2010.......a vintage year for Chateau de Blancs Puissants?

At this time a year ago Leeds were sitting proudly on top of Division 3, 11 points clear of third and looking forward to a dream FA Cup 3rd game at the Theatre of Shite.  A year on and there is a nice sense of symmetry as the mighty whites sit joint 2nd in the Championship with a mouth watering trip to the fabulous Emirates Stadium to play Arsenal in the 3rd round of the FA Cup looming.  All is right with the world on Planet Leeds.  The consensus view at the start of this league campaign was that we would be happy just to have a season of consolidation and not get dragged into any relegation dog fight............but now we are dallying with thoughts of automatic promotion to the Holy grail of the money grabbing Premier League after an unbeaten run of 11 games has propelled Leeds up the table. We have gone through the whole of November and December without tasting the bitter taste of defeat since our humiliating reverse against Cardiff back in October.

Lord Larry has quietly got on with the job of steering Leeds onwards and upwards with assured confidence throughout year. Although you might think that he has achieved this with basically the same core of the team that battled through those "character building" games in Division 3 that's not entirely true.  Only 4 of the starting line up who took the field against Stockport County for the last game of 2009 started our last game of 2010 against Pompey, Killa, Snoddy, Becchio and Bradders.  Admittedly Mad Max and Jonny Howson came off the bench to contribute to a 4.2 victory on a cabbage patch of a pitch but in essence Lord Larry has employed an effective strategy of continuous improvement throughout the year. Players such as Ankergren, Doyle, Grella, Michalik and Beckford have moved onto pastures new with the likes of Schmeichel, Connolly, McCartney, O'Brien, Collins, Bruce, Paynter, McCormack, Faye, Watt, Sam, Bessone and Nunez coming in to bolster the squad.............well maybe not Bessone? We now have a strong squad and a very strong bench which should benefit us as the season ploughs on through Jan, Feb, March and April to the finale in May.

It's been a year to saviour for a number of players in the Leeds squad but I'd like to concentrate on 3 in particular, Howson, Snodgrass and Becchio.

At this time last year Jonny Howson was flitting in and out of both the team and the games he actually started.  He was at an age where the "promising young Howson" tag was wearing a bit thin and he needed to step up and be counted.  He certainly did that at the Theatre of Shite as his 60 yard cross field ball picked out Jermaine Beckford who despite an awful first touch rolled the ball past the keeper to give Leeds a historic victory. It was probably a reflection of his season that by the time the final nerve jangling game against Bristol came around he was back on the bench.  But his reputation for being a big game player was enhanced as he came off the bench to snatch an equaliser for 10 man Leeds in that dramatic final 30 minutes of the season. Fast forward to this campaign and his form, and particular his cool finishing, has cemented his place in the Leeds team as he expertly fulfills the attacking midfield role of the 4.5.1 system currently employed by the mighty whites.  His name has even been mentioned as a possible for a starter for England!  Now that might reflect more on the lack of quality currently available to England but it does recognise a year where he has matured into one of Leeds' major assets.

Snoddy is the archetypal Scottish moaner never afraid to have a whinge if things aren't going his or Leeds way.  His progress over the year has been fantastic.  How he is not in the Scottish team is beyond me.  At times he reminds me of Eddie Gray as he torments his full back first one way then the other and then surges past him like he's not there.  His confidence seems to increase with each game that goes by enhanced by the quality of the goals he is scoring.  His sublime curler against Coventry at the Ricoh Arena looked to have secured the goal of the season prize............until he hit his Howitzer against Leicester on Boxing day and I am sure there is more to come.  I know this is an outrageous prediction but I think he'll even bring a smile to Arsene Wenger's face when we play the Arse in the cup.

And so to Luciano. When Beckford departed there weren't many Leeds fanatics who thought Luciano would be the answer to the question "who is going to score our goals now?"  But his 12 goals in 20 games this season is an impressive return for a player who many questioned had the ability to step up to Championship level.  His hard working style and clinical finishing, especially with his head, have made him a firm favourite with the Elland Road die hards.  He is not the most skillful player in the league but he makes up for that with tenacity and an eye for goal that is common to top goal poachers. So Luciano has had a good year and I am sure there is more to come..................just one plea Luciano............try and stay on your feet and lose the dramatic swallow dives when you're tackled.  I know it's genetic for all South American players but I'm afraid most ref's will see straight through you and then not give fouls that are actual fouls.

