KAMP: vs. Brighton 29/3

[GeirO]

Håper sannelig vi slår Brighton hjemme for resten av sesongen er stort sett tøffe bortekamper....merkelig terminoppsett!

[kjelvi]

Albion aces ordered to rest-up for United clash



Dean Wilkins is wrapping Brighton's players in cotton wool ahead of Saturday's clash with Leeds United following a run of fixtures which has left his squad "totally knackered".
Albion are preparing to visit Elland Road for a fixture which will have a crucial bearing on the play-off ambitions of both clubs, and Wilkins has given Brighton's players a brief but badly-needed rest before their ninth game in the space of a month.
Wilkins watched his side produce a valuable 0-0 draw at Nottingham Forest on Monday afternoon, a result which lifted them into sixth, and they will carry a lead of two points over United into this weekend's fixture in West Yorkshire.
Leeds have the advantage of a game in hand after the postponement of their clash with Huddersfield Town â€" planned for yesterday but now due to be staged at the Galpharm Stadium on April 15 â€" but a defeat to Brighton at Elland Road would leave Gary McAllister's team five points adrift of the top six with seven games remaining.
Ian Westlake, who is on loan at the Withdean Stadium from Leeds, is nursing a calf injury but will be prevented from playing on Saturday regardless due to a clause in his loan deal.
And a number of Wilkins' players are coping with minor fitness problems.
Albion have already visited Huddersfield, Carlisle and Walsall during the past month, and the Brighton boss said: "We've had a gruelling month, and certain players expressed a lack of energy during last Tuesday's game at Huddersfield.
"The players are having a couple of days off, which is well deserved. They've earned the plaudits for the effort that they put into it. They are totally knackered.
"Leeds will be a massive game but I feel that we're capable of going there and causing them trouble."
Midfielders Tom Fraser and Steve Thomson are Wilkins' major injury concerns with both players suffering from calf strains.
But Albion's goalless draw at the City Ground on Monday strengthened their manager's confidence of finishing the season inside the top six.
Wilkins said: "We put in a really good performance and I thought that defensively we were heroic.
"It wasn't a win-at-all-costs game and what I wanted to make sure was that everybody came through it in a position where they were available for the following game. At the moments the signs are good."
McAllister also gave United's players a short break from training after Saturday's 2-0 victory over Walsall, though Leeds have played three games fewer than Brighton so far this month.
Andrew Hughes will serve the final game of his two-match suspension on Saturday, but he is likely to be McAllister's only absentee provided Tresor Kandol and Lubomir Michalik return unscathed from their international commitments with Congo and Slovakia respectively.
United's manager could still make further additions to his squad in the final hours of the emergency loan market, but he will be forced to make do with the pool available to him once the Football League's deadline passes at 5pm tomorrow afternoon.

YEP

[auren]

Douglas har måttet stå over 17 kamper med skade, og har etter det spilt 67 minutter i en internkamp og 90 minutter på reservelaget + åtte minutter som innbytter.

Tviler på at McAllister gambler med å hive ham utpå allerede nå. Ligaen er ikke til for å spille folk tilbake i kampform, det må de gjøre på reservelaget...

Jeg er hjertens enig med Webredaktøren her. Var overrasket at Douglas var på benken alt mot Walsall. Tror og håper han benkes igjen mot Brighton og får en halv omgang med spilletid. Han må skyndes langsomt. Det er 8 kamper igjen av sesongen (kanskje 11?). Han kan bli god å ha i de siste tøffe bortekampene, men 90 minutter er han enda ikke klar for.

auren

[berlin]

Ja, nå har "vi" ventet på Douglas en tid, og synes han er blitt hypet opp pga de dårlige resultatene våre og ikke fordi han er så innnnmari god. Er redd vi kan bli skuffet.
Samme startoppstilling som mot Walsall bør kjøres, og det er jeg rimelig sikker på at Macca gjør.

