carlisle

One of the leading stories all day on the Leeds United website has been about Jermaine Beckford relishing the challenge of playing for League One Carlisle United.

 

I know that he will get match experience there and guess it is one of Ken Bates's financial 'cuts' in that Carlisle will now pay his wages for a while. I also bear no grudge against Carlisle and was really pleased that ex-Leeds striker Michael Bridges helped them to promotion last season.

 

However, isn't this just tying John Carver's hands even tighter at this moment in time. He is expected to prove himself with a team that hasn't been scoring goals. I'd have thought that a target man striker is what we need at the moment, especially if Geoff Horsfield loses his head again as he did at Crystal Palace.

 

With Richard Cresswell not due back for a few more games yet, Beckford would have been a handy ace in the pack. Unfortunately I think there are still too many jokers dealing the cards.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

Football players and their agents

Amid the talk and speculation about football agents being less than honest about their transfer dealings, I find another aspect of footballers' agents almost as unsavoury. PR agents acting to place 'stories' on behalf of their clients such as 'X is looking to break into the England team soon' or 'Y is mystified at why his club isn't selecting him as he's obviously fit' are flooding the press market with spin that lacks balls.

 

The targets are obvious: fans, shareholders and potential clubs' fans and shareholders. We make such a fuss about players being tapped up and bungs being used yet this is a much more subtle means of influencing behaviour. Media owners are to blame for allowing content to be spiked in this way and clubs can hardly complain because they use PR in exactly the same way. We may be relations, but the public does not sit at the head of this particular family.

Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

West Brom 4 Leeds United 2

For a Leeds United fan who remembers that dreadful day in 1971 when Jeff Astle was allowed to score an off-side goal at Elland Road that effectively killed off our Championship challenge that year, I can never even say the name West Bromwich Albion without a sense of injustice and a degree of pain.

Today we played them again - in the Championship, Coca Cola style. Let's not be fooled that Championship means anything other than second best to Premiership. Leeds didn't even look second best in the game. Leeds had a penalty but Healy missed it; they were penalised by having a man sent off and caught fire. From that moment on, despite the odds, we were never going to win.

We lost Kelly and Nicholls but we'd lost our way, maybe unable to deal with the expectation of victory and certainly unable to defend. One swallow did not make a summer last weekend and a cold winter beckons.


Fen Creative: Writing for People, Pleasure and Profit at http://www.fencreative.co.uk

---

Copy addresses and emails from any email account to Yahoo! Mail - quick, easy and free. Do it now...

Leeds beat Wednesday

So Leeds beat Sheffield Wednesday One-Nil yesterday. So we got our first away win of the season. So we've won a Yorkshire Derby.

All of these things are good. What is not good is that Blackwell very nearly through it away again. When will he realize that bringing on extra defenders to shore up a defence that is already resilient just confuses and upsets the balance? When will he realize that inviting teams to come on to us is more dangerous than attacking them - especially when they only have ten men as they did yesterday? When will he realize that, despite numerous chances and corners yesterday we only had one shot on goal (and that was a penalty) which shows our complete lack of cutting edge?

When will he learn? Answer: he won't.

Living the dream is so hard...

I was reading a piece in Metro yesterday about how Owen Hargreaves considers he has won over the England fans (we'll see in about three hours time whether or not that's true), citing his 250 games for Bayern Munich as testament to his experience for the job in hand. He then describes the job in hand: "Football's a difficult business - but that's the way it is," manfully accepting that footballers have to adapt to people joining football squads and others (like David Beckham) leaving. Presumably his 250 games for Bayern Munich will help him to learn new names and listen to and understand instructions from a new coach - tough though that is.

Contrast this to the deeply sad piece, away from back or front pages, where Darren Clarke is quoted as urging his friends and golf rivals not to pull out of the USPGA this week as a mark of respect to his wife Heather, who died of breast cancer last Sunday. Despite visual evidence to the contrary, I know who has the bigger balls.

Praiseworthy and Blameworthy

I watched the Leeds versus Palace game yesterday and was impressed with our determination not to be beaten and the number of good chances we created. I note that Kevin Blackwell felt similarly and that sometimes you don't get what you deserve. Well we deserved better yesterday, as we did on Tuesday at QPR.

 

Whereas the Tuesday night result was due to just plain bad defending at two critical moments and the team just switching off collectively, I don't think you can say the same about yesterday's game. Yes, Kilgallon was too tight on the Palace strikers on more than one occasion and got punished for it in the end, but the real cuplrit was Blackwell. Why did he take Steve Stone off and put Seb Carole on when we were defending a free kick and having defended so valiantly? I know it is common to try to run the clock down by whatever means but tactically it killed us. It broke our concentration not Palace's.

