Leeds United Louth Supporters Club - Always Leeds, Always Loyal

Home Louth Branch Contact Us Photos Fixtures/ results Leeds Rants Membership Details Leeds Shop Junior Section Louth Branch Magazine articles Quiz time 06/07 Season Louth Branch Archives Louth Branch History	This is the Louth Branch website. Always Leeds always loyal ! Edited by Gerry Cunningham. Our First official trip of the season will bring the Louth Branch to the Bristol City game on Friday 12th of November. Final payments are due in by Monday, 1st of November - no exceptions. We wish our good friend and fellow committee member, Mickey Foley a full and speedy recovery after taking ill on Sunday. Sat Oct 30th. 2010 Scunthorpe United 1-4 Leeds United. Att-8,122 (2,126 Officially LUFC) Team : 01 Schmeichel, 02 Connolly, 04 Bruce, 29 McCartney, 40 O'Brien, 07 Gradel, 08 Kilkenny, 14 Howson, 17 Faye (Johnson 55) 10 Becchio (Paynter 81), 23 Snodgrass (Nunez 83), Unused Substitutes : 30 Brown, 05 Collins, 16 Johnson, 27 Somma. Will the real Leeds United stand up ? Leeds captain Jonny Howson scored a 15-minute hat-trick to help his side claim a commanding victory at Scunthorpe. The visitors took the lead when Max Gradel drilled a low finish across Tony Warner after a neat ball from Howson. Scunthorpe hit back as Cliff Byrne rose highest at the back post to bury a header beyond Kapser Schmeichel. But Leeds rallied after the break and Howson crashed home a Paul Connolly cross, nodded in after a Gradel centre and then slotted a fourth. One of just three starting survivors from Leeds last visit to Glanford Park in August 2008, Howson scored with his right foot, his left foot (a real hat-trick)and his head as Simon Grayson's men returned to form after a run of one win in five. Grayson made three changes to the side that were thrashed 4-0 by Cardiff on Monday, and it paid dividends as Scunthorpe were dispatched, meaning their wait to beat Leeds will go into a 50th year. Cardiff's first goal in that win came after a collision between Schmeichel and Alex Bruce, and the duo almost shipped another goal in identical circumstances after two minutes, only for debutant O'Brien to clear off the line from Chris Dagnall. Leeds made the most of their let-off and took the lead after eight minutes through Gradel's first of the season, but Scunthorpe managed to build enough pressure to equalise. Good work from loanee Freddie Sears earned them a corner and from O'Connor's ball in, Byrne swooped to beat Schmeichel. Despite Leeds' protests, the goal stood. Warner, a former Leeds keeper, tipped an Amdy Faye header away moments before half-time and, after the break, Leeds' Neil Kilkenny drove over the bar. The visitors' pressure eventually told when Connolly's cross made its way through the area to the back post, where Howson was waiting to convert his third of the season. At the other end, Schmeichel had to tip a Sears drive over the bar, but Leeds were in total command by this point and Howson underlined that with his second, a back-post header after a Gradel cross. The points were secured when Luciano Becchio played Howson through on goal and he coolly completed a maiden career treble. It was fitting that Howson became the man of the match. The United captain was the subject of "drop him calls" in many of the Leeds phone ins during the previous few days, and United's only ever present answered his critics in style. The player has more of a free role in a three man central midfield and he reveled in it in the second half. Now United need to take this form to Coventry where it appears former Leeds loanee surprisingly can't stop scoring. If Leeds go with this formation and give Howson the licence to get forward we may pick up more points than we drop on the road. At home Leeds will be expected to be more attacking, but hopefully O'Brien (and a more match fit Schmeichel) will bring much needed stability to out leaky defence. Scunthorpe manager Ian Baraclough : “It’s a massive disappointment. Again we lost to a local side. The first half we were the better side. The second half we couldn’t get hold of Jonny Howson. We stopped tracking runners and failed to halt the delivery of the cross at source. Howlers some of them. Everyone was at fault not just at the back but the midfield didn’t get hold of it.” Simon Grayson ; “It’s a big win for us. We showed a lot of qualitiues. Jonny’s performance will obviously stand out. We weren’t so good in the first half. The second half we came out on the front foot and the front three did very well . Scunthorpe are a good team and they have had some good results lately. We put some things right at half time, and we didn’t let Scunthope settle on the ball. To concede from a set piece is disappointing but we’ll try and put these things right on the training field. We showed a lot more quality on the ball but we closed them down from the front by harrying their back fou. When we can do that and our midfield get more time we look a good team. The players chased harder and we played Jonny further forward and he showed good endeavour and attitude to make those runs forward. We never got down over the past few weeks and they have taken on board what we’ve been telling them. We want to get on a run now and (re Amdy Faye being taken off ) it was strictly tactical. We felt we needed more energy in the middle and that’s what Bradley gave us. We still feel we have a lot more work to do in certain areas of the pitch but we’ll enjoy the win today”. Sat Oct 30th. McCartney stays on. George McCartney has had his loan spell at Elland Road extended by another month. Simon Grayson : "We were keen for George to stay with us for a longer period and I'd like to thank Steve Bruce at Sunderland for agreeing to that. I do feel there is a lot more to come from George and the more games he plays the more people will see". Friday October 29th. O'Brien signs on and Thompson is sacked. Defender Andy O'Brien has joined Leeds United on a month-long loan as he seeks to improve his fitness. O'Brien has not played for Bolton Wanderers since sustaining a hamstring injury in a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa in mid-September. Manager Owen Coyle said: "He's been back training for over a week now and training very well, so this is an opportunity for him to go and get some games. "He's going to a fantastic club, so it's a win-win situation. Andy gets games at a very good club, and after a month I get a very good player back fully fit." The Harrogate-born defender – a Republic of Ireland international – has made more than 400 first-team appearances in his career, predominantly with Bradford City and Newcastle United, and joined Bolton three years ago. Meanwhile Leeds United have sacked two of their academy staff, including manager Neil Thompson, amid a major review of the club's youth-team operations. Thompson and his assistant manager, Daral Pugh, parted company with the club on Thursday, with technical director Gwyn Williams assuming temporary control of the academy at Thorp Arch. The club are beginning the search for a new academy manager after more than six years under Thompson's leadership. The 47-year-old, pictured left, assumed the post in 2004 while Kevin Blackwell was manager of the senior team at Leeds and he took on the dual role of managing the club's reserves in 2006. United are believed to have instigated their restructuring of the youth-team coaching staff amid concerns over the lack of players progressing from the academy to their first-team ranks. Nineteen-year-old Aidan White is the most recent academy product to make his debut for United's senior side, more than two years ago, and vice-captain Jonathan Howson was the only homegrown professional in the squad used by first-team manager Simon Grayson for Monday night's game against Cardiff City. Leeds' output of players has been affected by repeated departures to Premier League clubs, notably Fabian Delph's transfer to Aston Villa. England youth international Luke Garbutt chose to walk away from United's academy and join Everton, and Danny Rose, Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods are further, high-profile examples of players lost from Thorp Arch. The reshuffle has not affected Under-18s and Under-16s manager Neil Redfearn, who remains in his post. The club's Under-18s are presently bottom of their Premier Academy League division having taken one point from nine games. In a statement, Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "We feel the academy would benefit from a re-structure and a review of how it currently operates. "That process has already commenced and we have decided that the academy would benefit from new leadership, to install fresh ideas into our development scheme. "Neil and Daral have worked tremendously hard and leave with our best wishes." Thompson was unavailable for comment Weds 27th of October. Bates hits out against Sky. Ken Bates wants action after insisting the £100,000 poured into the club coffers by Sky for live broadcasts at Elland Road do not make up for the consequent loss in income in other areas when Leeds are on television. The former Chelsea chairman spoke out after Sky covered their 4-0 defeat by Cardiff on Monday night and revealed that he had already had talks with the broadcaster over their plans for the rest of the season. “I was described as money-grabbing Bates when the Cardiff game was switched and of course we didn’t want the Cardiff game to be switched at all,” Bates said. “The fact of the matter is that the away club gets £10,000 which is pitiful but it doesn’t affect us financially though it does inconvenience the fans. “The home team gets £100,000. That might be a lot of money to Scunthorpe or certain relatively small clubs. To us it does not compensate