Phil Hay might like to rewrite this morning's article after Leeds crash and burn at Sheffield Wednesday

Oh dear, has any article been so badly mistimed since Carole Malone's journalistic assassination of Princess Diana which appeared in print on the morning of the People's Princess's actual assassination by MI5 (if a certain ex Fulham chairman is to be believed).

How hollow does Hay's Yapping Post article read now? Clearly expecting a reaction at Wednesday, Hay staked all on Leeds rising, Lazarus like, from their Rochdale ashes. He sang McDermott's praises in this morning's article, suggesting that the new signings would transform the club's prospects, and used the immortal line, "Rochdale was abysmal, truly abysmal. But the response this week makes it forgivable".

Really?

At West Ham, we were struggling to come to terms with a nightmare week, but instead of bringing in new players, Allardyce simply sorted things out, got what remains of his injury ravaged first team out onto the pitch and somehow orchestrated an excellent 2-0 victory away from home, despite losing Demel to a horrific injury after 10 minutes and Tomkins to an absurd red card early in the second half.

And this was a West Ham team featuring Leeds United reject George McCarthorse, Relegation Johnson and Carlton No Goals, who McDermott could have snapped up for nothing at any point over the summer and first month of the season; except the Bald Controller preferred Total Hunt instead!

Allardyce has his critics, of course, but unlike McDermott, he prioritised. With Hay claiming that Ruddy Austin isn't crap, just "shattered", he fails to explain why the under fire skipper wasn't rested at Spotland. West Ham shipped five at Forest, but Allardyce rested virtually the entire first team in that game and sent kids to the slaughter; McDermott, for some reason known only to himself, risked McCormack, Austin and a host of other first team players at Rochdale, and still the once mighty Leeds were humbled by the Lancashire minnows.

Hay claims, "That’s the reality of problems; you either fix them or you drown in them, and through a concerted effort by Leeds to better themselves, this has been a good week". Well if that's a good week, one wonders what's going to happen in a bad one!