BBC 26/11/09
Leeds bring in trio on loan deal
Leeds United have signed Queens Park Ranger winger Hogan Ephraim, Cardiff defender Tony Capaldi and Liverpool goalkeeper David Martin on loan.
Ephraim, 21, will stay at Elland Road until 1
January, Capaldi is due to remain up until 4 January and 23-year-old Martin goes back on 28 December.
Northern Ireland international Capaldi, 28, can play either left-back or left midfield and will not be cup-tied.
Martin provides added cover for injured keeper Shane Higgs.
Ephraim has scored twice in seven games for QPR this season, both in the Carling Cup.
"Hogan is quick and direct," Leeds manager Simon Grayson told the club's website. "He'll give us options and competition for places."
Ephraim started his career at West Ham before making his first competitive start while on loan at Colchester.
He then moved on loan to QPR before making the move to Loftus Road a permanent one in January 2008.
Capaldi began his career at Birmingham City and enjoyed a loan period with Hereford United.
But he moved from Blues in April 2003 to Plymouth Argyle, where he won most of his 22 international caps.
Since joining Cardiff in 2007, he has made 68 appearances for the Bluebirds, including nine this season, but had his opportunities restricted last term with a knee injury.
Martin has not played a competitive match for Liverpool but played 25 times as a teenager for MK Dons before his move to Anfield in 2006.
Since then he has enjoyed loans at Accrington Stanley and Leicester City. And he was again out on loan at Tranmere Rovers earlier this month prior to his latest move.
Yorkshire Post 25/11/09
Leeds United 1 Leyton Orient 0: Gradel strikes late winner after Leeds ride their luck
By Richard Sutcliffe
SOME wins are spectacular, some are memorable and some are fortuitous. This was definitely the latter for Leeds United, as betrayed by the sympathetic expression on Simon Grayson's face when shaking hands with counterpart Geraint Williams at the final whistle.
After as poor a display as United have managed all season, Max Gradel underlined just why the Elland Road crowd are so keen to see his loan move from Leicester City made permanent.Collecting a short pass from Aiden White with just a minute remaining, the substitute unleashed a fearsome shot that flew past Jamie Jones in the Leyton Orient goal to clinch another vital three points for the League One leaders.
There was no doubt the last-gasp winner was harsh on the visiting side who had, particularly in the first half, played the better football. In blustery conditions, Orient endeavoured to get the ball down at every opportunity in the opening 45 minutes and were rewarded with several good chances. Leeds, by contrast, were ponderous and far too reliant on launching seemingly aimless long balls forward with even the likes of Robert Snodgrass, usually so consistent in a white shirt, having a distinctly below par night. Only the introduction of Gradel just after the hour mark changed that as a sense of urgency was restored. Surprisingly employed initially up front, he was unfortunate to see one lobbed effort land on top of the net.
He then gave the otherwise outstanding Tamika Mkandwire a nervous moment with a driven shot that struck the defender's arm only for referee David Foster to wave play on.
The introduction of Mike Grella from the bench meant a switch to the right flank and, at last, Leeds had some genuine width to test a compact Orient outfit.
Gradel thundered a shot that Jones did well to beat away with just three minutes left on the clock before, with the Gelderd End imploring United to pour forward in attack, breaking the deadlock with a spectacular shot fit to win any game.
Returning to London without reward in the early hours of this morning will have been particularly hard to swallow for Williams's men, especially after being by far the better side in the first half.
Employing a slick passing brand of football that sensibly saw the ball remain on the floor in the blustery conditions, the O's made sure that lone striker Scott McGleish was afforded plenty of support when the visitors had possession.
These darting runs from midfield proved particularly difficult for Leeds to pick up and the upshot was Casper Ankergren having a far busier opening 45 minutes than his Orient counterpart.
The Leeds goalkeeper had to pick the ball out of the net after just five minutes after being beaten by Andros Townsend only for referee David Foster to rule that the free-kick by Sean Thornton that presented the Spurs loanee with the chance had been taken too quickly.
Only a last-ditch block by the Leeds defence then prevented Thornton from capitalising on some enterprising play down the right by Charlie Daniels and before Townsend's stinging 30-yard drive warmed the hands of Ankergren.
Orient's enterprising approach play then saw McGleish and Townsend presented with further chancesthat only two last-ditch challenges from the home defence snuffed out.
There was no doubt who was the more relieved to hear the half-time whistle with Leeds's only chance having come 10 minutes before the break when Sam Vokes shot wildly over after being picked out by a cushioned header from Jermaine Beckford.