Han får vise gjennom et innhopp på mer enn 20-25 minutter at han forsvarer en plass før han kan regne med å starte. Cruiser vi inn (lov å håpe) mot Brighton også, er det ingen grunn til å gjøre forandringer.

[Ronald]

Douglas har måttet stå over 17 kamper med skade, og har etter det spilt 67 minutter i en internkamp og 90 minutter på reservelaget + åtte minutter som innbytter.

Tviler på at McAllister gambler med å hive ham utpå allerede nå. Ligaen er ikke til for å spille folk tilbake i kampform, det må de gjøre på reservelaget...

Jeg er hjertens enig med Webredaktøren her. Var overrasket at Douglas var på benken alt mot Walsall. Tror og håper han benkes igjen mot Brighton og får en halv omgang med spilletid. Han må skyndes langsomt. Det er 8 kamper igjen av sesongen (kanskje 11?). Han kan bli god å ha i de siste tøffe bortekampene, men 90 minutter er han enda ikke klar for.

auren

Huff og huff! Det gikk ett brutalt mørkt lys opp for meg (går det an forresten?)

Kun 8 ordinære kamper igjen?! Der mistet eg litt av troen på DIREKTE opprykk

Det er ikke lang tid for Douglas å spille seg i form akkurat

[baste]

Vi får ta en kamp om gangen, vinner vi denne øker sannsynligheten for at vi klarer playoff. Vinner vi neste igjen..så kan vi snakke om direkte opprykke...

[auren]

Vi er pokka nødt til å få tilbake alle 15 poengene hvis vi skal rykke direkte opp. Jeg synes at det er helt på tryne hvis vi får mindre enn 15 poeng tilbake, hvis vi først får noen poeng. Enten 0 eller 15 poeng tilbake.

auren

[kjelvi]

Albion ready for Leeds threat

Dean Wilkins has challenged his in-form defenders to silence one of League One's most potent attacking double acts.
The Albion manager admits it is unlikely he will make a deadline-beating move into the loan market ahead of Saturday's trip to Leeds United.
A bid to extend Ian Westlake's loan from Leeds also remained unresolved tonight, although the Seagulls have until a week on Saturday to reach agreement with their League One rivals.
Wilkins is confident his side can maintain their play-off push by getting a result at Elland Road.
Fresh from their clean sheet at Nottingham Forest on Monday, Albion will be up against 19-goal Jermaine Beckford and experienced Dougie Freedman, who was on target twice at Port Vale recently.
Wilkins said: "Beckford is a major threat. Even last year at Scunthorpe we saw that. He scores goals with either foot and with his head.
"What they have got now is someone with him with some experience which is Freedman. They are two types of player but they have both got real quality.
"We are going to have be very aware because of their movement. Freedman is more likely to come short and Beckford will go in behind."
Albion are buoyant after wins against Walsall and Doncaster plus the draw at Forest. Wilkins said: "We have put ourselves in a position where it is now in our own hands to a degree.
"Leeds away is similar to Forest away in terms of difficulty but we are building on that confidence you get from winning games against teams in the top six.
"We are on a nice upward drive at the moment."
Albion's fringe first-teamers were denied a chance to impress when the reserve game at home to Wycombe Wanderers was postponed last night due to a waterligged pitch at Woodside Road.
Tommy Fraser and Steven Thomson will be back to fight for places after recovering from niggles.
Fraser missed the trip to Forest with an ankle injury and Thomson played through a calf problem which forced him off during the second half. Both are now fully fit.
Andrew Whing returns from suspension.
Asked if Albion would have a loan signing on board for Leeds, Wilkins said: "It doesn't look likely at the moment."

theargus.co.uk

[Svend Anders]

ARVE FUGLUM skriver igjen for luscos.com før kampen:

http://www.leedsunited.no/den-viktige-doncaster-kampen/

SA

[kjelvi]