 

What do others think?

---

All new Yahoo! Mail "The new Interface is stunning in its simplicity and ease of use." - PC Magazine

Queens Park Reverse

I was listening to the Leeds game at QPR last night via LUTV's audio feed from Yorkshire Radio. We were playing cards with the children and Granny at the time and, though my hands were tied and runs increasingly rare, I grafted a position of strength from which I felt sure I would win.

Similarly on the pitch we went ahead through Lewis. As Rob Smyth said in The Guardian this morning, the goal wasn’t so much sent in the normal post as by Recorded Delivery. It was inevitable as we were vastly superior. We then immediately reacted to a dubious penalty against Crainey (though I’m not going to have a go at him yet this season as he was excellent in the Play-Off games, apart from his inability to pass) by going ahead again. Leading until the final minute we did our normal thing and allowed QPR to panic us into mistakes and an equaliser.

I do agree with Peter Lorimer, who was commenting on the game, when he said that we should have shut things up and our midfield should have taken the pressure away from our defence. Why can't we do this any more? Why can't we go on and score a second goal when we're leading: we were nearly caught out by this failing on Saturday against Norwich.

I understand Blackwell was angry. I'm pleased to read this because I was afraid he'd be saying it was a useful point gained. For those thousands of us who were at Cardiff, that game is not a distant memory. Games like last night serve to remind us of Derry's flattering to deceive as a Leeds United midfielder and a back four who are not a moulded unit, despite the excellent ingredients.

I didn't win my game either, but my holiday is still alive. For Leeds, their season will be over by Christmas if they can't convince themselves that Blackwell's foundations have provided little more than a house of cards.

Leeds United off to a good start

So Leeds beat Norwich 1-0 this afternoon with a David Healey penalty. We seemed to be living on our luck for long periods in the game and yet closed down any attacking threats at other times. Stone seemed to get on his game more in the second half, having been used to nullify the Norwich midfield threat in the first and the debutants all did well when they came on. Warner was probably man of the match in goal, but will we be able to afford to pay Fulham for a transfer or extended loan?

This was the 21st consecutive season that we haven't lost on the first day. It was also the first day of Yorkshire Radio's broadcast of Leeds' games. The commentary was stilted and production values fairly poor. Let's hope they make 21 consecutive games. What was worse was that the DAB digital platform does not extend to commentary on Sky which was a real con. People have to subscribe to LUTV for the actual commentary. Not a good start.

Hull, drawn and quartered

So we've finally blown it today! Hull City 1 Leeds United 0. We now haven't scored a goal from open play for four games and, to be honest, showed the same lack of real penetration up-front, against a side battling for Championship survival.

Watford lost last night to a Crystal Palace team that could overtake both of us now. It almost doesn't matter what happens to the Blades this afternoon. It proves to me, yet again, that we're not good enough for the Premiership and would probably do a Sunderland or a West Brom if we did go up.

Footie loyalty

I read of an interesting survey recently, from Morgan Stanley, which suggested men spend three times as much in following their favourite sport as women do.

Another report from the battery manufacturer, Duracell, suggested that 94% of men would never abandon their football team – whatever the hard times it fell upon – and yet more than half would ditch a personal relationship if it wasn’t working.

Just shows that penalty shootouts can work!

Stoked up but no fire

I don't like to hear players being booed off the pitch and I can understand Kevin Blackwell defending the players' work-rate and desire on the Leeds UNited website.

However, effort isn't everything. We need courage and guile to get us past packed defences and teams that aren't interested in playing football, only in not losing. Stoke City are a truly awful team; I can't see anything about them that would make you want to watch them ever, apart from when they play Leeds, let alone week in week out. But is that their players' fault either? Presumably their tactics on Saturday were not to lose and the nil meant more to them as a victory than the loss it meant to us.

We will be in the play-offs this year where teams will play like Stoke did - at least in part or a whole of one of the legs. What have we learned from the last three games? Hopefully, we will use the remaining games to experiment with our own tactics, rather than worrying too late about those whose game plan is not to play the beautiful game.

Premiership on Broadband?

I was reading an article in the Guardian this morning about Premiership matches possibly being broadcast over the internet.

I wasn't expecting this response to the European competition authorities who see the Premier League's deal with BSkyB as unduly restrictive. Funnily enough, I've just signed up for Sky via broadband, as well as via my existing digibox.

I suppose my question is: how many people will watch live matches via the web? If I was out of the country, I might do so but even in Toronto a couple of years ago I was able to watch Sunday afternoon football on the television, albeit on Sunday morning.