It was the striker's 100th league appearance for Leeds and it seemed there would be no happy ending. That was, however, until Gradel struck to maintain the leaders' six-point advantage over second-placed Charlton Athletic.
Mail 24/11/09
Leeds 1 Leyton Orient 0: Mighty Max Gradel is the late hero at Elland Road
By RICHARD JOLLY
Champions League nights used to mean something very different at Elland Road. They used to mean Real Madrid, Barcelona or AC Milan. They didn’t mean Leyton Orient. It was famous victories against the continent’s finest, not hard-fought wins against the capital’s 11th highest team in the league ladder.
But Leeds have become accustomed to unflattering comparisons with the past. Every anniversary and each landmark brings more reminders of a glorious past.
Now Simon Grayson’s side are making their own history. They are amassing the sort of statistics associated more with Don Revie’s glory boys than the underachievers who slipped into League One three seasons ago.
They are unbeaten in 10 months and 20 league games at Elland Road and second-half substitute Max Gradel struck very late to ensure they stay six points clear of second-placed Charlton – with a game in hand.
Forget the Damned United, they have become the Grand United. Even Ken Bates seems satisfied. Leeds are more than half way towards meeting their demanding chairman’s target.
Bates had urged them ‘to hit 80 points as quickly as possible to ensure we leave the division and get back among the big boys’.
At their current rate of progress, Grayson’s men, who have 42 points, are on course to top 100 before the season ends.
Jermaine Beckford brought up a century of his own last night – 100 league games since he traded in non-league football with Wealdstone and life as a windscreen fitter to join Leeds in 2006 – but he was overshadowed by a newer crowd favourite.
Short, sharp and skilful, Gradel has become Leeds’ super substitute since being borrowed from Leicester. He livened Leeds up, providing a dramatic finish to a game that began quietly.
In the 89th minute the Ivorian winger collected a pass from promising defender Aidan White, skipped past two opponents and lashed a shot into the roof of the net. It brought relief to Elland Road and chants of ‘Grayson, Grayson sign him up.’
‘He has certainly made an impact,’ said the Leeds boss. ‘Max has done ever so well. He is an infectious character and he gave us that little bit of urgency.’
Even in his half-hour cameo, Gradel could have had a hat-trick. He had hooked a shot on to the roof of the net after a pass from Robert Snodgrass.
Then Gradel’s misplaced cross turned into a dangerous effort that Jamie Jones had to tip away. But before then, Leeds, had barely threatened.
Sam Vokes missed their only notable chance of the first half, shooting wildly over the bar after Beckford set him up. But Orient were the better team before the break.
‘We are going to get a lot of plaudits but no points,’ said visiting manager Geraint Williams.
‘It was a good performance but it is a very disappointed dressing room. We have lost the game with one little bit of magic.’
Buoyant home boss Grayson agreed. He said: ‘We were probably average to say the least for the most part of the game.
‘But you have to give credit to my players. They keep going. We had an attitude that we didn’t want to draw the game and a little bit of individual brilliance from Max won it.’
Grayson added: ‘I’m delighted where we are. The record we have got at home is very impressive, but all we have done is give ourselves an opportunity and a platform for the rest of the season. We are there to be shot at.’
Shot down to League One three seasons ago, their unwanted stay seems to be coming to an end.
The Champions League is in their past, but the Coca-Cola Championship should feature in their very immediate future.
Yorkshire Evening Post 23/11/09
Sublime Leeds United show sinks Gus Poyet's Seagulls
By Leon Wobschall
Gus Poyet described Jermaine Beckford as "different class" in the build-up to his nostalgic reunion with his old club.
Well, Gus, you were a tad sparing on the platitudes front. The phrase perhaps describes every one of the United line-up following their sumptuous slaying of the Seagulls – which featured two goals which would have graced any game – better than anything else.
"Sussex by the Sea" is Albion's famous club ditty. But by the final whistle, those in blue and white on the pitch were decidedly queasy and after back-to-back wins, Poyet will have learned more about his team on Saturday than he did in the previous two matches.
As for Leeds? Just who can stop them in their relentless march back to the Championship? Talk about grabbing the division by the scruff of the neck.
With their rivals keen on doing them a favour at regular intervals, it would be a brave man who would bet against them enjoying a silverware spring. On two fronts.
They were simply irresistible at the Withdean. And all this after their pre-game 'hand' was seemingly weakened by the surprise absence of the injured Richard Naylor and seven-goal Bradley Johnson.
