We’re Leeds United, We’re Passing The Ball - The Square Ball 27/8/21
WHAT'S HAPPENING?!
Written by Rob Conlon
The damage Neil Warnock did to Leeds United’s self-esteem
can be summed up by Brian McDermott’s second match in charge of the club, in
April 2013. Burnley were the visitors to Elland Road and, like Leeds, looking
nervously over their shoulders at the Championship relegation zone.
Just 16,788 fans were brave enough to attend, even after a
Luke Varney-inspired (yes, you read that right) victory over Sheffield
Wednesday in McDermott’s first game. The way Leeds took Burnley on had them
rubbing their eyes, surprised into song by the unrecognisable performance of
the players in white shirts. A chorus started up: ‘We’re Leeds United! We’re
passing the ball!’
“I’ve come here to enjoy myself,” McDermott said. “The staff
want to enjoy themselves and I want the players and the fans to enjoy
themselves, that’s what life’s about. I’ve told the players, I have no fear
about a game of football, and I want them to have the same philosophy.”
After the tiresome fatalism of Warnock, that was music to
fans’ ears, but McDermott was still rolling the turd of Colin’s squad in
glitter. Leeds were passing the ball, but the chances they were creating were
still only falling to Varney, who headed onto the bar rather than into the net
after Jason Pearce’s attempt was cleared off the line. That miss meant Leeds
had gone 111 days without scoring a first-half goal.
McDermott was at least recognising that Michael Tonge and
Aidy White were not the wingers required for the Championship, switching to a
midfield diamond with Paul Green at the base and El Hadji Diouf at the tip.
While Warnock had predicted Steve Morison would become a Leeds legend,
McDermott saw enough in his first game, and Morison was missing from the squad
against Burnley. McDermott cited an injury after the match, but at the same
time suggested Morison might have to settle for a place on the bench despite
three goals in his first eight games. The legend scored two in his next 34.
Optimism arrived after the break, Leeds daring to pass and
move in their own half rather than reverting to hoofball. Ross McCormack was
dropping back to help out defenders who’d become used to life without options.
At one stage McCormack was the furthest Leeds player back, starting attacks
like a Glasgow Pirlo. Hitting a raking pass out to the left, he found Diouf,
whose neat first touch took him swerving inside and floating a delicate chip
over Burnley’s defence. Rudy Austin was reading Diouf’s mind, sprinting beyond
the defence and meeting the flight of the ball, calmly side-footing a volley
past the goalkeeper.
The party was complete with a last look at Davide Somma from
the bench, his final cameo for Leeds. That Leeds’ only change came four minutes
from the end underlined McDermott’s challenge. He didn’t fancy Habib Habibou,
Adam Drury or Ryan Hall making much of a difference.
After Leeds under Warnock, the sudden change of style had
Burnley manager Sean Dyche as surprised as the Kop. “That group of players
weren’t playing like that two weeks ago,” he growled. “I know because I saw
them.” Phil Hay was enjoying the released tension, tweeting: ‘Not often you
scan the post-match #lufc Twitter feed and the only four-letter word is pass.’
McDermott was warming to the theme. Leeds had been 16th in
the Championship when he took over, four points clear of the relegation zone.
Two wins in four days took them into the top half, seven clear of relegation
and six away from the play-offs. Three games remained, and McDermott was
wishing for six. “That would be eighteen points to play for, and you never know
where you’d end up.”
It was McDermott’s first lesson in not counting your
chickens at Leeds United. The crowd for the next home match rose to just shy of
25,000, but after defeats in their next two fixtures Leeds dropped right back
to where they started, 16th again. McDermott had made Leeds safe, though, and
if they kept passing the ball, who knew where they’d end up.
