Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Midtable obscurity looks the order of the day down Elland Road way this spring after yet another dreadful defensive debacle saw Carlisle take the points, in what was their first away win since the opening day of the season. United, have and will play a lot worse and win, their football in the final third of the pitch was good, and umpteen chances were created, enough to have overturned the half time, two goal deficit, but we were up against a below average, struggling team. There was only one change from the team that won at Stockport, the injured Beckford was replaced by Christie. After an opening fifteen minutes which was a non-event, the visitors took the lead, lively winger Cleveland Taylor realised he was up against the worst left back in League One, and as he scooted round the appalling Sheehan, Danny Graham, unmarked of course, came in to sidefoot his cross past Ankergren. Becchio might have done better when he was teed up by Snodgrass, just before the goal, and after the opener a precision cross onto the Argentine striker’s head, he could only head it straight at the keeper. The Carlisle goal led a charmed life at times, and there were several scrambles throughout the game, where the ball just wouldn’t drop for United. On the half hour the visitors doubled their lead, another move that started down United’s fragile left, ended with Bridges, yes, old sicknote himself, outpacing, outthinking, and of course out muscling the incompetent Michalik, who must surely be playing his last ever game (please) for United, to make it 2-0. Ankergren parried the first effort, so two United old boys did us, and as the team went in at the interval, they were roundly booed off, and whilst the scoreline flattered the Cumbrians, United were again punished for defensive frailties. Amazingly, with United two goals down, both Hughes and Douglas started the second half, but just before the hour, Christie was replaced by new loan signing Lee Trundle, and Bradley Johnson came on for Sheehan, five minutes later Robinson came on for Hughes, and it’s fair to say United dominated the entire second half. Becchio missed two good opportunities, Robinson missed a sitter, Hughes headed wide when well placed, Johnson was twice denied by the keeper, Trundle fired over from a free kick. An in form Beckford would have filled his boots, and once again a United team without Beckford, looked distinctly average. United haven’t won a league game without Beckford all season. But yet again it was the defensive adequacies, and whilst I can understand the manager wanting to start with a “clean slate” he must have time to watch DVDs from recent games, and realise what poor defenders we have at the club. It’s now fourteen games since we kept a clean sheet, and without exaggerating, we need an entire new back four. Alan Martin needs to be given an opportunity, on the grounds of the fact that he cannot possibly be worse than the other two. Michalik and Rui Marques need to be put out to grass, give Assoumani an opportunity, and or Ovington, who has done well in the reserves. This team is looking stale, leaderless, and is heading for a miserable end of season unless the chairman (four years since he “saved” the club) puts his hand in his pocket and invests seriously over the next three weeks. Unfortunately having a Starbucks open on the East Stand concourse appears to be a higher priority for Mr. Bates than getting the club back in the Championship. As for the manager, he has a very difficult job, whether he is strong enough to do that job remains to be seen, but I believe that the two requisites for managing United in the chairman’s eyes, are being cheap, and being easy to manipulate, and sadly I feel Grayson fits the former, and worryingly the latter.
_______________________________________________ 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 Sorry Macca - it's the curse of Bates old lad
