Mighty Leeds Weblog

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/2/15 by Phil Hay Sol Bamba played down the prospect of a late promotion bid from Leeds United in the aftermath of Saturday’s 1-0 win over Middlesbrough but said he was determined to remain at Elland Road and front the club’s charge next season. The centre-back claimed it was “too soon” to talk about a pursuit of the top six, despite Leeds registering their fifth victory in six league games, but he admitted that the club’s impressive form was increasing his interest in a permanent transfer to Yorkshire. An early goal from midfielder Alex Mowatt earned United a hard-earned win at The Riverside and knocked Middlesbrough off the top of the Championship, despite Aitor Karanka’s side dominating a pulsating match. Leeds have taken 15 points from a possible 18 during a spectacular turnaround since the start of January, drawing a line under the threat of relegation and focusing their attention on the top end of the division. The club are 11th in the table after S...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/2/15 by Phil Hay Much more of this and talk of the play-offs will start to gain some traction at Elland Road. Time ticks on and from nowhere, Leeds United are in the improbable position of wishing the season was 10 games younger. There was a stage very recently where the club were anxious to see the back of it; desperate to come through the other side of a campaign which was trying its best to relegate them. Against their own expectations, they are eating through the Championship and eating through some fancied clubs. Middlesbrough came under their spell on Saturday, beaten 1-0 at The Riverside. The victory required some frantic bailing of water and stoic resistance to the kitchen sink but at full-time it was hard not to think that in the weeks around Christmas, at the height of their festive depression, Leeds would have lost this game and lost it by a street. “The lads have a successful team feel about them,” a glowing Neil Redfearn said. As a way of defi...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/2/15 IF LEEDS UNITED had to cherry-pick a prefered away destination, then a trip to Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium would figure close to the top of the list. With just one loss in 13 outings since Boro’s stadium by the River Tees opened in August 1995, treks up the A1 have, more often than not, been thoroughly pleasing ones for the United hordes. Saturday’s 1-0 victory at the Riverside may have shredded the nerves of the 2,690 visiting fans in attendance and many more United followers watching the televised action unfold, but given the elation and ecstatic scenes at the final whistle, it was worth the pain. Here’s five observations from United’s fifth win in their last six matches. 1: Sol Bamba is looking different class. After joining Leeds, the word from the Leicester press, with the Foxes being his previous club in English football, was that Bamba was an affable character and decent enough defender, but one who ‘took risks’ at times. A footballing...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/2/15 LEEDS UNITED head coach Neil Redfearn saluted an outstanding performance from his Whites side after a famous 1-0 victory at title-chasing Middlesbrough. United, who went ahead in the third minute following Alex Mowatt’s sixth goal of the season, withstood everything that Boro threw at them to claim their fifth win in their past six outings as their blossoming New Year renaissance continued. It helped Leeds record a third successive win away from home in the league for the first time since November 2011 on a remarkable afternoon for Redfearn’s side, who became the first visiting team to win at the Riverside Stadium since the end of August. On his side’s showing, a delighted Redfearn said: “It was an outstanding performance and I think that was down to the work-rate, diligence and organisation. “I also felt we played some great football in between and if you at it, on the face of it, we could have had two or three more goals with the chances we made. ...

Guardian 21/2/15 Aitor Karanka urged Middlesbrough to bounce back immediately after a 1-0 home defeat by Leeds United hurt their Championship title hopes. Alex Mowatt’s third-minute goal meant Boro, who started Saturday’s early kick-off one point clear at the top of the table, slumped to a first home defeat since August. While frustrated that his side failed to take any points from a game they dominated, Karanka knows his men have a chance to make amends when Bolton Wanderers visit the Riverside Stadium on Tuesday night. “Today is the kind of day you cannot explain,” he said. “We are frustrated because we have done everything to win this game and we haven’t won it. I can’t say anything bad about my players because they have done their best. We now have to think about Tuesday, against Bolton. “I thought the performance was very good. I don’t know how many chances we had. However, we have an important game on Tuesday. “The best thing is to play again on Tuesday, especially at home. ...

