Mighty Leeds Weblog

New pages uploaded at mightyleeds.co.uk Match – 24 January 1970 – Sutton United 0 Leeds United 6 It was one of the classic David and Goliath contests for which the FA Cup is famous but treble-chasing Leeds were in no mood for mercy and Sniffer Clarke scored four goals Read the full story at http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/matches/19700124.htm

Leedsunited.com 28/12/08 BACK TO WINNING WAYS 28 Dec 2008 United return to winning ways at Stockport... STOCKPORT 1 (Mullins 2), UNITED 3 (Becchio 19, Delph 73, Christie 87) Stockport: Williams, Mullins, Rose (McSweeney 25), Blizzard, McNulty, Pilkington, Gleeson, Baker (Turnbull 78), Rowe, Tunnicliffe, Davies (Thompson 78). Subs: Dicker, Taylor. United: Ankergren, Richardson, Marques, Michalik, Sheehan, Hughes (Prutton 89), Douglas, Delph, Snodgrass (Howson 65), Becchio, Beckford (Christie 64). Subs: Robinson, Lucas. Referee: R Beeby Booked: Becchio, Sheehan, Douglas, Delph (United) United manager Simon Grayson made two changes to his first starting line-up with Andrew Hughes and Robert Snodgrass coming into the reckoning. Snodgrass scored his third goal in as many games after stepping off the bench against Leicester on Boxing Day as United marked Grayson's first game at the helm by ending a five-game losing streak. That point against Leicester, the equaliser coming in the 91s...

New pages uploaded at mightyleeds.co.uk Match – 10 January 1970 – Chelsea 2 Leeds United 5 The Whites tore championship rivals to pieces with a breathtaking display of attacking football in the first twenty minutes of the second half at Stamford Bridge Read the full story at http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/matches/19700110.htm

Leedsunited.com 26/12/08 A BRIGHT NEW START! Leeds United manager Simon Grayson was delighted to see his new charges end their five-game losing streak with a late equaliser against league leaders Leicester City at Elland Road on Boxing Day. Rob Snodgrass struck in stoppage time to with a deserved equaliser as United kicked off the Grayson era with a 1-1 draw against the promotion favourites. "I was pleased with the result in the end," said the new boss. "I felt if we'd have started like we finished we could have won the game. "I'm smiling because we got a point against the league leaders when it didn't look like we would get one. They are a good team. "We didn't have enough tempo to get at Leicester at times, but we dug in there. The players deserve credit for that "We know the players are a little bit down in confidence, but we showed great spirit and to score when we did will give them great belief. If it had gone on for another five or ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/12/08 Grayson is the right choice By Phil Hay Though an unexpected selection for many in Leeds, former Leicester City captain Steve Walsh saw perfect sense in Simon Grayson's appointment at Elland Road. While several other names were championed, Aidy Boothroyd, Gustavo Poyet and Billy Davies among them, Walsh felt that Grayson's strength and the key to Leeds United's thinking was the League One play-off final victory on the 39-year-old's managerial record. Grayson won promotion in 2007 with Blackpool – the club he resigned from on Tuesday to become United's new manager – and took the Lancashire side to the level of English football where Leeds hope and expect to play next season. Walsh came to know Grayson well while the two men were team-mates and room-mates at Leicester between 1992 and 1997, but it is latter's track-record at Bloomfield Road rather than his Premier League past which Walsh feels has justified his selection by Leeds ch...

Leedsunited.com 23/12/08 SIMON SAYS... New United manager relishes the challenge.... New Leeds United manager Simon Grayson says he can't wait to get stuck into his new role. The former Blackpool manager was confirmed as the new United boss on Tuesday and is relishing the challenge. "When the opportunity came to come here I couldn't wait to be involved in as quickly as possible," he told LUTV. "It's a massive club and it's close to my heart, having played here and supporting the club. The size and the ambition is obviously an attraction as well. "I had a great time at Blackpool. I had a great rapport with the fans and the board. I certainly wouldn't have dropped down a division for any other club and I feel this is the next stage of my managerial career." Grayson arrives at Elland Road on the back of a successful stint as Blackpool boss. He guided the club to their highest league position for over 40 years after leading the Seasiders to Lea...

Yorkshire Evening Post 20/12/08 The cavalry is coming says Mac By Phil Hay Gary McAllister is confident that Leeds United will sign their key transfer targets next month after admitting the club's initial approaches have gone "beyond enquiries". The Elland Road manager has identified a number of possible recruits after conceding that his existing squad lacks the strength in certain positions to see Leeds through the rest of the League One season. McAllister will pay special attention to improving his vulnerable defence next month – the United boss made an early addition to his ranks by recruiting out-of-contract centre-back Mansour Assoumani on a month-long deal this week – and he is hoping to bring a quick conclusion to his dealings in the January transfer window. Leeds failed with an attempt to sign Wayne Brown on loan from Hull City last month, and the club's performances since have left McAllister in no doubt that new defenders are needed to keep United in content...

New pages uploaded at mightyleeds.co.uk At a time when life doesn’t feel good ... comfort yourself with stories of better times Matches 2 August 1969 – Leeds United 2 Manchester City 1 The curtain raiser to the 1969/70 season pitched United against Cup holders Manchester City - the trophy wasn't the most highly prized but Leeds now had a thirst for silverware Read the full story at http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/matches/19690802.htm 17 September 1969 – Leeds United 10 Lyn Oslo 0 Finally United had a shot at the biggest prize of all, and didn't they take advantage of a woefully outclassed amateur team from Norway as they set a club scoring record Read the full story at http://www.mightyleeds.co.uk/matches/19690917.htm

Times 30/11/08 Histon humble Leeds in FA Cup second round Blue Square Premier promotion chasers Histon today secured a famous FA Cup upset with a stunning 1-0 victory over Leeds United, and earn a home tie with Swansea City in today's draw for the third round. Matthew Langston, a postman, scored the only goal of the game in the 39th minute at a wet and wild Glassworld Stadium when he headed in Gareth Gwillim's cross. And Leeds paid the price for poor finishing against a non-league team 42 places below them, just seven years after reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Histon dominated the first half in awful conditions and could have gone into the break further ahead, but they had to withstand a barrage of pressure in the second half. Lubomir Michalik twice came within a whisker of equalising for Leeds, first seeing his shot cannon back off a post then a fierce drive headed off the line by Jack Midson late on. "It was a magnificent rearguard action in the second half,...