Add to that the Poyet Factor with rejuvenated Albion seeking a hat-trick of wins for the first time this term and the leveller of some pretty wretched weather and the sooth-sayers' prediction of a shock wasn't too outlandish.
But the Whites are made of stern stuff. Yes, the rain did come, belatedly, but by that stage, Seagulls fans were more concerned with a deluge of goals from United.
Lucky Leeds…don't believe a bit of it. Small wonder a delighted Simon Grayson labelled it as their best performance of the season.
Any fleeting worries Grayson might have had of his side being a touch rusty after an 11-day break soon dissipated. His troops produced a complete performance.
It started with a "they-shall-not-pass" defence, which provided the most solid of bases. And nine clean sheets in 16 league games speaks for itself.
Then there was the midfield dominance from messrs Kilkenny, Doyle, Howson and Snodgrass, with Albion’s quartet chasing shadows and by the end they probably felt as brow beaten as Brighton’s finest - Jordan – after three successive Bushtucker trials down under.
Central to the piece was Neil Kilkenny, who was the puppet-master supreme, conjuring United’s best moments, with his late goal rich reward for his tip-top performance.
Michael Doyle performed the bits-and-pieces role with aplomb, while Robert Snodgrass – United’s ‘go-to’ man particularly in the first half – had an absolute ball on the left, with an honourable mention to Jonny Howson also on the right.
Up top, Beckford and Sam Vokes also looked the business and will strike fear into better defences than Brighton’s.
Treading across the sodden turf at the final whistle, Grayson would have been entitled to hum “Singing In The Rain” to himself and do a Gene-Kelly style skip in front of 854 drenched but happy United fans, who were doing an impromptu rain dance for him.
With Naylor absent, Lubomir Michalik started just his second league game of the season and partnered Patrick Kisnorbo – back from international duties with Australia – in the heart of the back four, while Leigh Bromby returned after being rested for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash with Grimsby.
Kilkenny was handed the creative brief in midfield which he has craved in league games this term and he didn’t let anybody down, while providing a whole lot more besides in a display that was full of quality, vim and a certain swagger by the end.United started as they meant to go on with Beckford blasting an early ‘sighter’ off target from close range following Andrew Hughes’ pinpoint centre.
Snodgrass, who looked instantly at home on his natural left side, also showed a sign of things to come by firing a 25-yarder wide after Kilkenny picked the pocket of Gary Dicker, who had a long afternoon. Vokes – who had linked up with United belatedly after midweek international business with Wales – then struck a scuffed shot straight at stand-in keeper Graeme Smith.
United’s needle was hitting the groove and to say a goal was coming was the understatement of the year.
It duly arrived on 27 minutes – thanks to a sublime touch of class from Snodgrass. The silky Scot has moments of quality in his locker and this one was top-drawer.
A neat move which inevitably started from Kilkenny, unhinged back-tracking Albion and Beckford then adeptly laid the ball invitingly into Snodgrass’ path and the winger needed no second invitation with his delicious curling shot arrowed into the top corner of the net.
Moments later, goal poacher Beckford almost doubled the tally, volleying against the outside of the post following the juiciest of crosses from dangerman Snodgrass.
It was all Leeds, although Brighton briefly awoke from their slumber when Glenn Murray’s downward header flashed wide. It was a rare moment of alarm. Normal service was soon resumed with an exquisite Beckford strike two minutes before the break highlighting the gulf in class between the two sides.
It was another picture-book moment. A raking long pass from – you’ve guessed it – Kilkenny, that Glenn Hoddle would have been proud of in his pomp, picked out Beckford, whose first touch was simply divine. As was his unerring finish, low past the helpless Smith.
The goal sapped the life out of Albion, who were desperately seeking the sanctuary of the dressing room, while looking every inch a leg-weary side struggling to handle their third match in just under a week.
Vokes then could – and perhaps should – have nailed the outcome, blasting a half-volley across goal after more slapdash home defending.
Even the most myopic Albion fan must have felt they had their work totally cut out and despite one or two semi-dangerous second-half moments, so it proved. Leeds were quite happy to soak up some pretty sporadic forays from Albion and hit the hosts on the break with no need to chase the game in sapping conditions.
The onus was from Albion and despite some better quality into Leeds’ box, it was meat and drink to the United’s rearguard, who got their heads onto all the aerial stuff.
Brighton’s best chance came just after the hour when Murray diverted the ball agonisingly wide from Dean Cox’s cross – their most threatening moment of the afternoon.
