Mighty Leeds Weblog

Yorkshire Evening Post 31/3/15 Leon Wobschall LEWIS COOK is eyeing another choice entry into his burgeoning football CV with England Under-19s tonight – having been hailed as an “immense talent” by Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn. The United midfielder is hoping to play a leading role in helping Sean O’Driscoll’s Under-19s qualify for this summer’s European Championships in Greece at the expense of France in a winner-takes-all clash (7pm). Both nations have won their previous two Elite Round qualifying matches ahead of this evening’s decider in Saint-Lo, with Cook making his debut in the 1-0 win over Azerbaijan on Saturday. Cook and his international team-mates visited the beach at Arromanches in northern France on Sunday – scene of some of the D-Day landings during the Second World War – ahead of today’s footballing mission and Redfearn believes that the 18-year-old is not only a prodigiously-talented player, but also a special person as well. On talented Cook, who playing...

Yorkshire Evening Post 29/3/15 Leon Wobschall Leeds United’s current conveyor belt of academy talent could well have unearthed yet another gem in the guise of Kalvin Phillips – described as a ‘typical Leeds midfielder’. Leon Wobschall reports. LEEDS UNITED academy coach Jason Blunt is confident that rising star Kalvin Phillips will prove a Whites favourite with supporters in the years to come. Phillips is widely tipped as being the next young player to emerge from the burgeoning Academy production line and become a firm part of Neil Redfearn’s first-team plans following the rise to prominence of the likes of Lewis Cook, Alex Mowatt and Charlie Taylor. Blunt is mindful of the importance of patience to ensure that the development of a host of talented young academy products is sustained, but he firmly believes that in time, several more academy players can crack it at first-team level, including Phillips. A number again impressed in the recent development squad win over Brentford, ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 27/3/15 Leon Wobschall FORMER LEEDS United chief operating officer Matt Child insists he has left the club with his head held high following his shock decision to quit his post. Lifelong Leeds fan Child resigned under his own terms on Monday after less than three and a half months in his post. In his first statement following his decision to step down, Child, who helped broaden United’s community and business links in the city and proved popular with supporters during his short time at Elland Road, stated that he believes he has left the club in a better place following his exit. Child had arrived at the club on December 12 from the telecommunications industry, having held senior positions in private equity backed companies. And despite taking the decision to leave, Child – whose exit has been described as a “sad loss” by head coach Neil Redfearn – believes he has left the club in a strong position after re-engaging with many organisations in the city and r...

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/3/15 NEIL REDFEARN has reiterated his desire for his contractual situation to be sorted out “sooner rather than later” at Leeds United – to enable him to get his plans for next season firmly nailed down. The United head coach and no.2 Steve Thompson, who have presided over a vibrant renaissance at Elland Road in 2015, are both out of contract in the summer with their futures still to be addressed. Redfearn believes that the future on the playing side is undeniably rosy and is eager to carry on his restoration work at Leeds, with fans and players having bought into his tenure. He said: “From my point of view, it’s important it gets addressed sooner rather than later. That’s a definite to come out of this. “It is not an ideal set of circumstances if it drags on too long because obviously you want to start putting things in place and planning. “I have more or less got place pre-season planned and know where I want to take the lads and the dates I want to br...

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/3/15 Leon Wobschall CHRIS DAWSON admits that next season is a massive one in his Leeds United career – and is ready to sacrifice short-term gains this term for long-term progress in 2015-16. The diminutive midfielder was handed his United debut by former boss Neil Warnock almost two years ago at the age of 18, but has featured just twice in two substitute cameos since. This despite being considered by many to be the best youth-team prospect at United back in early 2013, only for his progress to have largely flat-lined following his first-team bow. In the past two years, Dawson has seen fellow academy products Lewis Cook, Alex Mowatt, Sam Byram and Charlie Taylor all become established regulars. And he acknowledges that he needs to improve to follow in their footsteps and become the next highly-rated talent off the burgeoning academy production line at Elland Road to make it big at first-team level. Dewsbury-born Dawson will enter the final 12 months of t...