So has this been a vintage year for Chateau de Blancs Puissants?  Well how many times do we beat the Salford Yanks in the FA Cup, gain promotion and finish the year well placed for another promotion tussle? Not many, in fact none so on that basis I think I can officially announce 2010 as a true vintage.  Hopefully there will be better vintages to come in the future but for now as Big Ben chimes his last sounds for this year tonight I will be drinking in memories of a fabulous year on Planet Leeds, yes I needed my seat belt, yes I needed the defibrillators a couple of times and yes there were times when I thought we'd blown promotion.  But at midnight tonight I will close my eyes and see the ball rolling over the line at the Stretford End, I will see the ball hitting the net for Beckford's winner against Bristol.  The hairs on the back of my neck will be standing to attention and there might just be a tear in my eye. Delicious!  And what lays in store for us in 2011?

"Snoddy leaves Sagna for dead and curls an inviting ball back for Beccccccccccchio 1.0 Leeds and the away end at the Emirates erupts in a cacophony of noise"
"There are 3 minutes of added time for Leeds to get the goal they need to secure promotion for the second year running but QPR are holding firm. Snodgrass tries another run down the right hand flank, turns it inside to Kilkenny who finds Howson surging forward past one man past two he shoots goooooooooooooooooooal. Howson has won at it at the death for the mighty whites and they will be playing in the Premier League next season"
Sounds good to me?
Can't wait.
MOT

PS Blancs Puissants translates to Mighty Whites in english.

Leeds v Portsmouth Dec 28th 2010

It was a severely hungover Happy Chocker who picked me up ready for our 2nd festive game in 3 days.  The grey miserable weather that had descended on West Yorkshire failed to dampen our spirits though as we anticipated stretching our 10 game unbeaten run at the expense of a Pompey side who last season were playing with the big boys in the Premier League.  Such is the new found confidence buzzing around LS11 that even a fixture against a strong Pompey side is seen as an excellent opportunity to deposit 3 more points in the promotion vault. Pre match refreshments were taken in the Centenary Pavilion with the assembled Twitterwhites including the fanatical Seona who was over from Snowy Switzerland to see the mighty whites in action.

The team news raised many an eyebrow amongst the gathered Leeds fans.  Becchio and Killa on the bench with McCormack and Paynter starting up front in a 4.4.2 formation. Now I am a big fan of McCormack and Paynter for that matter so I wasn't too concerned with their selection but moving away from the 4.5.1 style that has served us so well since the Cardiff defeat?  I wasn't so sure. Still "in Grayson we trust" is our mantra so we took our seats with another prediction of a 3.1 win to the form team Leeds.

Over 31,000 had packed into the Theatre of Hope and the vast majority were there to see a Leeds win.  After throwing away a two goal lead in the last match what we needed was a good start to re-establish our confidence.  And that's exactly what we got.  McCormack sprayed the ball wide where Snoddy swung the ball into the box.................Paynter bustled the defender out of the way but didn't connect properly with the ball....................but Mad Max made no mistake in tucking away the bouncing ball into the net.  1.0 Leeds and we'd only just had time to settle into our seats.  And before I'd had time to say "Elland Road is certainly the place for goals this season" we were 2 up as Capt Fantastic, Jonny Howson, danced his way through the flailing Pompey defence and finished with the coolness of a seasoned striker. Get in! 2 nil up in 10 minutes.  Surely we won't throw this lead away?  That thought was strengthened as Paynter so nearly finished off a scintillating move involving Snoddy and McCormack. Things were looking good , very good.

At the other end Pompey did look dangerous though and when McCormack cleared a header off the line my worry beads started rattling. They then began to vibrate loudly as Kitson started to win too many headers for my liking.  As one header floated just past the post I glanced at HC and his face confirmed my view that this might not be as comfortable ride as the first 10 minutes suggested.  Looking on the positive side we did look good when ever we went forward with Snoddy once again strutting his silky skills on the right flank.  Carl Dickinson, once on loan at Leeds, was the unfortunate left back who was being tortured this week.  As the half hour mark came it was clear that this game still had lot's of goals left in it..........unfortunately the next one was in Kasper's net.  In a move that bore remarkable similarities with the one that led to Rob Hulse's goal for Derby on the first day of the season David Nugent found enough space to fire an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the goal. 2.1 and a rather sickly feeling began to churn in my stomach.  Surely we can't lose another 2 goal lead?

