Telegraph ========= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2007/08/13/sfnlee113.xml
Leeds fighting spirit would please Revie By David McVay Last Updated: 2:09am BST 13/08/2007 Match details Tranmere (1) 1 Leeds (0) 2 It is amazing how tetchily Leeds United folk have reacted to accusations that they have been bending the rules. Given previous form, neutrals might have thought any slight on the club's reputation should have been water off a duck's back. On his first of 44 days in charge at Elland Road in 1974, Brian Clough demanded that the reigning English champions consign their medals to the dustbin because they were a bunch of 'cheats'. Even one of their own, Welsh goalkeeper Gary Sprake, confirmed as much, claiming he had acted as 'bag man' to bribe opponents during the Don Revie era, an allegation supported by Danny Hegan, the Wolves midfielder whose side famously denied Leeds the Double 35 years ago. In the context of such malpractice, failure to conform to insolvency policy may seem a trifling matter, but then when the protagonist happens to be Leeds chairman Ken Bates, the wonder was how so many of the remaining 71 Football League club chairmen were not trampled to death in the stampede last week to re-affirm their 15-points deduction imposed as punishment. That is three fewer and counting today, thanks to this 2-1 victory over Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park, the first league meeting between the pair and Leeds' debut in the third tier of domestic football. Chris Greenacre deservedly side-footed Rovers ahead before a set-piece saw Matt Heath swivel from the defensive wall and head a 55th minute equaliser. Tresor Kandol supplied the winner in front of 2,000 travelling fans late on as Tranmere turned their backs on a throw-in, an offence that once merited a firing squad at dawn for professionals footballers. For all Clough's rage at blatant misconduct and careless whispers from within, from 'Careless Hands' Sprake, there is a dichotomy at Elland Road. They were a great side, despite the obsessive, dossier-driven Revie, and in defeat, they could also be magnanimous. After the carrot-crunching yokels of Notts County beat the then European Cup finalists of the previous season, Bremner, Reaney et al, in a League Cup tie at Elland Road, it was Norman Hunter who first greeted us from behind the players' bar with a bottle of beer and congratulations, although probably through gritted teeth. Hunter's team was one whose bite was far worse than its bark. Riding good fortune at Prenton Park, the current Leeds seem to rely more on the chihuahua yappings of manager Dennis Wise. At the final whistle, the players whooped and hollered and cuddled in a huddle in the centre circle where Gus Poyet, Wise's assistant, dived in on top. Their fans were even more ecstatic than the Uruguayan. Yet not a title won nor a Cup in sight. Never mind. Siege mentality had been successfully restored. Them and us, Leeds against the rest of the world. How Revie would have approved. Match details Tranmere (4-4-2): Coyne; Stockdale, Chorley, Goodison, Sherriff; Shuker (Curran 83), McLaren, Jennings, Davies; Greenacre (Taylor 81), Zola. Subs: Tremarco, Kay, Achterberg (g). Goal: Greenacre (22). Booked: Stockdale, Chorley, Goodison. Leeds (4-4-2): Ankergren; Richardson, Marques, Heath, Lewis; Weston (Flo 76), Hughes, Thompson, Westlake; Beckford (Howson 90), Kandol. Subs: Carole, Parker, Elliott. Booked: Beckford, Kandol, Thompson, Westlake. Goals: Heath (55), Kandol (89). Referee: L Mason (Lancashire). Mirror ====== http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/08/13/the-temperature-is-rising-at-leeds-it-s-up-to-minus-12-89520-19618022/ Tranmere 1-2 Leeds Utd 13/08/2007 Dennis Wise knows he is a hate figure to some Leeds fans - but the signs are he could yet win them over if he steers United away from the abyss. Six years after appearing in a Champions League semi-final, Wise's team stepped out at humble Prenton Park for the club's first-ever taste of the third tier. Not only are Leeds at their lowest ebb - they are also carrying the burden of a massive 15-point penalty imposed after the club sank into financial meltdown. Advertisement The Elland Road faithful are in no doubt chairman Ken Bates is to blame and the manager has also come in for bucket-loads of stick. But after Wise's side showed signs they have got the guts to fight their way out of trouble, the West Yorkshire club finally offered a united front. Tranmere's first half triggered half-time boos but Leeds were transformed after an interval rollicking from the former Chelsea man. Tresor Kandol's late winner sealed the points and triggered on-field celebrations that matched those in the sold-out away end. And new signing Andy Hughes reckons that is a sign of the spirit that will help Leeds turn the corner. Hughes said: "The celebration huddle was just a little thing we wanted to do and it shows we are together. There are no individuals here. "Everyone is focused because everyone is against us, or so it seems. It's a motivating factor. "It's going to be a grind this year. I was fortunate to win promotion out of this division with Reading and I know how hard it is. "I don't think the club can go any lower than this. It's at its lowest ebb but the players and fans were wonderful. "The manager saw where we were going wrong and handed out a