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 sudden dismissal of Hayden Foxe in the 52nd minute.The Australian defender was carrying a yellow card from a first-half foul on Steve Jones when he lost his footing as Wade Elliott curled a dangerous cross-field pass towards Burnley striker Andy Gray. Foxe, perhaps instinctively, stuck out his hand to divert the ball away from Gray, and referee Phil Dowd swiftly ordered him from the field for a second bookable offence.For almost an hour United had restrained their hosts comfortably, surviving a handful of near misses from long range but preventing Burnley from getting close enough to see the whites of Graham Stack's eyes.But by the 70th minute, 18 minutes after Foxe's dismissal, Leeds were 2-0 down and on the brink of defeat. As turning points go, the Australian's departure was especially costly.Foxe did not dispute either of his cautions, and the makeshift right-back was heading for the tunnel long before Dowd raised his red card, but Leeds will reflect on another game when little came their way from the man in the middle.Dowd was not solely to blame for United's defeat, but his reluctance to let the game flow affected the attempts of Wise's team to transform a solid defensive performance into a narrow victory.The Staffordshire official's judgement was best summed up by the first-half booking issued to Ian Westlake for diving after the midfielder's legs were chopped from under him on the edge of Burnley's box.There was nothing in Leeds' performance, though, to depress a manager who has previously seen the good, bad and ugly sides of his squad at Elland Road. United's opportunities during the 90 minutes were few, but for the all the pressure created by Burnley before Foxe's red card, their end product gave Stack little to worry about.The on-loan Reading goalkeeper was well beaten by a curling shot from Steve Jones that whistled beyond the post after half-an-hour, and he parried a low effort from Wade Elliott after a pre-planned free-kick earned the winger a sight of goal before the break.But Leeds' defence was calm and organised, and clearly improved by the addition of Ugo Ehiogu to Stack's protective line. The Middlesbrough centre-back was a surprising selection before kick-off, making his United debut in place of Matthew Kilgallon who Wise later revealed was carrying an ankle injury.Ehiogu stepped into the vacancy seamlessly, and the organisation of United's defence was unquestionable before the game swung Burnley's way in the 52nd minute.In recent weeks the signs have been that Kilgallon – still a youngster at 22 – would benefit from a well-earned rest, and a fit Ehiogu looks an ideal replacement should Wise decide to keep him in position.Ehiogu spoke last week of repairing United from back to front, and their last two fixtures have shown increasing defensive solidity, but the final part of a winning formula is still evading the players at Elland Road.Leeds are not incapable of producing chances and scoring goals, but they failed to seriously test the confidence of Burnley goalkeeper Danny Coyne until the game was lost.Their clear opportunities before the break both fell to Ian Moore, who had an early shot blocked by Coyne and sliced another wide of goal after benefiting from Robbie Blake's quick feet and vision.Burnley might have held the lead at the interval had Stack not tipped Jones' rising effort over the crossbar in the 40th minute, and Shaun Derry received a welcome reprieve three minutes after the break when Wayne Thomas' corner caught his head and smashed against Stack's post.But moments later, Foxe was sent from the field and Leeds were forced to adopt a policy of damage limitation.Jonathan Douglas replaced Foxe at right-back and Moore dropped on to the right wing, leaving Wise with the unappealing task of withdrawing Blake and introducing substitute Tresor Kandol as a lone striker.Kandol fought Burnley's defence as valiantly as he could, but the forward saw too little of the ball to make the most of his isolated position as the home side monopolised possession.The Claret-coloured water eventually broke United's dam in the 67th minute when the hugely-impressive Jones beat Douglas on the left wing and pelted a low cross into the six-yard box. An unfortunate half-clearance from Matt Heath drove the ball into the path of Gifton Noel-Williams, whose powerful finish gave Stack no chance.The goal gave Wise plenty to ponder, but before he could move to alter his side Burnley struck for a second time.Two minutes later, Thomas steered a low pass to the feet of Gray, and the striker's quick turn on the edge of the box gave him space to curl a left-foot shot round the dive of Stack and into the corner.United in their previous guises this season would have surrendered meekly, but it speaks volumes of Wise's work that his players showed the nerve to dominate the remaining 20 minutes.Burnley's defence took the strain until the last three minutes when a goal from substitute David Healy hushed the home support.The Northern Ireland forward collected a wonderful 40-yard pass from Stephen Crainey and beat Coyne from outside the box with a looping shot which appeared to take a deflection off Jon Harley.The goal gave United impetus and urgency, but the five minutes of injury-time allowed by Dowd ultimately contained no hidden reward.Wise, however, should feel inspiration rather than disappointment after a revealing and reassuring night. For him, his players and an increasingly positive group of supporters, Saturday's showdown with Barnsley cannot come quickly enough.
