Oh dear, another day, another place lower in the table.
Leeds are now one position lower in the Championship than West Ham are in the Premiership, and that doesn't bode too well for all those Whites fans who have marked the Hammers down as certainties for relegation. In fact, it has been quite a sobering weekend for some, what with Leeds folding 3-1 at Pride Park, 24 hours before West Ham hammered Tottenham 3-0 at White Hart Lane.
Wigan's victory over Blackburn means that the Latics are now level on points with Friar Brian's merry men, with two games in hand. The gap to the top two is already a massive 12 points, and 6th placed Blackpool have a 6 point buffer over McDermott's side. If Nooruddychance rated promoted a "harsh" target last week, he must regard it as bloody impossible now!
Of course, West Ham are not out of the woods yet - far from it - but the world looks a darn site better tonight than it did yesterday.
Tell me, when was the last time Leeds scored three goals in a league game? And when was the last time Leeds scored in the Premiership?
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Millwall fan vindicates Leeds United Supporters Trust
So, following on from Millwall fans singing nasty songs in last Saturday's home hammering of lustreless Leeds, the prospects of punishment of the South London mongrels have increased hugely after Bournemouth defender Steve Cook was hit by a coin when celebrating his goal.
Of course, this sort of behaviour is all so typical when Millwall play and, whilst Leeds fans have had their dark days, you could never imagine a coin being thrown at an opposition player.
Let's face it, Yorkshire folk don't chuck money around willy-nilly at the best of times, and should a coin be thrown now, Friar Brian would surely catch it in mid flight, as it seems the only way he will get cash to sign new players under GFH Capital!
Of course, this sort of behaviour is all so typical when Millwall play and, whilst Leeds fans have had their dark days, you could never imagine a coin being thrown at an opposition player.
Let's face it, Yorkshire folk don't chuck money around willy-nilly at the best of times, and should a coin be thrown now, Friar Brian would surely catch it in mid flight, as it seems the only way he will get cash to sign new players under GFH Capital!
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Leeds Robbed at Derby by Referee Eltringham
Well that's just not on is it? The Leeds United Sleeper Feel Good Factor Express to the Premiership, Infinity and Beyond pulled into Derby today, with fans looking forward to ramming the Wally's brolly up his arse before firing the opening mechanism, and instead are making the return trip nursing a deep sense of grievance, cheated out of three points by referee Eltringham.
And the referee's crime? He allowed Derby to keep 11 players on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, which pretty much destroyed any chance Friar Brian's merry men had of picking up a victory. Because, ignoring that narrow win over 10 man Bournemouth, Leeds have now lost seven games out of eight when playing against 11 men.
Meanwhile, the travelling fans were given a glimpse of what being a "big team" in the Championship means. Whilst Leeds are struggling to get gates over 20,000, mid table Derby attracted 26,204 today.
Complete Hunt was goalless again today and withdrawn by his best mate McDermott an hour into the match, new signing Murphy was left parked on the substitute's bench, Wootton didn't even make the first 17 and Smith came on and again didn't score. Chairman Nooruddychance will be wondering why, exactly, Friar Brian was so keen to spend the Arab Bank Built on Sand's meagre resources on players who don't even get 90 minutes playing time.
Still, Leeds fans can now tuck into their KFC Family Buckets for the next two weeks without shelling out to watch this mediocre dross. And a few might well ask why they should bother buying a ticket for the next home game given the Chairman has already dismissed the club's promotion chances.
Bloody hell, things were better under Master Bates and Old Big Gob Warnock!
And the referee's crime? He allowed Derby to keep 11 players on the pitch for the full 90 minutes, which pretty much destroyed any chance Friar Brian's merry men had of picking up a victory. Because, ignoring that narrow win over 10 man Bournemouth, Leeds have now lost seven games out of eight when playing against 11 men.
Meanwhile, the travelling fans were given a glimpse of what being a "big team" in the Championship means. Whilst Leeds are struggling to get gates over 20,000, mid table Derby attracted 26,204 today.
