THE BLUES
The rest of the side now picks itself with Richards gone. Not happy but if the lad wasn't prepared to keep the bench warm all season there's not a lot you can do! However surely Tilly sees that Barrett and Clarke is not the long term answer, damn it, it might not be the answer by Easter, but for now it's "COME ON YOU BLUES", at least there's not an ex-player for the children to boo, presuming Mr. Constantine, (one full appearance, one goal), is not fit for selection that is! Beating Leeds will go a long way to cheering us all up after missing out on a ferry across the
THE OPPOSITION
Well, well, well. Dennis Wise is quitting Leeds United to become director of football at Newcastle United after the clubs agreed compensation for the 41-year-old.
Wise's 15-month reign as
The former
His departure from
He also joins the long list of maangers who have left their club with Southend next on the fixture list!
Chairman Ken will speak to the nation at 17.30 but I've got to get this to print so place your bets now.
Next Leeds Manager
Dave Bassett 4
Gary McAllister 4
Micky Adams 8
Paul Ince 8
John Sheridan 9
Steve McClaren 10
Andie Ritchie 12
Glen Hoddle 12
Gary Speed 14
Chris Coleman 14
Adi Boothroyd 14
Gianluca Vialli 14
Billy Davies 16
Martin Allen 16
David O'Leary 16
Lawrie Sanchez 16
Sam Allardyce 16
Steve Cotterill 20
Terry Venables 25
Neil Warnock 25
Gordon Strachan 33
Eddie Gray 40
Howard Wilkinson 50
Kevin Blackwell 66
Anyhow, with a squad of 300 and still showing interest in every player that other clubs merely hint at having a look at Leeds still have to be taken very seriously indeed. Top scorer Beckford with 16 goals is still around while Flo may come off the bench, or even start, to haunt us. Midfielder Neil Kilkenny is expected to return to the starting line-up after a one match ban. They are currently in third position on 44 points and depending on results could go second. This is going to be a tough one to get all the three points that we desperately need to keep our play off hopes alive.
A report from the recent draw with poor old Luton Town, which gives us all hope, and the team that finished that game. (From The Yorkshire Evening Post.)
The long-term health of Luton Town depends heavily on their move out of Kenilworth Road, and the sight of the bulldozers moving in on the club's present home will not upset Leeds United. Leeds gave a good impression of a team on their way to the gallows at Kenilworth Road last season, and the 1-1 draw they were forced to accept today left a similar feeling of sickness in Dennis Wise's dressing room.
United's visits to Bedfordshire rarely produce scrapbook material, and the 5-1 defeat inflicted on the club by Luton last term was consigned to the category of matches best forgotten. It cost John Carver his job as caretaker manager, and left several of the players involved on borrowed time. Even by United's standards, the fall-out was extreme. Their performance this weekend was not comparable with the club's abject surrender 15 months earlier, but neither did it rank among their most convincing displays this season. That fact was of little importance, however, until Sam Parkin's header in the fourth minute of injury-time drove a stake through Leeds' chance of an eighth league away win. The lack of inspiration at Kenilworth was glaring, but a 1-0 victory would, from Wise's perspective, have been utterly priceless. The points were on a plate after Paul Huntington's first-half goal, and United's manager was visibly upset by the timing and the ease of his team's late concession. The result will sting, if only until Tuesday's visit to Southend United.
Wise's ambition of reaching the Championship automatically is likely to depend on how his players fair against the teams surrounding them near the top of League One, but securing a play-off position will come down to how ruthless Leeds are against clubs in trouble. Luton fell into the latter group yesterday, troubled as they are by administration and their position in the relegation zone, and Wise was unable to rejoice at the acquisition of a point at Kenilworth Road. His midfield had displayed a strong hint of disorganisation during their defeat to Doncaster Rovers last weekend and, with Neil Kilkenny suspended, there was no surprise created by the decision before kick-off to reinstate David Prutton on the right wing. Prutton has moved steadily through this season, and last Saturday's tepid loss in his absence was ironically an endorsement of his contribution. United's dominance at Kenilworth Road was fleeting in a game which was largely devoid of composure, but Luton failed to manipulate Wise's midfield as Doncaster had done seven days earlier. They were, however, resilient enough to force a result. United's self-assurance was strained by Rovers' victory at Elland Road, but as a means of motivating and reinvigorating Wise's players, the results produced by the three League One fixtures staged on Friday night were perfect.
Doncaster, Carlisle United and Leyton Orient were all forced to register unflattering defeats, giving Leeds the opportunity to take hold of second position yesterday. It was, though, Mick Harford's first home match as Luton's manager, ensuring an immediate display of endeavour from his newly inherited players.
A shot from Matthew Spring deflected a foot beyond Casper Ankergren's post in the first minute, and the dogged defiance in Town's performance was crafted in the image of Harford as a player. The hosts were uncompromising and gave Leeds little to feed on until a beautifully crafted goal gave United the lead in the 27th minute. Chris Perry sent Jermaine Beckford sprawling with a sliding tackle outside the box, and Peter Sweeney's measured free-kick was headed into the net at Dean Brill's near post by a glancing finish from Huntington, the centre-back's second goal of the season.
The strike came at a crucial moment, undoing the patient work that Luton had completed from the kick-off, but the opening goal had almost fallen to Leeds 14 minutes earlier. Tresor Kandol was played through by Sweeney's lob, and the striker's instinctive chip cleared Brill before dipping over the crossbar. Luton's goalkeeper wore the look of a man who feared he was beaten, but he was helpless to intervene when Huntington's anticipation brought about the first goal.
