Ok the subject line is a bit ott and there may be calls for Becchio's second to be given as an own goal (as was theirs) but once again our Argie superstar came up trumps. Yes, he is not the greatest player to wear a white shirt and I, sort of , get Rich W's dislike of him even though he is miles and miles away from being our worst ever player but . once again, he has proved to be effective for us. In addition he followed up Wednesday nights great finish with a goal that really was top drawer. No doubt Rich and others will claim that it could have gone anywhere etc (a bit like those fans who said that Ibrohimovichs strike would normally end up in row Z) but it didn't and it ended up in the back of their net and at a time when we needed it. Overall we stole the three points - Boro were a class above us , they controlled the game and tore us apart at times and I would not like to meet them in the play offs but football is all about results and we have 3 more points and they have none.
The new owners were rewarded with a decent enough crowd of over 25k - albeit that the noisiest 3k were from Boro- and must have been happy with the result - that is 4 wins on the trot at home now, not quite 'fortress Elland Road' but perhaps we are on the way to getting there, given the 4 teams are 4 of the best in the Division. Paddy came back in nets and Tate replaced Pearce (perhaps a bit tough on both Pearce and Ashdown) and in a more attacking move Norris came in for Brown but we were very much second best for most of the first half. Their no17 in particular caused us problems and it was no real surprise when they took the lead. A good shot was well saved by Paddy and he would probably have saved the follow up shot but Tate tried to clear it and instead deflected it past a stranded Kenny. It was hard to see how we would get back into it, but we came close when a long kick from Kenny was brought down by the defender but only for the benefit of Thomas who used his pace to nick it off him and power forward, His shot was pulled just wide and we expected to go in one down at half time. Then after a bit of pinball the ball came to Becchio with his back to goal on the edge of the box - Becchio (to the amazement of all) turned and volleyed it goalwards - the ball hit the post and went into the opposite corner - a class finish and one that normally Becchio is not capable of. Second half saw Green go off for White (injury rather than tactical we assume) and White, who has been a disappointment over the last 2 seasons (Everton apart) nearly put us ahead with a great mazy run that had him beating 4 or 5 Boro players. That however was a touch of genius in an increasing poor performance and it was hard to work out how Boro did not make their superiority tell. Then came some good news for us fans as Somma made his long awaited return (not sure where this leaves Ross Mccormack) and in fairness Somma did look good and offered more than the substituted Thomas who does not look fit. We then had a decent spell of control and pressure , and as is so important, we made it count. A well taken corner by Diouf was well met by Becchio and his header took a wicked deflection and went in. 2 -1 to us. The question then was could we hang on. We made our last sub with 10mins or so to go as Pearce came on for Peltier. Despite a lot a scares and 4 minutes extra time in which we kept giving the ball away and letting them have corners we did indeed hang on and kept them out So a win and 3 more points and a happy Christmas to all - and a good start for the new owners. There was a feeling of some optimism in the pubs beforehand and whilst it is a case of 'lets wait and see' the new owners do seem to have the backing of the fans. A couple of top signings in January and extend the loans for Tate and Thomas (and Tonge) plus the return to fitness of Rudy and now Somma and who knows ....... Dave PS to Dr Mike - get a grip mate - we are not (literally) in the same league as Chelsea so that defeat was no disgrace , and as others have said if you are going to be facetious and slag us off for today at least get the half time score right ! We are not great - that is how it is- we are not the Revie team and are nowhere near it- we have some very average players , that is just how it is at the moment, it infuriates us all, especially those who spend a lot of time and money watching them, but keep the faith and you just never know. _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] PETE CASS (1962 - 2011) Rest In Peace Mate
