IS WARNOCK LOSING PLOT?
By PAUL DEWS
Yorkshire Evening Post
LEEDS UNITED boss Kevin Blackwell today laughed off an astonishing verbal attack from Sheffield United counterpart Neil Warnock.
In an apparent bid to turn the focus away from his own side's faltering run, Warnock has accused Blackwell of
instigating a bout of mind games as the race for promotion hots up. Leeds entertain Norwich tomorrow while Sheffield United, who have won just one of their last six games, travel to Coventry and the pressure is clearly mounting for the under-fire Blades. And Warnock, pictured right, who is determined to deflect suggestions that his Sheffield United side are feeling the heat, has done his best to divert attentions away from his own players by launching an attack on Blackwell. Warnock said: "I don't want to know what Kevin Blackwell or anyone else has to say now, but I will leave the talking to him because he is doing enough for both of us. The mind games are at work everywhere. "There are that many people talking you don't know who to listen to. According to some people, Leeds have caught us up but I still see a six-point gap when I look at the table." Blackwell, in fact, has had little to say about Sheffield United or his former manager in recent weeks, and the Leeds boss was stunned when quizzed about Warnock's claims. "Mind games? I'm not smart enough for anything like that," laughed Blackwell, whose Leeds side have reduced the Blades advantage in second spot from a whopping 17 points to just six. Said Blackwell: "I'm surprised by what Neil has said. I tend to leave stuff like that to the experts and Neil is good at it. "The players are doing all the talking I need. I'm certainly not going to say anything because I don't want to do Neil's team talks for him. "They are six points ahead of us and there's four of us waiting for them to lose because Watford, Palace and Preston are also looking at second spot. "If any of the four do get to Sheffield United's position then it will be a magnificent achievement. "If it is us we'll have done a job and Sheffield United will be castigated, but there's a long way to go yet. "A month ago it was all Sheffield United and how they were home and dry. Then it was us, then it was Watford, now it's us again. "There's 10 big games left and if we don't do our job then it all becomes irrelevant." FavouritesLeeds are now firmly established as the favourites to overhaul Sheffield United and Blackwell admits his side hold the key to their destiny. United have a game in hand on the Blades and a trip to Bramall Lane still to come this season. "If everything goes our way then it is in our hands," conceded Blackwell. "It would be a great achievement because people had written us off. "But I'm not looking too far forward and I'm not looking beyond our own results. "We've got to win our games, it's as simple as that." Blackwell had said ahead of last weekend's win at Crystal Palace that he would have settled for a dour single-goal victory – Leeds won 2-1 and played with some aplomb – and the United boss admits it's points that mean prizes now with style simply a bonus. "It's all about winning and getting over the line now," he said. "You want to win with style and a swagger and score loads of goals. That might happen, but it might not. "I'd take 10 wins with goals from people's backsides – that'd do me right now." Leeds will be watched by one of their biggest crowds of the season at Elland Road tomorrow and Blackwell is urging fans and players alike to pull together during the closing weeks. "I hope people realise we have a chance now," he said. "The fans have given the players so much – the atmosphere home and away can be electric – and I hope they can shout us home."
By PAUL DEWS
Yorkshire Evening Post
LEEDS UNITED boss Kevin Blackwell today laughed off an astonishing verbal attack from Sheffield United counterpart Neil Warnock.
In an apparent bid to turn the focus away from his own side's faltering run, Warnock has accused Blackwell of
instigating a bout of mind games as the race for promotion hots up. Leeds entertain Norwich tomorrow while Sheffield United, who have won just one of their last six games, travel to Coventry and the pressure is clearly mounting for the under-fire Blades. And Warnock, pictured right, who is determined to deflect suggestions that his Sheffield United side are feeling the heat, has done his best to divert attentions away from his own players by launching an attack on Blackwell. Warnock said: "I don't want to know what Kevin Blackwell or anyone else has to say now, but I will leave the talking to him because he is doing enough for both of us. The mind games are at work everywhere. "There are that many people talking you don't know who to listen to. According to some people, Leeds have caught us up but I still see a six-point gap when I look at the table." Blackwell, in fact, has had little to say about Sheffield United or his former manager in recent weeks, and the Leeds boss was stunned when quizzed about Warnock's claims. "Mind games? I'm not smart enough for anything like that," laughed Blackwell, whose Leeds side have reduced the Blades advantage in second spot from a whopping 17 points to just six. Said Blackwell: "I'm surprised by what Neil has said. I tend to leave stuff like that to the experts and Neil is good at it. "The players are doing all the talking I need. I'm certainly not going to say anything because I don't want to do Neil's team talks for him. "They are six points ahead of us and there's four of us waiting for them to lose because Watford, Palace and Preston are also looking at second spot. "If any of the four do get to Sheffield United's position then it will be a magnificent achievement. "If it is us we'll have done a job and Sheffield United will be castigated, but there's a long way to go yet. "A month ago it was all Sheffield United and how they were home and dry. Then it was us, then it was Watford, now it's us again. "There's 10 big games left and if we don't do our job then it all becomes irrelevant." FavouritesLeeds are now firmly established as the favourites to overhaul Sheffield United and Blackwell admits his side hold the key to their destiny. United have a game in hand on the Blades and a trip to Bramall Lane still to come this season. "If everything goes our way then it is in our hands," conceded Blackwell. "It would be a great achievement because people had written us off. "But I'm not looking too far forward and I'm not looking beyond our own results. "We've got to win our games, it's as simple as that." Blackwell had said ahead of last weekend's win at Crystal Palace that he would have settled for a dour single-goal victory – Leeds won 2-1 and played with some aplomb – and the United boss admits it's points that mean prizes now with style simply a bonus. "It's all about winning and getting over the line now," he said. "You want to win with style and a swagger and score loads of goals. That might happen, but it might not. "I'd take 10 wins with goals from people's backsides – that'd do me right now." Leeds will be watched by one of their biggest crowds of the season at Elland Road tomorrow and Blackwell is urging fans and players alike to pull together during the closing weeks. "I hope people realise we have a chance now," he said. "The fans have given the players so much – the atmosphere home and away can be electric – and I hope they can shout us home."