If truth be told, that was pretty much that. Changes from Poyet midway through the half, which worked last weekend against Southampton, didn’t yield a recovery.
United applied the salt in the 90th minute with Kilkenny getting the goal his performance merited after racing forward and tucking home David Prutton’s low cross.
You suspect Grayson was probably just as delighted by the sight of hordes of yellow shirts steaming forward in the dying stages as he was with the goal.
Six points clear...if this wasn’t a warning to the rest of the division, then nothing was.
The Times 23/11/09
Leeds show killer touch to burst Gustavo Poyet’s Brighton bubble
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Leeds 3
They came, they saw, they conquered. Leeds United recognised the threat posed by Brighton & Hove Albion, revitalised by Gustavo Poyet, their former assistant manager, at a rainswept Withdean Stadium on Saturday, and raised their
game accordingly, barely allowing their opponents a shot and hitting three goals of the highest quality themselves.
“At a difficult ground and with Gus’s first home match, I would say it was our best game of the season — a real high-intensity, workmanlike performance, but with a lot of quality when we were in possession as well,” Simon Grayson, the Leeds manager, said. “We stressed to the players that we had to be fully focused and we showed a good attitude all over the pitch.”
Victory over Leyton Orient at Elland Road tomorrow evening could put Leeds nine points clear at the top of Coca-Cola League One with 17 matches played, and they appear to have the right blend of talent and diligence, not to mention the nerve, to lead from the front until promotion is secured.
“We’re always there to be shot at because of the size of club that we are,” Grayson said. “There has been pressure on us from the start of the season and we’ve responded to that.”
Another reason why they will probably end the season as League One champions is the strength of their squad. Grayson is not under pressure to sell Jermaine Beckford, the top scorer, in January, even though his contract expires in the summer, and the loss of Bradley Johnson through injury was hardly felt as Neil Kilkenny stepped in to give a man-of-the-match performance on only his second league start of the season.
After Robert Snodgrass had put Leeds ahead, Kilkenny supplied the pass of the game from 70 yards for Beckford to score his thirteenth goal of the season in all competitions, and added the third himself, racing forward in the last minute to convert David Prutton’s cross at the end of a swift breakaway.
“Neil’s pass for Jermaine’s goal was out of this world,” Grayson said. “If that had been in the Premier League, people would be speaking about it for many weeks. Last year Neil was one of my best players but was injured at the beginning of the season and other players came in and took their opportunities. But he has worked hard and I told him he would get a chance, and he and Michael Doyle bossed the game. We have people in the squad who are willing to come in and take their opportunity and ‘Killer’ did that today.”
Brighton show signs of a long-term revival under Poyet, but were up against a team who are much closer to the finished article and ruthlessly exposed their shortcomings. Had Poyet been impressed by his former club? “I don’t know if I was impressed,” he said. “I knew that they were the best, and we knew we had to be at our best to have a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, we weren’t.”
ITV 22/11/09
Grayson praises performance
Leeds boss Simon Grayson was left purring at his side's "best performance of the season'' after a 3-0 win at Brighton.
New Brighton boss Gus Poyet came up against Leeds for the first time since departing his role as assistant manager to Dennis Wise in October 2007, but Grayson insisted no extra motivation was required. First-half goals from Robert Snodgrass and leading scorer Jermaine Beckford put Leeds in control and Neil Kilkenny's last-minute strike put the seal on another comfortable victory for Grayson's men.
He said: "We've set ourselves up to have a successful season but you don't get promotion at the end of November and we're there to be shot at."
He added: "It was a really difficult game for us and a potential banana skin but, putting everything together, we produced our best performance of the season.''
United have only lost one of their last 16 league games, and they have scored 16 goals in their winning five-match run, but Grayson is taking nothing for granted.
He added: "We set ourselves high standards, are very committed and we must keep at it.
"I'm happy with our points tally but we are determined to be level-headed. We have a fantastic work ethic and this must be maintained as we look to keep our position at the top of the table.''
Midfielder Snodgrass, who put Leeds on their way with a 27th-minute opener, also felt this had to rank as one of his sides best displays given that it came at Brighton's temporary ground - a converted athletics stadium.
He said: "It was tough to play at Brighton. But we focused on ourselves and our finishing was clinical.
"A performance like this will take us a long way. We had questions asked of us and we dealt with it. It's not easy to stay at the top of the league; it's only November and we need to kick on from here. You need to turn it on in games like this and this has to be up there in terms of our best performance.''