Leedsunited.com 26/11/08 CLUB STATEMENT 26 Nov 2008 Leeds United announce accounts show profit of... The directors of Leeds United Football Club Limited are pleased to be able to confirm that the audited accounts for the 14-month period to the 30th June 2008 show a profit of £4,553,000. During the period the club made an operating profit before player trading of £902,000 from a turnover of £23,249,000. On the field the club are seeking to gain promotion to the Championship at the earliest possible opportunity and to continue strengthening the club's Academy. Off the field, the directors have identified that the re-purchase of both the Thorp Arch Training Facility and Elland Road as a priority within the next 12 months. We are also seeking to gain planning consent for the development of the East Stand of the stadium to both increase income generated by the club on non-matchdays and improve matchday facilities for fans. We would like to thank the club staff and fans for their suppor...

Guardian 22/11/08 Delph delivers for Leeds Leeds 4 Hartlepool 1 Philip Dorward at Elland Road 'You're not famous any more,' is the most common chant sung by visiting supporters to Elland Road these days. It is a fair, if cruel, point, but it is also a brave punter who mocks the plight of Leeds, as Hartlepool found out. Gary McAllister's combative side showed that actions can speak louder than words. Not that Leeds fans aren't capable of speaking for themselves. 'Fabian Delph, he's not for sale,' is the song du jour among their supporters. But wily Leeds chairman Ken Bates has no plans for selling their latest prodigy - who scored a terrific goal in this game - to prying Premier League clubs. The canny West Yorkshire side recently secured Delph, who made his England Under-21 debut on Tuesday and turned 19 on Friday, on a long-term contract until 2012. There is a good chance that Delph will become famous sooner than his current club. That is not to say Le...

By Phil Hay Northampton Town 2 Leeds United 5 Gary McAllister's least desirable scenario at Sixfields was a third defeat in succession for Leeds United. Close behind in his list of unwanted possibilities was an FA Cup first-round replay which dragged his tired squad through extra-time. Neither eventuality came to pass and no-one inside Northampton Town's stadium can have been happier to see last night's tie settled in United's favour by half-time. The club's 5-2 win over Northampton was their first victory in an FA Cup game for five seasons, but the priority for Leeds at Sixfields was not the improvement of slightly embarrassing history. After a League One defeat to Huddersfield Town on Saturday, the brief last night was to come safely through the tie and to do so with the minimum of fuss. Rarely has McAllister, in his guise as United's manager, looked as angry as he did after Huddersfield's victory at Elland Road but the outcome of their swift turnaround to...

Yorkshire Evening Post 13/11/08 We're ready for step up – Kilkenny By Phil Hay Neil Kilkenny walked out of Pride Park on Tuesday night with the feeling that Leeds United are now equipped for a year in the Championship. But the Australian international says the club's performance against Derby County should not be seen as absolute proof of their ability to cope in England's second division. Leeds emerged from a 2-1 defeat to Derby in the fourth round of the Carling Cup with immense credit after outshining their Championship opponents for three-quarters of the game, but Kilkenny insisted the one-off tie would be quickly forgotten if United fail to follow it up with an equally convincing display against Huddersfield Town this weekend. United were given little time to reflect on Tuesday's narrow defeat – a result which obscured one of their most creditable displays of the season – with a West Yorkshire derby awaiting, and the club will potentially move to the top of League ...

Leedsunited.com 12/11/08 PROUD OF YOU ALL 12 Nov 2008 Macca hails players and fans after Derby defeat... Gary McAllister hailed both the players and fans of Leeds United after Tuesday's Carling Cup fourth round defeat at Derby County. United fell behind to two early goals at Pride Park, but hit back to dominate the contest with a fantastic display of football. Luciano Becchio pulled a goal back before half-time, but for all the domination United were unable to find a second goal to level matters. "I didn't want to say how wonderfully we played and how we moved the ball around as a team, yet leave Pride Park having been beaten," said the manager. "We warranted something, extra time at least...They had four attacks at the most and scored twice. That is becoming our Achilles heel. "They were poor goals. Unforced errors. We hadn't been put under pressure. Teams aren't having to work for the goals at the moment. "But our possession was outstanding. ...

B BC 11/11/08 Derby 2-1 Leeds Derby County qualified for the Carling Cup quarter-finals at the expense of Leeds thanks to first-half goals from Emanuel Villa and Nathan Ellington. Villa got the better of Lubomir Michalik and, with a curling left-foot shot, gave the home side an early lead. Ellington doubled the advantage with a simple tap-in after great work by Kris Commons before Luciano Becchio's header from eight yards halved the deficit. Leeds dominated after the break with Jermaine Beckford going close. It was an audacious 35-yard effort from Leeds' substitute striker and the shot would have left the backpedalling Roy Carroll red faced had it hit the target. The visitors twice came close to an equaliser either side of the hour mark, with Robert Snodgrass' curling free-kick clipping the outside of a post before Carroll was called into action to keep out Andy Robinson's well-struck 10-yard effort. But Derby held on to reach the last eight of the Leagu...