Defiant McCormack expects positive result
Yorkshire Post 15/3/14
TWO wins in 15 games and nine goals conceded in the last 180 minutes on home soil.
Statistics can, according to Mark Twain, be twisted to suit most arguments but there is little doubt that Leeds United’s season is in the doldrums.
A visit to Burnley, who have suffered just three defeats all season and are seemingly on course for automatic promotion, hardly appears, therefore, the ideal game for a side as beleaguered as Leeds right now.
But that is what the fixture computer has thrown up and captain Ross McCormack insists that a trip to Turf Moor might be just the tonic that United need.
The Scot said: “Despite the defeats people seem upbeat in terms of wanting to put things right. We are fortunate in this game that we have got a game every three days and a quick chance (to put things right).
“Burnley away is probably the perfect game after two heavy defeats. Everyone is expecting us to get beat by two, three or four. But that is not going to happen. We will get a positive result.”
McCormack’s confidence is admirable. It is also, on the evidence of the 5-1 defeat to Bolton and the 4-2 loss against Reading, misplaced.
Certainly, if Leeds defend like they did in both home games during the past week then the Clarets, even if Danny Ings fails his fitness test, will run amok.
The two losses followed a similar theme with a 1-0 half-time deficit giving way to a collapse in the early exchanges of the second half. The only difference was that Leeds made a game of it against Reading on Tuesday by pulling two goals back just after the hour.
McCormack said: “The way we conceded those goals straight after half-time is not acceptable and it shouldn’t happen.
“Everyone hears what the fans say. You know there are a couple of opinions. For me, 1-0 down at half-time when they’re booing you off the pitch, I don’t think that’s the answer.
“But at 4-0 down after an hour, they’ve got every right to vent their frustration.
“I was a fan. I grew up and heard my dad shouting the odds at a certain team in Scotland (Celtic) when they weren’t pulling their weight. And I think the fans have got every right at 2-0, 3-0 down at home. That shouldn’t happen at Elland Road, no way.
“But we need the fans. You saw the other night, with 65 minutes gone we pulled it back to 4-2. The noise in the stadium was incredible. It lifted the whole team and it shows what the fans are capable of. I hope we can have that going forward.”
TWO wins in 15 games and nine goals conceded in the last 180 minutes on home soil.
Statistics can, according to Mark Twain, be twisted to suit most arguments but there is little doubt that Leeds United’s season is in the doldrums.
A visit to Burnley, who have suffered just three defeats all season and are seemingly on course for automatic promotion, hardly appears, therefore, the ideal game for a side as beleaguered as Leeds right now.
But that is what the fixture computer has thrown up and captain Ross McCormack insists that a trip to Turf Moor might be just the tonic that United need.
The Scot said: “Despite the defeats people seem upbeat in terms of wanting to put things right. We are fortunate in this game that we have got a game every three days and a quick chance (to put things right).
“Burnley away is probably the perfect game after two heavy defeats. Everyone is expecting us to get beat by two, three or four. But that is not going to happen. We will get a positive result.”
McCormack’s confidence is admirable. It is also, on the evidence of the 5-1 defeat to Bolton and the 4-2 loss against Reading, misplaced.
Certainly, if Leeds defend like they did in both home games during the past week then the Clarets, even if Danny Ings fails his fitness test, will run amok.
The two losses followed a similar theme with a 1-0 half-time deficit giving way to a collapse in the early exchanges of the second half. The only difference was that Leeds made a game of it against Reading on Tuesday by pulling two goals back just after the hour.
McCormack said: “The way we conceded those goals straight after half-time is not acceptable and it shouldn’t happen.
“Everyone hears what the fans say. You know there are a couple of opinions. For me, 1-0 down at half-time when they’re booing you off the pitch, I don’t think that’s the answer.
“But at 4-0 down after an hour, they’ve got every right to vent their frustration.
“I was a fan. I grew up and heard my dad shouting the odds at a certain team in Scotland (Celtic) when they weren’t pulling their weight. And I think the fans have got every right at 2-0, 3-0 down at home. That shouldn’t happen at Elland Road, no way.
“But we need the fans. You saw the other night, with 65 minutes gone we pulled it back to 4-2. The noise in the stadium was incredible. It lifted the whole team and it shows what the fans are capable of. I hope we can have that going forward.”