few tellings off at half-time, and put a few things right." Hughes joined from Norwich after the summer-long transfer embargo was lifted. And he admitted: "A lot of people may have questioned why I left Norwich to go to Leeds when I had a year left on my contract there. "But there was just something that felt right about this club. A lot has gone wrong but I just felt it was right to give it a go and come here and fight. "That's the sort of attitude I've been used to. "Sometimes you can go through your career and your life comfortably but I just saw this as a challenge. People seem to be turning away from the club and things are going against them but I want to come here and stand up for a fight." Matt Heath and Kandol headed Leeds into the lead after Chris Greenacre had put Tranmere ahead. Rovers boss Ronnie Moore said: "We were the better team and I feel as though I have been mugged. "We all feel absolutely gutted but we paid the price for some naive defending." Guardian ======== http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,,2147567,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=5 Kandol offers Leeds a glimmer of light after darkest days Jeremy Alexander at Prenton Park Monday August 13, 2007 Leeds found their new level here. They had never been in the third tier and, starting 15 degrees below zero, they took time to defrost. In the end, more importantly after a year that saw the club plumb new depths of shame as well, they found luck, their first since the League readmitted them despite breach of insolvency rules. A late goal, their second from a set piece to the far post against sloppy defending, sent team and management into a post-match huddle of ecstasy in the centre circle. Togetherness is all under Dennis Wise. That they had been largely outplayed mattered little in the face of their handicap. "It's my group and we're very close," said the manager. "We had a little argument at half-time as a few people weren't at the races but we've got to stick together. A lot of the lads are very passionate about the situation. Odds stacked against you are a wonderful motivation." Perhaps the odds were not enough at kick-off. Tranmere should have won the race by half-time. Instead they had only Chris Greenacre's slick conversion of a sweeping criss-cross move to show for their dominance. Matt Heath's equaliser came from a header to an angled free-kick for which Rovers had five men in the wall and two at the back post. Tresor Kandol's winner found Danny Coyne equally exposed. "I thought Leeds came here and struggled," said Rovers' manager, Ronnie Moore, "and we end up being mugged. We've just had an argument in the dressing room." Arguments are the new teacup accessory. Tranmere were on the fringe of the play-off places for much of last season before finishing ninth. They have a Little and Large strike force in which Calvin Zola is perversely the large, Greenacre more like Gianfranco. While Zola, 6ft 3in from Kinshasa, struggled at times to get word to his feet, Greenacre always looked likely to carry on from his 17 league goals last season. His movement off the ball was unselfishly intelligent, his eye alert, and Chris Shuker rewarded it with a pinpoint cross for the goal. The 5ft 5in Shuker was mostly on the right wing but delivered here from the left. There was a fluidity to Tranmere's play stemming from a midfield of three local players and Paul McLaren. The steadying pick of them was Steve Jennings, unobtrusively winning possession and rarely wasting it. Alan Thompson, the new Leeds captain, had his hands full but was still their greatest creative influence as the team strove to impose a superiority that, if presumed, was not evident. Their preparation had been mired in uncertainty and it said much for Wise's inspirational qualities that he pulled them round at the interval. Kandol, not quite the full Treasure, could have saved a lot of trouble if he had buried an early free header at a corner, another set piece at which Rovers were roving. Four bookings in six second-half minutes showed that Leeds were hitting their straps and in the nick of time Andrew Hughes delivered for a Kandol mass celebration. When Wise tested Hughes by spelling out the situation before signing him last week, the newcomer from Norwich said: "No problem, gaffer. Let's get on with it" - a Wise sort of guy. If Moore can comfort himself that his side showed greater touch and imagination and are 12 points above bottom place, Leeds continue to feel victimised. They were formed out of the disgraced corpse of Leeds City, who were wound up for irregular financial practices in 1919, and their chairman, Ken Bates, having supervised the loss of 25 points while playing one match, greeted the League's welcome back with "the football family seems to be driven by self-interest". Some families have black sheep. Good Leeds fans, wanting a fit and proper person, would have rejoiced if the administrators had given the nod to Machiavelli. Tranmere got their administration in first, availing themselves of the Insolvency Act 1986 in February 1987. Forty clubs have followed. On the off chance that Bates, in his club's plight, might put Prenton Park before Monaco his opposite number, Lorraine Rogers, wrote in the programme: "Most clubs face serious financial challenges -we're no exception - and anything other than prudent management can be