Leeds United v Millwall: Spot king Stephen’s a real Lions tamer
YEP 4/3/13
By Phil Hay
Neil Warnock claimed last week that the basic requirement for Leeds United was to emerge undefeated from a spate of three games in eight days.
What he really meant was beat Millwall and prepare the ground for a roll of the dice in Leicester and London.
Leeds will endure an early start to the summer if their results away from home continue to offset their uncanny knack of winning at Elland Road but tomorrow’s match at Leicester City and Saturday’s run-in with Crystal Palace are exacting enough without the handicap of points dropped against Millwall. Warnock rarely uses the phrase “must-win” but even he saw Millwall in those terms.
Three points presented themselves on Saturday by way of a cagey but eventful victory which cleared many hurdles: a first-half penalty missed by Ross McCormack, another shot against the woodwork, spells of the game in which Millwall ought to have scored and a late handball inside United’s box which referee Mike Jones spotted but ignored.
With the dust reluctant to settle, Stephen Warnock’s penalty on 71 minutes – smashed to one side of goalkeeper David Forde at a time in the contest when delicate finishes were uncalled for – forced an 11th home win and nudged Leeds a little closer towards the realm of 70 points, setting in motion a week which is beyond exaggeration. Something should give in the next five days, for better or worse. “We’ve got to get points from this week,” Warnock said.
Through choppy waters and internal squabbling, United’s manager has kept his hand in the round. Yet the club’s position, six points outside the top six, makes a poker-face worthless. “This game was all about getting three points,” Warnock admitted. “I said that to the lads beforehand.
“I don’t like talking about must-win games but it’s must-win when you’ve got Leicester and Palace away to come. We’d try to win those games anyway but it’s nice to be going into situations like that with another three points. Leicester and Palace don’t lose many at home and they’ll expect to beat us with the way the table is but these are dangerous games for them. We’ve got the right players to win if we hit the right vein.”
The home records of Leicester and Palace are marginally better than United’s. Cardiff City, the Championship’s leaders, are the only team to have won a league fixture at Elland Road since Watford in early November.
Kenny Jackett, Millwall’s quiet and considered boss, talked of “big opportunities” after full-time – a close-range sitter stabbed casually against a post by James Henry and shots from Martyn Woolford and Shane Lowry which left a briefly-unsettled defence unwounded. For all that, the match felt dormant until the 28th minute when certain players began losing their heads.
Woolford was first to crack, sliding in stupidly and catching Sam Byram’s ankle as the right-back changed feet inside the box. Referee Mike Jones did not look twice, pointing to the spot immediately.
The penalty was United’s 12th of the season, a record in their league, but McCormack’s cautious effort was met by a fine reaction from Millwall goalkeeper David Forde who turned the ball onto a post with his left hand.
It was natural to ask what Luciano Becchio might have done but more pertinent to record that McCormack at present is in a small but undeniable rut. Within seconds, a cross from the forward struck the inside of the opposite post and bounced nicely for Danny Shittu to hack the ball clear.
Having missed the chance of the game at Blackburn Rovers seven days earlier and an open goal at Middlesbrough last month, McCormack fluffed another before the end of the first half when Luke Varney broke down the left wing and steered a cross between three defenders. McCormack struggled to dig the ball out from under his feet and his scuffed finish gave Forde time to collect it with both hands.
“We could have made it easier for ourselves,“ Warnock joked, “but we don’t, do we? Nobody seems to make it easy for me. The opportunities we’ve missed in the last six or seven games, it beggars belief.
“But I’m very pleased with the players and we seem to have a nice mix at the moment. Everybody’s playing for each other and playing good football when they can.
“It’s not easy against Millwall because they’re very well organised and difficult to play against. We needed an early goal.
“We missed the penalty which was a big blow and had a good chance just after that. It gave Millwall a little more confidence but I said at half-time ‘let’s step it up now’, like we did against Blackpool.”
United exerted more control but the first 20 minutes of the second half slipped by. Jackett liked the look of the game’s balance and made two changes, fielding strikers Nathan Tyson and Andy Keogh. Only a desperate sliding tackle prevented the former from converting the latter’s pass with his first touch on 67 minutes.
But four minutes later, as pressure grew around Millwall’s box, Alan Dunne took McCormack’s legs and Jones awarded a second penalty.
“I didn’t want Ross taking another one and I didn’t want to put him under that much pressure,” Warnock said. “Stephen (Warnock) has taken them before and he wanted it straight away.
“I was going to put El-Hadji Diouf on to take it but Stephen was adamant so I thought I’d keep Dioufy off – just so he didn’t go and have a fight with him.”
The younger Warnock, the left-back signed from Aston Villa in January, understood the situation and did not mess around, cracking his foot through the ball and stretching the net before Forde had time to dive.
With a lead to defend, United dithered only once when Dunne advanced onto Shittu’s header and nodded the ball against Byram’s arm.
Jones overlooked a clear penalty to Jackett’s lingering frustration but Warnock pleaded the Arsene Wenger defence, claiming to have been unsighted.
He was more concerned about the fitness of Luke Varney after Stephen Warnock’s tackle bizarrely sent his own player down the tunnel on stretcher five minutes into injury-time.
“Luke’s got ice packs on both legs from the knee downwards,” Warnock said. “There’s nothing broken or untoward, just a bit of swelling and blood which doesn’t hurt anyone. If they get the bruising down then he’ll want to play at Leicester.”
