Friday 28 May 2010
Jermaine Leaves a Hero!
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In another decade, fans will look back on Jermaine Beckford’s time with Leeds United as fondly as we do that of Gordon Strachan. Jermaine didn’t operate at, or reach the level that ‘wee’ Gordon did, but his contribution to the resurrection of our club cannot be underestimated. Gordon dragged a Leeds United team from the depths of Division 2 (The Championship) to the crowning glory of English League Champions, through sheer determination and no small amount of ability. Jermaine on the other hand, scored goals, lots of goals… 85 in 150 appearances not only stopped the downward spiral that the club found themselves in but eventually propelled them back up to The Championship for their first promotion since Gordon Strachan held aloft the Championship Trophy 20 years ago…
Thursday 27 May 2010
Kasper replaces Casper
SharePromotion: The Leeds United Way! - 2009/10 Season Review (Part One)
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**Firstly, apologies for the dreadful formatting, the editing tool won't let me adjust it ** Having partially recovered from another Play-off disaster, confidence was high amongst Leeds fans during the close season of 2009. We had a settled club for the first time in years and the manner in which Simon Grayson had gone about getting the team playing in the closing stages of the previous season had many dreaming of promotion - Surely a third season in League One would be our last! However, thoughts of actually celebrating something as a Leeds fan seemed a little too far fetched, for me at least.
The following is a 'look back' at what turned out to be an unforgettable season...
During the Summer Simon Grayson had set about strengthening key areas of what was already a very decent League One squad. Jason Crowe and Patrick Kisnorbo were brought in from Northampton Town and Leicester City respectively, to bolster an area of the team that had been an achilles heel the previous year. Each were signed on a Bosman transfer. Goalkeeper Shane Higgs was a surprise signing from relegated Cheltenham Town to provide competition for Casper Ankergren between the posts.
The Whites served up a very promising pre-season, the highlights being a creditable goalless draw with Newcastle United (and a certain Alan Smith) which was sandwiched between a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road, only succumbing to a last minute penalty and an excellent 2-1 win at Turf Moor over Premiership new boys Burnley.
Meanwhile, Richard Naylor was named club captain after the departure of Frazer Richardson and in typical Leeds United fashion, when all seemed to be going smoothly, the club was rocked by the sale of teenage sensation Fabian Delph. Leeds had agreed a deal with Aston Villa for the player who had ran League One ragged the previous season, predictably Delph joined the Midlands club for an undisclosed fee. All this just hours before the new season was set to commence...
Exeter : Jones, Duffy, Russell, Seabourne, Taylor, Harley, Golbourne, Corr, Cork (Sercombe 90), Edwards (McAllster 60), Stewart (Norwood
The disappointing news of Delph's departure was softened (mildly) by the signing of experienced Coventry midfielder Michael Doyle, an all-action, battling 'Batty-esque' type player who would plug the enormous gap left by Fabian's departure. At least that was the plan anyway... News of Robert Snodgrass signing an extension to his current deal was also very welcome. A biggest opening day crowd at Elland Road for 5 years suggested as much.
With hindsight, Leeds' opening game would encapsulate the entire season into just 90 minutes. Grayson handed debuts to the four new recruits, with Michael Doyle partnering stand-in captain Jonny Howson in the centre of the park. Rui Marques started alongside Paddy Kisnorbo, in place of the injured Richard Naylor.
Leeds started well and a superb, cool finish from Jermaine Beckford on 13 minutes had The Whites seemingly on their way to an easy victory against the League One new-comers. Leeds pressed hard to put the game out of sight but inspired goalkeeping and the woodwork kept them a bay. The impressive Ben Parker limped out of proceedings just before the 30 minute mark and was later ruled our for several months. despite Leeds' superiority, it was 1-0 at the break.
Kisnorbo emerged in the second half, sporting a large head bandage to protect a wound picked up in a first half challenge with Barry Corr, the bandage would be a stalwart for the season as Paddy refused plastic surgery to retain his place in the team.
With Leeds still pressing for a second goal, their job was made all the more straight forward when ex. Leeds trainee Barry Corr was dismissed for an 'off-the-ball' incident involving Micky Doyle. The whites fans settled back for the inevitable onslaught and a comfortable 3 points... As is often the way with Leeds United, its 'the hard way' or not at all. On 73 minutes Russell bent a magnificent free-kick into the top corner to bring Exeter level. The horrible feeling that goes with watching visiting players scampering over to the South-East corner of the stadium to celebrate, almost in disbelief rather than triumph had returned for another season. The thought of dropping points so early, against such a 'weak' opposition was a terrifying one - we had to win promotion this season.
As the game played out into a familiar, frustrating afternoon, of the like loyal Leeds fans had become very accustomed too in recent years. Some smart play from Enoch Showunmi (an 84th minute replacement for Luciano Becchio) released Jason Crowe down the right as the clock ticked towards a conclusion. Crowe's perfect cross was met by the head of Jermaine Beckford, who directed a powerful header into the net at the 'Kop End'. Elland Road breathed a collective sigh of relief, as much as in celebration.
Beckford had rescued a desperate situation, that at one point seemed almost inevitable - A Theme that would define the season.
As is the case with lower league football, after months of waiting, matches come thick and fast as Leeds headed North to Darlington, a home from home in recent years. The Whites had cancelled a pre-season friendly at the same venue after being drawn against the League Two outfit in the League Cup.