Yorkshire Post 21/2/14 by Leon Wobschall AN EARLY strike from Alex Mowatt secured a remarkable smash-and-grab victory for Leeds United, who withstood everything that promotion-chasing Middlesbrough could throw at them to claim a famous 1-0 win. Mowatt was on hand to fire home just three minutes into a pulsating content, with Leeds somehow managing to hold onto that advantage for the rest of the encounter and claim their first double over Boro since 1989-90. Some truly heroic defending continually denied Boro, unbeaten in their previous 12 home matches and seeking a sixth successive Riverside success. When the back four was breached, Boro found a competent last line of defence in Marco Silvestri, who thwarted the hosts at several key junctures. Mowatt’s sixth goal of the campaign helped Leeds become the first side to triumph at the Riverside since Reading won by an identical single-goal margin on August 30. The win also extended Leeds’ excellent sequence at the Riverside, where t...

Here is the City 19/2/15 Mathew Nash One of Leeds United's winter signings has certainly caused a buzz, with Ivorian Sol Bamba in terrific form since his arrival. The former Leicester City man arrived with Palermo team-mate Granddi Ngoyi at the Yorkshire club and slotted straight into the first-team at Elland Road. With impressive Championship experience from his time at Leicester, it is perhaps no surprise to see him doing so well at his new club. In fact, he is doing so well that he was even handed the captaincy for a recent win at Reading. Bamba has played in four games for Leeds this season. Victories against Huddersfield United, Reading and Millwall as well as an unlucky defeat against promotion-chasing Brentford at Elland Road. Considering however, the fact Bamba had only played one game for Palermo this season and therefore seriously lacked match fitness upon his Leeds arrival, his form since joining the club has been tremendous. So tremendous in fact that reports cla...

LEEDS United’s former technical director has lost his High Court damages claim over his dismissal for sending an email containing “obscene” images of naked women in the shower. Gwyn Williams, 66, who was summarily dismissed for gross misconduct in July 2013, was seeking up to £250,000 in compensation for breach of contract. Mr Williams claimed the email he sent to ex-Chelsea colleague Dennis Wise, Gus Poyet - now head coach of Sunderland - and Carol Lamb, a receptionist at the club, in 2008, was part of a “dirty Leeds” joke, referring to the club’s reputation for heavy tackling in the 1970s. But dismissing his case today, Mr Justice Lewis of the Queen’s Bench Division said sending the “obscene and pornographic e-mails” was “a sufficiently serious breach of the duty of implied trust and confidence as to amount to a repudiation of the contract”. He said: “The Club was entitled to rely upon that conduct as justifying the summary dismissal of the Claimant on 30 July 2013. The claim is ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 19/2/15 by Phil Hay Talented teenager Lewis Walters is tantalisingly close to making his Leeds United first-team debut after recovering from injury on the back of a six-month rehabilitation programme. Phil Hay reports. Lewis Walters knows that in this climate and with this head coach he’d have made his Leeds United debut by now. He would have made it, were it not for the injury in July that set his development back six months. The 19-year-old was as involved in the club’s pre-season friendlies as his contemporary, Lewis Cook, but the difference between them was that Cook made it through the summer unscathed. Walters had one leg in a cast as the Championship term got underway. He remembers the incident leading to his injury as wholly innocuous. Walters was 25 minutes into a 2-0 defeat at Mansfield Town when he tweaked his knee and called for treatment. In the absence of any severe pain he played on for a few minutes before collapsing in Mansfield’s box af...

