Leeds United 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0: match report
Independent 18/8/12By Si Hughes, Elland Road
Finally, there was progressive news from Elland Road. The announcement of a new three-year contract for Ross McCormack on Friday evening clearly lifted Leeds United ahead of this victory, but it also vindicated a widely held theory based on simplicity: for the club to be successful, it must find a way to retain its best players.
McCormack, the Glaswegian striker that scored 19 times last season, was at his very best here; his intelligent movement and dexterous use of possession too cunning for a Wolves side emotionally brittle after their relegation from the Premier League.
Ken Bates, the Leeds United chairman blamed for years of cost-cutting through player sales, reiterated in his programme notes that he is trying to sell to owners with deeper pockets. Not for the first time he preached patience, adding that supporter reaction in the next few weeks will be crucial with interest in a full takeover from the Middle East genuine.
"We have to get it right and public comment and chants doesn't help," he said. "They have discouraged two parties who didn't like what they saw or heard."
Bates's popularity in this part of West Yorkshire remains unanimously truncated, but one decision he certainly got right in recent times was the appointment of Neil Warnock who Bates claims, turned down Wolves in favour of his current position. This Leeds is certainly Warnock's own already. In lean times, he is astute in fashioning a team spirit – or at least – gathering a group of personalities that will eventually form one.
One of those 'personalities', in this case, is El-Hadji Diouf. Eighteen months ago, Warnock branded the Senegalese a "sewer rat", after he broke Jamie Mackie's leg in a FA Cup tie between QPR and Blackburn Rovers. Here, though, they embraced like old friends with Warnock offering a man-hug before sending Diouf on as a first half substitute following an injury to Paul Green.
Green's departure was the only negative for Leeds on an afternoon they controlled throughout. From the moment McCormack supplied Luciano Becchio with the winner via a flawless left foot cross, the outcome looked secure.
Leeds' enthusiasm and commitment was in contrast to Wolves. With nearly the same group of players that performed so miserably in the last campaign, their problem seems terminal.
Only when the recently signed Slawomir Peszko arrived as a half-time substitute did they show any sign of an attacking intent. There is much work to do for new boss Stale Solbakken.