DARLINGTON 0, UNITED 1 (Showunmi 54)
A largely uninspiring match, in which Simon Grayson made several changes to accomodate for injuries and international commitments. The SKY cameras were present on the off chance of a cup shock. Watching from the comfort of my own living room, was an unnerving experience to say the least. Showunmi missed a whole host of chances before finally converting what was probably the most difficult opportunity shortly after the break. Leeds should have gone on to stretch their winning margin but in the end, plenty of spurned chance didn't come back to haunt the Yorkshire men, despite Mark Bower missing a sitter in injury time for the hosts.
Two wins from two, left fans with more questions than answers. Neither performance had been convincing but as Simon Grayson pointed out after the victory over Exeter, its the points that matter...
Again, with little respite the first team headed for a first ever away trip to Adams Park four days later. A midweek reserve match had produced a 5-1 win over Newcastle United's second string with four goals from forgotten man, Tresor Kandol. Trialist, Mariano Tripodi scored the other... he was never heard of again.
Leeds returned to near full strength at Wycombe, with Ben Parker the only absentee from the opening day. Despite his midweek heroics against Newcastle, Kandol didn't make the eighteen and Mike Grella had to make do with a place on the bench despite signing a contract extension a few days earlier.
Its usually at this point in the season that Leeds' failings become clear, having failed to win their 2nd league game of the season in 4 or the previous 5 attempts. A Wycombe team who had so far struggled with life in League One, seemed likely candidates for a typical Leeds, below par performance in a tight ground, packed to the rafters.
The opening exchanges suggested as much, as both teams struggled to get a grip of proceedings with the home team clearly 'up' for the big match. The half came to a close with Leeds showing early signs of having a little too much quality for the hosts and just after the hour mark, Becchio fired an excellent, low shot into the far corner of the net from 20 yards. Snodgrass was influential in the build up before feeding Becchio who turned and fired Leeds into the lead, to the delight of the travelling Whites behind the goal.
Leeds saw the rest of the game out with little trouble, although in injury time Shane Higgs produced an excellent save, tipping a speculative Stuart Green effort onto the post, denying the league new-comers their first point.
A second unconvincing league victory of the new season had fans wondering if there was more to come from Simon Grayson's men or if this was the sum total of a team, who's luck would surely run out at some point of the season.
Again with barely time to draw breath, we headed for The Banks's Stadium, Walsall (presumably another stupid naming rights decision). This would usually be a game that would get my full attention but following the abject display there the previous year, I thought better of it. Couple that with my missus being in the latter stages of pregnancy, I sat back, phone in hand, laptop on knee and Jeff Stelling's midweek replacement on TV, his name escapes me.
WALSALL 1 (Parkin pen 80), UNITED 2 (Johnson 83, Beckford 87)
Leeds were on a roll, a somewhat unconvincing roll but a roll nonetheless. Nine points from the three opening games saw The Whites joint top of League One with Colchester and Charlton. A very promising start indeed but as we all know Leeds have an unnatural ability to pluck despair from the joys of ecstasy...
The following is a 'look back' at what turned out to be an unforgettable season...
The Whites served up a very promising pre-season, the highlights being a creditable goalless draw with Newcastle United (and a certain Alan Smith) which was sandwiched between a 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road, only succumbing to a last minute penalty and an excellent 2-1 win at Turf Moor over Premiership new boys Burnley.
Meanwhile, Richard Naylor was named club captain after the departure of Frazer Richardson and in typical Leeds United fashion, when all seemed to be going smoothly, the club was rocked by the sale of teenage sensation Fabian Delph. Leeds had agreed a deal with Aston Villa for the player who had ran League One ragged the previous season, predictably Delph joined the Midlands club for an undisclosed fee. All this just hours before the new season was set to commence...
LEEDS UNITED 2 (Beckford 13, 89), EXETER
United: Higgs, Crowe, Kisnorbo, Marques, Parker (Hughes 28), Snodgrass, Howson, Doyle, Johnson (Robinson 74), Becchio (Showunmi 84), Beckford. Subs: Ankergren, Prutton, Grella, Michalik.
Referee: N Miller
Booked: Showunmi (Leeds), Edwards (Exeter
Sent-off: Corr (Exeter
Att: 27,681
The disappointing news of Delph's departure was softened (mildly) by the signing of experienced Coventry midfielder Michael Doyle, an all-action, battling 'Batty-esque' type player who would plug the enormous gap left by Fabian's departure. At least that was the plan anyway... News of Robert Snodgrass signing an extension to his current deal was also very welcome. A biggest opening day crowd at Elland Road for 5 years suggested as much.
With hindsight, Leeds' opening game would encapsulate the entire season into just 90 minutes. Grayson handed debuts to the four new recruits, with Michael Doyle partnering stand-in captain Jonny Howson in the centre of the park. Rui Marques started alongside Paddy Kisnorbo, in place of the injured Richard Naylor.
Leeds started well and a superb, cool finish from Jermaine Beckford on 13 minutes had The Whites seemingly on their way to an easy victory against the League One new-comers. Leeds pressed hard to put the game out of sight but inspired goalkeeping and the woodwork kept them a bay. The impressive Ben Parker limped out of proceedings just before the 30 minute mark and was later ruled our for several months. despite Leeds' superiority, it was 1-0 at the break.
Kisnorbo emerged in the second half, sporting a large head bandage to protect a wound picked up in a first half challenge with Barry Corr, the bandage would be a stalwart for the season as Paddy refused plastic surgery to retain his place in the team.