Yorkshire Evening Post 18/2/15 by Phil Hay The “consistent evidence” put forward by Giuseppe Bellusci led an FA disciplinary commission to clear the Leeds United defender of racially abusing Cameron Jerome, according to the panel’s written judgement. In a document published by the Football Association this morning, the three-man commission outlined their reasons for rejecting allegations that Bellusci aimed a racial slur at Jerome during a Championship game between Leeds and Norwich City at Carrow Road in October. A misconduct charge brought against Bellusci by the FA was dismissed on February 6, almost three months after the alleged incident occurred, but today’s publication has explained in detail the claim made by Jerome and the crux of Bellusci’s defence. The 25-year-old Italian was accused of calling Jerome a “negro”, a charge which would have landed Bellusci with a minimum five-game ban if the FA’s commission had found him guilty. Bellusci was also alleged to have made an ‘...

leedsunited.com 18/2/15 Assistant head coach Steve Thompson says "confidence is high" within the squad but insists there will be no room for complacency despite impressive recent results. Thompson, who joined Neil Redfearn’s backroom staff midway through December, has helped oversee a dramatic turn in form which has seen United climb to 12th in the Championship table following four wins from five. "The confidence is high after some good wins," said Thompson. "We’re under no illusions that we’re on a good run but we won’t change. "We’ve got to make sure that we don’t slip back down there, we’ve got to be looking forward. "We’re playing quite well at the moment and we’re creating chances, we’ve just got to make sure that we’re killing teams off. "There’s a good atmosphere around the place and a good work ethic. "The team is gradually gelling together and it’s a start for us." Thompson’s impact since arriving at Thorp Arch from Hud...

Yorkshire Evening Post 18/2/15 Academy products Sam Byram, Lewis Cook, Charlie Taylor and Alex Mowatt have become the backbone of the Leeds first-team but predators could still take advantage of their contract situations. Phil Hay reports. There’s a photograph doing the rounds on Twitter of the moments after Alex Mowatt’s winning goal against Millwall. It shows the midfielder sliding in front of the Elland Road crowd with Sam Byram, Lewis Cook and Charlie Taylor running in behind him; the academy frozen in time. At certain clubs those four players would make up one third of a development-squad line-up but at Leeds United they have become the spine of the first team. In the remainder of a season which is suddenly stable and in control, attention will turn to the job of keeping that spine intact. United’s forward-planning does not stop with the playing squad – at some stage in the near future, the club must decide if head coach Neil Redfearn has earned himself a second season – but t...

by Phil Hay Leeds United number two Steve Thompson believes the club would be wrong to think they are safe from relegation – but says the play-offs should not be seen as an impossibility either. Neil Redfearn’s assistant wants Leeds to show “no complacency” after surging away from the bottom end of the Championship last week but previous promotion bids during his time as coach at Blackpool have made Thompson reluctant to give up on a top-six finish. United are 15 points adrift of the play-offs with 15 games to go and more attention is being given to the small margin between Redfearn’s squad and the relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s visit to Championship leaders Middlesbrough. Leeds climbed eight places to 12th last week with wins over Reading and Millwall. Rotherham United manager Steve Evans, however, warned Redfearn on Monday that his team were still at risk of the drop. “I keep hearing that they’re mid-table but it goes all the way up to inside the top half,” Evans said. “I ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 17/2/15 Neil Redfearn gave several fringe members of his senior squad a run-out as a development league game between Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday ended goalless this afternoon. Adryan, Casper Sloth and new signing Edgar Cani were included in a highly-experienced Under-21 line-up at Elland Road. All three players were looking to catch Redfearn’s eye ahead of Saturday’s Championship match at Middlesbrough but a tight contest failed to yield any goals. Brian Montenegro and Dario Del Fabro - both of whom are into the second half of year-long loans at Leeds - also started against the joint league leaders. A fast-paced but uneventful first half produced only three chances of note, the first falling to United forward Lewis Walters. The 19-year-old - returning from major knee surgery - drew a parry from Wednesday goalkeeper Cameron Dawson with a rising shot from the edge of the box. But the visitors went closer on 33 minutes when Paul Corry’s sweetly-struck...