Brighton go to Elland Back

Brighton travel to Elland Road to face Leeds United knowing that it is one of the biggest games of the season, possibly even the biggest.
The Yorkshire side, who were in the premiership only 4 seasons ago are currently 2 points and 2 places behind the Seagulls and have a game in hand. A win for United would take them above Brighton and back into the top 6 but a defeat would leave them 5 points behind.
It looks likely that Swansea and either Carlisle or Doncaster will go up automatically with Nottingham Forest looking a near certainty for a play off place. Southend are in pole position for one of the remaining 2 places, although the Albion travel to Roots Hall in 2 weeks time and a victory for the Seagulls would throw things wide open again.
Other sides vying for a play off place are Tranmere, Walsall, Orient and Saturday`s
opponents Leeds. It is likely to go to the wire and any points gained, especially against any of the aforementioned teams are absolutely vital. Which makes Saturdays game all the more intriguing.
On paper, it looks like a very tough game. Brighton have had a gruelling month in terms of fixtures and fatigue is slowly creeping in.United are a strong, attacking side and if it weren't for their 15 point
deduction, would be strongly challenging for one of the automatic promotion places. They also have an experienced and influential manager in Gary Mcallister as well as the biggest support base in the division.
However, as Brighton showed yet again on Monday against Nottingham Forest, they are a strong, resilient side and on their day can match anybody in this league. There is always a spark to games between these 2 clubs and in recent seasons the Sussex side have a fantastic record against their more illustrious opponents with 2 wins, 2 draws and an underserved defeat when the sided met back in October last year.
Due to their status, Leeds have been the team that most sides want to beat this season and just recently, more and more teams have been managing that.
This is a match that could well have a big outcome on the final table in May and is therefore a match that Brighton must get something out
of.

bha.vitalfootball.co.uk

[kjelvi]

Noen som har fått med seg om 'geniene' på Elland Road har sørget for en eller annen klasul i Westlakes utlånsavtale slik at vi slipper å møte vår egen spiller i kamp?

United midfielder Ian Westlake, currently on loan to League 1 play-off rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, is unable to participate in this weekend's eagerly anticipated clash between the two sides at Elland Road.
Westlake has impressed during the spell, but the terms of the loan agreement rule him out of contention for Saturday. Seagulls chairman Dick Knight has nevertheless confirmed that the club are looking to extend the player's loan period until the end of the current campaign.

[kjelvi]

