Broadly similar feelings to Dave (and Rich's yesterday - top report!). As good a team performance as we've seen for a while - in the main the success was built on the passing, the mobility and the sheer graft of the "middle five" - Kilkenny, Howson, Johnson (of whom I've never been a particular fan), Sam and Watt. This lot clicked and Millwall couldn't handle them. The inventiveness, precision and pace with which Watt and Sam ran at the Millwall defence with the ball at their feet totally foxed their great lumbering Chalfs. Becchio was employed to press up on the CHalfs and batter away at them - this he did with admirable gusto - basically keeping them busy - although he remains bloody hopeless with the ball at his feet.
The first half was utter Leeds dominance - the only hiccup being when Bessone conspired to lose the ball that was clearly his - the winger slung in a huge high cross - Kaspar waited on his line - Naylor allowed the forward to get goal side, and in attempting to reach over him to get his header in, he planted it in the top corner from 8 yards out. Dreadful goal all round. The goal highlighted most of the defenisive problems we face - Bessone hasn't got a clue - Kaspar (is in the main a good keeper, good shot stopper, good organiser) but is weak and sometimes indecisive on crosses - Naylor is past it. That aside we could have had 5 or 6 in the first half - the "fan's view" in the Observer was that if we still had Beckford then we would have got at least a couple of them...who am I to argue. Two or three times Howson ran unmarked through the middle and Kilkenny found him with great chipped passes - he hit the post on one of them and fed Watt who narrowly missed with another. The goal was good midfield work by Johnson (?) into Watt, who carried forward and across the box, into Becchio's feet, who laid it on with a touch to Sam who hit a shot that looked reasonable for the keeper to stop, but somehow it went under his arms and in. A nice move that merited a goal, perhaps, but it wasn't our best move of the half by quite a long way. The second half was more even, and Millwall came close a couple of times, both bringing decent saves from Kaspar. However by the time we took the hapless Bessone off and brought on Somma, both Collins and Sam had hit the woodwork with good headers. Somma looks strong, reasonably pacy and direct. He took both of his goals well. The first came after their keeper got horribly lost under a high ball and was still 10 yards out of goal when Watt picked up the lose ball, got to the by-line and picked a low pull back to Somma on the penalty spot which he hammered home. The final goal in injury time, came from Howson winning a great tackle in the middle on the right and playing a long cross-field ball to Somma on the left edge of their box. He drew the right back in, and then stepped away and around him to the outside - made half a yard and thrashed home across the keeper into the far side of the goal. Great stuff. SCHMEICEL - generally a good game - worryingly weak on crosses - but some good saves CONNOLLY - still not sure - seems lumbering and ponderous - but also an old-fashioned "put the winger and ball into touch" no nonsense defender as well. NAYLOR - can do the basics but his time is running out COLLINS - decent in the air - he should be at 6'3 or whatever he is, but woeful on the deck BESSONE - just bloody woeful - would rather have White, Johnson, Ben Parker on crutches or even Andy chuffing Hughes HOWSON - still a bit of a tendency to disappear but generally a disciplined, hard working game carrying a good threat going forward KILKENNY - sitting deep - pulling strings JOHNSON - one of his best games for us WATT - constant threat - real star - deserved a goal for the drag back turn on halfway SAM - simply too fast, too tricky for Millwall's defence BECCHIO - big thick and blunt - as any battering ram should be ---------- Somma - 2 goals in 15 minutes, what more do you want from your substitute - even a substitute in marzipan boots ------------ Plod closed off the footbridge over the M621 so thousands of us had to walk up and around to the next bridge - was a pointless piece of "doing it just cos we can" that was. _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman-new.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] MARCHING ON TOGETHER