Complete Hunt was goalless again today and withdrawn by his best mate McDermott an hour into the match, new signing Murphy was left parked on the substitute's bench, Wootton didn't even make the first 17 and Smith came on and again didn't score. Chairman Nooruddychance will be wondering why, exactly, Friar Brian was so keen to spend the Arab Bank Built on Sand's meagre resources on players who don't even get 90 minutes playing time.
Still, Leeds fans can now tuck into their KFC Family Buckets for the next two weeks without shelling out to watch this mediocre dross. And a few might well ask why they should bother buying a ticket for the next home game given the Chairman has already dismissed the club's promotion chances.
Bloody hell, things were better under Master Bates and Old Big Gob Warnock!
Poor Hunt Hurtfully Hounded by Hateful Leeds Fans
Poor old Complete Hunt. It's been a hard three months it seems, living apart from his wife, having to go back to a plush hotel room, getting used to the new grass on a new training pitch and a new dressing room in a new stadium and, on top of that, having to cope with the foul abuse directed at him by Leeds fans.
And, of course, we have to sympathise with him. As workers in the National Health Service learn that they will not enjoy a 1% pay rise next year in return for saving lives and suffering face to face abuse from drunken louts in A&E Departments, our hearts go out to a guy earning as much in a week as some NHS staff earn in a year. Dear me, the poor sod has even been forced wide in search of the ball because of the poor supply into the box! It's tough being Complete Hunt, really tough.
The point I'm trying to make is that pressure is what we make it. We all have stress in our lives, we all have to make sacrifices and adjustments. Hunt explains that his house move was delayed a month, forcing him to stay in a hotel longer than planned. He should try being a nurse, unable to afford to buy a home and forced to live in a grotty bedsit.
The article in the Yapping Post, in which Complete explains how tough it has been, will do little to help his cause because his critics will rightfully think, "Grow a pair!". There's only one way of stopping the criticism, and that's to start scoring goals. A real striker would have claimed the ball following that penalty award against Bournemouth and said, "This is mine!" but Complete was happy to allow McCormack to take the McResponsibility and, ironically, to McMiss.
In short, it's time for Complete Hunt to stop feeling sorry for himself and to start delivering. Leeds fans want a hero, they don't want a cry baby!
And, of course, we have to sympathise with him. As workers in the National Health Service learn that they will not enjoy a 1% pay rise next year in return for saving lives and suffering face to face abuse from drunken louts in A&E Departments, our hearts go out to a guy earning as much in a week as some NHS staff earn in a year. Dear me, the poor sod has even been forced wide in search of the ball because of the poor supply into the box! It's tough being Complete Hunt, really tough.
The point I'm trying to make is that pressure is what we make it. We all have stress in our lives, we all have to make sacrifices and adjustments. Hunt explains that his house move was delayed a month, forcing him to stay in a hotel longer than planned. He should try being a nurse, unable to afford to buy a home and forced to live in a grotty bedsit.
The article in the Yapping Post, in which Complete explains how tough it has been, will do little to help his cause because his critics will rightfully think, "Grow a pair!". There's only one way of stopping the criticism, and that's to start scoring goals. A real striker would have claimed the ball following that penalty award against Bournemouth and said, "This is mine!" but Complete was happy to allow McCormack to take the McResponsibility and, ironically, to McMiss.
In short, it's time for Complete Hunt to stop feeling sorry for himself and to start delivering. Leeds fans want a hero, they don't want a cry baby!
Friday, 4 October 2013
Has McDermott signed duds for Leeds?
There was a great deal of excitement when Friar Brian was appointed, and he still has a reservoir of good will to call upon - not least because he replaced Old Big Gob - but questions are beginning to be asked about his transfer dealings.
First off, his decision not to recruit loan signings ahead of the crucial Derby game, because of the imminent two week international break, seems like short termism of the very worst form. So what that two weeks' wages will be wasted, surely what matters is for any new recruits to be given time to "bed down" in the Leeds squad. You don't want to bring somebody in on a Thursday and pitch him into the starting 11 on the Saturday, so the break is actually a reason to sign now, rather than later. Unless money is absurdly tight.
Then there are the question marks over the players he has brought in. Murphy was dropped for the win over Bournemouth, and so was Wootton. Smith didn't start and Complete Hunt is still goalless - although to be fair, he did win the penalty against the Cherries.