Leeds v Brighton

In different circumstances Leeds would be third in the League1 table and Brighton seventh. But this is real life and it's for others to see if punishment fits their crimes. Mr Bates is appealing, if you'll excuse this description and one way or another, will get his boat-race in the papers. Let's hope by time that Ox-bridge clash on Saturday starts, he isn't swimming with a run-in tide of good luck, many lengths of FA leniency and maximum home side strokes pulled. United are a handy outfit up at their place having; W13 D3 L4 F36 A15 pt/gm2.1. Wins were against Walsall 2-0, Bournemouth 2-0, Northampton 3-0, Bristol R 1-0, Huddersfield 4-0, Port Vale 3-0, Swindon 2-1, Millwall 4-2, Yeovil 1-0, Swansea 2-0, Hartlepool 2-0, Luton 1-0 and Southend 4-1. Leeds drew with Crewe 1-1, Forest 1-1 and Orient 1-1. They also lost to Cheltenham 1-2, Tranmere 0-2, Doncaster 0-1 and Oldham 1-3. Brighton want to come away from Elland Road unbeaten, to join an elite group who soiled Whites numerous clean sheets. Mind you, nil-nil will do for Blues, before light and dark university crews test similar free-flowing conditions. It's not all cut and dried and if raining, somebodies gonna get a soaking anyway, either north or south.
In pre-season, Dean Wilkins was aiming to win the title in his first full year as manager. It was Mr dedicated's long-range target but in reality as each quarter of this season was reached, that remote possibility was increasing with time. He originally said, 'we need to see an improvement on last season's position at the very, very least. We were on 52 points with six games to go. Fifty-one points is safety.' Ok then job done early, just after the three quarters stats-stage got completed as well. Wilkins initially also stated, 'we've got a strong youth development programme. We've got young players here with huge potential. We want to bring experience and quality into our side... with players who have played at higher level.' Here he has been less successful, having virtually replaced Hammond with Thomson and lost services of O'Callaghan at end of 2007. Richards came down for the duration but others like Bowditch, Westlake and Racon only had or have, very short-term loans.
Ever present Kuipers has made standing between sticks into a high-standard Dutch masters art-form. FDM proved keepers are in their prime when others fancy going non-league for a quiet life. Sullivan was watching at Nottingham, saving, blocking and kicking every ball from a stand seat. He must wake-up each morning screaming, while lesser custodians rack-up apps for fun in Blue Square South. In a sense DW was forced to fall back on old BHA stalwarts. Butters at first to keep the ball rolling, then testimonial pair Hart and Mayo for recent critical fixtures, thus provided vital experience lacking throughout a predominately young squad. However quite openly, youthful Elphick and Lynch are a revelation in central defence since thrown together right and left at the back. Whing should rightly go straight back in, to uphold player of the season credentials. Conversely things were most unfortunate when Hinshelwood and Reid both sustained secondary long-term injury and versatile El-Abd got crocked lately, these being three with multiple Championship appearances. Fraser is forever edging into the frame, while Robinson reflects on reverse imagery in reserves. Meanwhile Loft and Martot discuss cruising inside left channels from alternate benchings. Apparently Cox wants to see the gaffer about special deliveries on away trips. Wilkins previously added to his second term preview, 'it will be a continuous process. You're going to manage to bring a couple in and always working on what you believe is the right style of play and getting what you want results-wise. But we are more than capable of doing very, very well. We just have to make sure when we have those spells when under pressure, we are nice and compact and see it out.' That in essence is what Brighton's current campaign is all about, carefully planned, orchestrated and led by a capable and in some ways feeling management style.
Those signings based on reputation, if not to infer speculation, of Murray, Dixon and McFaul have not exactly filled Wilkins Championship standard mould, although perhaps it's a tad too soon to conclusively tell, as League1 winds down - or is it actually up? Murray complements Forster with younger craft and guile for a bigger man, while Albion's thirty-something pace-setter has been running amok like a hyperactive teenager. If anything, our expensive ex-League2 goal-getter has got to up his game to assist our ex-Champ's striker, captain, free-kick and penalty-taker, with a scoring burst he can't afford to have blow-up in BHA faces. A proverbial age-old problem for any unit seeking to advance, is if front pairings aren't bulging nets then, are wingers, midfielders and defenders making up deficiencies? At present there is little to inspire scoring confidence from these positions, or off a bench loaded with remnants of a sixteen from fringes, those out of form or er, rotated inexperienced. For obvious reasons the jury is still out on our constantly changing midfield diamond, where any number of permutations have tried to put dazzle, sparkle and bling into providing muli-faceted jewels from a string of season setting performances.
As Wilkins peruses BHA work in progress, watched Capello's England struggle to create chances versus continental cousins and phones FA for emergency cover during this run-in, he might think... 'I'd just love to be a successful manager. Oh yeah, maybe I'll call Dennis Wise - to hear how he really got started at a big club.'

brigtonfans.com

[Larsen.]

Draumelag:

Casper
Fraze - Rui - Lubo - Sheehan
Kilkenny - Prutts - Douglas - Carole
Becks - Freedman

Mot Walsall satt eg på sida Kenton spilte i første omgang, og han var helt prikkfri. Kenton inn for Frazer og det er topp. Tviler sterkt på at Carole starter eller Douglas. Howson.

