We deserved to win this – no question about that. There were plenty of good
things, plenty of average play and a shed load of what can only be described as
piss poor.
At the bar at half-time the place was buzzing but if you take the 44th and 45th
minute out of the equation it would have been a completely different
atmosphere. So what, I hear you say ? Goals make games and the fact we scored
twice in the first half represents our superiority. Well yes, but I was a tad
disappointed with the first half. Yes Brighton made it difficult by putting men
behind the ball and having a midfield that lacked creativity but certainly had
a lot of running in them, led by Savage who has lost about 30% of his game but
still has a lot to offer at this level. But we struggled to really make an
impact. I thought the team selection was wrong. If Macca is reading this then
he’d point to the result yesterday and also to the result against Rotherham
when both Howson and Robinson played. Yes fair enough I can’t argue with that
however I’d say the result on Wednesday had nothing to do with Howson /
Robinson and today we really
struggled in possession in that first half. I really don’t know what
formation Macca is going for ? Was Beckford playing on the left wing in the
absence of a left sided midfielder ? Was Kilkenny playing right behind Becchio
in the middle ? (Beardsley style). Was Douglas the playmaker ? because
everything went through him ? Now I’m prepared to accept that Douglas is
playing the best football of his Leeds career but I’m happy when he’s not got
the ball, when he’s breaking up play and when he’s laying off simple balls as
soon as he gets possession. Yesterday he had too much possession for my liking.
He was dropping deep to pick up the ball and every pass seemed to gravitate
towards him. This is why we struggled. Then came the passes with the outside of
the boot which led to frustration and as a result we started to opt for the
long ball. Lubo, Rui, Fraser and others all played pointless ball after ball
down the field. We were clueless. Lots
of abuse in the stands, a lot where I was sat directed at Fraser and Lubo – at
little bit out of order in my book as it was the midfield that was totally
non-functional. Kilkenny never got involved, Hughes was a passenger and Delph,
who was our best player by a mile couldn’t get the ball ‘cos Douglas was the
main man. Very frustrating. The most worrying aspect for me though was the
defensive positioning. Rui, time after time got the wrong side of the attacker
and there always seemed to be a Brighton attacker in acres of space. Luckily
their free shots were off target and never troubled Lucas.
We created a few chances – the hardworking Becchio managed to muscle himself a
clear chance in the area but then hit the first Brighton man when it was a lot
easier to find the goal and Beckford had one or two moments.
Then came the 44th and 45th minute. First of all Hughes got a cross in from the
right, Becchio threw his right foot at it and it cannoned of the Brighton
defender and sat up really nice for him on his favoured left foot and he gladly
whacked it into the back of the net from 10 yards. Spawny ? Poor keeping ?
Definitely yes to both those but he was there and he scored and I’m not going
to argue with that.
Then the 45th minute. Brighton pushed forward in numbers and we caught them on
the break. This was probably the best Leeds goal I’ve seen for a few years.
White broke with pace – only Delph and Beckford could live with his pace
breaking forward. Delph provided the option to the left and picked out Beckford
with a pinpoint cross. Beckford still had a lot to do as the ball came in quite
high, he managed to control it and head it in off the bar. Superb….. and that
was the first half, the first 43 minutes forgotten and everyone happy – that’s
football for you.
Second half, we came out on fire emphasised by Beckford’s direct run straight
for the kick off where he took the ball on his own to the Brighton area where
he fired into the side netting. Good effort. Beckford is a real dilemma. When
he’s not scoring he’s a moaning , awkward tw*t who sometimes looks like he
should be playing for Beeston. When he’s scored suddenly he looks focussed,
determined and very dangerous. I suspect this change in mood and inconsistency
may prevent him from progressing. Second half for me was much better. Douglas
saw less of the ball and Kilkenny and Delph played closer together. We created
a few more chances and should have scored a few more goals. The best chance was
when Becchio was put through. A natural goalscorer wouldn’t have had anything
else on his mind other than draw the keeper and hit the back of the net, not
Becchio, he unselfishly played a nice ball across the area to Beckford who
really should have scored.