Leeds continued to push forward with Snoddy and McCormack looking dangerous.  Half time came with the score at 2.1.  I rushed with anticipation for the HT gent's debate with the Urinal philosophers. Surprisingly the debate was more of a gentle murmur with no dissenting voices over the team selection and the general view summed up by one scholar "we should score more goals against this lot.........just hope we don't give any more silly goals away"   Mmmm yes!

There was a tenseness to the opening salvos of the 2nd half which spread to the crowd and contributed to a slightly muted atmosphere inside Elland Road.  Pompey had 5 in their midfield and they seemed to have an extra man when they broke from defence.  This was turning into one of those matches that fans with heart problems, high blood pressure or those of a nervous disposition should not attend as Leeds continued to play in a very open attacking style as they looked for the saviour of a third goal.  Just after the hour that 3rd goal came as the ball dropped invitingly into the path of Bradders from a corner and he smacked it home with glee as the Kop erupted with a mixture of relief and joy.  3.1 Leeds.  Surely we won't throw this lead away?  I started to explain to the fan next to me that a team is always at it's most vulnerable when they've just scored but I never finished the sentence as I was proved spookily correct when a speculative shot took a horrific deflection off of Andy O'Brien and into the Leeds net. 3.2 Leeds.  The silence around me was broken with mentions of Preston and Leicester.  Surely we couldn't lose this lead? I broke out into a cold sweat.  HC was wearing the look of a condemned man.  My stomach was in a triple reef knot and my throat was as dry as the Gobi desert. 27 minutes left to protect our now flimsy one goal lead.

Up to now I have resisted mentioning the man with the whistle but he must have had a shite Xmas.  Maybe his wife didn't like the present he got her?  Maybe his wife didn't like him and had disappeared into the blue yonder with a toyboy she'd met on the internet..........who knows but one thing is for certain and that is the Ref was hell bent on making up for his miserable festive period by pissing off everybody inside Elland Road with his weird decisions.  McCormack should have had a penalty and he had a goal disallowed for god knows what amongst a string of calls both he and his assistant got wildly wrong.  But we were still a goal up and hanging on...........and I mean hanging on.  Any composure we had had long disappeared as we switched to desperation football and "anywhere will do" defending.  Pompey fed off this lack of composure and poured forward looking for an unlikely equaliser. Becchio and Sam entered the fray but the tempo remained with Pompey.................then Snoddy found himself free on the half way and heading for goal..........go on finish them off you Scottish beauty................but the move fizzled out with a mis directed shot. There was a surreal sense of the inevitable about the proceedings as the board went up with 5 minutes added time to survive.  We managed 2.  The ball broke down the Pompey right were their sub found himself in acres of space..........he then crossed the ball into the box where O'Brien and Kasper, under no pressure from a Pompey player, conspired to ruin my day by diverting the ball into the net and gift Pompey the equaliser. I could hear Kammy saying "unbelievable Jeff" up in the TV gantry. I was gutted to say the least. Another two goal lead gifted to the opposition.  I know it's the season of goodwill but this is ridiculous!  The drama wasn't complete though as Leeds tried to snatch a late winner.  Becchio went to ground in the box after clashing with the Pompey centre half. PENALTY screamed 30,000 voices........Mr Knobhead Ref just waived play on.  At the other end we had to endure a couple of long throws into the box that had me thinking the unthinkable......the ghost of Preston!  Thankfully the whistle went and we had to be satisfied with a draw.

The walk to the car couldn't have been more silent if I'd been accompanied by a host of Trappist monks on a vow of silence as the seething of disappointment oozed out of my pores.  4 points in 2 games thrown away and as if to rub it in Cardiff lost so we could have been back in 2nd place.  Instead we are back in 4th.  Still unbeaten though............the only crumb of comfort from another draw snatched from the jaws of victory.