[kjelvi]

LEEDS UNITED TEAM NEWS: Hughes to complete suspension

Leeds United will be without Andrew Hughes for the second game running tomorrow as the midfielder completes a two-match suspension.
Hughes incurred the ban after receiving his 10th booking of the season at Port Vale a fortnight ago and sat out last weekend's 2-0 victory over Walsall.
The 30-year-old will also miss tomorrow's clash with Brighton at Elland Road, returning to contention for next Tuesday's important Yorkshire derby with Doncaster Rovers at the eepmoat Stadium.
Hughes, along with Alan Thompson, are the only members of Gary McAllister's squad who are unavailable this weekend, but despite his wide range of options, United's manager is expected to name an unchanged side to face Albion.
Jonathan Douglas made his first appearance for almost three months as a substitute last Saturday and featured for the reserves against Lincoln City on Wednesday night.
He is likely to be named on the bench again tomorrow.
Leeds have avoided any uncertainty over the condition of Lubomir Michalik, who has trained with the squad at Thorp Arch this week.
Michalik was originally due to fly to Sofia for Wednesday's friendly between Bulgaria and Slovakia, but the centre-back was left out of Slovakia's final squad.
Sebastian Sorsa was also spared from international duty with Finland at late notice and McAllister is hoping that Tresor Kandol will return from Congo's friendly with Algeria in peak condition.
Ian Westlake is currently on loan at Brighton from Elland Road, but the midfielder has been prevented from playing against his parent club by the terms of his contract at the Withdean Stadium.

United (from): Ankergren, Kenton, Richardson, Michalik, Marques, Huntington, Sheehan, Kilkenny, Prutton, Howson, Johnson, Douglas, Sweeney, Carole, Sorsa, Beckford, Freedman, Kandol, Elding, Lucas.

YEP

[berlin]

stand-in for kjelvi ( ai ønli du dis åns )

Tomorrows opponents Leeds United have had a lot of bad press in recent years so,to reverse that trend, we here are some things that are good about Leeds United:

1) They paid us £750,000 for Dan Harding in 2005, arguably more than he was worth!!
2) They gave us Terry Connor who was top scorer 3 seasons running in the 1980's and is one of the best ever to play for the Albion.
3) In 1993 they paid Brighton £350,000 for goalkeeper Mark Beeney which effectively saved the club from a winding up order.
4) They have loaned us Ian Westlake who has been a massive asset in our push for the play-offs this year.
5) They were the last team to win the Premier League (Division 1 as it was called then) with an English manager in 1992. That manager was Howard Wilkinson who was also an ex Albion player.
6) Eric Cantona, one of the greatest players ever to grace the Premier league and who famously kung fu kicked an abusive Palace fan, played for them.
7) The match with them last October was the biggest attendance of the season at Withdean this season.
Two of the greatest bands ever 'The Wedding Present' and 'Backwater' were Leeds Based!!

Lets hope that after tomorrow we can add a ninth reason!


http://www.bha.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=505285

[Sleivind]

Litt smånervøs foran dagens kamp. Vi har ikke akkurat for vane å vinne mot Brighton, men for å ikke miste kontakten med lagene foran oss, så er det livsviktig å vinne dagens kamp!

Satser på dette laget:

Ankers
Kenton - Rui - Michalik - Sheehan (hadde en god kamp mot Walsall!)
Kilkenny - Prutton - Howson - Carole
Freedman - Beckford

Kunne vel ha puttet Hughes inn på venstrebacken, men satser på at Sheehan fortsetter der han slapp. Er også litt usikker om kombinasjonen Carole/Sheehan er den beste på venstrebacken. Men vi trenger noen som kan holde bredden på midten, og da kan Carole være bra å ha.

[stian]

Satser på dette laget:

Ankers
Kenton - Rui - Marques - Sheehan (hadde en god kamp mot Walsall!)
Kilkenny - Prutton - Howson - Carole
Freedman - Beckford

Rui og Marques som stoppere? 

