Leedsunited.com 30/12/06 NO JOY FOR UNITED STOKE 3 (Sidibe 12, Ehiogu og 54, Fuller 77) UNITED (Moore 41) Stoke: Simonsen, Hoefkens, Duberry, Higginbotham, Hill, Lawrence, Diao, Russell, Hendrie (Berger 46), Sidibe, Fuller (Pericard 82). Subs: Brammer, Sweeney, Dickinson. United: Warner, Richardson, Ehiogu, Heath, Lewis, Douglas, Derry, Howson, Westlake (Kandol 62), Moore, Healy. Subs: Sullivan, Carole, Marques, Beckford. Referee: A D'Urso (Billericay) Ugo Ehiogu was passed fit at the 11th hour to spare United's potential defensive crisis, but boss Dennis Wise also made changes to his midfield and front-line. Jonny Howson was recalled to the midfield while Ian Moore and David Healy both returned to the starting line-up in place of Tresor Kandol and Jermaine Beckford. Kandol and Beckford both dropped to the bench and were joined by Rui Marques, who was figuring in the first team for the first time this season, Seb Carole and Neil Sullivan. For Stoke, Lee Hendrie passed a late fi...
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Telegraph 24/12/06 Leeds left clutching at draws By Trevor Haylett at Elland Road, Sunday Telegraph Leeds (0) 0 Hull (0) 0 They filed away silently in their thousands, dejected and in desperate need of a warm fireside and some seasonal cheer. There was none to be found inside Elland Road, a grand stage where they used to pay homage to the best team in the land but which now endures a level of mediocrity shaming the memory of all those great performers from the past. A 0-0 home draw with Hull is certainly no reason to crack open the Christmas champers. It has come to something when that minuscule return is seen as a sign that there might soon be some light beneath a skyline presently offering only grey and gloom. 'A clean sheet' claimed those for whom a glass three-quarters empty, is a glass one-quarter full. Yes, only the fourth clean sheet in 13 home games. But the lunchtime kick-off also produced a whiteout, a washout, at the other end and that is three successive games that ...
Leedsunited.com 23/12/06 DERBY GAME STALEMATE UNITED 0, HULL CITY 0 United: Warner, Richardson, Ehiogu, Heath, Lewis, Douglas, Derry, Howson, Westlake, Blake (Healy 71), Kandol. Subs: Sullivan, Carole, Moore, Kilgallon. Hull City: Myhill, Dawson, Coles, Turner, McPhee (Forster 29), Delaney, Bridges (Yeates 62), Ricketts, Marney, Fagan, France. Subs: Elliott, Duke, Byron. Referee: Mark Clattenburg Teenager midfielder Jonny Howson was handed his full debut against Hull City with skipper Kevin Nicholls serving the first of his three-match suspension. Robbie Blake and Ugo Ehiogu returned to the starting line-up after shaking off injury with David Healy and Hayden Foxe dropping to the bench. Tony Warner also returned to the side in place of the injured Graham Stack, making his first start since October. Neil Sullivan, recalled from a loan spell at Doncaster Rovers, was named among the substitutes. The game started at a frenetic pace, but aside from one punched clearance from Warner, neither...
Leedsunited.com 23/12/06 YORKSHIRE EVENING POST United chairman Ken Bates has moved to explain the club's current relationship with the Yorkshire Evening Post. Writing his programme notes for Saturday's game against Hull City the chairman explained to fans: "You should be aware that all is not well in our relationship with the YEP. "Co-operation between the club and its local paper is vital but it cannot be one-way traffic. "Leeds United needs the YEP to get its message across, the YEP needs United's stories to help sell newspapers. "Of course the YEP should be impartial while supportive but unfortunately this no longer appears to be the position. "When Kevin Blackwell left, Phil Rostron, the YEP Sports Editor, wrote an article under his own name, making serious allegations against the club. "At Mr Rostron's request we had a meeting in an attempt to clear the air. Phil promised to justify his claims on the following Monday but didn't te...
Leedsunited.com 19/12/06 CLUB FINED The club were today fined £2000, £1000 of which is suspended, for a breach of Football League regulations, following the game at Burnley last month. The club was in breach of Football League regulations after naming six loan players on the team-sheet for the match at Turf Moor on November 28. The maximum allowed is five. The players named on the team-sheet were Graham Stack, Matt Heath, Ugo Ehiogu, Tresor Kandol, Geoff Horsfield, and Tony Warner. The Football League took into account the extenuating circumstances surrounding Matthew Kilgallon's late withdrawal from the team through injury.