With money tight, it had to be used wisely in the summer, and the evidence suggests that Friar Brian has frittered it rather than invested it. Maybe, just maybe, his signings could be justified by the "building for the future" argument, but does anybody really believe that messers Wootton, Murphy and Smith have a future in the Prem? It's stretching credibility if we are honest, isn't it?
So, the jury is out on Friar Brian and his band of merry men. Another reverse at Derby will increase the anxiety because Leeds won't have the advantage of an extra man too many times this season, and against eleven, the team has struggled of late.
McDermott was recruited to make a difference, but thus far, results have been no better than under Warnock and his recruits have done little to improve the squad. It is not the start Leeds fans were hoping for!
First off, his decision not to recruit loan signings ahead of the crucial Derby game, because of the imminent two week international break, seems like short termism of the very worst form. So what that two weeks' wages will be wasted, surely what matters is for any new recruits to be given time to "bed down" in the Leeds squad. You don't want to bring somebody in on a Thursday and pitch him into the starting 11 on the Saturday, so the break is actually a reason to sign now, rather than later. Unless money is absurdly tight.
Then there are the question marks over the players he has brought in. Murphy was dropped for the win over Bournemouth, and so was Wootton. Smith didn't start and Complete Hunt is still goalless - although to be fair, he did win the penalty against the Cherries.
With money tight, it had to be used wisely in the summer, and the evidence suggests that Friar Brian has frittered it rather than invested it. Maybe, just maybe, his signings could be justified by the "building for the future" argument, but does anybody really believe that messers Wootton, Murphy and Smith have a future in the Prem? It's stretching credibility if we are honest, isn't it?
So, the jury is out on Friar Brian and his band of merry men. Another reverse at Derby will increase the anxiety because Leeds won't have the advantage of an extra man too many times this season, and against eleven, the team has struggled of late.
McDermott was recruited to make a difference, but thus far, results have been no better than under Warnock and his recruits have done little to improve the squad. It is not the start Leeds fans were hoping for!
Thursday, 3 October 2013
Leeds United's Chairman Throws in the Towel!
So what's all that about then? With Leeds fans desperate to rub shoulders with the big boys again, Chairman Nooruddychance has poured cold water on their dreams of promotion this season, saying that "Promotion would be a very harsh target this season".
Quite why exactly is hard to understand. QPR apart, the teams in the top half of the table are much of a muchness. Sure Leeds lack firepower up front, but that apart, player for player, they are every bit as strong, or mediocre, as the likes of Leicester, Forest and company. As for Burnley, well despite the result at Elland Road, I would take Friar Brian's squad over the Clarets' squad every day of the week.
That's what doesn't make sense. Last season Leeds proved that, on their day, they can compete with the best - as the results against Tottenham and Everton showed - yet there is a crippling lack of ambition at Boardroom level, even when "new investment" is supposedly on the horizon.
Talk of "the long term" and about the "stability of the club" and the "harmony of the club" are all very well but Leeds fans do not want to hear Nooruddychance talking about "achieving promotion eventually" even when he hastily qualifies that with "in the near future".
If the Chairman is writing off the here and now, why should the fans pay good money to see games in the here and now exactly? And if the players read that their Chairman doesn't rate them as good enough to push for promotion, why should they strain every sinew to drag the club into the top six? If your boss expects mediocrity, then mediocrity is all you are going to give him!
The talk is ridiculously defeatist. Yes Leeds need a striker and a winger. Fine. Go out and get them! Tottenham's Kane might be a realistic target if Becchio is unavailable. What about Villa's Albrighton? Or Cardiff's Maynard? There are players out there with little or no prospect of playing Premiership football, and it is down to Leeds to gamble on them. They may fail, but they can't succeed in a Leeds shirt if they are not given the chance to wear one!
Talk of a medium and long term strategy is all very well, but some Leeds fans will not be on this planet in 12 months time, and after a lifetime supporting the club, they at least deserve to have hope that they might again see Leeds in the Prem. The gap to sixth place is just 5 points. Is it really so harsh to expect Leeds to close that gap and win through to the Prem via the end of season playoff lottery? It bloody well shouldn't be!