[Svend Anders]

Satser på dette laget:

Ankers
Kenton - Rui - Marques - Sheehan (hadde en god kamp mot Walsall!)
Kilkenny - Prutton - Howson - Carole
Freedman - Beckford

BÃ...DE Rui OG Marques i stopperparet, ja! Snakk om å gjøre to manns jobb! 
Men jeg synes ikke resten ser så dumt ut.

Never change a team, er det ikke? 

SA

[Sleivind]

Jeg aner ikke hva dere snakker om! 

[Ferre]

Gleder meg til kamp igjen! Klarer vi å prestere like bra i dag som vi gjorde mot Walsall, skal det bli vanskelig å slå oss. Skal vi rykke opp er vi avhengig av å prestere på et jevnt høyt nivå ut sesongen, håper Macca har det som trengs for å få guttene til å gjøre nettopp det. Tre nye poeng i dag kommer til å gi ekstra selvtillit før de siste kampene.

[Roy]

Ny sekspoeng kamp i dag. Håper vi klarer å følge opp Walsall kampem, og det er vel ingenting som ikke tyder på det 

[Webredaktøren]

Blir vel Johnson på venstrekanten, selv om Carole hadde en god dag på reservelaget sist. Han må nok lære seg å jobbe litt hjemover før det blir mere spilletid også...

[baste]

Spennende, føler som dere andre, denne må vi vinne...da klarer vi play off...Evig opptimist.... LUFC4EVER 

[T-R]

Vel så går vi inn i den mest spennende uka på veldig lenge. Dette er etter min den uka som avgjør om det blir kvalikk eller ikke. Vi trenger 9 poeng på disse tre kampene for å ha en sjansje til å komme oss opp. Kan ikke se at det går mot å få igjen noen poeng så her må alt skje på banen. 
Lykke til alle samen.
                                        LEEDS4EVER

[dtage]

Vel så går vi inn i den mest spennende uka på veldig lenge. Dette er etter min den uka som avgjør om det blir kvalikk eller ikke. Vi trenger 9 poeng på disse tre kampene for å ha en sjansje til å komme oss opp. Kan ikke se at det går mot å få igjen noen poeng så her må alt skje på banen. 
Lykke til alle samen.
                                        LEEDS4EVER

Vel, det er vel mange som mener det motsatte, at det er mye som tyder på at vi får igjen poeng. Ikke at jeg tror det er avgjørende. Jeg tror ikke vi klarer direkte opprykk uansett om vi får igjen noen poeng. Play-off er innenfor rekkevidde uansett. Det blir cup og der er vi jo j... gode!

[Svend Anders]

Litt frustrerende at vi ikke kan komme på play-off idag heller, dersom vi vinner.

Tranmere vant igår igjen og har før dagens kamp tre kamper mer spilt en oss - to kamper og to poeng om vi vinner mot Brighton.

Jeg håper inderlig på at carlisle og swansea avgir nye poeng idag, for dersom vi får tilbake de 15 poengene så er alt mulig... :-)

SA

[Trond90]

Ankergren, Kenton, Marques, Michalik, Sheehan, Kilkenny, Prutton, Howson, Johnson, Freedman, Beckford. Subs: Lucas, Huntington,  Douglas, Freedman, Elding.

Har vi hentet en slektning av Freedman eller? 

[TK20]

Ankergren, Kenton, Marques, Michalik, Sheehan, Kilkenny, Prutton, Howson, Johnson, Freedman, Beckford. Subs: Lucas, Huntington,  Douglas, Freedman, Elding.

Har vi hentet en slektning av Freedman eller? 

Kan-goal på benken, ikke Freedman igjen.

[Leeeeeeeeeeeeds]

Håper vi vinner idag. Hvis vi spiller som vi gjorde sist så gjør vi akkurat det. Vil ønske alle lykke til. Gleder meg til å åpne en øl

[Runar]

Greit lag det...ingen overaskelser, litt irriterende at ikke Carole er med på benken.