us for the inconvenience to the fans, the break in routine for the players which is also important to remember. “We had 20,700 on Monday but if it had been played on Saturday we would have got 25,000. Of that there is no doubt. We would have had bigger sponsorship – match and ball – more corporates would have turned up and we would have taken more money in food, drink, catering, programme sales and visits to the club shop.” Bates says he wants Leeds to be asked to switch fewer games over the course of the season. He added: “We have had five out of 13. We think we have had more than our fair share. The majority of the money is shared out sensibly to all 72 clubs and so the small clubs gain at the big clubs’ expense and we are getting a bit tired of it. “We have had discussions already about other matches at Elland Road of which I am not going to go into detail but we have made it quite clear that there is a limit for us to sacrifice. “It affects pour budget. At the start of the season you expect this, that and the other. We budgeted for 25,000-gates which rose to 26,700 but now after the Cardiff game we are marginally over the 25,000 and it is not fair and we are making a fuss about it. “It became an issue because inevitably you get a few sick-pots who support Leeds who blame me for everything, even when it is raining and I am getting a bit tired of fit and I tend to treat it with the contempt they deserve because the express their opinion without finding out the facts.” Mon 25th of October. Leeds are hammered at home. Leeds United 0-4 Cardiff City. Att : 20,747. Team : 01 Schmeichel, 02 Connolly, 04 Bruce, 05 Collins, 29 McCartney, 14 Howson, 16 Johnson (Gradel 63), 17 Faye (Clayton 81), 10 Becchio, 23 Snodgrass, 27 Somma (Nunez 54), Unused Substitutes : 30 Brown, 26 Bromby, 08 Kilkenny, 15 Clayton, 22 Hughes. Leeds received another football lesson, and yet Simon Grayson says that fans must "lower their expectations" just weeks after saying that anybody can beat anybody in this league. Not true. Everyone is beating Leeds. Not just beating United but hammering them. Report from BBC : Jay Bothroyd struck twice as Cardiff City ruthlessly took apart Leeds United to go joint-top of the Championship. A mix-up between goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Alex Bruce let in Bothroyd to give Cardiff the lead with his first of the night. Michael Chopra beat the offside trap to score the second from the edge of the box, before Bothroyd guided in a Chris Burke cross for his 11th of the season. Lee Naylor's long-range strike rounded off an emphatic win for Cardiff. The Bluebirds are looking like real contenders for automatic promotion and their fourth successive Championship victory moves them level on points with leaders Queens Park Rangers - who are top with a higher goal difference. It was Cardiff's biggest victory at Elland Road and the damage was done in just nine second-half minutes as Leeds, who had previously held it together after the defensive howler that led to Bothroyd's opener, were swept aside. It was the third successive home defeat for Leeds, shipping 12 goals in the process, as Simon Grayson's side struggle to make an impact on their Championship return following last season's promotion. But the home side had started the brighter as Bruce glanced Robert Snodgrass's corner wide and Jonathan Howson went close with a 25-yarder. Cardiff had not had much of a look-in until Bruce failed to deal with Cardiff keeper Tom Heaton's long punt upfield and Schmeichel then misjudged the bounce - allowing the ball to go through his legs - leaving Bothroyd to score into an empty net. On-loan Wales captain Craig Bellamy had a chance for a second as he tested Schmeichel with a volley from the edge of the box, before setting up Seyi Olofinjana whose shot was blocked. Leeds were once again opened up at the back but Bothroyd, racing through, dragged his shot wide of the far post. The hosts had chances as Jonathan Howson made a mazy run into the box, skipping through several challenges, but the ball got stuck under his feet at the crucial moment. Jones lauds attacking potency Then Bradley Johnson delivered a great ball from the left across the six-yard box but no one was able to get on to the end of it. Cardiff, though, gave another warning just before the break as Bellamy carved Leeds open down the left flank and cut back to Bothroyd, whose shot was blocked by Paul Connolly. Leeds failed to heed the warning signs and it took George McCartney's goal-line clearance to deny Gabor Gyepes' header after the restart. The second was not long in coming, though, as Mark Hudson dispossessed Davide Somma to find Chopra, who beat the offside trap and fired beyond Schmeichel for his first goal since coming back from an ankle injury. Four minutes later, Bellamy started the move of the night, which eventually found Burke overlapping on the right to cut back to Bothroyd who crisply slotted into the net. And Bellamy was involved again on the hour as he found full-back Naylor, who smashed in his second of the season from 25 yards with Schmeichel rooted to the spot. Leeds did put the ball in the net when Luciano Becchio beat Heaton with a header only to see it ruled out for offside, just before substitute Ramon Nunez fired narrowly over, but by then the game was already out of sight. Grayson told BBC Radio Leeds: "We have to look at the whole team and see what we need to do to turn around this sticky patch." "But we are not a million miles away from being a decent team as we proved at Middlesbrough three games ago." The defeat to the Welsh side was the third time in this season Leeds have conceded four or more goals in a league match, following the 6-4 home loss to Preston and the 5-2 hammering at Barnsley. "It's the first time since I've been here that we've conceded so many goals, especially at home. "So we need to look at that and sort it out. We are still making too many mistakes and need to cut that out. "We are going through a tough time, but we have to stick together, keep working hard and I know we can go to Scunthorpe and win. "The players are learning all the time in the Championship and it's a very tough division. "We know there is stuff to work on and we'll do that. But we knew it would be tough getting used to this level". Tues 19th Oct 2010. Leeds United 1-2 Leicester City. Att- 22,775. Naughton 63 mins, Howard 81, Becchio 83 . 30 Brown, 02 Connolly, 05 Collins, 06 Naylor, 29 McCartney, 14 Howson, 17 Faye (Kilkenny 70), 10 Becchio, 18 Watt (Johnson 30), 23 Snodgrass (Gradel 70 yellow card), 27 Somma, Substitutes : 31 Alnwick, 04 Bruce, 22 Hughes, 33 Nunez Simon Grayson said : “Leicester did to us what we did to M’bro”. We lacked spark, energy and a very good Leicester side came away with the points”. Believe me it was worse than that. The score line read 2-1 to Leicester but make no mistake about it, Leeds were outthought, outfought, outran and ultimately outclassed for almost all of the match. I can’t speak about the final seven minutes because I was gone (and so was much of Elland Road) at that stage. The Foxes came out from the first whistle all guns blazing and could have been three up in five minutes. Leeds had no answer to their quick passing, off the ball running and full banks raiding down both flanks. It was like 13 men against 8, and sadly we were the ones in single digits. There is no doubt that Leicester’s performance made a mockery of their lowly league position, but equally so our performance certainly merited a considerably lesser position than mid-table. We never looked like scoring until five minutes to go. The frustrating thing for me was that we were so outclassed in the first half that one would think that at half time Leeds would regroup and come out a different side. We didn't. Barnsley and Preston is looking less like a fluke the more the season goes on. We don't seem to learn from our mistakes. Leicester were quicker to every ball. Hobbs and Curtis Davies (on loan from a Villa) were pure quality at the back, comfortable on the ball and springing quickly from defence to attack. In contrast we had the immobile Naylor and Collins, cumbersome, slow and uncomfortable on the ball. Their full backs (especially Naughton on loan from Spurs) were bombing forward. Connolly tried to do this for Leeds but McCartney was poor and frequently caught out of position. In midfield, Oakley (captain) and Wellens (remember him from Docaster beating us at Wembley) were head and shoulders above Faye and Howson, always looking form the ball prodding for openings. Perhaps Faye wasn't fit from the knock he took at M'bro because he was simply awful. Snodgrass and and Watt simply didn't count with the latter rightfully substituted tactically on the half hour mark. Somma found it impossible to hold up the ball and I honestly thought he was playing left back for most of the second half. Becchio worked like a dog but simply got no service, and our keeper, Brown is not good enough. When Johnson came on, his energetic runs at least gave Leeds United an alternative. Leicester on this showing will be in the play-offs and one to watch. Unless Grayson makes changes, United won't be any higher up than mid-table. Schmeichel is a huge loss in goal. He inspires, turns defence into attack in seconds, is a leader on the field and happens to be one hell of a goalkeeper. He can't come back quick enough. Our defence is simply not up to it. Maybe a fit Parker can make it at left full, but Collins and Naylor are not good enough at the level. Bruce should be better but Kisnorbo is a huge loss. In midfield we are not strong enough. On the flanks we should have enough quality from Snodgrass (who will have better games)Watt, Gradel or Sam. Scoring goals is the least of