With Leeds still pressing for a second goal, their job was made all the more straight forward when ex. Leeds trainee Barry Corr was dismissed for an 'off-the-ball' incident involving Micky Doyle. The whites fans settled back for the inevitable onslaught and a comfortable 3 points... As is often the way with Leeds United, its 'the hard way' or not at all. On 73 minutes Russell bent a magnificent free-kick into the top corner to bring Exeter level. The horrible feeling that goes with watching visiting players scampering over to the South-East corner of the stadium to celebrate, almost in disbelief rather than triumph had returned for another season. The thought of dropping points so early, against such a 'weak' opposition was a terrifying one - we had to win promotion this season.
Beckford had rescued a desperate situation, that at one point seemed almost inevitable - A Theme that would define the season.
As is the case with lower league football, after months of waiting, matches come thick and fast as Leeds headed North to Darlington, a home from home in recent years. The Whites had cancelled a pre-season friendly at the same venue after being drawn against the League Two outfit in the League Cup.
Darlington: Knight, Arnison, Bower, Foster (Plummer 76), Miller, Smith, Lumsdon, Thorpe (Main 79), Smith (Windass 59), Chandler
United: Higgs, Crowe, Michalik, Huntington, Hughes, Snodgrass (Robinson 90), Howson, Doyle, Johnson, Showunmi (Becchio 73), Grella (KIlkenny 83). Subs: Ankergren, Sheehan, White.
Referee: N Swarbrick .
Booked: Chandler (Darlington )
Att: 4487
A largely uninspiring match, in which Simon Grayson made several changes to accomodate for injuries and international commitments. The SKY cameras were present on the off chance of a cup shock. Watching from the comfort of my own living room, was an unnerving experience to say the least. Showunmi missed a whole host of chances before finally converting what was probably the most difficult opportunity shortly after the break. Leeds should have gone on to stretch their winning margin but in the end, plenty of spurned chance didn't come back to haunt the Yorkshire men, despite Mark Bower missing a sitter in injury time for the hosts.
Two wins from two, left fans with more questions than answers. Neither performance had been convincing but as Simon Grayson pointed out after the victory over Exeter, its the points that matter...
Again, with little respite the first team headed for a first ever away trip to Adams Park four days later. A midweek reserve match had produced a 5-1 win over Newcastle United's second string with four goals from forgotten man, Tresor Kandol. Trialist, Mariano Tripodi scored the other... he was never heard of again.
WYCOMBE 0, UNITED 1 (Becchio 61)
Wycombe: Shearer, Smith (Green 77), Oliver, Duberry, Woodman, Phillips, Montrose, Mousinho, Westlake
United: Higgs, Crowe, Marques, Kisnorbo, Hughes, Snodgrass (Prutton 84), Howson, Doyle, Johnson, Beckford, Becchio (Showunmi 90). Subs: Ankergren, Kilkenny, Grella, Michalik, Robinson.
Referee: S Attwell
Booked: Beckford, Howson (United).
Att: 8,400
Leeds returned to near full strength at Wycombe, with Ben Parker the only absentee from the opening day. Despite his midweek heroics against Newcastle, Kandol didn't make the eighteen and Mike Grella had to make do with a place on the bench despite signing a contract extension a few days earlier.
Its usually at this point in the season that Leeds' failings become clear, having failed to win their 2nd league game of the season in 4 or the previous 5 attempts. A Wycombe team who had so far struggled with life in League One, seemed likely candidates for a typical Leeds, below par performance in a tight ground, packed to the rafters.
Leeds saw the rest of the game out with little trouble, although in injury time Shane Higgs produced an excellent save, tipping a speculative Stuart Green effort onto the post, denying the league new-comers their first point.
A second unconvincing league victory of the new season had fans wondering if there was more to come from Simon Grayson's men or if this was the sum total of a team, who's luck would surely run out at some point of the season.
Again with barely time to draw breath, we headed for The Banks's Stadium, Walsall (presumably another stupid naming rights decision). This would usually be a game that would get my full attention but following the abject display there the previous year, I thought better of it. Couple that with my missus being in the latter stages of pregnancy, I sat back, phone in hand, laptop on knee and Jeff Stelling's midweek replacement on TV, his name escapes me.
Walsall: Ince, Hughes, Smith, Jones (Nicholls 86), Bradley, Westlake
United: Higgs, Crowe, Kisnorbo, Marques, Hughes (Robinson 72), Snodgrass (Prutton 90), Howson, Doyle (Kilkenny 72), Johnson, Beckford, Becchio. Subs: Ankergren, Grella, Michalik, Showunmi.
Referee: A Taylor
Booked: Snodgrass (United)
Att: 8483 (3679 Leeds )
Following calls from assistant boss Glynn Snodin for United to start from the first whistle, following a sluggish opening at Wycombe, Leeds threw it all at Walsall. Snodgrass, Hughes, Howson all went close early on and Beckford had a header palmed onto a post as Leeds looked for an early breakthrough.
As is often the case with Leeds, the missed opportunities fuelled confidence in the opposition and Walsall came back into the game before half-time with plenty of play and a few decent chances. Beckford had several opportunities to give Leeds the lead as The Whites were reduced to playing on the counter attack, an assistants flag ruled out what appeared to be the opener.
