You’ve not seen the best of me - Varney
YEP 25/7/13
After successfully reverting back to a striking role at Stevenage, Luke Varney has targeted a big season. Phil Hay reports.
There can be few more enthusiastic members of Luke Varney’s army than his manager, Brian McDermott.
Only twice has McDermott felt the wolves at Leeds United’s door and on both occasions he was indebted to Varney for seeing them off.
The forward’s hat-trick at Stevenage on Tuesday was less significant than the two headers which ended fears of relegation during McDermott’s first game in charge last season but it mattered nonetheless. McDermott, after all, described Saturday’s loss to Walsall as his “worst day as manager” of Leeds. The friendly at Stevenage was one he wanted to win.
Victory was slipping away until, with half-an-hour of a goalless contest left to play, he summoned Rodolph Austin and Ross McCormack from the bench and allowed Varney to drift into a lone position up front. Varney buried a header on 71 minutes, scored again in the 75th minute and sealed his hat-trick with a penalty 10 minutes from the end. McCormack – United’s allotted penalty-taker – graciously gave him the honour.
For all the difficulty of his first year at Elland Road, Varney has a tendency to throw in these flashes of inspiration. His early goal was the catalyst for a rousing FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in January and his brace against Sheffield Wednesday on April 13 earned a crucial victory on a day when relegation was threatening to bite. Lose this, McDermott thought at the time, and Leeds would be in trouble.
The common theme in all three matches – Spurs, Wednesday and Stevenage away – was the decision to field Varney as a striker. The 30-year-old’s ability and contribution divides opinion and he was a maligned presence at Leeds last season but, obvious as it sounds, using Varney in his most comfortable position has repeatedly maximised the return.
Varney thinks of himself as a striker and came to United with the expectation of playing there. When he figured under Neil Warnock, the manager who signed him from Portsmouth for £200,000, he operated most often as a winger and found the crowd hard to please. As an out-and-out forward, he believes he has far more to offer.
His hat-trick against Stevenage was his first since he scored three times for Crewe Alexandra at Chesterfield in 2007. The goals were also his first of the summer.
“Sometimes you like to make your mark early in pre-season to feel good about yourself,” Varney said. “As you get more experienced, you realise that pre-season’s more about the work you do and I got some good work in when we were on tour in Slovenia but I didn’t feel sharp enough around the goal.
“That can start playing on your mind but I got a couple of chances against Walsall on Saturday and I’ve started to feel better gradually. I had a good training session on Monday and I’m pleased that the goals have come to the fore now.
“I played out wide a lot under Neil Warnock and I didn’t have a problem with that. I quite enjoyed it. But I’m a striker really and getting the chance to play up front was what I wanted. Once Luciano Becchio left (in January) it created a bit of a void and it gave me a chance to play up top. The new manager let me loose and I thrived on the opportunity. I don’t think the people have seen the best of me here and putting on a bit of a show like I did at Stevenage is much more like it. I feel like I’ve moved on from the difficult times and I want to hit my peak this season.”
The difficult times for Varney were the pre-Christmas months in which nothing went right. He failed to score a single league goal and was substituted in a game at Cardiff City in September having come off the bench himself. A bizarre miss from a yard out in a League Cup win over Southampton said it all. Yet again in that fixture, Varney’s selection as a striker led to a better performance, from him and the team behind him. Leeds won 3-0 and won at a canter. He was well aware of criticism coming his way and resolved only to persevere in the hope that nights like Tuesday would come eventually.
“I never gave up and I never felt like giving up,” Varney said. “The dressing room’s always been fantastic with me. “Things can get difficult on the outside but if you don’t have that support on the inside then you’re in trouble. Fortunately, it’s been there when I needed it.
“I had a difficult start and maybe I let that get to me a bit. I was frustrated but only because I’d come to Leeds to do well. In your head you imagine signing for a club, settling in quickly and getting going early doors. It’s annoying when it doesn’t quite go to plan.
“All I want now is to build on the back end of last season. I enjoyed my football from Christmas onwards and I think I’m on the up. If I can keep creating chances, score a few goals and keep the fans onside then hopefully I’ll be a major part of what’s happening here.”
McDermott admitted after Tuesday’s 3-0 win that Varney is the essence of a confidence player; a striker who benefits from encouragement. “That can make a big difference to someone like him,” McDermott said after Varney left the field to a standing ovation. “Leeds United – and Elland Road especially – can be a daunting place to play,” Varney said. “A few lads will be making their debuts there on Saturday and I’ll be doing what I can to help them through.
“But if you switch that around it can be a fantastic atmosphere and great environment to be in. You saw that during the Sheffield Wednesday game last season. When things turned around, the mood was unbelievable. It’s such an advantage. All the fans want from us is good performances. They’re clever and they know you’re not going to win every game but they do expect you to play well. I still maintain that we’ve got enough in the dressing room to compete in this league, to put on good shows and to keep the fans happy. We just need to show it more often.”
This weekend’s friendly at home to German Bundesliga side Nuremberg is the time to show it. The final game of pre-season will be McDermott’s last chance to settle the debate in his head about what his line-up should be for United’s Championship opener against Brighton.
“You’d like to play at least one game together before the Brighton game,” Varney said. “Saturday could be a dress rehearsal and a lot of lads will want to play. If you start in that game then you’ve got to stamp your authority and hope to stay in the team against Brighton.
“But we’re all really close here. I’ve been at clubs where the players are a bit tentative – worrying about who’s going to play and not really wanting to get too close to one another – but this is different. If players go into the team ahead of me against Brighton then they’ll get my full support. I’m expecting the same support if I get the nod.”