Similarly, I use my mobile 'phone to look for football results but don't use it to view higlights or goal clips. What does everyone else do/think?

I have to say I may just be in a generation minority here. I was reading about a new piece of media research called IPA touchpoints recently where it was stated that 25% of all mobile phone users (and 59% of 15-24 year olds) take pictures with their phones every month and use them for web access and SMS far more than I ever do. It really makes for fascinating reading.

For me, it is a media-neutral issue. I prefer to watch live without any intermediary!

Take cover

I see that Leeds UNited have, today, signed a 20-yearl old striker - Danny Graham - on loan from Middlesbrough. He has come in as cover for the strikers after Cresswell's operation and the reliance on Rob Hulse who is clearly not fully fit. Blake has done well in recent games but I'm not sure why we're not seeing the best of David Healy at the moment?

We've been in mourning since Tuesday's home defeat to Crystal Palace, despite the upbeat messages on the club website. It seems that we have to get better at unlocking defences or no striker is going to have real opportunities to score - apart from those they make themselves.

Not sure why Blackwell hasn't played Marques more, though. He's now gone off on loan to Hull but can't play in their home game against us on April 1st. I think he would have been worth trying instead of Gregan, when Kilgallon was out injured. But I suppose games have been far too important to risk conceding due to mistakes and Gregan does have more experience even if his lack of ability is exposed time and time again?

Wembley and the big bang

The rebuilding of our national football showpiece - Wembley Stadium - continues to move from problem to problem.

Earlier this morning over 3000 workers were evacuated when a 'big bang' was heard. It turned out to be caused by temporary welding on one of the roof beams fracturing.

The famous Twin Towers where FA Cup finals and famous England football matches, including our World Cup win over Germany in 1966 were demolished some years ago and an Australian construction company - Multiplex - is 'rebuilding' the ground. It was supposed to be ready last autumn and then January of this year and then March. It will now not be ready until after this year's Cup Final and Play-Off matches. The company is losing money and will doubtless be fined for the delays. But the whole project lost credibility a long time ago.

It seems incredible that a much smaller city like Cardiff could build its fantastic Millenium Stadium - complete with retractable roof - on time and at a fraction of Wembley's budget, and yet we fail. The Football Association are always quick to make it clear that Multiplex are the culprits but, somewhere along the line, the hapless officials that make up our football governing body must have endorsed the contract.

Newcastle will never win anything

How often must this sentiment have been brought out, dusted down and re-used by fans and the media alike? Newcastle United haven't won a domestic football trophy for over fifty years and I can only ever remember them winning the Fairs Cup (which preceded UEFA) and the Texaco Trophy in my thirty seven years of watching soccer.

Today, watching their home game against Liverpool at St James's Park they were woeful. The midfield barely created any chances and they lacked any kind of real penetration up-front. But it was in defence where their frailities were really exposed. Boumsong's foul on Crouch in the penalty area was laughable - made more so by the protests that followed. In Keegan's time as manager there, everyone knew the Toon would attack at will and play brilliant, exciting football. But defence? Pnytails and garlic-ridden excuses must have dominated the dressing room at that time.

Alan Parry was commentating on the game today and, though biased towards Liverpool as usual, he asked the question: how is that Newcastle don't win anything? They have the stadium, the fans to fill it every week, the money and the players. Maybe the pressure is just too great or maybe the desparation for success just makes it unlikely that a decent, consistent management and playing team will emerge?

They play Chelsea in the FA Cup next week. after losing the derby game against Fulham this afternoon, I doubt that there will be any room for sentiment from Mourinho or defensive lapses from his team. So, another season where the Geordies will live to lament bygone days. Shearer may have surpassed Milburn's scoring record but there are few other straws to hang on to. Shearer retires at the end of the season. The future does not look any brighter.

Sent to Coventry

For long periods this afternoon it looked as though we'd been sent to Coventry: not allowed to express ourselves and oblivious to communication. Then, in the second half we began to pile on the pressure and, apart from a scare from John on the break, the game was played pretty much in their half.

Not for the first time this season though, we really lacked the guile to break open a mean defence that got nine and ten men behind the ball. Healy came on and got the penalty two minutes from time - as cool as you like - but I don't think we're free of the chill winds of March just yet.

With Sheffield United losing yet again, one point clawed back feels like it did last week: somehow a loss. Crystal Palace in Leeds on Tuesday is our vital game in hand. If we're to stay in control of our own destiny we really need more than a draw in that game. Watford play down at Southampton on Monday so we'll be looking for Burley's boys to make at least a point there too: any breathing space is good for our high-octane game but I just feel we lack a true playmaker and fear for that lacking should we get to the Promised Premiership.