Yorkshire Evening Post 26/4/11
We’ll fight to the finish - Grayson
By Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Simon Grayson spoke of a “quiet and flat dressing room” after another away loss left the club down and almost out of the race for a Championship play-off place.
Grayson refused to admit defeat in the fight for a top-six finish but conceded that United’s fate was wholly reliant on other clubs with two league games remaining.
Leeds’ season is on the verge of a disappointing conclusion following yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, a result which cut them three points adrift of sixth position.
The result in south London extended United’s poor run of form to one win from nine league matches, dropping the club to ninth, and their term rests precariously on Saturday’s home clash against promotion rivals Burnley.
Grayson’s squad will be out of the running for a play-off spot if they lose to the Clarets at Elland Road, one of just two fixtures they have to overturn the advantage currently held by Nottingham Forest.
“If we win on Saturday and other results go our way then we’ve still got an opportunity,” Grayson insisted. “We’ve got a fighting chance.
“It was in our hands before and now it’s in other people’s hands but football can be unpredictable. We’ll try and win both our games and see where that takes us.
“Whatever happens, we’ll look back and say that we’ve had a good season, if slightly disappointed that we couldn’t finish it off. We still believe we can do it though.“But it was a quiet, flat and down dressing room at full-time because we’re obviously disappointed with the result.”
Neil Danns’ deflected second- minute goal all but secured Palace’s Championship survival, and another unconvincing performance from Leeds forced Grayson to revise his tactics after a fruitless first half.
Jake Livermore was substituted at the interval, making way for Neil Kilkenny, but Grayson defended his team selection saying: “I put out a side that I thought would win us the game.
“We just needed to get Kilkenny on to pass the ball and affected things. We had a go at them in the second half.
“But we didn’t get the breaks we needed and that was down to a lack of quality, a bit of bad luck and good defending from Palace as well. My players couldn’t have done much more.
“There’s pressure on this football club, but it’s good pressure, and the players should thrive on it. For large parts of the season, they have.
“We’ve been a bit naive at times but this season will be a fantastic experience for a lot of them.
“We’ve had a good season, and I still want it to be a great season, but the players can be proud of themselves.”
Leeds were watched by more than 5,200 away supporters at Palace, and Grayson said: “We wanted to go out and do it for them; to show passion, commitment and quality. I’m disappointed for them but we’re still going to fight.
“One day this club will be back in the Premier League. When that will be I don’t know, but our fanbase deserve to be there.”
We’ll fight to the finish - Grayson
By Phil Hay
Leeds United manager Simon Grayson spoke of a “quiet and flat dressing room” after another away loss left the club down and almost out of the race for a Championship play-off place.
Grayson refused to admit defeat in the fight for a top-six finish but conceded that United’s fate was wholly reliant on other clubs with two league games remaining.
Leeds’ season is on the verge of a disappointing conclusion following yesterday’s 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace, a result which cut them three points adrift of sixth position.
The result in south London extended United’s poor run of form to one win from nine league matches, dropping the club to ninth, and their term rests precariously on Saturday’s home clash against promotion rivals Burnley.
Grayson’s squad will be out of the running for a play-off spot if they lose to the Clarets at Elland Road, one of just two fixtures they have to overturn the advantage currently held by Nottingham Forest.
“If we win on Saturday and other results go our way then we’ve still got an opportunity,” Grayson insisted. “We’ve got a fighting chance.
“It was in our hands before and now it’s in other people’s hands but football can be unpredictable. We’ll try and win both our games and see where that takes us.
“Whatever happens, we’ll look back and say that we’ve had a good season, if slightly disappointed that we couldn’t finish it off. We still believe we can do it though.“But it was a quiet, flat and down dressing room at full-time because we’re obviously disappointed with the result.”
Neil Danns’ deflected second- minute goal all but secured Palace’s Championship survival, and another unconvincing performance from Leeds forced Grayson to revise his tactics after a fruitless first half.
Jake Livermore was substituted at the interval, making way for Neil Kilkenny, but Grayson defended his team selection saying: “I put out a side that I thought would win us the game.
“We just needed to get Kilkenny on to pass the ball and affected things. We had a go at them in the second half.
“But we didn’t get the breaks we needed and that was down to a lack of quality, a bit of bad luck and good defending from Palace as well. My players couldn’t have done much more.
“There’s pressure on this football club, but it’s good pressure, and the players should thrive on it. For large parts of the season, they have.
“We’ve been a bit naive at times but this season will be a fantastic experience for a lot of them.
“We’ve had a good season, and I still want it to be a great season, but the players can be proud of themselves.”
Leeds were watched by more than 5,200 away supporters at Palace, and Grayson said: “We wanted to go out and do it for them; to show passion, commitment and quality. I’m disappointed for them but we’re still going to fight.
“One day this club will be back in the Premier League. When that will be I don’t know, but our fanbase deserve to be there.”