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 Leeds will not be famous again, but you know your stock in football is falling when the most high-profile mentions you get these days are from celebrities. Leeds were back in the news last week courtesy of an interview from Sir Alan Sugar at a charity event at Elland Road.
Showing an unenviable lack of knowledge of the Blue Square Premier League, the seemingly always bitter Sugar was claiming that Leeds should have been dumped from the Football League for going into administration. 'They should be thrown out, down to the fifth division, and have to work their way back up, playing on Hackney Marshes,' harrumphed the tennis-loving former Tottenham chairman.
Yet there is still ambition and support here and the club recently announced plans to turn Elland Road into a leisure and retail complex, while mini-buses from as far away as Plymouth and Shropshire are testament to the pull of the best backed club in the Football League.
In an enjoyable, attacking game, Leeds deservedly went in front on the quarter-hour when Jermaine Beckford redirected Andrew Hughes's whipped-in cross. But the team briefly put their fans through the traditional ringer when Hartlepool equalised courtesy of Joel Porter's well-taken 25th-minute volley.
But McAllister kept his nerve, even if 20,000 Leeds fans were questioning theirs. 'There was no panic. We tried to get the ball down and pass and create,' said the Leeds manager. 'We made their keeper work, which at times this season we haven't with the amount of possession we've had. But I think we got our just reward today.'
Leeds regained the lead in the 50th minute when Luciano Becchio broke through the Hartlepool midfield and laid the ball off for Delph. Showing his burgeoning talent, Delph took the ball on the run and adroitly not only made room for a shot but then placed the ball perfectly into the net.
After last week's home defeat by Huddersfield, there was palpable relief when the third goal came. Beckford flicked goalkeeper David Lucas's punt over his shoulder into the path of the onrushing Becchio and he made no mistake, slamming the ball home.
Beckford's second goal, in the final minute, wrapped up a victory that wasn't exactly famous but was another important one on the way back up.
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 Leeds will not be famous again, but you know your stock in football is falling when the most high-profile mentions you get these days are from celebrities. Leeds were back in the news last week courtesy of an interview from Sir Alan Sugar at a charity event at Elland Road.
Showing an unenviable lack of knowledge of the Blue Square Premier League, the seemingly always bitter Sugar was claiming that Leeds should have been dumped from the Football League for going into administration. 'They should be thrown out, down to the fifth division, and have to work their way back up, playing on Hackney Marshes,' harrumphed the tennis-loving former Tottenham chairman.
Yet there is still ambition and support here and the club recently announced plans to turn Elland Road into a leisure and retail complex, while mini-buses from as far away as Plymouth and Shropshire are testament to the pull of the best backed club in the Football League.
In an enjoyable, attacking game, Leeds deservedly went in front on the quarter-hour when Jermaine Beckford redirected Andrew Hughes's whipped-in cross. But the team briefly put their fans through the traditional ringer when Hartlepool equalised courtesy of Joel Porter's well-taken 25th-minute volley.
But McAllister kept his nerve, even if 20,000 Leeds fans were questioning theirs. 'There was no panic. We tried to get the ball down and pass and create,' said the Leeds manager. 'We made their keeper work, which at times this season we haven't with the amount of possession we've had. But I think we got our just reward today.'
Leeds regained the lead in the 50th minute when Luciano Becchio broke through the Hartlepool midfield and laid the ball off for Delph. Showing his burgeoning talent, Delph took the ball on the run and adroitly not only made room for a shot but then placed the ball perfectly into the net.
After last week's home defeat by Huddersfield, there was palpable relief when the third goal came. Beckford flicked goalkeeper David Lucas's punt over his shoulder into the path of the onrushing Becchio and he made no mistake, slamming the ball home.
Beckford's second goal, in the final minute, wrapped up a victory that wasn't exactly famous but was another important one on the way back up.