our problems. Paynter may work harder than the prolific Somma, but Becchio is playing well and McCormack also comes into contention. But Over to the BBC for their match report : Leicester withstood a late Leeds rally to win at Elland Road and give Sven-Goran Eriksson his first Foxes win. On-loan defender Kyle Naughton gave Leicester the lead after 63 minutes when his deflected long-range effort looped over goalkeeper Jason Brown. Substitute Steve Howard doubled the visitors' advantage with a neat finish after good work from Andy King. Luciano Becchio pulled one back with seven minutes remaining but the home side were unable to find an equaliser. Leicester's fans will be delighted with the early signs of improvement their team are showing under former England boss Eriksson, and they could have won by more at a freezing Elland Road. The Foxes turned on the style from the kick off, taking the game to their hosts and cutting through the Leeds backline seemingly at will. dragged his shot wide after being put through by Martyn Waghorn. The pair combined again minutes later but this time Waghorn curled his effort over the crossbar. Paul Gallagher then completely miscued his volley after being found unmarked in the Leeds box by Franck Moussa. Leeds goalkeeper Brown did well to push Bruno Berner's 25-yard thunderbolt onto the bar as the visitors threatened to run riot. Leeds boss Simon Grayson had seen enough and replaced winger Sanchez Watt with Bradley Johnson after 30 minutes in an effort to shore up the centre of midfield. The switch seemed to give Leeds more balance and Johnson had chances to open the scoring before half-time but mistimed his header and then drove a 20-yard effort high and wide. Leeds began the second half in brighter fashion and Becchio went close with a header. But it was Leicester who eventually broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Leeds left-back George McCartney made a mess of his challenge on Naughton on the edge of the penalty area and the Tottenham youngster broke through and saw his effort hit Neill Collins and loop into the Leeds net. Eriksson replaced Moussa with veteran striker Howard in the closing stages and within minutes he had doubled the visitors' advantage. Leeds responded within two minutes when Becchio headed home his sixth goal of the season from substitute Max Gradel's cross. But Leicester held on for a fully deserved win which maintains Eriksson's unbeaten start and moves the Foxes out of the Championship relegation zone. Sat Oct 16^th. 2010 M’bro 1-2 Leeds United (Boyd 53 Somma 12 Becchio 63).United Team : 30 Brown, 02 Connolly, 05 Collins, 06 Naylor, 29 McCartney (Hughes 34)14 Howson, 17 Faye (Bromby 85), 10 Becchio, 18 Watt (Johnson 38), 23 Snodgrass, 27 Somma . Unused Subs : Alnwick, Kiklenny, McCormack, Gradel. Emergency loan signing from Spurs, Ben Alnwick was on the bench as the United reserve keeper. LUFC came out the blocks firing on all cylindars as they took the game to the pre-season Championship favourites. Davide Somma opened the scoring for the visitors with a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Kris Boyd nipped in front of Richard Naylor to prod the leveller from Matthew Bates' inviting cross. Striker Luciano Becchio scored a stunning winner as Leeds added to Middlesbrough's problems with victory at the Riverside.The Argentine striker lashed home a fine volley from Bradley Johnson's cutback to secure all three points for Leeds. Middlesbrough fans greeted the final whistle with a crescendo of boos after a defeat which leaves the club in 20th place, just one point above the relegation zone. Leeds, meanwhile, have risen to ninth in the table after a well-deserved victory in manager Simon Grayson's 100th match in charge. Leeds dominated the game's opening and took a deserved lead when Somma diverted Sanchez Watt's deflected cross past Jason Steele. Somma ought to have played in Becchio when two-on-one just before the break, but the striker chose to shoot despite his colleague being unmarked on the edge of the box. Boro improved after the interval and drew level after 53 minutes through Boyd. But conceding a goal seemed to stir Leeds, who restored their advantage 10 minutes later through Becchio's superb strike, which cannoned in off a post. The Argentine struck the bar with another shot and Leeds withstood a late Boro rally to secure victory. Best for Leeds in the first half was Faye who dominated the midfield. In the second half I thought Howson was outstanding but even he was eclipsed by the inspired Becchio who took the game by the throat in the second half. One note of caution. Leeds attempts at killing off the game with seven minutes to go will not work against better sides, and perhaps it is better to scoring a third and decisive goal. No doubt the Preston collapse influenced that. United are three places off third and just one point off the play-off positions. They are the only side in the top 13 with a minus goal difference. Leeds have goals in them but defensively they still look vulnerable, especially at set pieces. We thought we would have difficulty replacing Jermaine Beckford's goals. Guess what, we have replaced them. Gordan Strachan : "I don't think we should have got beat. I think we'd done enough considering we've had to chop and change the team recently so I haven't got a problem with that," he told Sky Sports. "They're having to take some body blows at the moment, but that's life sometimes. They test you as a player, as a person, as a manager and as a coach, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. "It's worse for the people who pay and it's worse for the guys who put some much effort in to get beat. We're all going through a bad period and we have to deal with that. "I won't be changing, I've proved at other clubs that I can take rocky periods and survive and do well. "Obviously I'm the focal point of the club so I have to deal with it one way or another."The fans have been great, they've been fantastic and when people are worried they act strange at times, and I can understand that."Leeds boss Simon Grayson was delighted to win the game and come away from what he felt was one of the best sides in the division with three points, despite their poor position. He was also happy to see his side bounce back from two disappointing losses in a row to gain victory. "It's a big result to come to one of the favourites for the division pre-season," said Grayson. "We responded after two back-to-back defeats and we've come away with three points that I think we deserved. "We kept going and we've got belief in the camp that we can always get goals. "We've got to make sure we know how to kill games off as well and in the last ten minutes we did that. We've got good shape about us and got a valuable three points tonight." Grayson also praised the quality of goals from strikers Davide Somma and Luciano Becchio, who smashed in the winner in the 63rd minute with a stunning volley. "It doesn't matter how they go in but it was two fantastic moves and strikes," he added. "Full credit to the two players up front as they worked hard, we changed the system at the back end of the second half, but they kept going and it's testament to the effort of the team". Tues Oct 12th. Parker, Connolly and Paynter on the mend. A strong Leeds United line up went down 1-0 at home to Scunthorpe. The result was immaterial. Ben Parker and Billy Paynter both came through 45 minutes successfully without any adverse affects. Paul Connolly also successfully came through 60 minutes and put himself in contention for a starting slot at M'bro. The game featured 36 year old Tony Warner in goal for United after coming on loan to Leeds for a second time. The out of contract player, now aged 36, made 13 appearances for LUFC back in 2006/07. Meanwhile at the third time of asking, Mike Grella has eventually agreed to go out on loan. This time he has signed for Carlisle United on a month long loan. The player has made 42 appearances for Leeds (coming off the bench 33 times) and has scored 5 goals, perhaps the most valuable was in the FA Cup 2nd round last season which enabled us to meet a certain Man United at Old Trafford. And look what happened then ! Simon Grayson added : "This is an opportunity for him to play some regular football because opportunities have been limited this season. Carlisle are doing well in League One so this is a chance for him to play some games at a competitive level". Weds October 6th. 2010. Injury latest. Simon Grayson`s injury ravaged side finally shows signs of getting better with a number of first team players looking to return over the next few weeks. Leeds went into last weekend`s game without ten first team players with Kasper Schmeichel, Leigh Bromby, Aiden White, Patrick Kisnorbo, Federico Bessone, Ben Parker, Paul Connolly, Lloyd Sam, Billy Paynter and Ross McCormack all out through injury. Things were made worse during the defeat at Ipswich when Shane Higgs, who has been deputising for the injured Kasper Schmeichel, went off with a hamstring injury. Alex Bruce also received his marching orders and with six defenders already on the sidelines left Grayson struggling for cover at the back. The international break came at the right time for Leeds, with Grayson having two weeks to see players return to training and pushing for selection for the Middlesbrough game. Grayson as already been boosted this week with the return to training of defender Ben Parker who has endured fourteen months of injury problems. Parker suffered an injury on the opening day of last season and did not start another game until the penultimate home game of the season, when he suffered a fresh injury that has ruled him out until now. The left back is all set to play in a