On reflection I don't think the formation change worked.  Howson isn't as effective in the deeper role and we definitely lost out to their 5 man midfield in the 2nd half.  With Killa away on international duty for a month I think Lord Larry will need to rethink this one.  Both Snoddy and Mad Max had good games along with McCormack but the abiding memory of this match will be the way the team wilted collectively as Pompey strove for the equaliser. Not a pretty sight

Middlesboro up next on New Year's day.  Anyone predicting 0.0?  I don't think so! Fasten your seatbelts.  Put on your oxygen mask and enjoy the ride.
Can't wait.
MOT



 
Leeds 3 v 3 Portsmouth 28/12/10

Leicester City v Leeds Utd

It's not so many years ago that one of the traditions of Boxing Day was a spot of Fox hunting. So the prospect of seeing the mighty whites hunt down the Foxes at the Walkers Stadium on this Boxing day was one that both the Happy Chocker and myself found appealing.  Not wanting to spoil a good tradition we pointed the car south for the trip down the M1 in search of a bit of Fox blood.  Now I know the subject of fox hunting is the sort of topic that polarises opinion amongst the populous but there are some members of the anti hunting brigade in cyberspace who really need to either get a life or learn to read tweets properly as my rallying cry mentioning Fox hunting, Leicester, mighty whites drew some vitriolic responses.  Apparently I am a white supremacist, animal hating toff who organises illegal hunts!  Ah well.

Any way back in the real world we were contemplating Leeds' chance of extending their impressive 9 match unbeaten run at the hands of a Leicester team who have really impressed on both their visits to the Theatre of Hope this season.  "Steve Howard always seems to score against us" I nervously opined to HC as we got out of the car and ventured into the arctic like conditions at the Walkers Stadium.  If Beefy was with us instead of cheering England on in the slightly warmer climes of Melbourne he would have classified this weather as at least triple Baltic.  It was absolutely bitter. Pre match refreshments were restricted to a couple of cans which were that cold they seemed to immediately freeze themselves to the exposed skin of our hands.

The common view amongst the eclectic mix of Leeds fans gathered in the concourse of the yet another B&Q flat pack stadium was we would be happy with a point. Jo and Mark from twitterland helped decipher the possibilities for the mighty whites.  Andy O'Brien was back in the team and Alex Bruce had dropped to the bench, presumably to allow Collins to go head to head with Howard. So after a sensible debate came down firmly on the side of a draw the HC and my good self backed a 2.0 and a 3.1 win respectively for Leeds.  Football is never logical.

Inside a packed stadium the Leeds fans were, as ever, in good voice especially when Leicester's bare chested, roly poly drummer made his presence known.  An inevitable chant of "you fat bastard"  got a cheerful response from the home team's lead drummer as he danced about showing off his more than ample torso.  His rolls of fat rippled up and down his body like a Tsunami swamping a large Pacific atoll!  The game kicked off and it was the hosts who had the better of the first 15 minutes of a scrappy opening.  Richie Wellens and Andy King were to the fore as they tested the Leeds back four with probing balls and intelligent runs. The 3,300 Leeds fans urged their team on as they tried to get a foothold in the game.  The potent wing double of Snoddy and Mad Max looked the most likely for the mighty whites as they tried to draw breath and settle into their now trademark passing game.  The ex Leicester man Gradel attracted a hostile reaction from his former fans when ever he touched the ball............"Leicester reject, Leicester reject" whispered the quiet home crowd.

For any neutrals in the 30,000 crowd this wasn't easy on the eye as both teams cancelled each other out with a high tempo pressing game that strangled any potential flowing football at source. The game came to life on 20 minutes though as Leeds fashioned a passing move on the right and when the ball was swung invitingly into the Leicester box it was the unlikely figure of Mad Max who beat the powder puff home defence to bury a header into the net that "our Argie" would have been proud of...............get innnnnnnnnn! 1.0 Leeds, against the run of play but 1.0 Leeds.  The Leeds hordes celebrated in style as the rotund drummer fell silent.  "Leicester reject, Leicester reject" the Leeds fans bellowed in rich irony followed by a a raucous "you're not drumming any more"  Football's brilliant when your winning!

The game continued on the lower end of the entertainment scale not that the Leeds fans noticed or cared.  We were a goal up against a team that had given us a football lesson at Elland Road and despite the bone chilling cold we were enjoying the Fox hunt.  Our nemesis, Steve Howard, was trying his best to upset us though as he threatened to terrorise our defence.  Collins was defending as if his life depending on it and Kasper was punching, catching and turning away anything that came near him. Leeds were the happier team as the first half whistle brought to an end a "tight" 45 minutes.

