Leeds 4 Birmingham 0: Blistering first-half sees McDermott's men smash sorry Blues
Mail 20/10/13
By John Edwards
Leeds manager Brian McDermott admitted he may finally have hit on a winning formula after his side raced to their biggest league win in two years at Elland Road on Sunday.
McDermott used Sam Byram and Stephen Warnock as wing backs in a five-man midfield which completely outplayed Birmingham.
‘It has been a case of trying to find the right way of getting the best out of these players and I think we may have found it,’ said McDermott. ‘I wanted some width, because my teams always have that. If you haven’t got wingers, you need to come up with another way and that’s what we did.’
In contrast, Birmingham manager Lee Clark blasted his players after a first-half defensive shambles cost his side three goals. Clark withdrew centre back Dan Burn and striker Lee Novak at half-time.
But it could not prevent Matt Smith putting the gloss on an emphatic Leeds performance with a 74th-minute header.
‘I don’t do excuses, I do reality, and the fact is that wasn’t good enough,’ said Clark. ‘I never tell anyone what is said in the dressing room, but that was unacceptable to the badge on the front of the jersey.
‘We didn’t do anything right in the first half. Our defending was very poor, our passing very average and our attacking play very average. It was an extremely frustrating afternoon, and we got what we deserved.
‘Dan has been brilliant for us, but he is a young boy of 19, just one year older than my son.
That’s what we are dealing with. He had an indifferent afternoon, like any young player is liable to have.’
As well as saluting his players McDermott praised the club’s owners, GFH Capital, for turning down a £2million offer from Middlesbrough for Ross McCormack shortly before the transfer window shut.
McCormack signed a new four-year deal, instead, and the long-term benefits of resisting Middlesbrough’s overtures were plain to see as he orchestrated the first-half destruction of hapless Birmingham.
He fired into an empty net after keeper Darren Randolph dashed from his line to clear from Smith in the 18th minute, and he provided the left-wing cross for skipper Rodolph Austin to head home from close range in the 33rd minute.
Finally, on the stroke of half-time, Birmingham were out of contention after Randolph could only block McCormack’s shot into the path of Smith for a routine finish.
Birmingham perked up in the second half, doubtless due to a stream of Geordie invective from an incandescent Clark. They could count themselves unlucky in the 63rd minute when Chris Burke’s chip floated over Paddy Kenny and was dropping into the far corner until Tom Lees appeared from nowhere to head off the line.
David Murphy hit the post with a 68th-minute free-kick, and Burke was denied by a goal-line clearance, this time from Byram, as Birmingham sought to claw back some self-esteem.
As Clark conceded, though, the damage had already been done. It got worse on 74 minutes as Smith headed home an Austin cross, just moments after being thwarted by a Randolph wonder save.
‘We were offered decent money for McCormack, but the board backed me on that,’ said McDermott. ‘Ross wanted to stay too, and was excellent today.
‘He showed real pace and intelligence and formed a really good partnership with Matt Smith, which can only be positive.
With Byram and Warnock tearing down the flanks, Leeds could easily have been even more in credit.
As former Leeds great Mick Jones observed as he filed past the press box at the final whistle: ‘Summat to write about, eh, lads.’
You said it, Mick.
By John Edwards
Leeds manager Brian McDermott admitted he may finally have hit on a winning formula after his side raced to their biggest league win in two years at Elland Road on Sunday.
McDermott used Sam Byram and Stephen Warnock as wing backs in a five-man midfield which completely outplayed Birmingham.
‘It has been a case of trying to find the right way of getting the best out of these players and I think we may have found it,’ said McDermott. ‘I wanted some width, because my teams always have that. If you haven’t got wingers, you need to come up with another way and that’s what we did.’
In contrast, Birmingham manager Lee Clark blasted his players after a first-half defensive shambles cost his side three goals. Clark withdrew centre back Dan Burn and striker Lee Novak at half-time.
But it could not prevent Matt Smith putting the gloss on an emphatic Leeds performance with a 74th-minute header.
‘I don’t do excuses, I do reality, and the fact is that wasn’t good enough,’ said Clark. ‘I never tell anyone what is said in the dressing room, but that was unacceptable to the badge on the front of the jersey.
‘We didn’t do anything right in the first half. Our defending was very poor, our passing very average and our attacking play very average. It was an extremely frustrating afternoon, and we got what we deserved.
‘Dan has been brilliant for us, but he is a young boy of 19, just one year older than my son.
That’s what we are dealing with. He had an indifferent afternoon, like any young player is liable to have.’
As well as saluting his players McDermott praised the club’s owners, GFH Capital, for turning down a £2million offer from Middlesbrough for Ross McCormack shortly before the transfer window shut.
McCormack signed a new four-year deal, instead, and the long-term benefits of resisting Middlesbrough’s overtures were plain to see as he orchestrated the first-half destruction of hapless Birmingham.
He fired into an empty net after keeper Darren Randolph dashed from his line to clear from Smith in the 18th minute, and he provided the left-wing cross for skipper Rodolph Austin to head home from close range in the 33rd minute.
Finally, on the stroke of half-time, Birmingham were out of contention after Randolph could only block McCormack’s shot into the path of Smith for a routine finish.
Birmingham perked up in the second half, doubtless due to a stream of Geordie invective from an incandescent Clark. They could count themselves unlucky in the 63rd minute when Chris Burke’s chip floated over Paddy Kenny and was dropping into the far corner until Tom Lees appeared from nowhere to head off the line.
David Murphy hit the post with a 68th-minute free-kick, and Burke was denied by a goal-line clearance, this time from Byram, as Birmingham sought to claw back some self-esteem.
As Clark conceded, though, the damage had already been done. It got worse on 74 minutes as Smith headed home an Austin cross, just moments after being thwarted by a Randolph wonder save.
‘We were offered decent money for McCormack, but the board backed me on that,’ said McDermott. ‘Ross wanted to stay too, and was excellent today.
‘He showed real pace and intelligence and formed a really good partnership with Matt Smith, which can only be positive.
With Byram and Warnock tearing down the flanks, Leeds could easily have been even more in credit.
As former Leeds great Mick Jones observed as he filed past the press box at the final whistle: ‘Summat to write about, eh, lads.’
You said it, Mick.