Leeds bring in trio on loan deal
Leeds United have signed Queens Park Ranger winger Hogan Ephraim, Cardiff defender Tony Capaldi and Liverpool goalkeeper David Martin on loan.
Ephraim, 21, will stay at Elland Road until 1
January, Capaldi is due to remain up until 4 January and 23-year-old Martin goes back on 28 December.Northern Ireland international Capaldi, 28, can play either left-back or left midfield and will not be cup-tied.
Martin provides added cover for injured keeper Shane Higgs.
Ephraim has scored twice in seven games for QPR this season, both in the Carling Cup.
"Hogan is quick and direct," Leeds manager Simon Grayson told the club's website. "He'll give us options and competition for places."
Ephraim started his career at West Ham before making his first competitive start while on loan at Colchester.
He then moved on loan to QPR before making the move to Loftus Road a permanent one in January 2008.
Capaldi began his career at Birmingham City and enjoyed a loan period with Hereford United.
But he moved from Blues in April 2003 to Plymouth Argyle, where he won most of his 22 international caps.
Since joining Cardiff in 2007, he has made 68 appearances for the Bluebirds, including nine this season, but had his opportunities restricted last term with a knee injury.
Martin has not played a competitive match for Liverpool but played 25 times as a teenager for MK Dons before his move to Anfield in 2006.
Since then he has enjoyed loans at Accrington Stanley and Leicester City. And he was again out on loan at Tranmere Rovers earlier this month prior to his latest move.
Yorkshire Post 25/11/09
Leeds United 1 Leyton Orient 0: Gradel strikes late winner after Leeds ride their luck
By Richard Sutcliffe
SOME wins are spectacular, some are memorable and some are fortuitous. This was definitely the latter for Leeds United, as betrayed by the sympathetic expression on Simon Grayson's face when shaking hands with counterpart Geraint Williams at the final whistle.
After as poor a display as United have managed all season, Max Gradel underlined just why the Elland Road crowd are so keen to see his loan move from Leicester City made permanent.Collecting a short pass from Aiden White with just a minute remaining, the substitute unleashed a fearsome shot that flew past Jamie Jones in the Leyton Orient goal to clinch another vital three points for the League One leaders.
There was no doubt the last-gasp winner was harsh on the visiting side who had, particularly in the first half, played the better football. In blustery conditions, Orient endeavoured to get the ball down at every opportunity in the opening 45 minutes and were rewarded with several good chances. Leeds, by contrast, were ponderous and far too reliant on launching seemingly aimless long balls forward with even the likes of Robert Snodgrass, usually so consistent in a white shirt, having a distinctly below par night. Only the introduction of Gradel just after the hour mark changed that as a sense of urgency was restored. Surprisingly employed initially up front, he was unfortunate to see one lobbed effort land on top of the net.
He then gave the otherwise outstanding Tamika Mkandwire a nervous moment with a driven shot that struck the defender's arm only for referee David Foster to wave play on.
The introduction of Mike Grella from the bench meant a switch to the right flank and, at last, Leeds had some genuine width to test a compact Orient outfit.
Gradel thundered a shot that Jones did well to beat away with just three minutes left on the clock before, with the Gelderd End imploring United to pour forward in attack, breaking the deadlock with a spectacular shot fit to win any game.
Returning to London without reward in the early hours of this morning will have been particularly hard to swallow for Williams's men, especially after being by far the better side in the first half.
Employing a slick passing brand of football that sensibly saw the ball remain on the floor in the blustery conditions, the O's made sure that lone striker Scott McGleish was afforded plenty of support when the visitors had possession.
These darting runs from midfield proved particularly difficult for Leeds to pick up and the upshot was Casper Ankergren having a far busier opening 45 minutes than his Orient counterpart.
The Leeds goalkeeper had to pick the ball out of the net after just five minutes after being beaten by Andros Townsend only for referee David Foster to rule that the free-kick by Sean Thornton that presented the Spurs loanee with the chance had been taken too quickly.
Only a last-ditch block by the Leeds defence then prevented Thornton from capitalising on some enterprising play down the right by Charlie Daniels and before Townsend's stinging 30-yard drive warmed the hands of Ankergren.
Orient's enterprising approach play then saw McGleish and Townsend presented with further chancesthat only two last-ditch challenges from the home defence snuffed out.
There was no doubt who was the more relieved to hear the half-time whistle with Leeds's only chance having come 10 minutes before the break when Sam Vokes shot wildly over after being picked out by a cushioned header from Jermaine Beckford.