Yorkshire Evening Post 24/3/15 Leon Wobschall LEWIS COOK has played down fears over his workload and is aiming to ‘step up to the plate’ with England Under- 19s as he seeks to apply gloss to a glorious 2014-15 with Leeds United. The prodigiously-talented midfielder is currently in France with the England Under-19s squad ahead of their trio of European Championship Elite Round qualifiers against the host nation, Denmark and Azerbaijan. England start out with a game against the Danes tomorrow tea-time (5pm) in the Stade Henry Jeanne in Bayeaux. England’s prize for coming out top after three matches will be a place at the European Championships in Greece this July – with Cook eyeing a leading role in clinching qualification after his maiden Under-19s call-up. Cook, who only turned 18 in early February, has made 38 appearances for Leeds since August and joined up with the England party after playing three games in a week for United. Neil Redfearn has spoken with England Under-21 sup...

Italian striker Mirco Antenucci has made a brief return to the ‘old country’ but has every intention of continuing his career in the Championship – with Leeds United. Leon Wobschall reports. MIRCO ANTENUCCI may have had a mixed time of it this so far this calendar year at Leeds United, but he insists that he remains content with life at Elland Road – and is keen on staying put. The Italian striker heads back to the ‘old country’ for a short break this week, fortified by the knowledge that his first season in English football has been a satisfactory one, statistically speaking at least. Granted, 2015 has not been one to write home about too much thus far. But successive goals after coming off the bench for United in their last two appointments against Fulham and Blackpool has ensured the Italian has entered the two-week international hiatus in a positive frame of mind. Now the next step is claiming back a starting berth in the side, with head coach Neil Redfearn acknowledging after...

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/3/15 LEEDS UNITED chief operating officer Matt Child has resigned - after last than three-and-a-half months in his role at Elland Road. The life-long United fan stepped down from his current position this morning. Neither Child or the club are making any official comment on the developments. Child arrived at the club on December 12 from the telecommunications industry, having held senior positions in private equity backed companies. Upon taking up his role back in December, Child spoke of his pride at being handed the position, saying: “It’s clichéd but I’m genuinely honoured to represent the club. “The opportunity to deliver value to your hometown team and city doesn’t happen that often, if at all, so when I was asked to step in, there was only one answer. “I have been involved for a few months behind the scenes and have been hugely impressed by the president’s passion, commitment and will to win. “We find ourselves in interesting times, but as a Leeds...

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/3/15 MALAYSIA-BASED conglomerate Genting have dismissed rumours about purchasing or investing in Leeds United. The development follows speculation that the global company, who have interests in tourism, resorts, gaming and plantations, could be lining up a move for the club. But the company have moved swiftly to firmly deny any interest. A Genting statement said: “Following rumours circulating around social media and the local press, Genting would like to make it clear that we have absolutely no interest in purchasing or investing in Leeds United Football Club.”

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/3/15 LEEDS UNITED chiselled out a hard-fought weekend draw on an unforgiving surface at League One bound Blackpool on an afternoon when flowing football was a complete no-no - with the pitch more suitable for donkey rides than a Championship tussle. Mirco Antenucci’s point at least helped Leeds maintain their strong away form, which has seen them lose just once on the road in the league since December 30. Here’s a few thoughts from the 1-1 weekend draw at Bloomfield Road. 1: Pity poor Blackpool, but their pitch is an absolute disgrace. The mudheap will be completely ripped up in the off season, having been surveyed by the Institute of Groundsmanship at the end of February - with remedial work - including verti-draining and reseeding - having already taking place. It made passing football virtually impossible on the day with Leeds’ attempts floundering in the first period with a number of players struggling to get into the game at all. Pragmatic, percentage...