Brighton never really troubled us but they did make a couple of subs that did
make them a bit livelier in midfield. Lucas really didn’t have to do anything
other than a few punches away and a couple of very comfortable saves. Delph was
our best player second half, he gradually took control and really gave Savage
the runaround – it was good to see. I remember being at St Andrews one year
where Savage milked their victory to the hilt by completely ott celebrations
right in front of us. I’ve hated him every since – a horrible little man with a
ridiculous haircut. It was funny to see him and Becchio having a little spat in
the middle of the park. Handbags really was an appropriate description of that
little set to. Somebody shouted “Just ‘cos he’s got a better hairdo than you
Savage” – which I thought was a really weird thing to shout.
We then put the game beyond doubt. The ball was played though and Beckford was
on to it in a flash. Their keeper, who was dodgy all afternoon, came flying out
without a hope in hell of getting to it. Beckford pushed it past him and then
finished easily. He made it look very easy but I’ve seen better players than
him miss those. I thought we might go on to murder them but we ruined the day
by some awful defending to let them in for a consolation. All the clean sheet
bonuses were lost in that moment of madness but to be honest if any of that lot
were getting bonuses for their defensive performance today it would have been
criminal. Our back four individually did ok but as a unit it was a bit of a
shambles and this remains our biggest worry at the moment.
Scores on the doors:
Lucas – 7. Nowt to do really, kicking generally ok.
Richardson – 7. He got a load of stick from some folk near me but I thought
this was one of his better games. He used his pace and strength to clear up a
lot their attacks. His distribution was patchy however one or two of his passes
were decent today including a decent ball inside for the start of the 3rd goal.
White – 7. Loved his part in our second goal. The kid’s got talent. Once or
twice he got caught in possession and I wonder about his strength as a defender
but that’s going to improve. Impressive.
Lubo – 7. I like Lubo, I think he’s a good defender, solid and dependable and
in my opinion the best tackler at the club. However he has yet to find a
partner at the back and playing alongside Rui didn’t really work at times
yesterday – more to do with Rui than him though in my opinion. I also don’t
like to see him punting long balls which he did a lot of in the first half.
This was down to a lack of creativity in our midfield.
Rui – 5. Bad positioning, looks shaky. Worrying.
Douglas – 7. Good, solid game. Had too much ball in the first half but he did
his best and did actually create some good moves forward. He’s doing a good job
at the moment.
Delph – 8. Best player on the park by a mile. Confident, full of ability,
balance, skill and composure. He’s going to be good …. very good, ‘cos at this
level he is outstanding.
Hughes – 5. How can he get a game over Howson ? It’s criminal. The common
thought is he steadies the ship and provides cover for Fraser. I don’t really
see it. His contribution to a poor first half was one cross (admittedly it did
lead to a goal although having just read Nick’s report even that may have been
a bit fortunate !). He isn’t a right winger and really struggles. If he’s going
to play it has to be as central midfielder or right back and there’s others at
the club who can play that position better. Yes he battled on second half and
did do one or two useful things but generally he was poor. Limited.
Kilkenny – 6. Very poor first half but again that was more down to the team
play than anything. He was playing in an advanced position but most of our play
was going through Douglas sat deep. As soon as Delph got more of the ball and
Delph and Kilkenny started to play closer together things started to happen.
Beckford – 7. Lively game, two very good goals and several other chances which
maybe he should have converted.
Becchio – 8. (Mark H take note – blacklists and all that !!). This is the best
I’ve seen from Becchio so far. He worked incredibly hard and showed that he has
got a nice left foot with one or two nice bits of skill and also a lovely cross
in the first half. He also showed that he can be an asset in defence and was
probably our best defender on their set pieces. He scored a decent goal and
could have had more. It was all very promising and if he carries out like this
he’ll end up making me look stupid (he wouldn’t be the first !). However, I
still don’t see loads of goals in him but if he continues to play like this I
really don’t care (well I do ‘cos I’d win the bet !).
Subs – were there any ? Can’t bloody remember ?
Macca – I thought his team selection was wrong. Hughes would only get in my
starting XI if we were struggling with injuries. Howson has just scored his
first goal and looks to be regaining confidence. Robinson was the hero at ER
two weeks ago. Both were unlucky to be left out. However, as I said earlier
Macca can point to the result and I can’t argue with that.
Crowd was disappointing. Credit crunch kicking in ?
England – watched about 20 minutes of the game – I think Big Cat Live and In
the Night Garden were better options. I loved the England fans booing Cole –
yes we are sick of the Englands ‘stars’ and their money. Nobody gives a toss
about them anymore. Club v Country at the moment is easier that it’s ever been
– and I’ve always been a club man.
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is Michel Kitabdjian dead yet?