Yorkshire Evening Post 16/2/15 RISING star Charlie Taylor says there’s “no limits” to the potential of Leeds United’s exciting class of 2015. The defender has backed the Whites to make a last-gasp Championship play-offs push between now and May – and either way believes Leeds could be good enough for promotion next term. Taylor, 21, is the latest Whites Academy graduate to become a first team regular with the left-back joining 18-year-old Lewis Cook, 20-year-old Alex Mowatt and 21-year-old Sam Byram in helping United to 14 points out of a possible 21 since the turn of the year. Improving Leeds have zoomed from 20th to 12th in table and regardless of how this season concludes, Taylor feels United now have the raw talent to become a Premier League force again by 2016. Taylor told the YEP: “It might be a tough ask now this season but I can’t see no reason why we can’t do it next season. Things are very exciting here. “You can see the potential in Cooky and Sam and Alex and if we can ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 16/2/15 Alex Mowatt marked the end of his teens with a match-winning strike against Millwall and then focused his attention on taking Leeds United as close to the Championship’s top six as possible. The midfielder turned 20 on Friday and put the gloss on his weekend 24 hours later, dispatching a deflected free-kick to inflict a 1-0 defeat on Millwall and carry Leeds into the top half of the division. United were languishing in 20th position a week ago but successive victories over Reading and Ian Holloway’s Millwall raised the club to 12th at full-time on Saturday. An eight-point gap between Leeds and the bottom three has eased fears of relegation to League One and a mammoth gap of 15 points to the play-offs is likely to limit United’s target to a top-half finish. But Mowatt said: “You never know and that’s this league. “If you get a good run of games going then you see how high you can climb up. A couple of weeks ago people were saying relegation and things...

Yorkshire Evening Post 15/2/15 by Phil Hay Neil Redfearn said Steve Morison would continue to receive his full support after the striker was again denied his first goal of the season in Leeds United’s 1-0 win over Millwall. Redfearn vowed to be “tough” in his backing of Morison and talked up another committed display from the forward as United moved into the top half of the Championship with a fourth win in five games. A first-half free-kick from Alex Mowatt gave Leeds the honour from a key relegation battle at Elland Road on Saturday, establishing an eight-point cushion between United and the league’s bottom three. Morison has been a permanent fixture in Redfearn’s line-up during a resurgent spell and Leeds have lost just once since the 31-year-old was recalled for a 1-1 draw away at Bolton Wanderers on January 10. The ex-Millwall striker has gone 13 games without a goal, however, and he failed to open his account at the weekend as chances in each half were dealt with by quick r...

Yorkshire Evening Post 14/2/15 HEAD coach Neil Redfearn praised the newfound steeliness of Leeds United as the Whites moved eight points clear of the Championship dropzone with a 1-0 defeat of Millwall at Elland Road. Redfearn has previously lamented a weakness in the Whites that he described as “milky” but United dug deep to move into the division’s top half with their third win in four games. Leeds now sit 12th in the table thanks to Alex Mowatt’s first half winner and Redfearn insisted: “There’s nothing milky about us now. “We’re tough and we’re tough to play against and we’ve got a resoluteness about us that’s in keeping with this football club. “The supporters expect that - it’s a given - and I think we are playing some good stuff as well. “If we’re all honest I think we deserved to win and I think if it had been 3-0 at half-time I don’t think anyone would have argued with that. “It ended up tougher than what it should have been. In the first half we were outstanding and I ...

leedsunited.com 14/2/15 Neil Redfearn was delighted with his side’s resilience following the 1-0 win over Millwall – a game in which the head coach admitted United needed to "scrap it out" to secure the three points. Alex Mowatt’s first-half free-kick proved to be the difference at Elland Road, despite a number of nervy moments in the second half as the visitors pressed for an equaliser. But the United defence held firm and could have added to the scoreline themselves as Scott Wootton, Sam Byram and Steve Morison all came close to making it two. "It was a tough game - we had to scrap it out in the end," said Redfearn. "I thought we were brilliant in the first half, I thought we murdered them but we didn’t put it away. "At 1-0, they had a chance but there’s a resilience about us now, you can see that – our goals against is gradually improving bit by bit. "We look like a tough Championship side to beat." United have now won four of the last...