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/3/15 Phil Hay Mirco Antenucci hopes his goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Blackpool will force him back into Leeds United’s starting line-up and give him the chance to sign off his first season at Elland Road in style. The Italian produced his 10th goal of the term to rescue Leeds from defeat on a shocking pitch at Bloomfield Road and improve his prospects for the Championship run-in. Antenucci – a summer signing from Ternana last year – found his feet quickly in England and scored eight times before Christmas but he has started only one game since the turn of the year and went 14 games without finding the net. He ended that drought with a midweek effort at Fulham last Wednesday and his 62nd-minute lob on Saturday earned United a point away to bottom-of-the-table Blackpool. The 30-year-old’s finish came just eight minutes after head coach Neil Redfearn introduced him and Steve Morison from the bench with Leeds trailing to a 44th-minute Gary Madine header. ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/3/15 Phil Hay Granddi Ngoyi’s loan at Leeds United is in danger of ending without a single first-team appearance after a fresh recurrence of his thigh strain denied him a debut at Blackpool on Saturday. The midfielder is back in the treatment room with the injury he was carrying when United signed him on a half-season loan from Italian club Palermo in January. Ngoyi broke down during his first week of training at Thorp Arch but he looked to have overcome the injury last week and played for 88 minutes in an Under-21 game between Leeds and Crystal Palace on Tuesday. Head coach Neil Redfearn had tentatively planned to include him in his squad for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road but he was forced to omit the 26-year-old after another setback. Ngoyi will receive treatment during the fortnight-long international break but United have just seven games of the season remaining and Redfearn said he was “disappointed” that he had so far been denied the chanc...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/3/15 Phil Hay An impossible surface or not, Leeds United will have no cause to moan about Blackpool’s pitch next season. It was scarcely to their liking on Saturday afternoon but Blackpool are sliding out of the Championship, much to the league’s satisfaction. Eleven teams have won at Bloomfield Road this season, one of numerous statistics behind the sorry demise of a disenfranchised club, but the mud, the divots and small patches of grass are provoking universal annoyance. It was, as Neil Redfearn admitted before and after, the same for everybody and his team came to terms with it with great difficulty. An imaginative cameo from Mirco Antenucci and the Italian’s 10th goal of the season spared United from the ignominy of defeat to a side who have hardly won at all. The pitch at Bloomfield Road calls for percentage football but Antenucci found a way to climb above an unattractive scramble, changing the pace of Leeds’ display as a substitute and forcing a ...

Yorkshire Post 21/3/15 Mirco Antenucci’s second-half equaliser for Leeds left Blackpool on the brink of relegation to League One after a 1-1 draw at a disgruntled Bloomfield Road. Gary Madine had given the struggling Seasiders the lead just before the break, but Italian forward Antenucci struck just after the hour to extend Leeds’ unbeaten run to five games. Blackpool, the Championship’s bottom side, are now 17 points adrift of safety with just seven games to go. Before kick-off there were more protests by Blackpool fans against the club’s owners, the Oyston family. One banner read: ‘RIP BFC: Killed by Greed 2015’ before hundreds of supporters boycotted the game to watch AFC Blackpool instead. The hosts had the first chance of the game in the eighth minute as Andrea Orlandi flashed a ball across the box which narrowly evaded the sliding Michael Jacobs at the far post. Leeds almost opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Charlie Taylor dribbled down the left and dinked to the ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/3/15 NEIL REDFEARN admitted to mixed feelings after Leeds United’s 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road, with a second-half strike from Mirco Antenucci earning the visitors a point. Rock-bottom Pool, without a victory since January 31 and seeking to avoid a ninth successive defeat, were the better side in the first half and they were rewarded by an opener just before the interval from Gary Madine. Redfearn threw Antenucci and Steve Morison into the fray for Alex Mowatt and Billy Sharp early in the second half and the changes helped pep up United, with Antenucci lobbing home an equaliser on 62 minutes - after coming on eight minutes earlier. On a thoroughly wretched surface, Leeds could not find a winner with a late header from Guiseppe Bellusci ruled out for a foul, with referee Scott Duncan having already halted play moments earlier. The match was boycotted by hundreds of Blackpool fans in protest against the ownership of Karl Oyston. On the game, Redfearn said:...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/3/15 Phil Hay The truth is that if Neil Redfearn was staying and Massimo Cellino was staying, Leeds United’s head coach would know already. That’s not to say that either man is futureless here but the chronic indecision around Redfearn’s job is self-explanatory if you think about it hard enough. There’s a vacuum of authority at Elland Road – yet another one – and only two ways of properly filling it. That Redfearn deserves a longer contract is the bleeding obvious in a few words. Leeds either believe in performance-related employment or they are cutting and shutting on a whim. It is equally true that Leeds minus Cellino might not feel able to commit to a new deal. The club are impotent on the big questions without his say-so. Redfearn came to realise that a long time ago. In the interests of clarity, and not merely in respect of Redfearn’s future, United need one of two things to happen: Cellino to return with all his guns loaded or Cellino to up sticks a...