behind closed door friendly on Thursday as he starts the long road back to full fitness. Grayson doesn`t want to rush back Parker after all his injuries, speaking on the official website, Grayson said, "He`s getting back. He`s been doing some training with us and training with the kids. He`s had a long time out and we can`t rush him back." Also back in training this week is right back Paul Connolly who has missed the last four games since the defeat at Barnsley with a hamstring injury. Federico Bessone also hasn`t featured since the Barnsley game through injury and is expected to resume training on Monday along with Ross McCormack and Lloyd Sam who missed Leeds last outing through injury. Leeds recently extended the loan of goalkeeper Jason Brown from Blackburn Rovers after he replaced the injured Higgs at Ipswich. With Higgs likely to spend at least a couple of weeks on the sidelines with his hamstring injury and Kasper Schmeichel also expected to be on the sidelines for a further two weeks, Grayson might look to bring in another goalkeeper to back up Brown. Meanwhile Ken Bates is confident that United will finish in the play-off positions. Well that's okay then. October 2^nd Ipswich Town 2-1 Leeds United. Leeds United: Higgs (Brown 62), Bruce, Naylor, Collins, McCartney, Howson, Faye, Kilkenny (Watt 74), Johnson (Becchio 74), Snodgrass, Somma. Subs (not used): Gradel, Clayton, Hughes, Nunez. Attendance: 23,105. Report from Yorkshire Evening Post - Phil Hay. The postmortems held by Leeds United after Barnsley and Preston North End were grisly affairs; "cringe-worthy" according to the coach who ordered them. Eleven concessions reviewed by a chastened squad of players included not a single clever, inventive or admirable goal. The same complaint was audible at Portman Road where the coach in question candidly admitted that he was starting to mimic a broken record. It would not please Simon Grayson to blame league defeats on superior opposition but it would make a change from discussing them in terms of Leeds United's faults. There was infinitely more to last week's disaster against Preston than a frail defence – indicted by that performance was the attitude, the leadership and the pride of Grayson's squad – but it was prevalent nonetheless in a game of no merit and serious tactical deficiency. On Saturday, a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town was professional enough for United's manager to refrain from asking his players to look in the mirror. "They showed a lot more passion and a lot more responsibility," he said. But the most basic failing of their loss to Preston – the failure to protect their own net – is a deep-set weakness that video replays alone cannot heal. "What I can't accept," Grayson complained, "is us contributing to our own downfall. We must learn." There were no prizes for guessing what United's squad would be working on most diligently for the duration of the international break which began yesterday. Grayson plans to give his players a short period of time off after their 10th Championship fixture but he will feel a pressing need to eradicate the lapses which cost Leeds that game before they contest their 11th at Middlesbrough on October 16. Ipswich's first goal, scored after 18 minutes and one attack, was the product of a simple pass threaded through their defence by a midfielder under no pressure. Their second, scored six minutes from time and eight after United had equalised through Robert Snodgrass, relied on the gift of a free header, a cardinal sin for players the world over. Tommy Smith lapped it up. That Leeds were missing right-back Alex Bruce at the moment of Smith's goal, sent from the field after a second bookable offence, did not lead Grayson to blame mitigating circumstances. "We've given a free header away when we shouldn't have done," he said. "We're finding out again and again that when you make mistakes in the Championship, you get punished." Soon, he hopes, the penny will drop. Whether United's defensive record, showing 18 goals against, is the fault of their defensive line or their team as a whole, is a matter of some debate; Grayson believes the second theory to be true and will doubtless press that point at Thorp Arch during the coming 10 days. But continuity within that defence eludes him, more so after Bruce incurred a one-match ban and Shane Higgs strained a hamstring early in the second half. Bruce, an ex-Ipswich player, was used as a right-back on Saturday to accommodate another ex-Portman Road employee, Richard Naylor, half of a line completed by Neill Collins and George McCartney. So depleted are Leeds by injuries that an experienced and potentially adequate unit was also the sum of their available options. However pleased Grayson was with a defence which kept Ipswich relatively quiet until the start of the second half, he will not be free to use it against against Middlesbrough. Bruce is a certain absentee; Higgs already ranks as a serious doubt. His collapse to the ground in the 63rd minute was worryingly reminiscent of the debilitating thigh injury sustained by the goalkeeper last season. Higgs had already been beaten by the time he left the field, though five times fewer than by Preston. He was helpless to intervene after Jake Livermore advanced unchallenged through midfield and asked Jason Scotland to wreak havoc by threading a pass between Grayson's centre-backs. Sotland anticipated the through ball and spun away from Naylor, keeping his balance for long enough to skip around Higgs and side-foot the ball into a vacant net. It could not have been said that the goal had been coming; before it, Scotland – Ipswich's lone striker – had barely touched the ball. Leeds, by a nominal margin, were the more creative team in a first half played out at a healthy pace but with limited purpose. Davide Somma's shot from close range was blocked after Jonathan Howson laid off Bradley Johnson's cross, and Naylor's header from Neil Kilkenny's cross hit Somma before it could reach Ipswich goalkeeper Marton Fulop. Both Naylor and Kilkenny had been recalled to Grayson's starting line-up after the debacle of United's loss to Preston, and Snodgrass too. Amdy Faye, the last of four chances, was given the debut that many in Leeds felt he should have made five days earlier, lodged in United's team as a defensive midfielder. With that duty, it seemed fair for Faye to take a share of responsibility for the excessive freedom given to Livermore prior to Scotland's goal, but the Senegalese international fulfilled his brief in so far as Ipswich's chances to improve their lead were minimal before half-time. Howson and Somma looked more likely to score with shots from long range which failed to test Fulop. There was, still, a sense that United's system was causing Ipswich less strife than it needed to. Grayson, as he had against Preston, saw no reason to mess with his line-up at half-time but tactical substitutions seemed essential some time before Luciano Becchio and Sanchez Watt entered the fray in the 74th minute. While they sat on the bench, Scotland contrived to miss Higgs' goal from an unmissable range after Leeds allowed Grant Leadbitter's free-kick to bounce around inside their box. Gareth McAuley, Ipswich's centre-back, showed a similar lack of precision with a glancing header beyond a post. His miss was Higgs' cue to depart, making way in some distress for another debutant in Jason Brown. The on-loan Blackburn Rovers keeper was liable to be rusty, seven months after his last senior game, but he reacted well to a shot from from Scotland that flew at him quickly in the 71st minute, another moment when Ipswich might have killed the contest. When Snodgrass scored out of nothing five minutes later, the value of Brown's save soared. McAuley and Smith played Ipswich into trouble by attacking a high ball together, and Somma brought possession under control before drilling a pass into Fulop's penalty area. Jaime Peters appeared to have the legs on Watt but the latter's ingenious sliding challenge knocked the ball across goal where Snodgrass was waiting to stab it into the net. "The goal was shocking," said Roy Keane afterwards, proving that defensive problems exist outside Elland Road. As quickly as optimism surged, Leeds found themselves numerically short when Bruce incurred a dismissal at the one stadium where he would have wished to avoid it. Booked already for a cynical foul on Andros Townsend he received a second after rashly fouling the same player near United's byline. Referee Keith Hill, though contentious in the main, could not forgive him that. Grayson attempted to reorganise his remaining players but to no avail. A poor corner in the 84th minute tempted his defence out of position, and Carlos Edwards' high cross back into United's box found Smith waiting to aim a header down and beyond Brown. The presence of Ipswich's defender in such an advanced position was as much of a surprise as his appearance on the pitch; only because of an injury to Darren O'Dea had Keane promoted Smith from the bench minutes before kick-off. Leeds will remember it as one of those weeks. Sept 10 Update Aug 10 Update July 10 Update June 10 Update May 10 Update April 10 Update March 10 Update Feb 10 Update Jan 10 Update Dec 09 Update Nov 09 Update Oct 09 Update Sept 09 Update June 09 to Aug 09 Feb to May 09 Index January 09 Index Nov 14th 08 to Dec 31st 08 Index June 08 to Nov 11th 08 Index Jan 08 to May 25th 08 For Archived Files for December 07 click here For Archived Files from October to November 07 click here For Archived Files from August to September 07 click here For previous news stories, please click here. For what you think of Leeds, click here to send in your rants and I'll include them in the "Rants" page.