The second half continued in much the same vein, with Beckford passing up each opportunity to set Leeds on their way. On 77 minutes 'disaster struck' (I hate how the official site reports that, we already know! stop making it worse) as Rui Marques inexplicably lunged into a challenge on a Walsall forward who was being forced into touch by Andy Hughes... PENALTY! Nobody could argue, it was just another fixture that was going to get away from Leeds, in what was an infuriating familiar fashion. Parkin despatched the penalty and that would be that... my phone beeped to give me the bad news as the Sky Sports reporter shared the news in what always seems to be such a smug fashion when Leeds are losing. Same old Leeds!
My subsequent lack of interest was stirred within a matter of minutes as the internet messageboard I was following displayed the familiar fan favourite 'GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLL'. Trying to come to terms with this, and trying desperately to secure an official confirmation was heart stopping. Annoyingly, the triumphant post was the last on the current page I was viewing, so an age passed as the popular site struggled with the traffic presumably all trying to navigate to that next page. Official confirmation came via the various mediums and Leeds were back in it, a diving header from Bradley Johnson had Leeds on terms (no seriously!). As the elusive page finally arrived on my screen, the number of celebratory posts had taken the thread onto a further page which again took a lifetime to load. However, load it did and I was greeted with the initial post '2-1' - "What, to who?" I screamed at the posters inconsiderate contribution. It soon became apparent that Leeds had turned the game on its head and Beckford had scored a beauty to give Leeds another 3 points in a situation that looked lost. Jermaine controlled a long ball, with his back to goal before taking everyone by surprise and hooking the ball into the net from 25 yards.
Next time out was a return to Elland Road against a Tranmere side in disarray. John Barnes had taken them from Play-off hopefuls to relegation certainties in just a matter of weeks... which Leeds team would turn up? Find out (lets pretend you don't already know) in Part Two...
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Leeds United's #1 Supporters Forum gets interactive upgrade!
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As some of you may be aware, The Dirty Leeds Blog is a close partner of The relatively new 'Dirty Leeds' Supporters Forums. (Some of the more observant amongst you will notice we share the same domain and there are plenty of links off this site to the forums)
Not content with being the most innovative Leeds United Supporters forum on the internet, the 'Dirty Leeds' team have upgraded the board to come in line with some of the most advanced discussion forums around. The message below has the details of the added features etc;
Not content with being the most innovative Leeds United Supporters forum on the internet, the 'Dirty Leeds' team have upgraded the board to come in line with some of the most advanced discussion forums around. The message below has the details of the added features etc;
Tuesday 25 May 2010
...We're England 'til July!
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Now Leeds United are safely in The 'NPower' Championship for next season, focus can turn to this Summer's footballing spectacle in South Africa.
In less than 3 weeks time, the attention of the entire world will be focused upon Soccer City, Johannesburg. As hosts South Africa, kick-off the opening match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Mexico. An estimated 300 million people will watch this years footballing extravaganza, with only remote tribes in The Amazon and 46 states in The USA oblivious to proceedings.
Wednesday 19 May 2010
WANTED: NEW CUP FINAL OPPONENTS
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Tuesday 18 May 2010
Is Frazer Richardson cursed?!
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Some might think that 'Cursed' is a little over the top, or even bordering on the absurd. For Frazer Richardson was a good servant to Leeds United, playing his part in over 6 seasons for the club. Frazer made his league debut for The Whites during the 2003/04 season, the season Leeds lost their Premiership status and returned to England's second teir for the first time in 15 years. Nothing more than a coincidence you might think...
Monday 17 May 2010
'Marching on Together' now available for download
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In the unlikely event that you have spent the last week or so in a cave, just a quick reminder that the clubs UK single release of Leeds, Leeds, Leeds (Marching on Together) is now available; The track is currently 10th on iTunes singles chart. Do your bit to get United into top spot!
To download on Amazon - CLICK HERE
To download on iTunes - CLICK HERE
Lets get 'Marching on Together' to number 1.
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To download on Amazon - CLICK HERE
To download on iTunes - CLICK HERE
Lets get 'Marching on Together' to number 1.
Follow Dirty Leeds Blog on Facebook and Twitter or join the Dirty Leeds fans forums at www.dirtyleeds.com
Friday 14 May 2010
"We're not goin' to Wembley!"
ShareAs we bask in the glory of last Saturday and re-run the adrenaline rush time and time again with the hundreds of YouTube videos of that glorious day, its worth remembering that several times last Saturday we were languishing in the dreaded play-off berths.
As Mikkel Anderson, Bristol Rovers' goalkeeper, was misjudging his throw into Jermaine Beckford's forehead, The Mighty Whites were in the gut-wrenching 3rd place - 2 points behind Millwall. In a very simplistic view, had any one of the following mis-kicks not gone in our favour, today Leeds and their fans would be nervously getting ready for an early morning trip to The Galpharm, to face Huddersfield Town in a Play-off Semi-Final first leg (with the return leg at Elland Road next Tuesday night) - the worst possible climax to a season that promised so much. Anybody who has kept half an eye on Leeds United over their time in League One will know that trips down the A62 usually reap very little, and Leeds come up against a Town team raising their game for a bi-annual cup final.
It is with that in mind, and a smug grin on my face that I will settle back over the next five days and watch Huddersfield, Swindon, Millwall and Charlton battle it out for a place, along side ourselves and Norwich in The Championship. Judging by the drama of The Championship play-offs this week, the end of season lottery is quite a spectacle when you don't have a vested interest but a nerve-shredding nightmare when your team is involved... Lets just thank our lucky stars that we're not going to Wembley this year!
