Palace and Leicester wins have revived fortunes - Norris INTERVIEW
Yorkshire Evening Post 29/11/12
By Phil Hay
Contrary to public opinion and the club’s faltering form, David Norris always believed that Leeds United could drag six points from their games against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
But the midfielder spoke today of a sense of relief among United’s players after back-to-back wins revived a season which he and his team-mates felt slipping through their fingers a week ago.
Norris admitted to a noticeable loss of confidence prior to Saturday’s 2-1 win over Palace, caused by seven games without a victory and the persistent uncertainty surrounding the takeover of Leeds.
United fell to 18th position in the Championship table after losing to Millwall on November 18 and looked hopelessly vulnerable ahead of three games in eight days against Palace, Leicester and Huddersfield Town.
But the club consolidate a spirited win against Palace by inflicting a 1-0 defeat on Leicester on Tuesday night, and Norris is hopeful that a “desperately” needed change in form will allow Leeds to turn a corner.
Palace came to Elland Road as Championship leaders while Leicester – another team who have led the division this season – lie fourth in the table after succumbing to a second-minute penalty from Luciano Becchio.
Norris said: “I did think we could get six points from six because of the way the league is. But with the run we were on, confidence was low going into a tough week. “We weren’t picking ourselves up off the floor but you could really sense that we were looking for the next win desperately – the sooner the better.
“The gaffer told us that the Palace game was as good a game as we could have with the run we were on. If you win that, it isn’t just any old game won. It’s against the team at the top of the league.
“To get two wins so far really gets the confidence going for Saturday’s derby. These results have hopefully set us up.”
Successive wins over Palace and Leicester gave GFH Capital, the firm which finalised its takeover of Leeds last week, a satisfying start to its time as club owner.
The Dubai-based company is due to complete a 100 per cent buy-out next month but the impact of its involvement has been felt already. It injected money into United soon after striking a deal with existing owner Ken Bates, and the club subsequently secured the loan signings of Jerome Thomas and Alan Tate ahead of the Football League’s emergency deadline.
The pair made impressive debuts in Saturday’s defeat of Palace and retained their places against Leicester on Tuesday. Their arrivals coincided with a first win since October 6 and led manager Neil Warnock to admit that his side “wouldn’t have won either game without them.”
For the best part of seven months, Warnock did what he could to distance his squad from the doubt surrounding GFH Capital’s takeover but Norris admitted that prolonged confusion amid lengthy negotiations had taken its toll on the mood of the dressing room.
“The takeover going through seemed to give everybody a lift,” he said. “As much it shouldn’t really affect us as players, it seemed to be all around us and the whole club.
“But it’s given the gaffer the opportunity to bring in two lads to help us out, and Tate and Thomas are good players. Coming from the Premier League, they’ve got quality.
“You know now that if you don’t keep performing – and I’ve personally found this out in the last few weeks – then the gaffer has other options.
“It’s a small squad but a good squad. You have to be on the top of your game. The gaffer can rotate if he needs to.”
Norris was singled out by Warnock after Tuesday’s win over Leicester, highlighted for his strong performance in the centre of midfield.
The former Ipswich Town captain has been in and out of Leeds’ line-up this season – a victim of both injuries and Warnock’s team selections – but he was part of two strong and dominant performances at a time when United’s manager needed them most.
“I thought David Norris was man of the match,” said Warnock after Tuesday’s victory.
“He was outstanding. Some of the tackles he won were 80-20 against him.”
Asked if the performance had been his most impressive for Leeds, Norris said: “Possibly, although it always feels much better when you win.
“But rather than singling out individual performances, as a team we were brilliant. The back four were excellent and Leicester didn’t create too much. We were in control for most of the game. We got at them and didn’t let them get into their stride. That’s what won it.
“You could see when the lads left the pitch that they’d given everything, and sometimes those sort of games – a 1-0 win where you’ve really grafted – are just as rewarding as beating somebody 5-0. It was very satisfying.
“Most of us would expect Leicester to be right up there at the end of the season and Palace too. If you can beat Leicester and Palace as we did, we can’t be too far away.
“Once you get a win in this league it gives you confidence. You see teams go on runs and that’s what we’re hoping to do.
“Everyone will think they’ve got a chance of promotion and it’s been a good week for us so far. We need to keep that momentum going.”
Warnock admitted after Saturday’s clash with Palace than prior to the game he was “struggling to see where the next win was coming from.” But he will take his squad to Huddersfield on Saturday in expectation of a third in eight days, against a team whose impetus has been clipped by the loss of eight points in their last three fixtures.
Norris, who came to Leeds on a free transfer from Portsmouth in July, has prior experience of local derbies and scored a dramatic injury-time goal in last season’s 2-2 draw between Portsmouth and Southampton at St Mary’s. “I’ve not had a feeling like that in my career,” he said in the aftermath of an end-to-end contest.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Huddersfield, Norris said: “I always enjoy local derbies and you have to appreciate that they mean a lot to the fans. I’ve played in a few big derbies and Portsmouth versus Southampton was a bit lively, a really good one to play in.
“You always appreciate from a fans’ perspective that they never want to lose to their local rivals. We’ll be well up for Saturday.”