By Phil Hay
Neil Warnock claimed last week that the basic requirement for Leeds United was to emerge undefeated from a spate of three games in eight days.
What he really meant was beat Millwall and prepare the ground for a roll of the dice in Leicester and London.
Leeds will endure an early start to the summer if their results away from home continue to offset their uncanny knack of winning at Elland Road but tomorrow’s match at Leicester City and Saturday’s run-in with Crystal Palace are exacting enough without the handicap of points dropped against Millwall. Warnock rarely uses the phrase “must-win” but even he saw Millwall in those terms.
Three points presented themselves on Saturday by way of a cagey but eventful victory which cleared many hurdles: a first-half penalty missed by Ross McCormack, another shot against the woodwork, spells of the game in which Millwall ought to have scored and a late handball inside United’s box which referee Mike Jones spotted but ignored.
With the dust reluctant to settle, Stephen Warnock’s penalty on 71 minutes – smashed to one side of goalkeeper David Forde at a time in the contest when delicate finishes were uncalled for – forced an 11th home win and nudged Leeds a little closer towards the realm of 70 points, setting in motion a week which is beyond exaggeration. Something should give in the next five days, for better or worse. “We’ve got to get points from this week,” Warnock said.
Through choppy waters and internal squabbling, United’s manager has kept his hand in the round. Yet the club’s position, six points outside the top six, makes a poker-face worthless. “This game was all about getting three points,” Warnock admitted. “I said that to the lads beforehand.
“I don’t like talking about must-win games but it’s must-win when you’ve got Leicester and Palace away to come. We’d try to win those games anyway but it’s nice to be going into situations like that with another three points. Leicester and Palace don’t lose many at home and they’ll expect to beat us with the way the table is but these are dangerous games for them. We’ve got the right players to win if we hit the right vein.”
The home records of Leicester and Palace are marginally better than United’s. Cardiff City, the Championship’s leaders, are the only team to have won a league fixture at Elland Road since Watford in early November.
Kenny Jackett, Millwall’s quiet and considered boss, talked of “big opportunities” after full-time – a close-range sitter stabbed casually against a post by James Henry and shots from Martyn Woolford and Shane Lowry which left a briefly-unsettled defence unwounded. For all that, the match felt dormant until the 28th minute when certain players began losing their heads.
Woolford was first to crack, sliding in stupidly and catching Sam Byram’s ankle as the right-back changed feet inside the box. Referee Mike Jones did not look twice, pointing to the spot immediately.
The penalty was United’s 12th of the season, a record in their league, but McCormack’s cautious effort was met by a fine reaction from Millwall goalkeeper David Forde who turned the ball onto a post with his left hand.
It was natural to ask what Luciano Becchio might have done but more pertinent to record that McCormack at present is in a small but undeniable rut. Within seconds, a cross from the forward struck the inside of the opposite post and bounced nicely for Danny Shittu to hack the ball clear.
Having missed the chance of the game at Blackburn Rovers seven days earlier and an open goal at Middlesbrough last month, McCormack fluffed another before the end of the first half when Luke Varney broke down the left wing and steered a cross between three defenders. McCormack struggled to dig the ball out from under his feet and his scuffed finish gave Forde time to collect it with both hands.
“We could have made it easier for ourselves,“ Warnock joked, “but we don’t, do we? Nobody seems to make it easy for me. The opportunities we’ve missed in the last six or seven games, it beggars belief.
“But I’m very pleased with the players and we seem to have a nice mix at the moment. Everybody’s playing for each other and playing good football when they can.
“It’s not easy against Millwall because they’re very well organised and difficult to play against. We needed an early goal.
“We missed the penalty which was a big blow and had a good chance just after that. It gave Millwall a little more confidence but I said at half-time ‘let’s step it up now’, like we did against Blackpool.”
United exerted more control but the first 20 minutes of the second half slipped by. Jackett liked the look of the game’s balance and made two changes, fielding strikers Nathan Tyson and Andy Keogh. Only a desperate sliding tackle prevented the former from converting the latter’s pass with his first touch on 67 minutes.
But four minutes later, as pressure grew around Millwall’s box, Alan Dunne took McCormack’s legs and Jones awarded a second penalty.
“I didn’t want Ross taking another one and I didn’t want to put him under that much pressure,” Warnock said. “Stephen (Warnock) has taken them before and he wanted it straight away.
“I was going to put El-Hadji Diouf on to take it but Stephen was adamant so I thought I’d keep Dioufy off – just so he didn’t go and have a fight with him.”
The younger Warnock, the left-back signed from Aston Villa in January, understood the situation and did not mess around, cracking his foot through the ball and stretching the net before Forde had time to dive.
With a lead to defend, United dithered only once when Dunne advanced onto Shittu’s header and nodded the ball against Byram’s arm.
Jones overlooked a clear penalty to Jackett’s lingering frustration but Warnock pleaded the Arsene Wenger defence, claiming to have been unsighted.
He was more concerned about the fitness of Luke Varney after Stephen Warnock’s tackle bizarrely sent his own player down the tunnel on stretcher five minutes into injury-time.
“Luke’s got ice packs on both legs from the knee downwards,” Warnock said. “There’s nothing broken or untoward, just a bit of swelling and blood which doesn’t hurt anyone. If they get the bruising down then he’ll want to play at Leicester.”