Yorkshire Post 19/12/06 Stone departs backing Wise to beat drop United's former England midfield man finally admits defeat in battle against injury Richard Sutcliffe STEVE STONE may not be around to help the fight any more, but the former England international is backing Leeds United to battle their way out of relegation trouble in the Championship.The 35-year-old has this week brought the curtain down on his career after failing to recover fully from an Achilles injury sustained during pre-season last year.Stone had to wait eight months for his debut and even though he went on to chalk up 14 appearances, the United midfield player has now admitted defeat with a settlement having been reached over the remaining seven months of his contract.It means a frustrating end to a career that included the highs of helping England to the semi-finals in Euro '96 and winning promotion to the top flight three times.Speaking to the Yorkshire Post from his native North East, Stone said: "...
Leedsunited.com 15/12/06 STONE DEPARTS Leeds United thave cancelled the contract of midfielder Steve Stone by mutual consent. The 35-year-old former England midfield player has been plagued by injury since he joined the Elland Road club for the start of last season and had no real alternative but the bring down the curtain on his playing career. When he joined Leeds from Portsmouth, hopes were that Stone would bring his wealth of experience and knowledge to the side but he had the misfortune to suffer an Achilles tendon injury during his first training session with United. He went through a season-long battle when, following an operation, the wound became infected. "The injury and the infection has taken its toll on me and there were times when I even struggled to get up out of bed in a morning because of the injury," he said. "Things didn't really work out for me right from the start and it has been a big disappointment for me but that is the way things go sometimes...
Yorkshire Evening Post 13/12/06 Wise: Just 10 more wins by Phil Hay Dennis Wise today swept aside concerns over Leeds United's Championship position, insisting the club were well on the way to the magical 50-point mark. The Elland Road boss has set his sights on 10 victories from United's remaining 24 league games after claiming 30 more points will allow his players to repel the threat of relegation.Leeds are third from bottom in the Championship and have taken 20 points from their first 22 matches, and Wise's side will begin the second half of the season inside the relegation zone unless a convincing victory over Ipswich Town this weekend is coupled with a heavy defeat for Barnsley at Leicester.A total of 50 points is considered by most managers to be enough to preserve Championship status, and a tally of just 43 was sufficient to avoid a place in the bottom three last season.Gillingham, however, were relegated with 50 points to their name two years ago, and Walsall amasse...
Yorkshire Evening Post 9/12/06 More bitter home truths LEEDS UNITED 0 DERBY COUNTY 1 On the next occasion Leeds United and Derby County meet, the curtain will come down on the Championship season.How much will be at stake for either club at Pride Park on May 6 remains to be seen, but there was little in United's performance yesterday to suggest their situation will be any less bleak in six months' time than it is this morning.Dennis Wise's early efforts at Elland Road have offered encouragement to United's following but, after nine games at the helm, the job of rescuing Leeds from the Championship's relegation zone is refusing to get easier.County will outclass better sides than Wise's this season, and Billy Davies players arrived in Yorkshire on the back of six wins from seven games.But the first-half performance delivered by United will stand among their most shambolic this season, and their improvement during the second half failed to force a result.Leeds wer...
Leedsunited.com 9/12/06 STATEMENT Leeds United can confirm that the club breached Football League regulations at Burnley on November 28 by naming six loan players on our team-sheet for the game. The maximum number of loan players any club can name on a team-sheet for a game is five. We will co-operate fully with the Football League on this matter and explain the extenuating circumstances.
We're on the mend by Phil Hay MATT HEATH today warned Derby County to expect a mentally-toughened version of Leeds United when they turn out in Yorkshire this weekend. Billy Davies' side will descend on Elland Road tomorrow fresh from six wins in seven matches, but Heath believes the timing of United's meeting with Derby will suit his team-mates.The on-loan Coventry City defender has witnessed a vast improvement in United's character since his second game for Leeds ended in a sorry 3-0 defeat to Southampton last month, and Heath is hoping Leeds will be equal to the challenge of one of the Championship's in-form teams tomorrow.United are still trapped inside the division's relegation zone, 18 places below County, but Heath said: "I definitely think we're beginning to stabilise."The fighting spirit is better, and the game at Burnley was the best example of that. We lost 2-1 but we battled hard and we had them hanging on at the end."The Southampt...
