Yes Ted I did want to see McSheffrey play up front and yes it didn't work but as I said in my report nothing worked today. We have totally lost our shape and now resort to one tactic only which is the long ball - Mcsheffrey is never going to be involved if we do that. Having said that Mcsheffrey did more than Beckford in the game - he did manage a couple of decent contributions, I think Beckford's best contribution was getting fouled on the edge of the box. Yes I did say that Kandol would be an option to consider - I think he would be good for Beckford.
Have I got a big downer on Becchio ? Of course I have but only because he is rubbish. You say he had a big affect when he came on - I said he unsettled them. Probably both mean the same thing but a different emphasis. He didn't have a big impact through any skillful play he just put himself about a bit which was mildly effective. If he'd have started though it wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference because let's get one thing straight Becchio is at best average in the air. As I said it would be easy to slag off any player yesterday who started - Mcsheffrey, Beckford, Hughes, Doyle, JOhnson etc but it's the team at the moment that's the problem. ----- Original Message ---- From: Ted <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, 21 February, 2010 2:26:34 Subject: Re: [LU] Brighton I know you've a massive downer on Becchio, but you've got to admit Rich - you wanted to see McSheffrey up front with Beckford (like I did) - and Grayson did it but he was shit. No doubt you'll now pin all your hopes on Kandol? I'm not Becchio's greatest fan but I think you're totally blinkered - he DID make a difference when he came on. With the players we have - our best option up front is Beckford & Becchio. He (Grayson) took a chance on Lowry & McSheffrey but they are not our saviors. White (and/or) Parker are better than Lowry and I cannot see what benefits McSheffrey offers. It's late - and I'm fed up of defending us (tonight) from scum & Hull fans. Fcuk 'em. And while I'm on - yes - I hate this division but I've enjoyed the last couple of seasons - and I (and I know a lot of you too) want to escape but as someone who goes to games, the Man U result makes up for YEARS of having to take sh*t from them.So fcuk it, if we don't make it, so be it, we'll still be there next season. Acedemic anyway, cos we are going to make it. I love Leeds, me. Did you spill my pint? Cnut. Ted H . On 20 February 2010 22:40, Richard Walker <[email protected]> wrote: > My early morning optimism lasted until around 3:30. We kicked off towards > the South Stand and immediately the ref made Leeds re-take the kick because > Johnson encroached into their half by a toe nail. Two minutes later Leeds > got a free kick and he brought play right back to because the ball was taken > a centimetre from where the free kick happened. Oh no, the ref is a wanker > we all thought and he ruined the game today with incorrect decisions, petty > decisions and stupid decisions. He really was incompetent. That’s not to say > in any way that he was responsible for our performance but it would have > been difficult to have a decent game of football with this clown in charge. > > So what went wrong today ? I could go through the team and give you 5 > things every player did wrong today (I might do that in a minute). You could > argue that every player doesn’t deserve to get picked next time however I > think the main problem is a team problem in that we’ve hit that period for > the manager and his team when nothing is going right. This results in low > confidence and the team not playing as a unit. Everyone begins to panic a > bit , everyone has a bit more pressure on them and as a result everyone does > things that they previously wouldn’t have. As a result the shape of the team > gets lost, people waste energy chasing lost causes and we start conceding > silly free-kicks and goals. > > First half today, we started ok. When I say ok I mean we had a lot of the > ball, it wasn’t good pass and move football but we did create some chances. > The difference for me is that the players have lost a bit of self belief and > as a result we see lot more high, long balls when previously Kilkenny would > marshal things through midfield. Our main tactic at the moment is the long > ball to Johnson which for me is too predictable and most of the time > ineffective, the problem being that when he do lose the header we aren’t > picking up the second ball so Brighton found it very easy to stop us > playing. The low confidence, long ball game is also pretty ineffective when > you’ve got 2 ft tall Mcsheffrey playing alongside Beckford. Neither got a > sniff today, and for all those that slagged Mcsheffrey off from the first > whistle because “Luciano Becchio” should have been playing, well f*ck off > ‘cos it wouldn’t have made the slightest bit of difference today. > Becchio wouldn’t have done toss all with the tactics today. Coming on when > they’ve got 10 men is a different job than having to feed off aimless long > balls when they’ve got 10 men behind the ball. You could have had Clarke and > Jones playing for Leeds today and they wouldn’t have had a shot between > them. > > The only positive for me in a first half which we controlled without really > threatening was Howson who was really lively on the right. So obviously and > painfully playing out of position he reminded Grayson what he can do. He can > pass (he played the 2 best balls of the match from the right), he has pace > and he passes and moves quickly. Grayson though decided to take him off > early in the second half whereas he preserved with the hapless Doyle who > turned in the worse performance of the season for me (and that includes some > of Becchio outings). Doyle never got near the ball. He scampers around and > on the face of it makes it look like he’s a tiger of a player never giving > up and always a problem to the opposition. Nothing could be further from the > truth, he is too slow, always a yard behind the ball and never actually > getting there. He really is crap and when the chips are down like they are > at the moment he really offers nothing to get us out of this > slump. With Howson on the right and Johnson, being Johnson on the left you > are really looking to Kilkenny for the spark and he