United's lead was protected until the half-time, despite Wise's players inviting trouble in and around their own box. Ankergren spilled a high cross from Drew Talbot in the 41st minute, forcing Frazer Richardson to hack the ball behind off the toes of Darren Currie, and a crucial intervention from Darren Kenton prevented Keith Keane from sweeping a finish into the net after the resulting corner from Currie was allowed to bounce around six yards in front of United's keeper.
A lead at the interval was more than either club deserved, but the continuation of a disjointed and scrappy match suited Leeds while their noses remained in front. Talbot's cross landed on the top of United's net at the start of the second half and Spring's volley from the edge of the box struck a body before it could reach Ankergren, but Luton's effort was undermined by an obvious lack of quality in attack. The run of the ball did not favour them either. A fierce volley from Talbot which appeared to be goalbound hit Keane as it flew towards goal, but a clearer chance fell to Kandol in the 78th minute when he played himself clear with a gentle header and lashed a volley wastefully over Brill's bar.
A calmer finish would have extinguished the life in Luton, and United were reprieved when Paul Furlong nodded a header off target with only Ankergren to beat in the 90th minute. But when Richardson allowed substitute Dean Morgan, (yes, it was he), to tee up another chance for Parkin in added time, the striker's precise finish found the corner of the net.
Leeds United: Ankergren, Richardson, Huntington, Kenton, Parker, Prutton, Johnson, Hughes, Sweeney (Westlake 90), Kandol, Beckford (Flo 86). Subs (not used): Heath, Carole, Sorsa. Referee: A Wiley (Staffordshire) Attendance: 9,297
THE MATCHES
4 matches played: WON 1 DRAWN 2 LOST 1.
Sat. Aug. 18 Away L1 1-4 Barrett 24,036
Sat. Mar. 17 Home Cham 1-1 Gower 11,274
Sat. Oct. 28 Away Cham 0-2 19,528
Tue. Oct. 24 Away CCR3 3-1 Hammell(pen), Hooper(2) 10,449
That last home game will stick in every supporter's memory as the beginning of the end for the Blues hopes of remaining in the Championship when Healy hit home a last minute pass from a free kick to lose two vital points and the momentum built up over the previous couple of weeks. Earlier this season we were looking good value for a draw after Adam's hard worked equaliser until five minutes of mayhem at the end, and a certain Tore Andre Flo, earned Leeds the points.
THE HISTORY
Leeds City FC were formed in 1904, but were forcibly disbanded by the Football League in 1919 in response to allegations of illegal payments to players during the First World War, some things never change then. A new club, Leeds United, were formed and started playing in the Midland League on October 31 1919. On May 31 1920, Leeds United were elected to the Football League.
In 1924 they won the Division Two title but were relegated from Division One back to Division Two in 1927 where they remained until 1956 where they won promotion to the top tier inspired by the Welsh legend John Charles. Selling him to Juventus for a then world record fee of £65,000 would lead to a decline and another relegation in 1960 until March 1961 saw the appointment of the man who would change their history, Don Revie.
At first he just kept them out of Division Three before gaining promotion in 1964. Then, between 1965 and 1974, Leeds never finished outside the top four, won two Championships (1969 and 74), the F.A. Cup (1972), the League Cup (1968) and two Inter-City (EUFA) Cups (1968 and 1971). They were runners-up a lot as well!
When Revie left for England Cloughie had a go but left after 44 days but present Radio 5 Live pundit Jimmy Armfield took an ageing team to the 1975 European Cup Final, where they lost 0-2 to Bayern Munich, it was off side lads!
Jock Stein, along with former players Allan Clarke, Eddie Gray and Billy Bremner all had a go but couldn't stop the rot and they were still in Division Two, after relegation in 1982, when Howard Wilkinson took over in 1988, gaining promotion in 1990 and won the last league title before 'The Premiership' took over in the 1991/92 season.
Then it was the turns of George Graham and David O'Leary who along with chairman Peter Ridsdale's crazy spending created sides that did take them to a Champions League semi-final in 2001 but has ended up with them being in their present situation playing in the third tier of English football for the first time ever.
Gerald Krasner, an insolvency specialist, led a consortium of local businessmen which took over Leeds and under his chairmanship oversaw the sale of the club's assets, including senior and emerging youth players of any value. After 14 years in the top flight they were relegated in 2004 and Kevin Blackwell was appointed manager. The board sold the club to Ken Bates for £10m and Blackwell did well to get his team of free transfers and low wages into the 2006 Play-Off final but they lost 0-3 to Watford, adding insult to injury managed by former Leeds youth team coach Adrian Boothroyd.
The very next season started badly and Blackwell was gone by September! Dennis Wise was installed as his replacement but could not take them out of the relegation zone. With relegation virtually assured Leeds entered administration, incurring the 10-point penalty that officially relegated them.
Administration was due to end on July 3 2007 which would have allowed Bates to regain full control of the club. However, HM Revenue & Customs challenged this decision which, if Leeds had still been in administration at the start of the 2007/08 season, would have led to the liquidation of the club. So the club was put up for sale and again the bid by Ken Bates was accepted. The league eventually sanctioned this under the "exceptional circumstances rule" but imposed a 15 point deduction due to the club not following football league rules on clubs entering administration. On August 31 2007 HMRC decided not to pursue their legal challenge any further.
Oh yes, and Wise has quit to join the Geordie Messaih, as if you didn't know. A fiver on McAllister.
(Thanks to all the usual suspects for their help with this article).