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This is the Louth Branch website. Always Leeds always loyal ! Edited by Gerry Cunningham.

Our First official trip of the season will bring the Louth Branch to the Bristol City game on Friday 12th of November. Final payments are due in by Monday, 1st of November - no exceptions. We wish our good friend and fellow committee member, Mickey Foley a full and speedy recovery after taking ill on Sunday.

Sat Oct 30th. 2010 Scunthorpe United 1-4 Leeds United. Att-8,122 (2,126 Officially LUFC) Team : 01 Schmeichel, 02 Connolly, 04 Bruce, 29 McCartney, 40 O'Brien, 07 Gradel, 08 Kilkenny, 14 Howson, 17 Faye (Johnson 55) 10 Becchio (Paynter 81), 23 Snodgrass (Nunez 83), Unused Substitutes : 30 Brown, 05 Collins, 16 Johnson, 27 Somma. Will the real Leeds United stand up ? Leeds captain Jonny Howson scored a 15-minute hat-trick to help his side claim a commanding victory at Scunthorpe. The visitors took the lead when Max Gradel drilled a low finish across Tony Warner after a neat ball from Howson. Scunthorpe hit back as Cliff Byrne rose highest at the back post to bury a header beyond Kapser Schmeichel. But Leeds rallied after the break and Howson crashed home a Paul Connolly cross, nodded in after a Gradel centre and then slotted a fourth. One of just three starting survivors from Leeds last visit to Glanford Park in August 2008, Howson scored with his right foot, his left foot (a real hat-trick)and his head as Simon Grayson's men returned to form after a run of one win in five. Grayson made three changes to the side that were thrashed 4-0 by Cardiff on Monday, and it paid dividends as Scunthorpe were dispatched, meaning their wait to beat Leeds will go into a 50th year. Cardiff's first goal in that win came after a collision between Schmeichel and Alex Bruce, and the duo almost shipped another goal in identical circumstances after two minutes, only for debutant O'Brien to clear off the line from Chris Dagnall. Leeds made the most of their let-off and took the lead after eight minutes through Gradel's first of the season, but Scunthorpe managed to build enough pressure to equalise. Good work from loanee Freddie Sears earned them a corner and from O'Connor's ball in, Byrne swooped to beat Schmeichel. Despite Leeds' protests, the goal stood. Warner, a former Leeds keeper, tipped an Amdy Faye header away moments before half-time and, after the break, Leeds' Neil Kilkenny drove over the bar. The visitors' pressure eventually told when Connolly's cross made its way through the area to the back post, where Howson was waiting to convert his third of the season. At the other end, Schmeichel had to tip a Sears drive over the bar, but Leeds were in total command by this point and Howson underlined that with his second, a back-post header after a Gradel cross. The points were secured when Luciano Becchio played Howson through on goal and he coolly completed a maiden career treble. It was fitting that Howson became the man of the match. The United captain was the subject of "drop him calls" in many of the Leeds phone ins during the previous few days, and United's only ever present answered his critics in style. The player has more of a free role in a three man central midfield and he reveled in it in the second half. Now United need to take this form to Coventry where it appears former Leeds loanee surprisingly can't stop scoring. If Leeds go with this formation and give Howson the licence to get forward we may pick up more points than we drop on the road. At home Leeds will be expected to be more attacking, but hopefully O'Brien (and a more match fit Schmeichel) will bring much needed stability to out leaky defence. Scunthorpe manager Ian Baraclough : “It’s a massive disappointment. Again we lost to a local side. The first half we were the better side. The second half we couldn’t get hold of Jonny Howson. We stopped tracking runners and failed to halt the delivery of the cross at source. Howlers some of them. Everyone was at fault not just at the back but the midfield didn’t get hold of it.” Simon Grayson ; “It’s a big win for us. We showed a lot of qualitiues. Jonny’s performance will obviously stand out. We weren’t so good in the first half. The second half we came out on the front foot and the front three did very well . Scunthorpe are a good team and they have had some good results lately. We put some things right at half time, and we didn’t let Scunthope settle on the ball. To concede from a set piece is disappointing but we’ll try and put these things right on the training field. We showed a lot more quality on the ball but we closed them down from the front by harrying their back fou. When we can do that and our midfield get more time we look a good team. The players chased harder and we played Jonny further forward and he showed good endeavour and attitude to make those runs forward. We never got down over the past few weeks and they have taken on board what we’ve been telling them. We want to get on a run now and (re Amdy Faye being taken off ) it was strictly tactical. We felt we needed more energy in the middle and that’s what Bradley gave us. We still feel we have a lot more work to do in certain areas of the pitch but we’ll enjoy the win today”.

Sat Oct 30th. McCartney stays on. George McCartney has had his loan spell at Elland Road extended by another month. Simon Grayson : "We were keen for George to stay with us for a longer period and I'd like to thank Steve Bruce at Sunderland for agreeing to that. I do feel there is a lot more to come from George and the more games he plays the more people will see".

Friday October 29th. O'Brien signs on and Thompson is sacked. Defender Andy O'Brien has joined Leeds United on a month-long loan as he seeks to improve his fitness. O'Brien has not played for Bolton Wanderers since sustaining a hamstring injury in a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa in mid-September. Manager Owen Coyle said: "He's been back training for over a week now and training very well, so this is an opportunity for him to go and get some games. "He's going to a fantastic club, so it's a win-win situation. Andy gets games at a very good club, and after a month I get a very good player back fully fit." The Harrogate-born defender – a Republic of Ireland international – has made more than 400 first-team appearances in his career, predominantly with Bradford City and Newcastle United, and joined Bolton three years ago. Meanwhile Leeds United have sacked two of their academy staff, including manager Neil Thompson, amid a major review of the club's youth-team operations. Thompson and his assistant manager, Daral Pugh, parted company with the club on Thursday, with technical director Gwyn Williams assuming temporary control of the academy at Thorp Arch. The club are beginning the search for a new academy manager after more than six years under Thompson's leadership. The 47-year-old, pictured left, assumed the post in 2004 while Kevin Blackwell was manager of the senior team at Leeds and he took on the dual role of managing the club's reserves in 2006. United are believed to have instigated their restructuring of the youth-team coaching staff amid concerns over the lack of players progressing from the academy to their first-team ranks. Nineteen-year-old Aidan White is the most recent academy product to make his debut for United's senior side, more than two years ago, and vice-captain Jonathan Howson was the only homegrown professional in the squad used by first-team manager Simon Grayson for Monday night's game against Cardiff City. Leeds' output of players has been affected by repeated departures to Premier League clubs, notably Fabian Delph's transfer to Aston Villa. England youth international Luke Garbutt chose to walk away from United's academy and join Everton, and Danny Rose, Tom Taiwo and Michael Woods are further, high-profile examples of players lost from Thorp Arch. The reshuffle has not affected Under-18s and Under-16s manager Neil Redfearn, who remains in his post. The club's Under-18s are presently bottom of their Premier Academy League division having taken one point from nine games. In a statement, Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "We feel the academy would benefit from a re-structure and a review of how it currently operates. "That process has already commenced and we have decided that the academy would benefit from new leadership, to install fresh ideas into our development scheme. "Neil and Daral have worked tremendously hard and leave with our best wishes." Thompson was unavailable for comment

Weds 27th of October. Bates hits out against Sky. Ken Bates wants action after insisting the £100,000 poured into the club coffers by Sky for live broadcasts at Elland Road do not make up for the consequent loss in income in other areas when Leeds are on television. The former Chelsea chairman spoke out after Sky covered their 4-0 defeat by Cardiff on Monday night and revealed that he had already had talks with the broadcaster over their plans for the rest of the season. “I was described as money-grabbing Bates when the Cardiff game was switched and of course we didn’t want the Cardiff game to be switched at all,” Bates said. “The fact of the matter is that the away club gets £10,000 which is pitiful but it doesn’t affect us financially though it does inconvenience the fans. “The home team gets £100,000. That might be a lot of money to Scunthorpe or certain relatively small clubs. To us it does not compensate us for the inconvenience to the fans, the break in routine for the players which is also important to remember. “We had 20,700 on Monday but if it had been played on Saturday we would have got 25,000. Of that there is no doubt. We would have had bigger sponsorship – match and ball – more corporates would have turned up and we would have taken more money in food, drink, catering, programme sales and visits to the club shop.” Bates says he wants Leeds to be asked to switch fewer games over the course of the season. He added: “We have had five out of 13. We think we have had more than our fair share. The majority of the money is shared out sensibly to all 72 clubs and so the small clubs gain at the big clubs’ expense and we are getting a bit tired of it. “We have had discussions already about other matches at Elland Road of which I am not going to go into detail but we have made it quite clear that there is a limit for us to sacrifice. “It affects pour budget. At the start of the season you expect this, that and the other. We budgeted for 25,000-gates which rose to 26,700 but now after the Cardiff game we are marginally over the 25,000 and it is not fair and we are making a fuss about it. “It became an issue because inevitably you get a few sick-pots who support Leeds who blame me for everything, even when it is raining and I am getting a bit tired of fit and I tend to treat it with the contempt they deserve because the express their opinion without finding out the facts.”