29 November 2006
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 sudden dismissal of Hayden Foxe in the 52nd minute.The Australian defender was carrying a yellow card from a first-half foul on Steve Jones when he lost his footing as Wade Elliott curled a dangerous cross-field pass towards Burnley striker Andy Gray. Foxe, perhaps instinctively, stuck out his hand to divert the ball away from Gray, and referee Phil Dowd swiftly ordered him from the field for a second bookable offence.For almost an hour United had restrained their hosts comfortably, surviving a handful of near misses from long range but preventing Burnley from getting close enough to see the whites of Graham Stack's eyes.But by the 70th minute, 18 minutes after Foxe's dismissal, Leeds were 2-0 down and on the brink of defeat. As turning points go, the Australian's departure was especially costly.Foxe did not dispute either of his cautions, and the makeshift right-back was heading for the tunnel long before Dowd raised his red card, but Leeds will reflect on another game when little came their way from the man in the middle.Dowd was not solely to blame for United's defeat, but his reluctance to let the game flow affected the attempts of Wise's team to transform a solid defensive performance into a narrow victory.The Staffordshire official's judgement was best summed up by the first-half booking issued to Ian Westlake for diving after the midfielder's legs were chopped from under him on the edge of Burnley's box.There was nothing in Leeds' performance, though, to depress a manager who has previously seen the good, bad and ugly sides of his squad at Elland Road. United's opportunities during the 90 minutes were few, but for the all the pressure created by Burnley before Foxe's red card, their end product gave Stack little to worry about.The on-loan Reading goalkeeper was well beaten by a curling shot from Steve Jones that whistled beyond the post after half-an-hour, and he parried a low effort from Wade Elliott after a pre-planned free-kick earned the winger a sight of goal before the break.But Leeds' defence was calm and organised, and clearly improved by the addition of Ugo Ehiogu to Stack's protective line. The Middlesbrough centre-back was a surprising selection before kick-off, making his United debut in place of Matthew Kilgallon who Wise later revealed was carrying an ankle injury.Ehiogu stepped into the vacancy seamlessly, and the organisation of United's defence was unquestionable before the game swung Burnley's way in the 52nd minute.In recent weeks the signs have been that Kilgallon – still a youngster at 22 – would benefit from a well-earned rest, and a fit Ehiogu looks an ideal replacement should Wise decide to keep him in position.Ehiogu spoke last week of repairing United from back to front, and their last two fixtures have shown increasing defensive solidity, but the final part of a winning formula is still evading the players at Elland Road.Leeds are not incapable of producing chances and scoring goals, but they failed to seriously test the confidence of Burnley goalkeeper Danny Coyne until the game was lost.Their clear opportunities before the break both fell to Ian Moore, who had an early shot blocked by Coyne and sliced another wide of goal after benefiting from Robbie Blake's quick feet and vision.Burnley might have held the lead at the interval had Stack not tipped Jones' rising effort over the crossbar in the 40th minute, and Shaun Derry received a welcome reprieve three minutes after the break when Wayne Thomas' corner caught his head and smashed against Stack's post.But moments later, Foxe was sent from the field and Leeds were forced to adopt a policy of damage limitation.Jonathan Douglas replaced Foxe at right-back and Moore dropped on to the right wing, leaving Wise with the unappealing task of withdrawing Blake and introducing substitute Tresor Kandol as a lone striker.Kandol fought Burnley's defence as valiantly as he could, but the forward saw too little of the ball to make the most of his isolated position as the home side monopolised possession.The Claret-coloured water eventually broke United's dam in the 67th minute when the hugely-impressive Jones beat Douglas on the left wing and pelted a low cross into the six-yard box. An unfortunate half-clearance from Matt Heath drove the ball into the path of Gifton Noel-Williams, whose powerful finish gave Stack no chance.The goal gave Wise plenty to ponder, but before he could move to alter his side Burnley struck for a second time.Two minutes later, Thomas steered a low pass to the feet of Gray, and the striker's quick turn on the edge of the box gave him space to curl a left-foot shot round the dive of Stack and into the corner.United in their previous guises this season would have surrendered meekly, but it speaks volumes of Wise's work that his players showed the nerve to dominate the remaining 20 minutes.Burnley's defence took the strain until the last three minutes when a goal from substitute David Healy hushed the home support.The Northern Ireland forward collected a wonderful 40-yard pass from Stephen Crainey and beat Coyne from outside the box with a looping shot which appeared to take a deflection off Jon Harley.The goal gave United impetus and urgency, but the five minutes of injury-time allowed by Dowd ultimately contained no hidden reward.Wise, however, should feel inspiration rather than disappointment after a revealing and reassuring night. For him, his players and an increasingly positive group of supporters, Saturday's showdown with Barnsley cannot come quickly enough.
29 November 2006