Quite why exactly is hard to understand. QPR apart, the teams in the top half of the table are much of a muchness. Sure Leeds lack firepower up front, but that apart, player for player, they are every bit as strong, or mediocre, as the likes of Leicester, Forest and company. As for Burnley, well despite the result at Elland Road, I would take Friar Brian's squad over the Clarets' squad every day of the week.
That's what doesn't make sense. Last season Leeds proved that, on their day, they can compete with the best - as the results against Tottenham and Everton showed - yet there is a crippling lack of ambition at Boardroom level, even when "new investment" is supposedly on the horizon.
Talk of "the long term" and about the "stability of the club" and the "harmony of the club" are all very well but Leeds fans do not want to hear Nooruddychance talking about "achieving promotion eventually" even when he hastily qualifies that with "in the near future".
If the Chairman is writing off the here and now, why should the fans pay good money to see games in the here and now exactly? And if the players read that their Chairman doesn't rate them as good enough to push for promotion, why should they strain every sinew to drag the club into the top six? If your boss expects mediocrity, then mediocrity is all you are going to give him!
The talk is ridiculously defeatist. Yes Leeds need a striker and a winger. Fine. Go out and get them! Tottenham's Kane might be a realistic target if Becchio is unavailable. What about Villa's Albrighton? Or Cardiff's Maynard? There are players out there with little or no prospect of playing Premiership football, and it is down to Leeds to gamble on them. They may fail, but they can't succeed in a Leeds shirt if they are not given the chance to wear one!
Talk of a medium and long term strategy is all very well, but some Leeds fans will not be on this planet in 12 months time, and after a lifetime supporting the club, they at least deserve to have hope that they might again see Leeds in the Prem. The gap to sixth place is just 5 points. Is it really so harsh to expect Leeds to close that gap and win through to the Prem via the end of season playoff lottery? It bloody well shouldn't be!
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Resurgent Leeds Throw Down Marker to Promotion Rivals
Well that was much more like it! The Leeds United Feel Good Factor Express to the Premiership, Europe, Infinity and Beyond is well and truly back on track after an epic victory over the Super Cherries. And all credit is due to Friar Brian and his band of merry men.
After a string of spirit crushing defeats, who would have been surprised had McDermott's team arrived on the pitch with the hang dog look of condemned men? Even Brian, nice guy though he is, lost his rag after the Millwall game and expressed fears about the away day trippers disembarking from the Feel Good Factor Express and turning on the team.
But Friar Brian retained his faith and preached the good word to his flock on the long journey back from London. Do not despair! Have faith in your Lord! Do it for the Pilgrims!
And what a performance! Had not McCormack missed that McPenalty, Leeds would have scored three goals in a league game for the first time since...well there's a challenge for all you readers to find the answer to!
And what spirit to find a winner after Bournemouth stole that equaliser with so little of the game remaining! How many teams would have stood tall after that punch in the solar plexus?
And better still, Poleon scored the winner and young Mowatt was the star of the show!
There will be no looking back now! The Feel Good Factor Express is tooting its whistle, Friar Brian is offering benedictions all round, and the Chairman has promised cash for squad strengthening. And all that, on the back of beating 10 man Bournemouth by the odd goal in three!
After a string of spirit crushing defeats, who would have been surprised had McDermott's team arrived on the pitch with the hang dog look of condemned men? Even Brian, nice guy though he is, lost his rag after the Millwall game and expressed fears about the away day trippers disembarking from the Feel Good Factor Express and turning on the team.
But Friar Brian retained his faith and preached the good word to his flock on the long journey back from London. Do not despair! Have faith in your Lord! Do it for the Pilgrims!
And what a performance! Had not McCormack missed that McPenalty, Leeds would have scored three goals in a league game for the first time since...well there's a challenge for all you readers to find the answer to!
And what spirit to find a winner after Bournemouth stole that equaliser with so little of the game remaining! How many teams would have stood tall after that punch in the solar plexus?
And better still, Poleon scored the winner and young Mowatt was the star of the show!
There will be no looking back now! The Feel Good Factor Express is tooting its whistle, Friar Brian is offering benedictions all round, and the Chairman has promised cash for squad strengthening. And all that, on the back of beating 10 man Bournemouth by the odd goal in three!
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