For the record, Dirty Leeds are hoping for
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Belated Congratulations to Rochdale AFC
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Only now can I offer my home town club the necessary 'well done', almost a month after the event. The thought of 'Dale' winning promotion for the first time in 36 years, although great for them was a bitter one as Leeds crashed at Gillingham the day that it was confirmed and the chance of The Whites matching their achievement seemed to have gone. The prospect of Leeds United playing literally 200 yards from my front door was not a welcome one. Although parking and travel expenses would be minimal and I have several friends within the club, the inevitable 1-0 defeat on a cold November night would never be lived down.
Thankfully all that is now academic and I can return to wishing them well during their first season in League One. Hopefully a back-to-back promotion is on the cards, I can live with a Rochdale v Leeds United fixture at a level that is more a result of Rochdale's success than Leeds' failure.
Having been in attendance at The Play-off Final in 2008 against Stockport, a whole 24 hours after watching Leeds lose to Doncaster at Wembley, I know how much it means to my many 'Dale' friends. I also know that many of them where rooting for Leeds to fail in their quest for promotion, in hope of a day out at Elland Road but we'll let that go.... for now.
Well done to Dale's manger, Keith Hill. Hopefully he can bring some of the success back to the Town and Spotland in particular.
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Having been in attendance at The Play-off Final in 2008 against Stockport, a whole 24 hours after watching Leeds lose to Doncaster at Wembley, I know how much it means to my many 'Dale' friends. I also know that many of them where rooting for Leeds to fail in their quest for promotion, in hope of a day out at Elland Road but we'll let that go.... for now.
Well done to Dale's manger, Keith Hill. Hopefully he can bring some of the success back to the Town and Spotland in particular.
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Thursday 13 May 2010
Dirty Leeds Tribute to Andrew Hughes
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Signed from Norwich during the dismal Summer of 2007, I doubt many Leeds fans, myself included, knew who Andy Hughes was. To be honest, any player would have done at that point in our history. It soon became apparent that "Hughesy" suffered from the age old plague of many a professional footballer - he was too versatile.
Hughes has had his critics during his 3 years at Elland Road, but name me a player who hasn't? At a club where your star, 30 goal a season striker is public enemy number one, you can consider yourself lucky not to receive death threats for conceding a corner! Despite the added pressure of pulling on the sacred white shirt, Hughes has played wherever, whenever, knowing that playing left back for the majority of a season was likely to expose him to abuse from the fans.
To date Andrew Hughes has scored only one goal for Leeds United, a goal that sealed a rare victory at The New Den back in April 2008. With his contract due to expire at the end of the month, I for one feel he has done enough to earn a chance to extent his 'prolific' goal tally. Even if its just for his versatility - Andrew Hughes should be a Leeds United player next season.
The images of "Hughesy" on promotion day will long be an iconic symbol of what it means 'To be Leeds!'
Comfortable across midfield and at either full-back role, it was just too easy to move him to a void in the team rather than let him settle into a position and make it his own. Despite this, he has made 110 appearances for Leeds and although by his own admission he was far from the most technically gifted footballer in the clubs history, it was obvious that his 110% performances more than made up for it.
Without doubt his finest moment in a Leeds shirt came at Old Trafford, in that legendary F.A. Cup win back in Januray. Tasked with keeping the likes of Rooney, Berbatov, Obertan and later Antonio Valencia and Michael Owen at bay, Hughes out-performed the Premiership stars with a display that matched the top flight surroundings. In a recent interview with The Yorkshire Evening Post, Hughes was unsure of what legacy he has created at Elland Road and whilst I can't answer that question. I can tell you that my lasting memory of a very underrated, low-key player is that of a man who saluted the Revie Stand with raw emotion and passion following our promotion last week. If I had been blessed with enough talent to play for Leeds United, I wouldn't have greeted the clubs promotion any differently. Already without a shirt before the referee had removed the whistle from his mouth, Hughes ran wildly into the on-rushing masses of supporters invading the pitch and was later seen shedding all his emotions in front of The Revie Stand.
The images of "Hughesy" on promotion day will long be an iconic symbol of what it means 'To be Leeds!'
If you agree or disagree, or have no idea please participate in our online poll regarding this subject (it can be found on the right-hand side of this screen).
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UPDATE: Leeds United announced this morning (14/05/10) that Andrew Hughes has been offered a new deal by the club, perhaps they checked the poll first to make sure its what the fans wanted...
Poll "Should Andrew Hughes be offered a new contract with Leeds United?"
Result: 264 votes, YES - 228 (86%), No - 29 (12%), Not sure -7 (2%)
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UPDATE: Leeds United announced this morning (14/05/10) that Andrew Hughes has been offered a new deal by the club, perhaps they checked the poll first to make sure its what the fans wanted...
Poll "Should Andrew Hughes be offered a new contract with Leeds United?"