By Phil Hay
Contrary to public opinion and the club’s faltering form, David Norris always believed that Leeds United could drag six points from their games against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.
But the midfielder spoke today of a sense of relief among United’s players after back-to-back wins revived a season which he and his team-mates felt slipping through their fingers a week ago.
Norris admitted to a noticeable loss of confidence prior to Saturday’s 2-1 win over Palace, caused by seven games without a victory and the persistent uncertainty surrounding the takeover of Leeds.
United fell to 18th position in the Championship table after losing to Millwall on November 18 and looked hopelessly vulnerable ahead of three games in eight days against Palace, Leicester and Huddersfield Town.
But the club consolidate a spirited win against Palace by inflicting a 1-0 defeat on Leicester on Tuesday night, and Norris is hopeful that a “desperately” needed change in form will allow Leeds to turn a corner.
Palace came to Elland Road as Championship leaders while Leicester – another team who have led the division this season – lie fourth in the table after succumbing to a second-minute penalty from Luciano Becchio.
Norris said: “I did think we could get six points from six because of the way the league is. But with the run we were on, confidence was low going into a tough week. “We weren’t picking ourselves up off the floor but you could really sense that we were looking for the next win desperately – the sooner the better.
“The gaffer told us that the Palace game was as good a game as we could have with the run we were on. If you win that, it isn’t just any old game won. It’s against the team at the top of the league.
“To get two wins so far really gets the confidence going for Saturday’s derby. These results have hopefully set us up.”
Successive wins over Palace and Leicester gave GFH Capital, the firm which finalised its takeover of Leeds last week, a satisfying start to its time as club owner.
The Dubai-based company is due to complete a 100 per cent buy-out next month but the impact of its involvement has been felt already. It injected money into United soon after striking a deal with existing owner Ken Bates, and the club subsequently secured the loan signings of Jerome Thomas and Alan Tate ahead of the Football League’s emergency deadline.
The pair made impressive debuts in Saturday’s defeat of Palace and retained their places against Leicester on Tuesday. Their arrivals coincided with a first win since October 6 and led manager Neil Warnock to admit that his side “wouldn’t have won either game without them.”
For the best part of seven months, Warnock did what he could to distance his squad from the doubt surrounding GFH Capital’s takeover but Norris admitted that prolonged confusion amid lengthy negotiations had taken its toll on the mood of the dressing room.
“The takeover going through seemed to give everybody a lift,” he said. “As much it shouldn’t really affect us as players, it seemed to be all around us and the whole club.
“But it’s given the gaffer the opportunity to bring in two lads to help us out, and Tate and Thomas are good players. Coming from the Premier League, they’ve got quality.
“You know now that if you don’t keep performing – and I’ve personally found this out in the last few weeks – then the gaffer has other options.
“It’s a small squad but a good squad. You have to be on the top of your game. The gaffer can rotate if he needs to.”
Norris was singled out by Warnock after Tuesday’s win over Leicester, highlighted for his strong performance in the centre of midfield.
The former Ipswich Town captain has been in and out of Leeds’ line-up this season – a victim of both injuries and Warnock’s team selections – but he was part of two strong and dominant performances at a time when United’s manager needed them most.
“I thought David Norris was man of the match,” said Warnock after Tuesday’s victory.
“He was outstanding. Some of the tackles he won were 80-20 against him.”
Asked if the performance had been his most impressive for Leeds, Norris said: “Possibly, although it always feels much better when you win.
“But rather than singling out individual performances, as a team we were brilliant. The back four were excellent and Leicester didn’t create too much. We were in control for most of the game. We got at them and didn’t let them get into their stride. That’s what won it.
“You could see when the lads left the pitch that they’d given everything, and sometimes those sort of games – a 1-0 win where you’ve really grafted – are just as rewarding as beating somebody 5-0. It was very satisfying.
“Most of us would expect Leicester to be right up there at the end of the season and Palace too. If you can beat Leicester and Palace as we did, we can’t be too far away.
“Once you get a win in this league it gives you confidence. You see teams go on runs and that’s what we’re hoping to do.
“Everyone will think they’ve got a chance of promotion and it’s been a good week for us so far. We need to keep that momentum going.”
Warnock admitted after Saturday’s clash with Palace than prior to the game he was “struggling to see where the next win was coming from.” But he will take his squad to Huddersfield on Saturday in expectation of a third in eight days, against a team whose impetus has been clipped by the loss of eight points in their last three fixtures.
Norris, who came to Leeds on a free transfer from Portsmouth in July, has prior experience of local derbies and scored a dramatic injury-time goal in last season’s 2-2 draw between Portsmouth and Southampton at St Mary’s. “I’ve not had a feeling like that in my career,” he said in the aftermath of an end-to-end contest.
Speaking ahead of the trip to Huddersfield, Norris said: “I always enjoy local derbies and you have to appreciate that they mean a lot to the fans. I’ve played in a few big derbies and Portsmouth versus Southampton was a bit lively, a really good one to play in.
“You always appreciate from a fans’ perspective that they never want to lose to their local rivals. We’ll be well up for Saturday.”