After successfully reverting back to a striking role at Stevenage, Luke Varney has targeted a big season. Phil Hay reports.
There can be few more enthusiastic members of Luke Varney’s army than his manager, Brian McDermott.
Only twice has McDermott felt the wolves at Leeds United’s door and on both occasions he was indebted to Varney for seeing them off.
The forward’s hat-trick at Stevenage on Tuesday was less significant than the two headers which ended fears of relegation during McDermott’s first game in charge last season but it mattered nonetheless. McDermott, after all, described Saturday’s loss to Walsall as his “worst day as manager” of Leeds. The friendly at Stevenage was one he wanted to win.
Victory was slipping away until, with half-an-hour of a goalless contest left to play, he summoned Rodolph Austin and Ross McCormack from the bench and allowed Varney to drift into a lone position up front. Varney buried a header on 71 minutes, scored again in the 75th minute and sealed his hat-trick with a penalty 10 minutes from the end. McCormack – United’s allotted penalty-taker – graciously gave him the honour.
For all the difficulty of his first year at Elland Road, Varney has a tendency to throw in these flashes of inspiration. His early goal was the catalyst for a rousing FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur in January and his brace against Sheffield Wednesday on April 13 earned a crucial victory on a day when relegation was threatening to bite. Lose this, McDermott thought at the time, and Leeds would be in trouble.
The common theme in all three matches – Spurs, Wednesday and Stevenage away – was the decision to field Varney as a striker. The 30-year-old’s ability and contribution divides opinion and he was a maligned presence at Leeds last season but, obvious as it sounds, using Varney in his most comfortable position has repeatedly maximised the return.
Varney thinks of himself as a striker and came to United with the expectation of playing there. When he figured under Neil Warnock, the manager who signed him from Portsmouth for £200,000, he operated most often as a winger and found the crowd hard to please. As an out-and-out forward, he believes he has far more to offer.
His hat-trick against Stevenage was his first since he scored three times for Crewe Alexandra at Chesterfield in 2007. The goals were also his first of the summer.
“Sometimes you like to make your mark early in pre-season to feel good about yourself,” Varney said. “As you get more experienced, you realise that pre-season’s more about the work you do and I got some good work in when we were on tour in Slovenia but I didn’t feel sharp enough around the goal.
“That can start playing on your mind but I got a couple of chances against Walsall on Saturday and I’ve started to feel better gradually. I had a good training session on Monday and I’m pleased that the goals have come to the fore now.
“I played out wide a lot under Neil Warnock and I didn’t have a problem with that. I quite enjoyed it. But I’m a striker really and getting the chance to play up front was what I wanted. Once Luciano Becchio left (in January) it created a bit of a void and it gave me a chance to play up top. The new manager let me loose and I thrived on the opportunity. I don’t think the people have seen the best of me here and putting on a bit of a show like I did at Stevenage is much more like it. I feel like I’ve moved on from the difficult times and I want to hit my peak this season.”
The difficult times for Varney were the pre-Christmas months in which nothing went right. He failed to score a single league goal and was substituted in a game at Cardiff City in September having come off the bench himself. A bizarre miss from a yard out in a League Cup win over Southampton said it all. Yet again in that fixture, Varney’s selection as a striker led to a better performance, from him and the team behind him. Leeds won 3-0 and won at a canter. He was well aware of criticism coming his way and resolved only to persevere in the hope that nights like Tuesday would come eventually.
“I never gave up and I never felt like giving up,” Varney said. “The dressing room’s always been fantastic with me. “Things can get difficult on the outside but if you don’t have that support on the inside then you’re in trouble. Fortunately, it’s been there when I needed it.
“I had a difficult start and maybe I let that get to me a bit. I was frustrated but only because I’d come to Leeds to do well. In your head you imagine signing for a club, settling in quickly and getting going early doors. It’s annoying when it doesn’t quite go to plan.
“All I want now is to build on the back end of last season. I enjoyed my football from Christmas onwards and I think I’m on the up. If I can keep creating chances, score a few goals and keep the fans onside then hopefully I’ll be a major part of what’s happening here.”
McDermott admitted after Tuesday’s 3-0 win that Varney is the essence of a confidence player; a striker who benefits from encouragement. “That can make a big difference to someone like him,” McDermott said after Varney left the field to a standing ovation. “Leeds United – and Elland Road especially – can be a daunting place to play,” Varney said. “A few lads will be making their debuts there on Saturday and I’ll be doing what I can to help them through.
“But if you switch that around it can be a fantastic atmosphere and great environment to be in. You saw that during the Sheffield Wednesday game last season. When things turned around, the mood was unbelievable. It’s such an advantage. All the fans want from us is good performances. They’re clever and they know you’re not going to win every game but they do expect you to play well. I still maintain that we’ve got enough in the dressing room to compete in this league, to put on good shows and to keep the fans happy. We just need to show it more often.”
This weekend’s friendly at home to German Bundesliga side Nuremberg is the time to show it. The final game of pre-season will be McDermott’s last chance to settle the debate in his head about what his line-up should be for United’s Championship opener against Brighton.
“You’d like to play at least one game together before the Brighton game,” Varney said. “Saturday could be a dress rehearsal and a lot of lads will want to play. If you start in that game then you’ve got to stamp your authority and hope to stay in the team against Brighton.
“But we’re all really close here. I’ve been at clubs where the players are a bit tentative – worrying about who’s going to play and not really wanting to get too close to one another – but this is different. If players go into the team ahead of me against Brighton then they’ll get my full support. I’m expecting the same support if I get the nod.”