Result: 264 votes, YES - 228 (86%), No - 29 (12%), Not sure -7 (2%)
Tuesday 11 May 2010
Dirty Leeds: 7 Days of Football (11/05/10)
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In what will become a weekly feature of Dirty Leeds during the Summer and into next season, lets have a look back at the last 7 days of footballing news;
MIGHTY WHITES WIN PROMOTION
The only place to start really, Leeds finally escaped the dreaded pit of despair that is League One and in typical Leeds United fashion, it was far from straight forward and at one point had a grown man close to tears... To say that Daryl Duffy's goal rocked me to my very core would be the biggest understatement since Gary Neville revealed he 'admired' David Beckham. If the front man had ran into the crowd following his goal and stabbed me in the chest, I can't imagine it would have hurt more than watching him reel away in celebration of a goal that threatened to unravel 9 months of hard work and condemn Leeds to another season in oblivion.
What happened next was something that even the most long-standing of Whites supporters would consider a 'rarity'. Leeds United's players stood as one and mirrored the passion and desire that their supporters are famed for. Fighting back from the brink of disaster to the most glorious occasion Elland Road has witnessed since 1992... and the rest is history!
A quick mention to each and every player who has participated for Leeds United this season - Thank You!
BATES BRANDS EVERTON "A TWO-BOB" CLUB
Ever the epicentre of an argument, a less than sober Ken Bates belittled Merseyside's second club at the club's End of Season Dinner on Saturday night. Alledgedly claiming that Jermaine Beckford still has time to reconsider a Summer move to a "two-bob" club like Everton and stay with Leeds United.
If money wasn't a factor, then I'd say you have a point Ken. However with Jermaine now 28 years old he needs to fund his future and unless you can relocate your cheque book then nobody can blame the lad for looking after number one. Jermaine has his critics but for a man who has been undoubtedly the single most important player for the club since our relegation form The Premiership and scored the two most legendary goals in our recent history, he owes Leeds United a sum total of - Nothing!
SPURS WIN TICKET TO EUROPE'S TOP TABLE
Never has such an over-hyped game been shown so much apathy. Seriously, did anybody outside East Manchester or North London really care which team finished fourth in The Premiership? Strangely more attention was on the fact that Liverpool had dropped out of the 'Big four', rather than which team would replace them. For the record Spurs won 1-0, thanks to a late Peter Crouch header. Again, the real story is where do the Anfield club go from here?
POMPEY SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL
Having entered administration some two months ago with debts rumoured to be around £119M, the South Coast club have now fallen closer to the black hole of extinction with reports of them haemorrhaging £7.5M each month. Quite how they will fair with the lack of regular income between now and August is anybody's guess. Player sales will undoubtedly be rapid and at a fraction of their true worth and funds will fall a long way short of the required millions to stem the flow... Apparently looking at a 17 point deduction before the season even starts in August, one has to question if the club will even make it that far, or will the life support machine be switched off??
POINT DEDUCTIONS BECOMING A HABIT
Up until the infamous Summer of 2007, point deductions in the English game were a thing of legend, something only found in a small annotation in record books from way back when. Since the Football League dropped the unprecedented sanction of 15 points upon Leeds the day before the start of the new season, several clubs have fallen victim of the new 'toy' of the powers that be. Luton, Bournemouth, Rotherham, Southampton, Crystal Palace amongst others have all been hit with similar sanctions. Admittedly, the rules for entering administration are clear to all and few clubs can have a complaint when the 'minus 10' letter arrives in the post.
Strangely this week Hartlepool United were hit with a 3 point deduction just days before the final day of the season, throwing any plans of winding down, out of the window by dropping them deep into a relegation battle! The reason they were deducted 3 points was due to fielding an ineligible player, who should still have been serving a suspension. Clearly an admin error on someone's part. As it turned out the sanction was irrelevant and The Pools survived on goal difference, condemning Gillingham to the basement division.
Now all this seems perfectly straight forward but if you cast your mind back a few years when West Ham United 'knowingly' played Carlos Tevez in the majority of their games, even though they didn't own the player. The Premier League (Its worth noting the different governing body) decided, after much deliberation that no points would be deducted, thus relegating Sheffield United by the finest of margins; a single goal. Where's the justice in that!? Is it because nobody will really notice if Hartlepool are deducted points, are they too far North to even worry about?
Its also worth remembering that Leeds did something similar at Burnley a few years ago by fielding one too many loan players, although Leeds lost that game, points remained intact.
This seemingly 'random' approach to points deduction and sanctions needs to be clarified for everyone, sooner rather than later.
PREMIER LEAGUE INCREASE REWARDS FOR FAILURE
In the recent General Elections, a major topic has been that of Welfare, and the ridiculous way that this Countries Government's pay out to the terminally lazy and general under-achievers. Its a hot-topic, and probably one that almost won the Tories the vote!
As 'unbelievable' as the majority of tax payers see the current welfare system, The Premier League have adopted one of their own... Currently, clubs relegated from The Premier League into The Championship receive £16M over 2 seasons in 'parachute' payments. These payments are said to 'bridge the gap' in the difference of revenue between the two leagues, allowing clubs to restructure and adapt to their new, lower income. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. Clubs spend all the cash trying to get back and end up where Southampton are. Portsmouth have already been given theirs for next season!!
Inexplicably, and for reasons that I can't grasp at the minute, it has been decided that relegated clubs (Clubs that have FAILED remember) will now receive a whopping £48M over the next 4 seasons following relegation!! Such ridiculous decisions are usually associated with UEFA and their 'rigged' seeding systems. What this new ruling is to achieve, apart from further alienate the lesser clubs in The Football League pyramid, is anybody's guess. Surely the idiots in suits can see that throwing money at the Premier League clubs further diminishes the sense of competition and the integrity of the game. Why not share the wealth equally between the four divisions? What chance have the likes of Millwall or Swindon (should they win promotion) or Leeds for that matter, have against a team who has £48M to spend? Rigged Deck!