very risky." But self-interest prevailed. At least Leeds will raise crowds in League One. Saturday's 11,000 was 4,000 above Tranmere's average; 2,000 filled the Cow Shed. Wise, imbued with the spirit of Wimbledon in the 1980s, thrives on adversity. When the jelly beans are down, his pecker stays up. Now that Leeds are back in business he hopes to "bring in three or four more players", having seen his best assets leave through the summer. When he heard the 15-point penalty confirmed, he said: "Not only have they taken my arms and legs off [a comfort to Leeds cabbies]; now they've cut my balls off as well." Leeds could do with a bit of squeaky cleanliness. Man of the match Steve Jennings (Tranmere Rovers) Telegraph ========= http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/news/article2859037.ece Tranmere Rovers 1, Leeds United 2: Leeds take foothold at start of long climb from depths By Ian Winrow Published: 13 August 2007 Rarely can a win that lifted a division's bottom club to within a mere 12 points of their nearest rivals have been greeted with such optimism. Leeds will remain rooted at the foot of League One for some time as they work their way through the onerous 15-point penalty imposed for breaching Football League administration rules, but having avoided the indignity of defeat on their first venture into the third tier, such a matter appeared trifling in the wake of victory. Had Dennis Wise's side not claimed three points, the gloom that has smothered Leeds would have taken on a darker hue. No one at Elland Road needs reminding of their plight, nor that it is a mere six years since they were competing in the Champions League, but the display of unity by players, coaching staff and fans at the end offered hope that decline may not be terminal. Ken Bates, the Leeds chairman, intends to seek redress from the Football Association over the points penalty, but it was immediately apparent at Prenton Park that their desperate situation can best be resolved on the pitch. Having received a verbal lashing from Wise at half-time after a pitiful first half, Leeds offered a more promising display that suggested any feelings of self-pity will be quickly eradicated. Not that they were particularly good, but it was a performance that included the grit that will stand them in good stead against sides who regard them as the division's prize scalp. Wise acknowledged the promising signs and, having been freed from the transfer embargo that scuppered his rebuilding plans, he intends to bring in at least two new faces before the transfer deadline at the end of the month. He has already had some success with midfielder Andy Hughes, who joined the club from Norwich on Friday. "Dennis told me about the 15 points, told me about the fans and told me about the club," Hughes said. "Everyone is focusedbecause everyone is against us. It's a motivating factor." Motivation seemed in short supply when Chris Greenacre gave Tranmere a first-half lead but Wise's exhortations encouraged Matt Heath and Tresor Kandol to score the goals that transformed a depressing day into something approaching a triumph. Goals: Greenacre (22) 1-0; Heath (55) 1-1, Kandol (89) 1-2. Tranmere Rovers (4-4-2): Coyne; Stockdale, Chorley, Goodison, Sherriff; Shuker (Curran, 83), McLaren, Jennings, Davies; Zola, Greenacre (Taylor, 80), Davies. Substitutes not used: Achterberg (gk), Tremarco, Kay. Leeds United (4-4-2): Ankergren; Richardson, Marques, Heath, Lewis; Weston (Flo, 76), Thompson, Hughes, Westlake; Beckford (Howson, 89), Kandol. Substitutes not used: Carole, Parker, Elliott. Referee: L Mason (Lancashire). Booked: Tranmere Stockdale, Chorley, Goodison; Leeds Beckford, Kandol, Thompson, Westlake. Man of the match: Thompson. Attendance: 11,008. YEP === http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sports-headlines?articleid=3104542 Kandol lights Leeds United's fire By Phil Hay Tranmere 1 Leeds United 2 RONNIE MOORE bullishly promised that Leeds United would not be greeted by violins at Prenton Park yesterday, but confident managers may find themselves dancing to Dennis Wise's tune this season. United have taken the guise of easy targets this summer, a feeling enhanced on Thursday when the Football League enforced the club's 15-point deduction for breaching insolvency rules, but Leeds are unlikely to drown in their own self pity. However little sympathy the English game may have for Leeds, it is no more surprising than the lack of sympathy United have for themselves. Their breathless victory at Tranmere Rovers on the opening day of the League One season yesterday should remind the division as a whole that Leeds have been victimised for long enough. Wise's players were drifting towards a 1-0 defeat after a tame first-half performance but, perversely, the situation offered the ideal opportunity for United to display their mental attributes and make what is and will be an important statement. Goals from Matt Heath and Tresor Kandol – the latter's a dramatic strike in the 89th minute – completed a magical reversal after half-time, and left United to accept a wild ovation from their supporters at full-time. In those celebratory seconds, Leeds were galvanised in a way which has never previously happened during Wise's reign. The former Chelsea midfielder has fought a harsh battle against scepticism; yesterday, he looked every bit a part of the