Sporting Life 2/12/06 LINESMAN COST US WIN - WISE By Mark Walker, PA Sport Leeds manager Dennis Wise claimed linesman Karl Evans had cost his side all three points after the Yorkshire derby with Barnsley ended 2-2 at Elland Road. On-loan central defender Matt Heath appeared to have given Leeds a 3-2 lead midway through the second half when he headed home Ian Westlake's corner at the near post. Referee Kevin Wright saw nothing wrong with Heath's effort, but his assistant Evans drew his attention to an infringement and the effort was ruled out. "It was the linesman this time wasn't it?" Wise said after goals on their home debuts from both Tresor Kandol and Ugo Ehiogu cancelled out two fine individual efforts from Barnsley striker Daniel Nardiello. "I don't know what he's seen. I've just shown him it and he doesn't know what he's seen, but he's still making out he's seen something, some kind of foul. "I don't know what the fo...
Leedsunited.com 2/12/06 FIGHT BACK UNITED 2 (Kandol 8, Ehiogu 45) BARNSLEY 2 (Nardiello 3, 36) UNITED: Stack, Douglas, Ehiogu, Heath, Crainey, Blake (Healy 80), Westlake, Derry (Richardson 64), Lewis, Moore (Carole 88), Kandol. Subs: Warner, Healy, Carole, Beckford. BARNSLEY: Colgan, Hassell, Heckingbottom, Reid, Togwell, Hayes, Knight, Howard, Austin, Nardiello (Richards 79), McCann. Subs: Letheren, Tonge, Williams, Richards, Devaney. Referee: K Wright United boss Dennis Wise made one enforced change from the side which lost 2-1 to Burnley in midweek with Hayden Foxe missing through suspension. Tresor Kandol was the man to come in - making his full debut - with Wise re-shuffling his pack to move Robbie Blake behind the forwards, on the right, and Jonathan Douglas dropped to right-back. But United got off to the worst start possible after Barnsley opened the scoring in the third minute. Danny Nardiello, who tormented United as a second half substitute at Oakwell in November, ran into t...
Yorkshire Evening Post 29/11/06 United's defeat was on the cards Burnley 2 Leeds United 1 By Phil Hay Leeds United under Dennis Wise are starting to resemble a yo-yo. Foxe leaves the field after being sent offUp one minute and down the next, with little to fill the space in between. The one near-certainty of his seven-match reign has been that defeat will follow victory, and vice-versa.Should last night's galling loss to Burnley precede a win over Barnsley on Saturday, as the present pattern would seem to predict, Wise can be content with a satisfactory week's work. But regardless of this weekend's events at Elland Road, United's manager is unlikely to feel any less bitter about the way in which three points went begging at Turf Moor.Burnley's stadium has not been a forgiving venue this season, and the club themselves are rarely seen taking prisoners, but Wise's players were giving little quarter to their Lancashire opponents until the game turned on the sud...
Telegraph 29/11/06 Noel-Williams sparks timely Burnley win By Peter Gardner Last Updated: 1:50am GMT 29/11/2006 Burnley (0) 2 Leeds United (0) 1 Two goals in two minutes by Burnley ended the resistance of 10-man Leeds United, who had defender Hayden Foxe sent off after receiving a second yellow card at Turf Moor last night. Gifton Noel-Williams scored his first goal in eight games in the 67th minute of an absorbing encounter, and Andy Gray confirmed home superiority, two minutes later, with the second against his former club to give Burnley's promotion hopes a boost. However, the home side still had defending to be done, because David Healy, the Leeds substitute, pulled a goal back three minutes from time. advertisement Burnley, beaten at home by the Championship favourites Birmingham on Saturday, asserted their authority from the start by using the flanks to their advantage, with Steve Jones and Wade Elliott constantly stretching Leeds with their skill and pace. Burnley started th...