leedsunited.com 20/3/15 Neil Redfearn admits it will be a "big ask" of his side to play their third game in the space of a week, but the head coach says maintaining the momentum will come into his thinking when picking the team to face Blackpool on Saturday. United travel to Bloomfield Road just three days after the midweek victory at Fulham as Redfearn’s side look to extend their current unbeaten run to five games. "The lads are really upbeat," said the head coach. "We’re on a good run, playing well and looking forward to every game. "It’s just a case of making sure the lads who are selected are fit and strong and available, ready for the game." Midfield pair Rodolph Austin and Granddi Ngoyi are both pushing for returns to contention after recent injury lay-offs. Asked whether he may be tempted into changes at Blackpool, Redfearn replied: "You don’t want to go against the fact that you’ve got to play well to get in the side. "They’re...

Yorkshire Post 19/3/15 HOLLYWOOD star Russell Crowe has done little to dampen speculation about his possible interest in buying Sky Bet Championship club Leeds. The 50-year-old Oscar-winning actor and lifelong Leeds supporter sparked rumours he was keen to invest in the club last month when he asked a fan on his Twitter site whether it would be a good idea to buy them. Crowe did not deny or confirm the speculation of potential investment during an interview on Simon Mayo’s BBC Five Live show on Thursday, but said that he wanted “nothing but success” for Leeds and was “getting a little impatient”. Speaking ahead of the release of his latest film, The Water Diviner, Crowe also said he had learned a lot about owning a top sports club during his nine years as joint-owner of Australian rugby league side South Sydney Rabbitohs. “I’ve followed Leeds since I was a little kid,” Crowe said. “I used to come home from sport in the afternoon, me and my brother, and watch Match of the Day. “I...

leedsunited.com 19/3/15 Neil Redfearn believes that the 2014/15 campaign has been a "season of progress" with his young side continually improving and learning along the way. Redfearn has guided United to an impressive turn of form since the start of 2015 and Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory away to Fulham saw his team climb into the top half of the Championship table on the back of a four-game unbeaten run. The starting line-up at Craven Cottage boasted an average age of just over 23, including four homegrown Academy graduates, and Redfearn sees this as an indicator of the direction in which the club is heading. "We’re building, that’s obvious," said the head coach. "This season has been tough and we’ve been in a difficult scenario. "We’ve battled and fought our way out of it, we’ve had to tough it out. "We’ve got a young side that’s had to learn through adversity, it’s been tough for them. "But, to be fair to everybody concerned with the cl...

Yorkshire Evening Post 19/3/15 Phil Hay Neil Redfearn’s opinion of Fulham is that in spite of their sorry predicament in the Championship, the London club have not done much wrong. He might be right. Dominant and creative at Craven Cottage, they were beaten by a Leeds United side who smashed and grabbed with a true robber’s touch. At the moment when Sam Byram first picked Fulham’s pocket, with 41 minutes played, Redfearn would have been more than happy to retreat from London with a result of any sort but this is clearly not Fulham’s year. One club needed the points last night. The other club took them home. They will call Leeds fortuitous, and perhaps Leeds were, but Redfearn’s squad have learned to turn and edge games in a way that Fulham can’t. It’s at least one reason why United are in the top half of the Championship while their hosts lose sleep at the bottom. Byram’s goal – a simple header in the midst of fierce Fulham pressure – paid Leeds back for digging in and keeping ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 19/3/15 Phil Hay NEIL REDFEARN insisted he was optimistic of remaining as Leeds United head coach next season after strengthening his claim to a new contract with a resounding 3-0 win at Fulham. Leeds produced a clinical performance and rode a spate of chances created by Fulham to crush the London club at Craven Cottage and climb into the top half of the Championship. Redfearn, who admitted to giving his players a “b*****king” at half-time, is close to the end of his existing deal and is yet to be spoken to about an extension, despite United’s compelling form in the second half of the season. Last night’s victory was their sixth in nine games, enough to lift Leeds up to 12th in the division, and the pressure on the club’s board to clarify Redfearn’s future is mounting on the back of his five-month spell in charge. United’s owner and former president, Massimo Cellino, is currently serving a Football League ban and Redfearn is not clear if his deal will be ex...