club. Sober reflections on United's performance will bring with them the realisation that Leeds were completely outplayed before half-time, but their success in reversing a narrow deficit, driving a dent into their 15-point penalty, was of far greater relevance. Wise has time to work on performances; the immediate necessity is impressive results. The quality of Tranmere's performance suggests they may edge towards a journey into the play-offs, and Moore's side tackled Leeds during the first period with energy and intent which went far beyond the usual enthusiasm created by the first day of a new term. United's troubles have not affected their infectious reputation, and Wise can be sure that his side are still the draw in League One. Yesterday was an indication of how much their presence will raise the performance of their opposition, and the examination of Leeds was fierce. Through the goals from Heath and Kandol, the test was passed with distinction. A sense of injustice has been keenly felt by United's wider family this week, and that feeling was tangible among the travelling supporters at Prenton Park. But the idea that Moore would extend his sympathy to Leeds was as unlikely as a show of leniency had been at the Football League's meeting on Thursday. Rovers were suitably wound up, and the coil sprung instantly. Calvin Zola's fifth-minute shot was both a warning and a fortunate escape, curling around Casper Ankergren from the edge of the box and shaking the side netting. Zola gave a rugged edge to Tranmere's attack, and the powerful striker's free header from Paul McLaren's corner three minutes later spared Ankergren by bouncing past the post. The Danish goalkeeper then intervened in the 21st minute when a weak header from Frazer Richardson offered Chris Shuker possession inside the box. Ankergren slid the ball clear from Shuker's feet, and ran out to block a low shot from Chris Greenacre as the striker attempted to find an empty net. But the reprieve was brief, and United's defence was breached by a dynamic attack 60 seconds later. A long ball reached Shuker on the left wing, and his low pass to the back post left Wise's backline strewn across the field. The ball sneaked beyond Richardson and fell to Greenacre, who forced a simple chance into the net from four yards. Wise had started the fixture sat in the stands, but the goal saw him descend immediately to the touchline. The limited possession offered to his midfield gave them little chance of dominating the first session, but equally crucial had been Kandol's failure to convert a glaring chance in the ninth minute. Thompson's corner drifted over a crowded and box and picked out Kandol, who guided a header over the bar with Tranmere's net lacking protection. It was as clear an opening as Wise could have asked for, and one which Kandol should have converted. For all Tranmere's industry, which earned their half-time lead, Leeds were guilty of showing them mercy. Referee Lee Mason came to United's aid, however, when he denied Rovers a 44th-minute penalty after Shuker fell to the ground inside the box. Heath appeared to have pulled Shuker's shirt and, although the challenge was innocuous, Mason was forced to withstand strong appeals from Tranmere's players and supporters. A goal in the shadow of half-time would have left United in desperate trouble, and with no realistic hope of recovering. But their vastly-improved start to the second half pointed to an imminent fightback, and it took 10 minutes for Leeds to pull themselves level with a header from Heath. Thompson, who had driven one free-kick from a promising position against Tranmere's wall 60 seconds earlier, guided another set-piece across goal with perfect weight, and Heath ran in unmarked to drill his header past Coyne at the far post. The change in United's demeanour was immediate, and Wise's players began to pass the ball with confidence, abandoning the direct approach which had preventing them from dominating any stage of the first half. Tranmere's defence was visibly wobbling when Kandol collected Richardson's long ball and drove a fierce shot across goal, seconds after Heath's finish. Those two pivotal minutes prompted a tireless final half-hour in which both sides scented victory. Manuel Rui Marques denied Tranmere's best opportunity when he blocked two quick efforts from Greenacre inside the six-yard box following a cross from Shuker, and Ankergren reacted well to clear the ball after Zola ran onto a well-timed through ball. But with 60 seconds remaining, Kandol fired the shot through the arm which United have yearned for, and have long deserved. A cross from Andy Hughes, United's latest signing from Norwich, fell kindly to the much-derided striker, who forced his close-range shot past a disbelieving Coyne. An unlikely summer was conclusively ended by the most unlikely of saviours. Tranmere Rovers: Coyne, Stockdale, Chorley, Goodison, Sherriff, Shuker (Curran 83), McLaren, Jennings, Davies, Zola, Greenacre (Taylor 81). Subs (not used): Tremarco, Kay, Achterberg. Leeds United: Ankergren, Richardson, Marques, Heath, Lewis, Weston (Flo 76), Thompson, Hughes, Westlake, Kandol, Beckford (Howson 90). Subs (not used): Carole, Parker, Elliott. Referee: L Mason (Lancashire). Attendance: 11,008 _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist Join The Leeds United Supporters Trust at www.lufctrust.org