Yorkshire Evening Post 25/11/06 Devon delight for dynamic Leeds Plymouth Argyle 1 Leeds United 2 By Phil Hay On the last occasion before yesterday that Leeds United claimed three points away from home, Kevin Blackwell and Paul Sturrock were occupying opposite dug-outs at Sheffield Wednesday. It is a measure of their wait for a victory away from Elland Road that neither man is still in situ. The events of Hillsborough on August 27 are little more than a distant memory after all that has gone between, but United's players can stop counting days after a priceless victory at Home Park yesterday.Goals in either half from Robbie Blake and Eddie Lewis inspired a win which Leeds unquestionable deserved, and one that should drive confidence through every member of Dennis Wise's squad.United were dominant and dynamic, free from the nervous shackles that last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Southampton might have placed around their ankles. Wise's job since arriving at Elland Road has bee...
Leedsunited.com 24/11/06 TRES-BIEN! New United loan man Tresor Kandol says he just can't wait to get started with the club. Tres, who has initially joined on loan until January 1 with a view to a permanent move, made the mad dash to Leeds from London on Thursday night in readiness for a first training session with his new team-mates. The prolific marksman only completed the formalities of his move north within the last hour before the loan deadline, and the 25-year-old is relishing the prospect of throwing his weight behind the club's battle in the Championship. "It all happened very quickly," Tres told leedsunited.com. "I sort of knew that something would come up, but didn't know what and didn't know when. "It was one of those where you are wanting something to happen, but don't think it actually will. "When the call came about Leeds I wasn't at home so I wasn't even ready for it! It was a case of getting things together quickly....
Sky 23/11/06 Whites land Bees striker By James Pearson Leeds United beefed up their strike force on loan deadline day with the capture of Barnet hit-man Tresor Kandol. The Whites have struggled for goals of late and with Richard Cresswell back on the sidelines with a knee injury, Dennis Wise has moved for Kandol. The 25-year-old former Luton, Bournemouth and Darlington striker has linked up with Leeds on loan until January with a view to a permanent move. Kandol has revealed it was a wrench to leave Underhill, but hopes the club's fans understand his reasons for switching to The Championship. "I am very sorry to be leaving but I am sure the fans will appreciate that this is a good career move for me at my age," he told the club's official website. "It is good for me and it is good for the club - hopefully I will settle there." Bees chairman Tony Kleanthous was keen to retain Kandol, but felt the deal was in the best interests of the League Two outfit. "...
Sky 21/11/06 Wise warning to Sullivan By James Pearson Leeds United's new boss Dennis Wise has informed experienced keeper Neil Sullivan he is now the club's third choice shot-stopper. Sullivan was a regular under ex-boss Kevin Blackwell, although Tony Warner's arrival on loan brought competition for the number one jersey. Wise now has Reading's Graeme Stack also on loan, leaving Sullivan well down The Whites' pecking order. Leeds' new manager will not stand in Sullivan's way should he wish to seek pastures new, although he could be handed a chance in the New Year if Stack and Warner's deals are not extended. "I've told Sully that, whatever condition he's in, he's going to be third-choice goalkeeper," Wise told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "He should be looking to get a number one shirt and, if I'm being honest, I'm looking for a younger, more athletic goalkeeper. "It's his choice, and he has to do it for himsel...
Sporting Life 20/11/06 BLACKWELL PLANS LEEDS ACTION By Mark Walker, PA Sport Former manager Kevin Blackwell is preparing for a court battle with Leeds in his fight for compensation. Blackwell, who led Leeds to the brink of the Barclays Premiership last season, believes he has no option other than to sue the Yorkshire club after he was sacked two months ago. Leeds chairman Ken Bates has declined to enter into compensation talks with Blackwell's representatives, the League Managers Association. "We would have preferred to keep it out of court," LMA chief executive John Barnwell said. "But it would appear Leeds don't want to negotiate a settlement. "Mr Bates has said Kevin Blackwell was not dismissed because of poor results but for negative comments made in the press about the club's finances, but having looked closely at this case we feel we have no option other than to put the matter in the hands of our lawyers." Leeds issued a statement which read:...