It was the striker's 100th league appearance for Leeds and it seemed there would be no happy ending. That was, however, until Gradel struck to maintain the leaders' six-point advantage over second-placed Charlton Athletic.
Mail 24/11/09
Leeds 1 Leyton Orient 0: Mighty Max Gradel is the late hero at Elland Road
By RICHARD JOLLY
Champions League nights used to mean something very different at Elland Road. They used to mean Real Madrid, Barcelona or AC Milan. They didn’t mean Leyton Orient. It was famous victories against the continent’s finest, not hard-fought wins against the capital’s 11th highest team in the league ladder.
But Leeds have become accustomed to unflattering comparisons with the past. Every anniversary and each landmark brings more reminders of a glorious past.
Now Simon Grayson’s side are making their own history. They are amassing the sort of statistics associated more with Don Revie’s glory boys than the underachievers who slipped into League One three seasons ago.
They are unbeaten in 10 months and 20 league games at Elland Road and second-half substitute Max Gradel struck very late to ensure they stay six points clear of second-placed Charlton – with a game in hand.
Forget the Damned United, they have become the Grand United. Even Ken Bates seems satisfied. Leeds are more than half way towards meeting their demanding chairman’s target.
Bates had urged them ‘to hit 80 points as quickly as possible to ensure we leave the division and get back among the big boys’.
At their current rate of progress, Grayson’s men, who have 42 points, are on course to top 100 before the season ends.
Jermaine Beckford brought up a century of his own last night – 100 league games since he traded in non-league football with Wealdstone and life as a windscreen fitter to join Leeds in 2006 – but he was overshadowed by a newer crowd favourite.
Short, sharp and skilful, Gradel has become Leeds’ super substitute since being borrowed from Leicester. He livened Leeds up, providing a dramatic finish to a game that began quietly.
In the 89th minute the Ivorian winger collected a pass from promising defender Aidan White, skipped past two opponents and lashed a shot into the roof of the net. It brought relief to Elland Road and chants of ‘Grayson, Grayson sign him up.’
‘He has certainly made an impact,’ said the Leeds boss. ‘Max has done ever so well. He is an infectious character and he gave us that little bit of urgency.’
Even in his half-hour cameo, Gradel could have had a hat-trick. He had hooked a shot on to the roof of the net after a pass from Robert Snodgrass.
Then Gradel’s misplaced cross turned into a dangerous effort that Jamie Jones had to tip away. But before then, Leeds, had barely threatened.
Sam Vokes missed their only notable chance of the first half, shooting wildly over the bar after Beckford set him up. But Orient were the better team before the break.
‘We are going to get a lot of plaudits but no points,’ said visiting manager Geraint Williams.
‘It was a good performance but it is a very disappointed dressing room. We have lost the game with one little bit of magic.’
Buoyant home boss Grayson agreed. He said: ‘We were probably average to say the least for the most part of the game.
‘But you have to give credit to my players. They keep going. We had an attitude that we didn’t want to draw the game and a little bit of individual brilliance from Max won it.’
Grayson added: ‘I’m delighted where we are. The record we have got at home is very impressive, but all we have done is give ourselves an opportunity and a platform for the rest of the season. We are there to be shot at.’
Shot down to League One three seasons ago, their unwanted stay seems to be coming to an end.
The Champions League is in their past, but the Coca-Cola Championship should feature in their very immediate future.
Yorkshire Evening Post 23/11/09
Sublime Leeds United show sinks Gus Poyet's Seagulls
By Leon Wobschall
Gus Poyet described Jermaine Beckford as "different class" in the build-up to his nostalgic reunion with his old club.
Well, Gus, you were a tad sparing on the platitudes front. The phrase perhaps describes every one of the United line-up following their sumptuous slaying of the Seagulls – which featured two goals which would have graced any game – better than anything else.
"Sussex by the Sea" is Albion's famous club ditty. But by the final whistle, those in blue and white on the pitch were decidedly queasy and after back-to-back wins, Poyet will have learned more about his team on Saturday than he did in the previous two matches.
As for Leeds? Just who can stop them in their relentless march back to the Championship? Talk about grabbing the division by the scruff of the neck.
With their rivals keen on doing them a favour at regular intervals, it would be a brave man who would bet against them enjoying a silverware spring. On two fronts.
They were simply irresistible at the Withdean. And all this after their pre-game 'hand' was seemingly weakened by the surprise absence of the injured Richard Naylor and seven-goal Bradley Johnson.
