Yorkshire Evening Post 29/8/10
Grayson looks to take heat off Somma
Three goals in four days spilled the secret of Davide Somma's talent but Simon Grayson wants to protect the striker from unfair expectation during his first full season as a senior Leeds United player.
Somma announced himself with two goals on his league debut against Millwall last weekend and his header in the Carling Cup tie with Leicester City on Tuesday night gave further credence to talk of his finishing prowess.
Grayson looks to take heat off Somma
Three goals in four days spilled the secret of Davide Somma's talent but Simon Grayson wants to protect the striker from unfair expectation during his first full season as a senior Leeds United player.
Somma announced himself with two goals on his league debut against Millwall last weekend and his header in the Carling Cup tie with Leicester City on Tuesday night gave further credence to talk of his finishing prowess.
The 25-year-old returned from a successful loan at Lincoln City last season with the reputation of a natural goalscorer and quickly caught the attention of Elland Road on his comeback from a three-match suspension eight days ago.
Grayson introduced Somma from the bench with United's match against Millwall finely balanced at 1-1, 15 minutes from time. The forward's clinical finishes in the closing stages wrapped up the club's first league victory of the season and underlined his own standing as an excellent prospect.
The performance earned him a first start against Leicester and his first half header on Tuesday, while coming in a 2-1 defeat at Elland Road, was another indication that the former Perugia player has the makings of a reliable forward in the Championship, a division in which he had never played before last weekend.
Grayson offered Somma due credit but said his impressive debut was not a reason to place excessive pressure on the shoulders of a footballer who has already vowed to replicate the form of Jermaine Beckford, United's leading scorer for the past three seasons.
"He's obviously hit the ground running in terms of winning the game last weekend," Grayson said. "But he knows he's got a lot of work to do to get into the team on a regular basis. What he did against Millwall should certainly give him a boost but any time he puts on a Leeds shirt, people shouldn't automatically assume that he's going to come up with the goods.
"I'd like him to score regularly and be a successful player, but he knows what's required and we've got to lower the expectancy levels of the fans a bit by reminding them that he won't do this every week."
Beckford was a constant source of goals during his final three years with Leeds, scoring more than 30 in two successive campaigns and performing with enough consistency to earn a free transfer to Everton in May. The Football League named him League One's player of the year for the 2009-10 campaign.
Somma discussed the challenge of matching Beckford's form after his debut against Millwall, saying: "That's asking a lot of me but why not?
"Anyone's capable of doing it here. We've got a brilliant team and brilliant staff.
"I scored nine goals in 14 games for Lincoln and that's the sort of strike rate that I'm looking for here, maybe more. After a whole year here it's great to be scoring at last.
"You have to make an impact when you get the chance because it might make the gaffer change the team and this has given him another option. I think I've done pretty well.
"I really hope I can be a 20-goal striker at this level and I'll give everything to do that."
Somma's display against Millwall was the final part of a near-perfect performance from Leeds last weekend and his brace prevented Kenny Jackett's side from holding out for a draw.
United's first league win arrived at the third time of asking, following a narrow defeat to Derby County and a draw at Nottingham Forest and Grayson took his squad to Watford yesterday with the intention of finishing a steady first month in style. Leeds do not play again until September 11 when a clash with Swansea City ends a two-week international break.
The competitive nature of the Championship was shown by only one club – Queens Park Rangers – holding a perfect record after three matches and Leeds were ninth prior to kick-off yesterday in a division which Grayson expects to start taking a definite shape around the start of October.
United's manager said: "I do think it's important that you get your first league win on the board as quickly as possible. The longer you go without one, the more people get impatient, even if you're playing well.
"People always look at the table but that's a ridiculous thing to do at this stage of the season. The way we've started has been encouraging, both in terms of results and performances – we could have had a few more points.
"It's a demanding league and you have to work hard for any results. That's what we did against Millwall and I know there's more to come.
"You take stock when the international break comes along and that's what we'll do.
"We'll re-focus the players for the group of games leading up to the next break (at the start of October).
"But we've competed well in all our games so far and we've not looked out of place."