Yorkshire Evening Post 14/2/15 LEEDS UNITED moved eight points clear of the Championship dropzone as Alex Mowatt’s first-half free-kick sunk third-bottom Millwall 1-0 as part of a nervy afternoon at Elland Road. United dominated the first half but were made to sweat in a tense, end to end second half in which Millwall’s Martyn Woolford - a January target for Leeds - blazed a golden chance to equalise over the bar. Whites head coach Neil Redfearn made one change to the side that triumphed 2-0 at Reading on Tuesday with Rudy Austin returning from illness to replace Tommaso Bianchi in midfield. Bianchi was taken off after half an hour against Reading after sustaining cruciate ligament damage to be replaced by Casper Sloth who impressed but Sloth remained on the bench, alongside Brazilian Adryan who was recalled. In keeping Steve Morison in a lone striker role, Redfearn opted for the 4-5-1 system that had been working so well away from home. But any concerns about United not being en...

Yorkshire Evening Post 14/2/15 The peculiarity of Luke Murphy’s £1m transfer fee is that it was seen as his problem. If anyone was going to carry that cross it was the player who Leeds United chose to court, chose to bid for and chose to sign. It never occurred, or not often enough, that in paying seven figures for a footballer and writing him off after 12 months, the cost and the joke would be on the club. The Premier League does not get out of bed for £1m – the Premier League gets out of bed for £5.1bn – but it is real money to Leeds, the sort of fee they rarely cough up. Murphy represents one of football’s truisms: that a player is worth what a club values him at. It was his decision to join Leeds at a time when Blackburn Rovers wanted him but not his decision to set the price or to stretch either team to a certain sum. No doubt GFH liked the headlines (“a £1m deal”, this loan should cover it) but Leeds evidently thought he was worth it. The guilt here is not Murphy’s. That sai...

by Phil Hay The long-time parent company of Leeds United is fighting to reverse a winding-up order issued against it by the High Court this week. A judge in London ordered Leeds City Holdings Limited to be liquidated on Monday over a debt claimed by former club solicitor Mark Taylor. Taylor - a lawyer who acted on United’s behalf during much of Ken Bates’ time as chairman - sought payment of £45,000 for work carried out in December 2012, the same month that Bates sold Leeds to Gulf Finance House. A winding-up petition was served on Leeds City Holdings before Christmas and a receiver has been appointed to liquidate the firm following Monday’s court hearing, a hearing which officials from United failed to attend. Speaking today, however, club chairman Andrew Umbers said attempts would be made to overturn that ruling. Umbers said: “The debt is a solicitor’s bill which is incapable of founding a winding-up order. LCH is now taking the appropriate action.” Leeds City Holdings (LCH) w...

Yorkshire Post 13/2/15 NEIL REDFEARN has hailed the influence of Sol Bamba since the defender returned to the Championship with Leeds United. The 30-year-old moved to Elland Road shortly before the end of the January transfer window and has made an immediate impact. United have taken six points from the three games that Bamba has played, the latest of which was Tuesday’s tremendous 2-0 win at Reading. Redfearn is in no doubt that the former Leicester City defender, whose last game in England before joining Leeds was, coincidentally, at Elland Road in May 2012, has played a major part. The Leeds head coach said: “Sol has been the type of player we have perhaps been crying out for. He has got leadership and he has galvanised the back four. He was outstanding again the other night. “He has been massively important and instrumental in the run. He has experience, he has given us a physical presence that we were maybe lacking. But along with that height and strength, he can play. “He...