Add to that the Poyet Factor with rejuvenated Albion seeking a hat-trick of wins for the first time this term and the leveller of some pretty wretched weather and the sooth-sayers' prediction of a shock wasn't too outlandish.
But the Whites are made of stern stuff. Yes, the rain did come, belatedly, but by that stage, Seagulls fans were more concerned with a deluge of goals from United.
Lucky Leeds…don't believe a bit of it. Small wonder a delighted Simon Grayson labelled it as their best performance of the season.
Any fleeting worries Grayson might have had of his side being a touch rusty after an 11-day break soon dissipated. His troops produced a complete performance.
It started with a "they-shall-not-pass" defence, which provided the most solid of bases. And nine clean sheets in 16 league games speaks for itself.
Then there was the midfield dominance from messrs Kilkenny, Doyle, Howson and Snodgrass, with Albion’s quartet chasing shadows and by the end they probably felt as brow beaten as Brighton’s finest - Jordan – after three successive Bushtucker trials down under.
Central to the piece was Neil Kilkenny, who was the puppet-master supreme, conjuring United’s best moments, with his late goal rich reward for his tip-top performance.
Michael Doyle performed the bits-and-pieces role with aplomb, while Robert Snodgrass – United’s ‘go-to’ man particularly in the first half – had an absolute ball on the left, with an honourable mention to Jonny Howson also on the right.
Up top, Beckford and Sam Vokes also looked the business and will strike fear into better defences than Brighton’s.
Treading across the sodden turf at the final whistle, Grayson would have been entitled to hum “Singing In The Rain” to himself and do a Gene-Kelly style skip in front of 854 drenched but happy United fans, who were doing an impromptu rain dance for him.
With Naylor absent, Lubomir Michalik started just his second league game of the season and partnered Patrick Kisnorbo – back from international duties with Australia – in the heart of the back four, while Leigh Bromby returned after being rested for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy clash with Grimsby.
Kilkenny was handed the creative brief in midfield which he has craved in league games this term and he didn’t let anybody down, while providing a whole lot more besides in a display that was full of quality, vim and a certain swagger by the end.United started as they meant to go on with Beckford blasting an early ‘sighter’ off target from close range following Andrew Hughes’ pinpoint centre.
Snodgrass, who looked instantly at home on his natural left side, also showed a sign of things to come by firing a 25-yarder wide after Kilkenny picked the pocket of Gary Dicker, who had a long afternoon. Vokes – who had linked up with United belatedly after midweek international business with Wales – then struck a scuffed shot straight at stand-in keeper Graeme Smith.
United’s needle was hitting the groove and to say a goal was coming was the understatement of the year.
It duly arrived on 27 minutes – thanks to a sublime touch of class from Snodgrass. The silky Scot has moments of quality in his locker and this one was top-drawer.
A neat move which inevitably started from Kilkenny, unhinged back-tracking Albion and Beckford then adeptly laid the ball invitingly into Snodgrass’ path and the winger needed no second invitation with his delicious curling shot arrowed into the top corner of the net.
Moments later, goal poacher Beckford almost doubled the tally, volleying against the outside of the post following the juiciest of crosses from dangerman Snodgrass.
It was all Leeds, although Brighton briefly awoke from their slumber when Glenn Murray’s downward header flashed wide. It was a rare moment of alarm. Normal service was soon resumed with an exquisite Beckford strike two minutes before the break highlighting the gulf in class between the two sides.
It was another picture-book moment. A raking long pass from – you’ve guessed it – Kilkenny, that Glenn Hoddle would have been proud of in his pomp, picked out Beckford, whose first touch was simply divine. As was his unerring finish, low past the helpless Smith.
The goal sapped the life out of Albion, who were desperately seeking the sanctuary of the dressing room, while looking every inch a leg-weary side struggling to handle their third match in just under a week.
Vokes then could – and perhaps should – have nailed the outcome, blasting a half-volley across goal after more slapdash home defending.
Even the most myopic Albion fan must have felt they had their work totally cut out and despite one or two semi-dangerous second-half moments, so it proved. Leeds were quite happy to soak up some pretty sporadic forays from Albion and hit the hosts on the break with no need to chase the game in sapping conditions.
The onus was from Albion and despite some better quality into Leeds’ box, it was meat and drink to the United’s rearguard, who got their heads onto all the aerial stuff.
Brighton’s best chance came just after the hour when Murray diverted the ball agonisingly wide from Dean Cox’s cross – their most threatening moment of the afternoon.