leedsunited.com 19/3/15 Neil Redfearn praised the “ruthless” streak in his side following Wednesday night’s 3-0 win away to Fulham, despite admitting United were second-best in the first half. Goals from Sam Byram, Sol Bamba and Mirco Antenucci secured the three points at Craven Cottage, where the hosts were reduced to 10 men after Konstantinos Stafylidis was shown two yellow cards. Fulham spurned numerous chances, particularly inside the opening 45 minutes, but United dug in to clinch a biggest away victory of the season so far. Redfearn said: "Even at 3-0, they were still breaking down the sides and still getting balls into the box. Big Matt Smith was a handful, he had two or three chances that he could have scored. "But Marco was making the saves and we got bodies in the box. When we went down the other end, we were ruthless. "I thought they were the better side in the first half, they had the better chances. "I thought we were a little bit deep and we nev...

Inside Futbol 18/3/15 Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn feels that Mirco Antenucci now understands what is required of him after he scored the third goal in the Whites' 3-0 win away at Fulham in the Championship this evening. Fulham started with intent at Craven Cottage, with both Matt Smith and Ross McCormack looking a threat to the Leeds defence as the home side were clearly on top. But the former Premier League outfit could not breach the Whites backline and instead fell behind in the 40th minute when Gaetano Berardi crossed for Sam Byram to head the ball into the net. Leeds then doubled their advantage in the second half, needing just three minutes to do so as Sol Bamba got on the end of a cross to put the Whites 2-0 up in the 48th minute. Fulham's hopes of a comeback were then dealt a fatal blow when Konstantinos Stafylidis was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 52nd minute, reducing the home side to ten men. Leeds then put the icing on the cake with a...

Guardian 18/3/15 Fulham’s relegation fears deepened after goals from Sam Byram, Sol Bamba and Mirco Antenucci fired Leeds United to a 3-0 victory at Craven Cottage. Remarkably, the visitors scored with their only three genuine chances of the match, while Fulham missed a host of opportunities, with the former Leeds strike pairing of Ross McCormack and Matt Smith the chief culprits. McCormack and Smith scored 42 goals between them for Leeds last season but little has gone to plan this term as Fulham lie only six points above the Championship relegation zone. The only saving grace for the manager, Kit Symons, is that none of the four teams below them look capable of picking up a win either. Should that change, however, then Fulham, the pre-season favourites for promotion, will be in grave danger of suffering back-to-back relegations. They also had the defender Konstantinos Stafylidis sent off for collecting two bookings in the space of a minute on another frustrating evening for the u...

Mail 18/3/15 By SAM CUNNINGHAM FOR THE DAILY MAIL Leeds United delivered a masterclass in smash and grab football as they were battered by Fulham but stole away from Craven Cottage with a resounding 3-0 victory. The game marked five years to the day Fulham beat Juventus 4-1 in the Europa League, arguably the greatest night in the club’s history. But defeat left them only six points clear of relegation to League One. Manager Kit Symons, who was a coach at Fulham in 2010 in that memorable night, was aware of the anniversary. ‘That’s football,’ was all he could summon about their fall, adding: ‘We had 27 shots altogether, I’m incredibly frustrated. ‘I thought we were excellent first half, created numerous chances and didn't take them. I’ve been in and around football for a long time, often there’s sucker punch if you don't take chances. ‘We need three wins to stay up, it’s down to us to go get them. We probably had enough chances to win three games here.’ Twice the home s...