WIGAN MAKE A JOKE OF PREMIERSHIP
Now its obvious that Chelsea are a very good footballing team and are deservedly Champions of England but for Wigan Athletic to be hammered 8-0 in supposedly the 'strongest' league in the world is an absolute shambles. Lets not forget, this is the same team that shipped 9 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. They should be relegated by default and replaced by a team that can actually call themselves 'professional'.
Follow Dirty Leeds on Facebook and Twitter or join the Dirty Leeds supporters forums at www.DirtyLeeds.com
MIGHTY WHITES WIN PROMOTION
The only place to start really, Leeds finally escaped the dreaded pit of despair that is League One and in typical Leeds United fashion, it was far from straight forward and at one point had a grown man close to tears... To say that Daryl Duffy's goal rocked me to my very core would be the biggest understatement since Gary Neville revealed he 'admired' David Beckham. If the front man had ran into the crowd following his goal and stabbed me in the chest, I can't imagine it would have hurt more than watching him reel away in celebration of a goal that threatened to unravel 9 months of hard work and condemn Leeds to another season in oblivion.
What happened next was something that even the most long-standing of Whites supporters would consider a 'rarity'. Leeds United's players stood as one and mirrored the passion and desire that their supporters are famed for. Fighting back from the brink of disaster to the most glorious occasion Elland Road has witnessed since 1992... and the rest is history!
A quick mention to each and every player who has participated for Leeds United this season - Thank You!
BATES BRANDS EVERTON "A TWO-BOB" CLUB
Ever the epicentre of an argument, a less than sober Ken Bates belittled Merseyside's second club at the club's End of Season Dinner on Saturday night. Alledgedly claiming that Jermaine Beckford still has time to reconsider a Summer move to a "two-bob" club like Everton and stay with Leeds United.
If money wasn't a factor, then I'd say you have a point Ken. However with Jermaine now 28 years old he needs to fund his future and unless you can relocate your cheque book then nobody can blame the lad for looking after number one. Jermaine has his critics but for a man who has been undoubtedly the single most important player for the club since our relegation form The Premiership and scored the two most legendary goals in our recent history, he owes Leeds United a sum total of - Nothing!
SPURS WIN TICKET TO EUROPE'S TOP TABLE
Never has such an over-hyped game been shown so much apathy. Seriously, did anybody outside East Manchester or North London really care which team finished fourth in The Premiership? Strangely more attention was on the fact that Liverpool had dropped out of the 'Big four', rather than which team would replace them. For the record Spurs won 1-0, thanks to a late Peter Crouch header. Again, the real story is where do the Anfield club go from here?
POMPEY SPIRAL OUT OF CONTROL
Having entered administration some two months ago with debts rumoured to be around £119M, the South Coast club have now fallen closer to the black hole of extinction with reports of them haemorrhaging £7.5M each month. Quite how they will fair with the lack of regular income between now and August is anybody's guess. Player sales will undoubtedly be rapid and at a fraction of their true worth and funds will fall a long way short of the required millions to stem the flow... Apparently looking at a 17 point deduction before the season even starts in August, one has to question if the club will even make it that far, or will the life support machine be switched off??
POINT DEDUCTIONS BECOMING A HABIT
Up until the infamous Summer of 2007, point deductions in the English game were a thing of legend, something only found in a small annotation in record books from way back when. Since the Football League dropped the unprecedented sanction of 15 points upon Leeds the day before the start of the new season, several clubs have fallen victim of the new 'toy' of the powers that be. Luton, Bournemouth, Rotherham, Southampton, Crystal Palace amongst others have all been hit with similar sanctions. Admittedly, the rules for entering administration are clear to all and few clubs can have a complaint when the 'minus 10' letter arrives in the post.
Strangely this week Hartlepool United were hit with a 3 point deduction just days before the final day of the season, throwing any plans of winding down, out of the window by dropping them deep into a relegation battle! The reason they were deducted 3 points was due to fielding an ineligible player, who should still have been serving a suspension. Clearly an admin error on someone's part. As it turned out the sanction was irrelevant and The Pools survived on goal difference, condemning Gillingham to the basement division.
Now all this seems perfectly straight forward but if you cast your mind back a few years when West Ham United 'knowingly' played Carlos Tevez in the majority of their games, even though they didn't own the player. The Premier League (Its worth noting the different governing body) decided, after much deliberation that no points would be deducted, thus relegating Sheffield United by the finest of margins; a single goal. Where's the justice in that!? Is it because nobody will really notice if Hartlepool are deducted points, are they too far North to even worry about?
Its also worth remembering that Leeds did something similar at Burnley a few years ago by fielding one too many loan players, although Leeds lost that game, points remained intact.
This seemingly 'random' approach to points deduction and sanctions needs to be clarified for everyone, sooner rather than later.
PREMIER LEAGUE INCREASE REWARDS FOR FAILURE
In the recent General Elections, a major topic has been that of Welfare, and the ridiculous way that this Countries Government's pay out to the terminally lazy and general under-achievers. Its a hot-topic, and probably one that almost won the Tories the vote!