Independent 19/11/06 Leeds United 0 Southampton 3: Rasiak leaves Leeds reeling By Dan Murphy at Elland Road Published: 19 November 2006 Leeds United have not secured a single point this season from games in which they have conceded the first goal. Yesterday, for the 13th time, they fell behind and duly continued this miserable trend as Grzegorz Rasiak's ninth and 10th League goals of the season, either side of Rudi Skacel's first, gave this scoreline a lop-sided appearance. In fact, until Skacel was presented with the ball, unmarked, on the edge of the six-yard area midway through the second half, Leeds had actually been the better team. But from that moment onwards, the degree of resilience Leeds had shown since falling behind evaporated, as the Championship's leakiest defence conceded three goals or more for the seventh time this season. "Our problem has been dominating games and not taking our chances so it was nice today to see some of those chances going in,"...
Yorkshire Evening Post 17/11/06 Wise eyes Ifill move by Phil Hay Leeds United manager Dennis Wise today confirmed his interest in Sheffield United midfielder Paul Ifill. Wise has approached the Premiership club over Ifill's availability, and the Leeds boss is hoping to force through a deal before this month's loan deadline.Football League clubs will be prevented from completing any loan agreements from 5pm on November 23 until the transfer window opens on January 1, and Wise's attempts to secure Ifill have been hampered by the 27-year-old's international commitments.Ifill, who worked with Wise at Millwall, is in the Caribbean with the Barbados national squad, but he has not featured regularly for the Blades this season, and Bramall Lane boss Neil Warnock is thought to be open the possibility of a deal with Leeds. Wise said: "Paul Ifill is a player I'm looking at. He's gone on international duty to Barbados, and that is one of the reasons why we haven't ...
New pages uploaded at mightyleeds.co.uk Major rewrite: 1909/10 season Opening day win with Irish imports but a terrible autumn leaves City deep in trouble - A grim struggle against having to apply for re-election ends happily but it was a close thing Read the full story at http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/seasons/190910.htm
Wise moulding side - Cresswell Leeds striker Richard Cresswell believes manager Dennis Wise is slowly beginning to mould the team in his style. Leeds have won two and lost two since Wise took control from caretaker-manager John Carver last month, but turned in an impressive display against Colchester to bounce back from back-to-back defeats. "It was probably our best performance of the season and hopefully we can build on that," Cresswell told the club's official website. "That's how the manager played and how he wants us to play. It's rubbing off." Cresswell's second-half header was his first goal since February with the striker struggling with knee ligament damage since sustaining the injury against Watford. "It's been tough," he added. "I've been out seven months and it's hard to get the fitness back. I'm just pleased to get on the scoresheet. Hopefully I can carry on now and score some more."
Yorkshire Post 11/11/06 Wise move to bring back Smith Leeds United manager joins the race to sign former Kop hero as squad rebuilding picks up pace RICHARD SUTCLIFFE LEEDS UNITED have joined the race to sign Alan Smith with an audacious attempt to bring the Manchester United striker back to Elland Road on loan. Dennis Wise moved quickly yesterday after learning that Sir Alex Ferguson would be willing to allow the 26-year-old to go out on loan after receiving an inquiry from Cardiff City. Manager Wise is desperate to bolster a side sitting second bottom in the Championship and the capture of Smith, who was a hugely popular figure with supporters before making a controversial £7m switch to Old Trafford in May 2004, would be a massive coup for the strugglers.Sources in Manchester have indicated that the Leeds-born striker is not keen on a move to Wales but would welcome the chance to return to a club for whom he made 228 appearances and scored 56 goals.Wise, who continued his Elland Road ...
Leedsunited.com 6/11/06 A BIG KICK Manager Dennis Wise admitted Saturday's 3-2 derby defeat at Barnsley was a "big kick in the teeth" after two second half goals earned the home side three valuable points. United had enjoyed the better of the first period and, after Martin Devaney gave the hosts the lead, goals from Shaun Derry and Robbie Blake turned the tables before the interval. But the home side struck twice from distance in the second half to send United tumbling back to 23rd in the Coca-Cola Championship. "It was a big kick in the teeth," said Dennis. "I thought we'd done extremely well in first half, but in the second half we made individual mistakes and those poor mistakes cost us. "We deserved to be in front at half-time. I was disappointed with the first goal we conceded, but we got ourselves back into it. "I wasn't happy with the goals we conceded in the second half either, people have to get a lot closer. They know that, we we...