If truth be told, that was pretty much that. Changes from Poyet midway through the half, which worked last weekend against Southampton, didn’t yield a recovery.
United applied the salt in the 90th minute with Kilkenny getting the goal his performance merited after racing forward and tucking home David Prutton’s low cross.
You suspect Grayson was probably just as delighted by the sight of hordes of yellow shirts steaming forward in the dying stages as he was with the goal.
Six points clear...if this wasn’t a warning to the rest of the division, then nothing was.
The Times 23/11/09
Leeds show killer touch to burst Gustavo Poyet’s Brighton bubble
Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Leeds 3
They came, they saw, they conquered. Leeds United recognised the threat posed by Brighton & Hove Albion, revitalised by Gustavo Poyet, their former assistant manager, at a rainswept Withdean Stadium on Saturday, and raised their
game accordingly, barely allowing their opponents a shot and hitting three goals of the highest quality themselves.“At a difficult ground and with Gus’s first home match, I would say it was our best game of the season — a real high-intensity, workmanlike performance, but with a lot of quality when we were in possession as well,” Simon Grayson, the Leeds manager, said. “We stressed to the players that we had to be fully focused and we showed a good attitude all over the pitch.”
Victory over Leyton Orient at Elland Road tomorrow evening could put Leeds nine points clear at the top of Coca-Cola League One with 17 matches played, and they appear to have the right blend of talent and diligence, not to mention the nerve, to lead from the front until promotion is secured.
“We’re always there to be shot at because of the size of club that we are,” Grayson said. “There has been pressure on us from the start of the season and we’ve responded to that.”
Another reason why they will probably end the season as League One champions is the strength of their squad. Grayson is not under pressure to sell Jermaine Beckford, the top scorer, in January, even though his contract expires in the summer, and the loss of Bradley Johnson through injury was hardly felt as Neil Kilkenny stepped in to give a man-of-the-match performance on only his second league start of the season.
After Robert Snodgrass had put Leeds ahead, Kilkenny supplied the pass of the game from 70 yards for Beckford to score his thirteenth goal of the season in all competitions, and added the third himself, racing forward in the last minute to convert David Prutton’s cross at the end of a swift breakaway.
“Neil’s pass for Jermaine’s goal was out of this world,” Grayson said. “If that had been in the Premier League, people would be speaking about it for many weeks. Last year Neil was one of my best players but was injured at the beginning of the season and other players came in and took their opportunities. But he has worked hard and I told him he would get a chance, and he and Michael Doyle bossed the game. We have people in the squad who are willing to come in and take their opportunity and ‘Killer’ did that today.”
Brighton show signs of a long-term revival under Poyet, but were up against a team who are much closer to the finished article and ruthlessly exposed their shortcomings. Had Poyet been impressed by his former club? “I don’t know if I was impressed,” he said. “I knew that they were the best, and we knew we had to be at our best to have a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, we weren’t.”
ITV 22/11/09
Grayson praises performance
Leeds boss Simon Grayson was left purring at his side's "best performance of the season'' after a 3-0 win at Brighton.
New Brighton boss Gus Poyet came up against Leeds for the first time since departing his role as assistant manager to Dennis Wise in October 2007, but Grayson insisted no extra motivation was required. First-half goals from Robert Snodgrass and leading scorer Jermaine Beckford put Leeds in control and Neil Kilkenny's last-minute strike put the seal on another comfortable victory for Grayson's men.
He said: "We've set ourselves up to have a successful season but you don't get promotion at the end of November and we're there to be shot at."
He added: "It was a really difficult game for us and a potential banana skin but, putting everything together, we produced our best performance of the season.''
United have only lost one of their last 16 league games, and they have scored 16 goals in their winning five-match run, but Grayson is taking nothing for granted.
He added: "We set ourselves high standards, are very committed and we must keep at it.
"I'm happy with our points tally but we are determined to be level-headed. We have a fantastic work ethic and this must be maintained as we look to keep our position at the top of the table.''
Midfielder Snodgrass, who put Leeds on their way with a 27th-minute opener, also felt this had to rank as one of his sides best displays given that it came at Brighton's temporary ground - a converted athletics stadium.
He said: "It was tough to play at Brighton. But we focused on ourselves and our finishing was clinical.
"A performance like this will take us a long way. We had questions asked of us and we dealt with it. It's not easy to stay at the top of the league; it's only November and we need to kick on from here. You need to turn it on in games like this and this has to be up there in terms of our best performance.''