Yorkshire Evening Post 18/3/15 Ross McCormack scored more goals for Leeds last season than the current crop of strikers have amassed between them this time. Phil Hay reports as United aim to deny their former hero tonight. Leeds United could hardly be more familiar with the strikers at the front of Fulham’s team. They knew enough about Ross McCormack and Matt Smith to think that selling them for the thick end of £12m last summer made financial sense. The difference those two players might have made to Leeds since then is a moot topic of debate. Their combined total of 42 goals equated to 15th in the Championship last season, two places below the position Leeds occupy ahead of tonight’s game at Craven Cottage, and Fulham are the division’s most unlikely candidates for relegation with nine fixtures left. “They’re good players but footballers come and go,” said Neil Redfearn, United’s head coach and a man who worked with both strikers while Brian McDermott was in charge at Elland Roa...

Yorkshire Post 17/3/15 LEEDS UNITED head coach Neil Redfearn has paid his central midfield department a sizeable compliment – labelling them as ‘probably the best in the Championship.’ United, who travel to Fulham tomorrow night for a reunion with former strikers Ross McCormack and Matt Smith, are enjoying a new year renaissance with the form of the likes of Lewis Cook, Luke Murphy and Alex Mowatt a key component in their upturn. Mowatt has chipped in with four goals in the past month and been named in the SkyBet Championship Team of the Week on two occasions, while Murphy has looked a player transformed this calendar year following a fraught first half of the season. Both have played their part in United’s buoyant run of seven victories in their past 13 league matches, with teenager Cook instrumental in a number of those wins. Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman referred to Cook as United’s dangerman ahead of Saturday’s 0-0 draw, with the 18-year-old already one of the hott...

Yorkshire Evening Post 17/3/15 FOR SCOTT Wootton, Charlie Taylor, Luke Murphy, Sol Bamba and Steve Morison, sampling defeats in the Leeds United jersey so far in 2015 have hardly been a regular occurrence. Morison has been on the losing side just twice in 12 appearances for United this year, while Wootton has tasted defeat just three times in 13 outings. For Morison, it is in stark contrast to the first half of the campaign, when he was on the winning side just once in seven appearances, the 3-0 derby success over Huddersfield Town at Elland Road on September 20. Wootton was also part of a winning Leeds dressing room on just one occasion in the first half of 2014-15 when United beat Bolton Wanderers 1-0 on August 30. United have lost on just three occasions when Murphy and Taylor have lined up for them this calendar year, with the pair having not looked back after being brought back into the fold for the FA Cup third-round tie against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on January ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 16/3/15 SATURDAY proved a low-key one for both Leeds United and Nottingham Forest in front of the Championship’s third best seasonal crowd of 30,722 as they played out a frustrating goalless stalemate. For Leeds, it represented a second successive clean sheet and an extension of their unbeaten run to three matches, but no third consecutive victory in the bargain. Here’s five observations from the weekend action at Elland Road. 1: Leeds, for all their work ethic, lack a clinical cutting edge in the final third As Eddie Gray correctly alluded to, Leeds got in some great positions at times on Saturday, but failed to pay due care and attention with their final ball. The second-half was disappointing in particular, with hardly anything manufactured, apart from a late chance which broke to Mirco Antenucci. Billy Sharp was left to feed off scraps and had a particularly frustrating afternoon. It was a shame more could not be created, given that former Whites loanee...

leedsunited.com 16/3/15 Neil Redfearn was full of praise for how his side defended in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest. Both teams had chances in either half in front of an impressive 30,772 Elland Road crowd, but there proved to be no way through as the spoils were shared between two of the division’s in-form clubs. United have now kept five clean-sheets from their last eight Championship outings, something which has particularly pleased the head coach in recent weeks. "I thought we looked good at the back," Redfearn said of Saturday’s draw. "We defended well when we had to. "I thought Scott Wootton was outstanding against Antonio because he’s a real handful. "I thought on two or three times he had him in difficult situations and he handled it really well. "We talked about Sol covering him when he knocked it into the grass and ran because he’s got blistering pace. I thought they worked it out between them really well. "Then there wa...