Mon 25th of October. Leeds are hammered at home. Leeds United 0-4 Cardiff City. Att : 20,747. Team : 01 Schmeichel, 02 Connolly, 04 Bruce, 05 Collins, 29 McCartney, 14 Howson, 16 Johnson (Gradel 63), 17 Faye (Clayton 81), 10 Becchio, 23 Snodgrass, 27 Somma (Nunez 54), Unused Substitutes : 30 Brown, 26 Bromby, 08 Kilkenny, 15 Clayton, 22 Hughes. Leeds received another football lesson, and yet Simon Grayson says that fans must "lower their expectations" just weeks after saying that anybody can beat anybody in this league. Not true. Everyone is beating Leeds. Not just beating United but hammering them. Report from BBC : Jay Bothroyd struck twice as Cardiff City ruthlessly took apart Leeds United to go joint-top of the Championship. A mix-up between goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Alex Bruce let in Bothroyd to give Cardiff the lead with his first of the night. Michael Chopra beat the offside trap to score the second from the edge of the box, before Bothroyd guided in a Chris Burke cross for his 11th of the season. Lee Naylor's long-range strike rounded off an emphatic win for Cardiff. The Bluebirds are looking like real contenders for automatic promotion and their fourth successive Championship victory moves them level on points with leaders Queens Park Rangers - who are top with a higher goal difference. It was Cardiff's biggest victory at Elland Road and the damage was done in just nine second-half minutes as Leeds, who had previously held it together after the defensive howler that led to Bothroyd's opener, were swept aside. It was the third successive home defeat for Leeds, shipping 12 goals in the process, as Simon Grayson's side struggle to make an impact on their Championship return following last season's promotion. But the home side had started the brighter as Bruce glanced Robert Snodgrass's corner wide and Jonathan Howson went close with a 25-yarder. Cardiff had not had much of a look-in until Bruce failed to deal with Cardiff keeper Tom Heaton's long punt upfield and Schmeichel then misjudged the bounce - allowing the ball to go through his legs - leaving Bothroyd to score into an empty net. On-loan Wales captain Craig Bellamy had a chance for a second as he tested Schmeichel with a volley from the edge of the box, before setting up Seyi Olofinjana whose shot was blocked. Leeds were once again opened up at the back but Bothroyd, racing through, dragged his shot wide of the far post. The hosts had chances as Jonathan Howson made a mazy run into the box, skipping through several challenges, but the ball got stuck under his feet at the crucial moment. Jones lauds attacking potency Then Bradley Johnson delivered a great ball from the left across the six-yard box but no one was able to get on to the end of it. Cardiff, though, gave another warning just before the break as Bellamy carved Leeds open down the left flank and cut back to Bothroyd, whose shot was blocked by Paul Connolly. Leeds failed to heed the warning signs and it took George McCartney's goal-line clearance to deny Gabor Gyepes' header after the restart. The second was not long in coming, though, as Mark Hudson dispossessed Davide Somma to find Chopra, who beat the offside trap and fired beyond Schmeichel for his first goal since coming back from an ankle injury. Four minutes later, Bellamy started the move of the night, which eventually found Burke overlapping on the right to cut back to Bothroyd who crisply slotted into the net. And Bellamy was involved again on the hour as he found full-back Naylor, who smashed in his second of the season from 25 yards with Schmeichel rooted to the spot. Leeds did put the ball in the net when Luciano Becchio beat Heaton with a header only to see it ruled out for offside, just before substitute Ramon Nunez fired narrowly over, but by then the game was already out of sight. Grayson told BBC Radio Leeds: "We have to look at the whole team and see what we need to do to turn around this sticky patch." "But we are not a million miles away from being a decent team as we proved at Middlesbrough three games ago." The defeat to the Welsh side was the third time in this season Leeds have conceded four or more goals in a league match, following the 6-4 home loss to Preston and the 5-2 hammering at Barnsley. "It's the first time since I've been here that we've conceded so many goals, especially at home. "So we need to look at that and sort it out. We are still making too many mistakes and need to cut that out. "We are going through a tough time, but we have to stick together, keep working hard and I know we can go to Scunthorpe and win. "The players are learning all the time in the Championship and it's a very tough division. "We know there is stuff to work on and we'll do that. But we knew it would be tough getting used to this level".

Tues 19th Oct 2010. Leeds United 1-2 Leicester City. Att- 22,775. Naughton 63 mins, Howard 81, Becchio 83 . 30 Brown, 02 Connolly, 05 Collins, 06 Naylor, 29 McCartney, 14 Howson, 17 Faye (Kilkenny 70), 10 Becchio, 18 Watt (Johnson 30), 23 Snodgrass (Gradel 70 yellow card), 27 Somma, Substitutes : 31 Alnwick, 04 Bruce, 22 Hughes, 33 Nunez Simon Grayson said : “Leicester did to us what we did to M’bro”. We lacked spark, energy and a very good Leicester side came away with the points”. Believe me it was worse than that. The score line read 2-1 to Leicester but make no mistake about it, Leeds were outthought, outfought, outran and ultimately outclassed for almost all of the match. I can’t speak about the final seven minutes because I was gone (and so was much of Elland Road) at that stage. The Foxes came out from the first whistle all guns blazing and could have been three up in five minutes. Leeds had no answer to their quick passing, off the ball running and full banks raiding down both flanks. It was like 13 men against 8, and sadly we were the ones in single digits. There is no doubt that Leicester’s performance made a mockery of their lowly league position, but equally so our performance certainly merited a considerably lesser position than mid-table. We never looked like scoring until five minutes to go. The frustrating thing for me was that we were so outclassed in the first half that one would think that at half time Leeds would regroup and come out a different side. We didn't. Barnsley and Preston is looking less like a fluke the more the season goes on. We don't seem to learn from our mistakes. Leicester were quicker to every ball. Hobbs and Curtis Davies (on loan from a Villa) were pure quality at the back, comfortable on the ball and springing quickly from defence to attack. In contrast we had the immobile Naylor and Collins, cumbersome, slow and uncomfortable on the ball. Their full backs (especially Naughton on loan from Spurs) were bombing forward. Connolly tried to do this for Leeds but McCartney was poor and frequently caught out of position. In midfield, Oakley (captain) and Wellens (remember him from Docaster beating us at Wembley) were head and shoulders above Faye and Howson, always looking form the ball prodding for openings. Perhaps Faye wasn't fit from the knock he took at M'bro because he was simply awful. Snodgrass and and Watt simply didn't count with the latter rightfully substituted tactically on the half hour mark. Somma found it impossible to hold up the ball and I honestly thought he was playing left back for most of the second half. Becchio worked like a dog but simply got no service, and our keeper, Brown is not good enough. When Johnson came on, his energetic runs at least gave Leeds United an alternative. Leicester on this showing will be in the play-offs and one to watch. Unless Grayson makes changes, United won't be any higher up than mid-table. Schmeichel is a huge loss in goal. He inspires, turns defence into attack in seconds, is a leader on the field and happens to be one hell of a goalkeeper. He can't come back quick enough. Our defence is simply not up to it. Maybe a fit Parker can make it at left full, but Collins and Naylor are not good enough at the level. Bruce should be better but Kisnorbo is a huge loss. In midfield we are not strong enough. On the flanks we should have enough quality from Snodgrass (who will have better games)Watt, Gradel or Sam. Scoring goals is the least of our problems. Paynter may work harder than the prolific Somma, but Becchio is playing well and