Leeds started the 2nd half with a spring in their step.   Maybe they could smell the blood of the Fox knowing that another goal could finally snare their prey.  Mr Drummer, still shirtless, tried to inspire his fans into song but every time he struck up his drum it was the away fans who took the beat and out sung their rivals none more so than when "Radebe, Radebe" thundered around the Walkers stadium.  Leeds were now attacking the away end as Snoddy once again tormented an opposition defence with his jinking direct style. Leeds were starting to get the upper hand as they gradually turned the screw and it wasn't long before Mr Drummer was silenced once more.  Snoddy swung a corner deep to the back post.............the beanpole like Collins won the ball and headed the ball back across the box to where Snoddy raced in and hit a shot that screamed like an Exocet missile into the back of the net.....................2.0 Leeds and Boxing day suddenly became a whole lot better.  Leeds now took control and with the scent of blood in their nostrils went for the kill.  Snoddy weaved his magic again and set up Becchio who so nearly turned his man and got his shot away.  Killa emerged from the pack and hit a shot goalwards as Leeds exploited the open spaces Leicester were leaving as they went in search of an equaliser. "Where's your drummer gone" was followed by a cruel chant of "He's f***** off home and ate the drum" Not for the first, or last, time this season an away ground reverberated to the sound of celebrating Leeds fans.

As it happened a tad premature. Sven shuffled his pack and Roman Bednar replaced Mr Howard.  He immediately started to cause the Leeds defence problems with his better mobility and running. Leeds were looking as if they would close the game out in style though as the confident swagger crept back into their game.  Suddenly I had stopped feeling the cold as the prospect of another away win warmed my inner thoughts.  Then the Foxes were given a lifeline.  Snoddy was bundled to the ground from behind on the half way line.  Leeds stopped momentarily expecting a free kick which didn't come and Dyer sprinted away towards Schmeichel with the ball....................Schmeichel spread his large frame as Dyer pushed the ball wide and took the fall to give the home side a penalty.  The expected red card was only a yellow as the ref judged that Dyer had pushed the ball too far to warrant the red.  Gallagher smashed in the penalty and it was game on. Mr Drummer awoke from hibernation and Leicester suddenly upped the tempo. Suddenly I didn't feel so good as the blues used the adrenalin rush from the goal to push onto Leeds and threaten an equaliser that 10 minutes ago had seemed as unlikely as Katie Price becoming a Nun and taking a vow of silence.

Whilst the first goal was dubious in the build up there could be no arguments about Leicester's 2nd as Andy Kings picked up the ball 25 yards out and hit an unstoppable volley past Kasper. Bollox!  The silence amongst the Leeds fans was deafening.  Mr Drummer was dancing and drumming, having regurgitated his instrument and it was suddenly very cold again.  Billy Paynter and McCormack came onto try rescue the three points that appeared to be in our grasp.  A tense last ten minutes spawned chances at both ends but to no avail though how the linesman and referee conspired not to give a penalty to Leeds in the last minute of added time is beyond me.  Paynter's cross was clearly handled by a Leicester defender's raised hands.  Which bit of the handball rule did the ref not understand?

The ref's whistle brought to an end a see saw game that sent both sets of fans home thinking they should have got more than the one point.  In the end we would have been happy with a point at the start of the game but why did this feel a touch like a defeat? A draw snatched from the jaws of victory.  Snoddy was my man of the match topped off with his searing volley fro the 2nd goal.

The car heater was welcome as the Happy Chocker and I  tried to thaw out on the way back up the M1.  I was re-united with the feeling in my toes as we passed Woodhall services.  In the end the Fox escaped the grasp of the nasty white supremacists.  Shame really I was looking forward to informing cyberspace that we had had a successful day Fox hunting and the vermin had been caught.

Portsmouth next up at Elland Road on this hectic holiday programme another tough game and another massive crowd, swelled by a contingent of the faithful Swiss supporters branch.  Can we extend the unbeaten run to 11.  I'll try and get word from the Angel of the unbeaten run!
Can't wait.
MOT