Independent 5/11/06 Barnsley 3 Leeds Utd 2: Howard enjoys generosity of Leeds By Dan Murphy at Oakwell Stadium Published: 05 November 2006 Barnsley moved above Leeds United at the foot of the Championship yesterday after an entertaining Yorkshire derby between two teams as inept without the ball as they were enterprising with it. Perhaps that was only to be expected from the League's two most porous defences but there was also much to admire in the creative work of Barnsley's Martin McIndoe and Leeds' Robbie Blake. Leeds have now conceded 16 goals in their last four away fixtures. After dominating the first half they fell apart in the second, allowing Barnsley to come from behind and claim their first win in nine games. All three Barnsley goals were eminently preventable from a Leeds perspective. "There wasn't much in it in the first half but I thought we were by far the better side after that," said Andy Ritchie, Barnsley's manager and a former Leeds play...
Sunday Times 29/10/06 Leeds 2 Southend 0: Leeds show their teeth Duncan Castles at Elland Road Leeds came into this match in relegation form, having shipped 18 goals while losing their last five matches. Logically they should possibly have lost Dennis Wise’s first match in charge too, since it was against the same side who had beaten Leeds here during the week. But Wise relishes challenges and he rose to this one. The win came from late goals in each half, from Ian Moore and Robbie Blake, large draughts of perspiration, and a fair degree of fortune in resisting Southend’s second-half dominance. Wise, though, had been flown in to end a miserable run, and that he did. Never shy about making an impact, his first move at Elland Road had been to appoint Kevin Nicholls captain, principally because the midfielder was brave enough to give him a kicking last time they played each other. “I want nastiness and togetherness,” said Wise, who also wanted to send a message out to an ageing and lately...
Times 28/10/06 He's only 5 foot 4 . . . but Leeds fans should Wise up to his merits By Giles Smith THE dismay among fans surrounding the appointment of Dennis Wise as manager of Leeds United is perfectly understandable. Anyone who has taken an interest in the storied career of this crop-haired, modern-day maverick tends to develop firm opinions about him and is, accordingly, bound to wonder whether Leeds is a fit place for a person of Wise’s sophistication and thoughtfulness. You can see how the culture of the club has already unsettled the former Chelsea captain. At his inaugural press conference, conducted in a room threateningly hung with images of Norman Hunter and the late Billy Bremner, Wise spoke, with apparent relish, of the "horrible" Leeds sides of the past and pledged to bring back some of the "nastiness" that characterised the club in their long-gone heyday. He also appointed Kevin Nicholls as the new club captain — chiefly, as he explained it, on th...
Sporting Life 26/10/06 WISE WANTS LEEDS TO GET NASTY By Mark Walker, PA Sport New Leeds manager Dennis Wise wasted no time in stamping his authority on the ailing Yorkshire club and told sceptical fans he was now one of them - whether they liked it or not. The former Chelsea midfielder, a player the Leeds fans used to love to hate, insisted he can get the club back to the Barclays Premiership and said he was ready to start wielding the axe in pursuit of success. The no-nonsense 39-year-old revealed at a press conference where he and assistant Gus Poyet were introduced to the media that his first task was to strip Paul Butler of the team captaincy and hand the role to Kevin Nicholls. Wise stated it was clearly evident from the Carling Cup defeat to Southend in midweek that the dressing room was not harmonious. But he was pleasantly surprised by the welcome he received from fans at Elland Road and insisted he had already put what had gone on in the past firmly behind him. "I was exp...
Guardian 26/10/06 Meet the new Dennis Wise - a thinking man's manager Dominic Fifield Thursday October 26, 2006 The Guardian Dennis Wise has received a ringing endorsement from the man who hopes to replace him at Swindon Town, Ady Williams, as the new Leeds manager attempts to spark a similar revival at Elland Road to the one instigated at the County Ground. Wise and his assistant, Gus Poyet, watched their new side capitulate to Southend United in the Carling Cup on Tuesday and will be unveiled this afternoon with Leeds a point from the foot of the Championship and reeling after five successive defeats. Yet Williams, who was signed by the 39-year-old in the summer with Swindon relegated to League Two, believes he could prove an inspirational appointment, having lifted Swindon to third place in his short spell in charge. "Swindon needed to be picked up," said Williams, a Wales defender who briefly played alongside Wise at Coventry last season before playing his part in Swi...