As 'unbelievable' as the majority of tax payers see the current welfare system, The Premier League have adopted one of their own... Currently, clubs relegated from The Premier League into The Championship receive £16M over 2 seasons in 'parachute' payments. These payments are said to 'bridge the gap' in the difference of revenue between the two leagues, allowing clubs to restructure and adapt to their new, lower income. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case. Clubs spend all the cash trying to get back and end up where Southampton are. Portsmouth have already been given theirs for next season!!
Inexplicably, and for reasons that I can't grasp at the minute, it has been decided that relegated clubs (Clubs that have FAILED remember) will now receive a whopping £48M over the next 4 seasons following relegation!! Such ridiculous decisions are usually associated with UEFA and their 'rigged' seeding systems. What this new ruling is to achieve, apart from further alienate the lesser clubs in The Football League pyramid, is anybody's guess. Surely the idiots in suits can see that throwing money at the Premier League clubs further diminishes the sense of competition and the integrity of the game. Why not share the wealth equally between the four divisions? What chance have the likes of Millwall or Swindon (should they win promotion) or Leeds for that matter, have against a team who has £48M to spend? Rigged Deck!
WIGAN MAKE A JOKE OF PREMIERSHIP
Now its obvious that Chelsea are a very good footballing team and are deservedly Champions of England but for Wigan Athletic to be hammered 8-0 in supposedly the 'strongest' league in the world is an absolute shambles. Lets not forget, this is the same team that shipped 9 at White Hart Lane earlier in the season. They should be relegated by default and replaced by a team that can actually call themselves 'professional'.
Follow Dirty Leeds on Facebook and Twitter or join the Dirty Leeds supporters forums at www.DirtyLeeds.com
Monday 10 May 2010
Leeds aim for top spot!
ShareNot usually one for regurgitating news, this is a bit of a novelty. A novelty in every sense of the word...
As posted on the Official Site, Leeds are releasing 'Marching on Together' as a single - Get it bought!!
Article in full
Our club anthem Leeds, Leeds, Leeds (also known as Marching On Together) has now been digitally re-mastered and is being released worldwide in 35 countries and in over 500 digital stores on Sunday May 16 as a Digital Download at 79p on iTunes.
The charts are now compiled on a Sunday to Saturday basis so fans are urged buy the track by Saturday May 22 in the hope of securing a chart position the following day in the charts that are compiled by the Official Charts Company and broadcast on most radio stations nationally every Sunday.
The charts are now compiled on a Sunday to Saturday basis so fans are urged buy the track by Saturday May 22 in the hope of securing a chart position the following day in the charts that are compiled by the Official Charts Company and broadcast on most radio stations nationally every Sunday.
The track sounds amazing. It sounds like it has been dusted down cleaned and had a damn good polish to a perfect mirrored shine! State of the art technology has been used to bring out frequencies top bottom and mid range and various software has been used to enhance instrumentation on the original recording so it sounds far more superior than the original release 39 years ago.
This modern technology was not available in 1972 when it was first released has given the original track a new lease of life now you can hear this classic anthem that has stood the test of time like you have never heard it ever before!
If over 10,000 Leeds fans buy the track we hope to be in the top 10 by The Official Charts company!
Over 10,800 fans already pledged to buy the digital download on a facebook fansite put together by fans http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=393661090206 titled "Celebrate Promotion by making Leeds, Leeds, Leeds, ( Marching on Together No 1.)"
If 20,000 fans buy the 79p download on the first week of release on iTunes, Leeds, Leeds, Leedscould sit at the top of the charts.
Remember you can now follow Dirty Leeds on Facebook and Twitter.
Sunday 9 May 2010
We've done it!
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After 9 months of ups, downs, ups and then downs, Leeds United are promoted!
The match against Bristol Rovers was Leeds' season summed up in 90 minutes. A strong start, full of enthusiasm and endeavour, with plenty of promise. The middle, which saw Leeds reduced to 10 men and go 1-0 down, was akin to the 4-month blip after beating the Salford Yanks in the FA Cup. But in the end, Leeds United triumphed and took one step back on their road to becoming one of the biggest clubs in England.
It's been said at times that some of the Leeds players don't have enough bottle or passion for the club. Nobody can fault the effort, passion or bottle yesterday. Too many times have the players crumbled after going a goal down, but with no room for error whatsoever, the Mighty Whites rose to the occasion.
For the final 25 minutes, 38,000 bums were squeaking, not least when high balls were thrown towards the United penalty area, but the tumultuous roar which erupted as the referee blew his final whistle was one of relief, pride and pure unadulterated joy.
Thousands of fans flocked onto the pitch to embrace their heroes, to celebrate with one another after a season which has seen many Leeds fans age beyond comprehension. Tears were shed, screams were screamed, and dances were danced on the hallowed Elland Road turf. We had done it. We had climbed out of the God-awful pit that is League 1, and made our way back into the 2nd tier of English football.
Simon Grayson, Andy Hughes, Patrick Kisnorbo, Johnny Howson, Jermaine Beckford, Luciano Becchio, and many others, have done what Leeds fans have been praying for, for 3 years. They've taken Leeds United up. And to do it in such a way made it all the more sweeter. Knowing that Millwall had won, and would have been celebrating when Rovers went 1-0 up, as we were at Charlton when news filtered through of Andy Robinson putting Tranmere 2-0 up, brought smiles to the faces of many.
Quite what to expect with Leeds next season is another matter, and no doubt many of the fans will be hoping the board show enough ambition to make it 2 promotions in 2 years, but for now the memories of the day we escaped the clutches of League 1 football will make the summer a very enjoyable one.
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