McCormack also comes into contention. But Over to the BBC for their match report : Leicester withstood a late Leeds rally to win at Elland Road and give Sven-Goran Eriksson his first Foxes win. On-loan defender Kyle Naughton gave Leicester the lead after 63 minutes when his deflected long-range effort looped over goalkeeper Jason Brown. Substitute Steve Howard doubled the visitors' advantage with a neat finish after good work from Andy King. Luciano Becchio pulled one back with seven minutes remaining but the home side were unable to find an equaliser. Leicester's fans will be delighted with the early signs of improvement their team are showing under former England boss Eriksson, and they could have won by more at a freezing Elland Road. The Foxes turned on the style from the kick off, taking the game to their hosts and cutting through the Leeds backline seemingly at will. dragged his shot wide after being put through by Martyn Waghorn. The pair combined again minutes later but this time Waghorn curled his effort over the crossbar. Paul Gallagher then completely miscued his volley after being found unmarked in the Leeds box by Franck Moussa. Leeds goalkeeper Brown did well to push Bruno Berner's 25-yard thunderbolt onto the bar as the visitors threatened to run riot. Leeds boss Simon Grayson had seen enough and replaced winger Sanchez Watt with Bradley Johnson after 30 minutes in an effort to shore up the centre of midfield. The switch seemed to give Leeds more balance and Johnson had chances to open the scoring before half-time but mistimed his header and then drove a 20-yard effort high and wide. Leeds began the second half in brighter fashion and Becchio went close with a header. But it was Leicester who eventually broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Leeds left-back George McCartney made a mess of his challenge on Naughton on the edge of the penalty area and the Tottenham youngster broke through and saw his effort hit Neill Collins and loop into the Leeds net. Eriksson replaced Moussa with veteran striker Howard in the closing stages and within minutes he had doubled the visitors' advantage. Leeds responded within two minutes when Becchio headed home his sixth goal of the season from substitute Max Gradel's cross. But Leicester held on for a fully deserved win which maintains Eriksson's unbeaten start and moves the Foxes out of the Championship relegation zone.

Sat Oct 16^th. 2010 M’bro 1-2 Leeds United (Boyd 53 Somma 12 Becchio 63).United Team : 30 Brown, 02 Connolly, 05 Collins, 06 Naylor, 29 McCartney (Hughes 34)14 Howson, 17 Faye (Bromby 85), 10 Becchio, 18 Watt (Johnson 38), 23 Snodgrass, 27 Somma . Unused Subs : Alnwick, Kiklenny, McCormack, Gradel. Emergency loan signing from Spurs, Ben Alnwick was on the bench as the United reserve keeper. LUFC came out the blocks firing on all cylindars as they took the game to the pre-season Championship favourites. Davide Somma opened the scoring for the visitors with a low left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Kris Boyd nipped in front of Richard Naylor to prod the leveller from Matthew Bates' inviting cross. Striker Luciano Becchio scored a stunning winner as Leeds added to Middlesbrough's problems with victory at the Riverside.The Argentine striker lashed home a fine volley from Bradley Johnson's cutback to secure all three points for Leeds. Middlesbrough fans greeted the final whistle with a crescendo of boos after a defeat which leaves the club in 20th place, just one point above the relegation zone. Leeds, meanwhile, have risen to ninth in the table after a well-deserved victory in manager Simon Grayson's 100th match in charge. Leeds dominated the game's opening and took a deserved lead when Somma diverted Sanchez Watt's deflected cross past Jason Steele. Somma ought to have played in Becchio when two-on-one just before the break, but the striker chose to shoot despite his colleague being unmarked on the edge of the box. Boro improved after the interval and drew level after 53 minutes through Boyd. But conceding a goal seemed to stir Leeds, who restored their advantage 10 minutes later through Becchio's superb strike, which cannoned in off a post. The Argentine struck the bar with another shot and Leeds withstood a late Boro rally to secure victory. Best for Leeds in the first half was Faye who dominated the midfield. In the second half I thought Howson was outstanding but even he was eclipsed by the inspired Becchio who took the game by the throat in the second half. One note of caution. Leeds attempts at killing off the game with seven minutes to go will not work against better sides, and perhaps it is better to scoring a third and decisive goal. No doubt the Preston collapse influenced that. United are three places off third and just one point off the play-off positions. They are the only side in the top 13 with a minus goal difference. Leeds have goals in them but defensively they still look vulnerable, especially at set pieces. We thought we would have difficulty replacing Jermaine Beckford's goals. Guess what, we have replaced them. Gordan Strachan : "I don't think we should have got beat. I think we'd done enough considering we've had to chop and change the team recently so I haven't got a problem with that," he told Sky Sports. "They're having to take some body blows at the moment, but that's life sometimes. They test you as a player, as a person, as a manager and as a coach, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. "It's worse for the people who pay and it's worse for the guys who put some much effort in to get beat. We're all going through a bad period and we have to deal with that. "I won't be changing, I've proved at other clubs that I can take rocky periods and survive and do well. "Obviously I'm the focal point of the club so I have to deal with it one way or another."The fans have been great, they've been fantastic and when people are worried they act strange at times, and I can understand that."Leeds boss Simon Grayson was delighted to win the game and come away from what he felt was one of the best sides in the division with three points, despite their poor position. He was also happy to see his side bounce back from two disappointing losses in a row to gain victory. "It's a big result to come to one of the favourites for the division pre-season," said Grayson. "We responded after two back-to-back defeats and we've come away with three points that I think we deserved. "We kept going and we've got belief in the camp that we can always get goals. "We've got to make sure we know how to kill games off as well and in the last ten minutes we did that. We've got good shape about us and got a valuable three points tonight." Grayson also praised the quality of goals from strikers Davide Somma and Luciano Becchio, who smashed in the winner in the 63rd minute with a stunning volley. "It doesn't matter how they go in but it was two fantastic moves and strikes," he added. "Full credit to the two players up front as they worked hard, we changed the system at the back end of the second half, but they kept going and it's testament to the effort of the team".

Tues Oct 12th. Parker, Connolly and Paynter on the mend. A strong Leeds United line up went down 1-0 at home to Scunthorpe. The result was immaterial. Ben Parker and Billy Paynter both came through 45 minutes successfully without any adverse affects. Paul Connolly also successfully came through 60 minutes and put himself in contention for a starting slot at M'bro. The game featured 36 year old Tony Warner in goal for United after coming on loan to Leeds for a second time. The out of contract player, now aged 36, made 13 appearances for LUFC back in 2006/07. Meanwhile at the third time of asking, Mike Grella has eventually agreed to go out on loan. This time he has signed for Carlisle United on a month long loan. The player has made 42 appearances for Leeds (coming off the bench 33 times) and has scored 5 goals, perhaps the most valuable was in the FA Cup 2nd round last season which enabled us to meet a certain Man United at Old Trafford. And look what happened then ! Simon Grayson added : "This is an opportunity for him to play some regular football because opportunities have been limited this season. Carlisle are doing well in League One so this is a chance for him to play some games at a competitive level".