Yorkshire Evening Post 13/2/15 Leeds United have confirmed that midfielder Tommaso Bianchi will undergo surgery on a knee injury, ruling him out for the rest of the season. Bianchi suffered medial ligament damage during Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Reading and is not expected to play any further part in United’s Championship term. The Italian, 26, was injured in a first-half challenge with Reading’s Danny Williams, leaving the pitch on 30 minutes having initially attempted to play on. Bianchi’s appearance at the Madejski Stadium was his first for more than a month but he is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines and will go under the knife shortly. Head coach Neil Redfearn said: “He’s going to be out for a while. It’s a medial ligament injury and he’s going to need an operation. “We’re looking at a couple of months so he’s perhaps out for the season. It’s disappointing for him because he’s a really good kid who works hard and tries his best. “He’s been out the picture but he came bac...

Yorkshire Evening Post 11/2/15 by Phil Hay Neil Redfearn says he will not bow to external pressure to reinvolve Adryan in Leeds United’s season, insisting the Brazilian needs to “start playing well” to justify a recall. Redfearn left the door open to Adryan after last night’s 2-0 win at Reading but said a team minus the 20-year-old was being chosen “on merit” and “looked like a side, rather than individuals.” Adryan has been sidelined from United’s Championship term for a month-and-a-half, dropped by Redfearn after his appearance in an FA Cup tie against Sunderland on January 4, and he failed to make the squad at Reading despite a spate of absentees and a bench featuring four strikers. The midfielder - midway through a season-long loan from Flamengo - played instead in a development squad game at Sheffield United this afternoon, completing 90 minutes as Leeds’ Under-21s lost 2-1. Redfearn admitted last month that Adryan “needs time” to adapt to English football, saying the youngs...

Yorkshire Evening Post 11/2/15 by Phil Hay Neil Redfearn called on Leeds United to aim for the jugular and put their Championship relegation battle to bed after an inspired win at Reading. Leeds rose to the occasion on a pressurised night in the Championship as another brave performance away from home kept Redfearn’s squad five points clear of the relegation zone. Second-half goals from Luke Murphy and Sam Byram earned a 2-0 victory at the Madejski Stadium, matching a rare win for Millwall over Birmingham City and easing the tension surrounding Saturday’s meeting between the clubs at Elland Road. Leeds would move eight points clear of the bottom three with a win over Millwall this weekend, stabilising a season which has been fought out in the lower half of the Championship ever since United’s defeat at The Den on the first day of the campaign. Redfearn was hampered by the loss of Liam Cooper, Rodolph Austin and Gaetano Berardi to injury and illness ahead of last night’s match, an...

Yorkshire Post 11/2/15 Leeds UNITED claimed a valuable three points in their fight against relegation with a deserved victory at Reading. Luke Murphy’s speculative effort from long distance appeared to deceive home goalkeeper Adam Federici and gave Leeds the lead midway through the second half. Sam Byram then sealed the win in the last minute when nodding in unmarked at the far post. Leeds have stuttered all season and the permanent appointment of manager Neil Redfearn in November had not seemed to have improved matters. Prior to the visit to the Madejski Stadium, Redfearn had overseen just four wins in his 15 matches in charge. Neither of the teams were able to muster any worthwhile attempts on goal in the lacklustre opening exchanges. Reading did most of the pressing, mainly through the right-wing runs of Garath McCleary, but could not produce any end product. Pavel Pogrebnyak also tried to pierce the Leeds defensive cover but was thwarted by an excellent tackle from Tommaso B...

Yorkshire Evening Post 11/2/15 A huge win over Reading in the bag and Millwall on Saturday looms with less intent than it might have done. What was billed as a game with everything riding on it could finally burst Leeds United out of the Championship’s relegation fight. The club have kept themselves about the waterline all season and they are safer than ever after leaving the Madejski Stadium with endless credit for an immense job on a big night. Another Luke Murphy goal, the currency which holds most value at Elland Road these days, and a Sam Byram header claimed the result which the outside of a post had threatened to deny them. While Murphy is finding the net with most of what he touches, Steve Morison cannot buy an appearance on the scoresheet from anywhere. The goal Morison seems destined never to score eluded him again when his first-half shot struck a post but Murphy’s bullet on 63 minutes took a scalp which was begging to be taken from an early stage. Byram prevented a late ...