unfortunately can’t do > it on his own. He needs the players around him to make runs, offer > themselves, without that he might as well do what everyone else did and pump > it long. > > Their keeper made one comfortable save in the first half and that was from > a decent run and shot from McSheffrey, something that Beckford failed to do > in 90 minutes. As I just said I’m not blaming the front 2 today but as a > Beckford fan I did think he could have done a bit more today. He didn’t look > that arsed. > > Second half was much of the same except Brighton having weathered our long > ball game decided to push forward. They realised that one of our defenders > was actually a failed central midfielder masquerading as a right back who > had convinced the management and the fans that effort and 100% commitment > can earn you a place in the team even though you haven’t got the faintest > clue on how to defend. Yes I would have started with Hughes, but what does > that say about Bromby and Crowe, the latter not even making the squad? > Grayson’s signings coming into question again. > > So, on come the subs, off goes our brightest midfielder and Bradley Johnson > and on comes the one man team that is Max Gradel and our brightest star > Snodgrass. Off goes McSheffrey to loud cheers – the same folk has been > shouting “Luciano Becchio” everytime McSheffrey went near the ball – wankers > of the highest order in my book, most seem to come from the Kop because > there were a lot of groans near me when Becchio came plodding on. I’d like > to say they made a difference but I think it was mainly down to Brighton > going down to 10 men, having to take their best player off (the winger who > roasted Hughes about 50 times) and their whole team dropping deep. Gradel to > his credit did look up for it and really did get stuck in. He should have > scored but he did enough for me. Snodgrass eventually got the goal in the > 3rd minute of injury time. We didn’t deserve to lose this game, however we > didn’t deserve to win it either but forget all that the > worrying thing is that we are a team in crisis, low on confidence and not > knowing where the next chance, goal or win is coming from. It really is that > bad and this must be Simon Grayson’s hardest challenge so far in his career. > I currently would worry that we won’t make it this season. > > Scores: > > Casper– 6. Didn’t have to do anything really apart from pick the pen out of > the back of the net. Moved far too early for me. > > Hughes – 2. Terrible. All over the shop. > > Lowry – 4. At left back he looks out of position. He made a number of good > defensive headers from their corners making me think he is a central > defender. Yet another player playing out of position. > > Kisnorbo – 6. Yes, he’s our best defender and as usual he got through a > load of hard work today however he is a player that plays close to the edge > and I think he was lucky to stay on the pitch today. He made at least 5 > dodgy tackles that resulted in free-kicks but only got booked late on. He’s > a nutter, the type you want in your side but when under pressure as we are > could turn into a bit of a liability. > > Naylor – 5. Some good work at times but I think he’s struggling a bit along > with his team. > > Johnson – 4. Started ok but then he reminded us of what he is capable of > with some aimless passing. I was beginning to turn a bit of a corner with > this lad although I still wouldn’t have started with him. He’s not going to > make it is he !? > > Kilkenny – 4. Will never have a good game when all his team mates are > resorting to long balls. > > Doyle – 0. I can not think of one contribution he made to the game today. > When the ball did eventually make its way to him he gave it away. Slow and > lacking acceleration which is not good when you’re supposed to be the > harrier in midfield. > > Howson – 6. Lively. Was once the captain but now the player who is pushed > out of position by crap loanees and then gets dragged off to be replaced by > loanees. Grayson is ruining this lad. > > McSheffrey – 4. Showed a couple of runs in the first half and one decent > shot. Never really got near the ball much in the second apart from one > decent cross that set up the Gradel chance. Fellt the wrath of the brain > surgeons in the Kop before being dragged off. If I were him I’d fuck off > back down to Solihull sharpish. > > Beckford – 3. Didn’t do anything. There were a number of 50:50 balls which > in my opinion he came off 2nd best too easily. Also some of his deft flicks > were inappropriate today. > > Subs: > > Gradel – 7. Tried to beat their whole team on occasions but definitely made > an impact. > > Becchio – 5. Just fought with their number 6 – literally they were having a > barging and punching match for the last 10 minutes – the ref missed it > completely. Anyone else see it ? I think he unsettled them a bit. Usual > Becchio performance, loads of effort no attainment. > > Snodgrass – 7. Scored the goal and looked lively on the right. Why was he > dropped ? > > Grayson – oh dear, it’s all going wrong. I liked his post match interview > ,were he said he will roll up his sleeves and get to work to put things > right. I am behind him, I think he can but I feel we’re sinking fast. Have > we got the bottle and determination to dig ourselves out of the slump. > > Finally, my mate rang me from the West Stand at final whistle , he sits > just behind the away dug out, He told me that there was nearly a full scrap > between the benches after Leeds scored. Apparently Glynn Snodin took offence > to something their assistant manager did and wanted to fight him. He had to > be held back but others got involved too including Poyet. I heard Poyet’s > post match interview where he blamed it all on Grayson and the Leeds bench > who he thought over celebrated the goal in front of them. He said he felt > sad because the Leeds management team were obviously under pressure which > made them act like that. Interesting. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > 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 > www.leedslist.net > _______________________________________________ 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 www.leedslist.net _______________________________________________ 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 www.leedslist.net