Weds October 6th. 2010. Injury latest. Simon Grayson`s injury ravaged side finally shows signs of getting better with a number of first team players looking to return over the next few weeks. Leeds went into last weekend`s game without ten first team players with Kasper Schmeichel, Leigh Bromby, Aiden White, Patrick Kisnorbo, Federico Bessone, Ben Parker, Paul Connolly, Lloyd Sam, Billy Paynter and Ross McCormack all out through injury. Things were made worse during the defeat at Ipswich when Shane Higgs, who has been deputising for the injured Kasper Schmeichel, went off with a hamstring injury. Alex Bruce also received his marching orders and with six defenders already on the sidelines left Grayson struggling for cover at the back. The international break came at the right time for Leeds, with Grayson having two weeks to see players return to training and pushing for selection for the Middlesbrough game. Grayson as already been boosted this week with the return to training of defender Ben Parker who has endured fourteen months of injury problems. Parker suffered an injury on the opening day of last season and did not start another game until the penultimate home game of the season, when he suffered a fresh injury that has ruled him out until now. The left back is all set to play in a behind closed door friendly on Thursday as he starts the long road back to full fitness. Grayson doesn`t want to rush back Parker after all his injuries, speaking on the official website, Grayson said, "He`s getting back. He`s been doing some training with us and training with the kids. He`s had a long time out and we can`t rush him back." Also back in training this week is right back Paul Connolly who has missed the last four games since the defeat at Barnsley with a hamstring injury. Federico Bessone also hasn`t featured since the Barnsley game through injury and is expected to resume training on Monday along with Ross McCormack and Lloyd Sam who missed Leeds last outing through injury. Leeds recently extended the loan of goalkeeper Jason Brown from Blackburn Rovers after he replaced the injured Higgs at Ipswich. With Higgs likely to spend at least a couple of weeks on the sidelines with his hamstring injury and Kasper Schmeichel also expected to be on the sidelines for a further two weeks, Grayson might look to bring in another goalkeeper to back up Brown. Meanwhile Ken Bates is confident that United will finish in the play-off positions. Well that's okay then.

October 2^nd Ipswich Town 2-1 Leeds United. Leeds United: Higgs (Brown 62), Bruce, Naylor, Collins, McCartney, Howson, Faye, Kilkenny (Watt 74), Johnson (Becchio 74), Snodgrass, Somma. Subs (not used): Gradel, Clayton, Hughes, Nunez. Attendance: 23,105. Report from Yorkshire Evening Post - Phil Hay. The postmortems held by Leeds United after Barnsley and Preston North End were grisly affairs; "cringe-worthy" according to the coach who ordered them. Eleven concessions reviewed by a chastened squad of players included not a single clever, inventive or admirable goal. The same complaint was audible at Portman Road where the coach in question candidly admitted that he was starting to mimic a broken record. It would not please Simon Grayson to blame league defeats on superior opposition but it would make a change from discussing them in terms of Leeds United's faults. There was infinitely more to last week's disaster against Preston than a frail defence – indicted by that performance was the attitude, the leadership and the pride of Grayson's squad – but it was prevalent nonetheless in a game of no merit and serious tactical deficiency. On Saturday, a 2-1 defeat to Ipswich Town was professional enough for United's manager to refrain from asking his players to look in the mirror. "They showed a lot more passion and a lot more responsibility," he said. But the most basic failing of their loss to Preston – the failure to protect their own net – is a deep-set weakness that video replays alone cannot heal. "What I can't accept," Grayson complained, "is us contributing to our own downfall. We must learn." There were no prizes for guessing what United's squad would be working on most diligently for the duration of the international break which began yesterday. Grayson plans to give his players a short period of time off after their 10th Championship fixture but he will feel a pressing need to eradicate the lapses which cost Leeds that game before they contest their 11th at Middlesbrough on October 16. Ipswich's first goal, scored after 18 minutes and one attack, was the product of a simple pass threaded through their defence by a midfielder under no pressure. Their second, scored six minutes from time and eight after United had equalised through Robert Snodgrass, relied on the gift of a free header, a cardinal sin for players the world over. Tommy Smith lapped it up. That Leeds were missing right-back Alex Bruce at the moment of Smith's goal, sent from the field after a second bookable offence, did not lead Grayson to blame mitigating circumstances. "We've given a free header away when we shouldn't have done," he said. "We're finding out again and again that when you make mistakes in the Championship, you get punished." Soon, he hopes, the penny will drop. Whether United's defensive record, showing 18 goals against, is the fault of their defensive line or their team as a whole, is a matter of some debate; Grayson believes the second theory to be true and will doubtless press that point at Thorp Arch during the coming 10 days. But continuity within that defence eludes him, more so after Bruce incurred a one-match ban and Shane Higgs strained a hamstring early in the second half. Bruce, an ex-Ipswich player, was used as a right-back on Saturday to accommodate another ex-Portman Road employee, Richard Naylor, half of a line completed by Neill Collins and George McCartney. So depleted are Leeds by injuries that an experienced and potentially adequate unit was also the sum of their available options. However pleased Grayson was with a defence which kept Ipswich relatively quiet until the start of the second half, he will not be free to use it against against Middlesbrough. Bruce is a certain absentee; Higgs already ranks as a serious doubt. His collapse to the ground in the 63rd minute was worryingly reminiscent of the debilitating thigh injury sustained by the goalkeeper last season. Higgs had already been beaten by the time he left the field, though five times fewer than by Preston. He was helpless to intervene after Jake Livermore advanced unchallenged through midfield and asked Jason Scotland to wreak havoc by threading a pass between Grayson's centre-backs. Sotland anticipated the through ball and spun away from Naylor, keeping his balance for long enough to skip around Higgs and side-foot the ball into a vacant net. It could not have been said that the goal had been coming; before it, Scotland – Ipswich's lone striker – had barely touched the ball. Leeds, by a nominal margin, were the more creative team in a first half played out at a healthy pace but with limited purpose. Davide Somma's shot from close range was blocked after Jonathan Howson laid off Bradley Johnson's cross, and Naylor's header from Neil Kilkenny's cross hit Somma before it could reach Ipswich goalkeeper Marton Fulop. Both Naylor and Kilkenny had been recalled to Grayson's starting line-up after the debacle of United's loss to Preston, and Snodgrass too. Amdy Faye, the last of four chances, was given the debut that many in Leeds felt he should have made five days earlier, lodged in United's team as a defensive midfielder. With that duty, it seemed fair for Faye to take a share of responsibility for the excessive freedom given to Livermore prior to Scotland's goal, but the Senegalese international fulfilled his brief in so far as Ipswich's chances to improve their lead were minimal before half-time. Howson and Somma looked more likely to score with shots from long range which failed to test Fulop. There was, still, a sense that United's system was causing Ipswich less strife than it needed to. Grayson, as he had against Preston, saw no reason to mess with his line-up at half-time but tactical substitutions seemed essential some time before Luciano Becchio and Sanchez Watt entered the fray in the 74th minute. While they sat on the bench, Scotland contrived to miss Higgs' goal from an unmissable range after Leeds allowed Grant Leadbitter's free-kick to bounce around inside their box. Gareth McAuley, Ipswich's centre-back, showed a similar lack of precision with a glancing header beyond a post. His miss was Higgs' cue to depart, making way in some distress for another debutant in Jason Brown. The on-loan Blackburn Rovers keeper was liable to be rusty, seven months after his last senior game, but he reacted well to a shot from from Scotland that flew at him quickly in the 71st minute, another moment when Ipswich might have killed the contest. When Snodgrass scored out of nothing five minutes later, the value of Brown's save soared. McAuley and Smith played Ipswich into trouble by attacking a high ball together, and Somma brought possession under control before drilling a pass into Fulop's penalty area. Jaime Peters appeared to have the legs on Watt but the latter's ingenious sliding challenge knocked the ball across goal where Snodgrass was waiting to stab it into the net. "The goal was shocking," said Roy Keane afterwards, proving that defensive problems exist outside Elland Road. As quickly as optimism surged, Leeds found themselves numerically short when Bruce incurred a dismissal at the one stadium where he would have wished to avoid it. Booked already for a cynical foul on Andros Townsend he received a second after rashly fouling the same player near United's byline. Referee Keith Hill, though contentious in the main, could not forgive him that. Grayson attempted to reorganise his remaining players but to no avail. A poor corner in the 84th minute tempted his defence out of position, and Carlos Edwards' high cross back into United's box found Smith waiting to aim a header down and beyond Brown. The presence of Ipswich's defender in such an advanced position was as much of a surprise as his appearance on the pitch; only because of an injury to Darren O'Dea had Keane promoted Smith from the bench minutes before kick-off. Leeds will remember it as one of those weeks.