Julian Lennon doing his impression of Atlas ... "I'll take both of you on..."
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Leeds United Football Club - Lennon Targets Long Run
United youngster Aaron Lennon wants to achieve a personal target of playing in all of United's remaining games this season.
The tricky winger is enjoying his football and is looking to make it hard for Kevin Blackwell to even consider leaving him out of the side for the last 15 games.
If he achieves his aim then the 17-year-old will have made 22-starts this season for the Whites and a remarkable 30 appearances in all, including substitutes appearances.
Although admitting he tired towards the end of the last game against Brighton, Lennon believes he's fit enough to keep going until the end of the season.
"I was tired near the end to be fair," he said.
"But it was good for me to play 80 minutes and get my fitness back up because I had missed the game in midweek with a niggling little injury. Hopefully I will be flying for 90 minutes next time.
"I feel fine though and maybe not playing on Wedne...
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Blackwell keen to keep duo
by Paul Higham - created on 1 Feb 2005
Leeds boss Kevin Blackwell is desperate to keep Eirik Bakke and Seth Johnson at Elland Road.
The duo are two of the highest paid players at Elland Road and new chairman Ken Bates could have looked at selling them both to ease the club's money worries.
Both Bakke and Johnson have been on the long-term injury list and have not figured for the last nine months, but are now due to return to action.
Blackwell says that having both men back fit and well will be a huge boost to his side, and hopes they will stay at the club.
"It's just a question of getting games under their belts for the pair of them now," said Blackwell.
"If everything is okay, they should be back to full fitness within the next two or three weeks and a fully fit and fired up Bakke and Johnson will be a major plus for this club.
"I'm delighted the pai...
Leeds United Football Club - Relief For Blackwell
United boss Kevin Blackwell was a relieved man as his team proved to new chairman Ken Bates that they are fighting for him in the 1-0 win over Stoke.
Leeds became embroiled in a tense battle at the Britannia Stadium and it took an own goal from hapless defender Wayne Thomas, who sliced David Healy's cross into his own net, to separate the teams and give the Bates era a winning start.
Blackwell was just pleased his side were able to show that the pressure of the last few weeks is off them.
"I am glad today is out of the way," he said.
"There's been so many things going on in people heads this week. There was talk among the players about the situation and I pulled them before the game and said we get on with it.
"This is a brand new era, we can start to look forward as a football club and I want to take all of you with me. And if we can do that, brilliant."
Blackwell says that despite the pros...
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Bates sounds dinner gong for Blackwell
Stoke City 0 Leeds United 1
By Jonathan Wilson
24 January 2005
Kevin Blackwell is probably right when he speaks of Leeds lying six points off the play-off positions as nigh-on miraculous. "In July the club was just me and Gary Kelly," the Leeds manager said after Saturday's drab victory, making a scarcely veiled pitch to keep his job.
The financial problems that threatened to send Leeds into administration may have retreated with Ken Bates' takeover, but while the club can now, to use Blackwell's phrase, "stop looking over our shoulders", his own position has been called into doubt. Bates has made clear in the past that he does not believe former goalkeepers make good managers.
A dinner meeting later this week should clear things up in the short-term, but Blackwell's contribution to Leeds' survival should not be underestimated. "I think I'm good enough to go all the way as a manag...