Emne: Play-off finale på Wembley 25/5: Doncaster R vs Leeds United

[Stifler]

Dropp kampene 

[Asbjørn]

E det noen som kan gi noen tips om hvordan å fremskynde en fødsel?Like før eg setter meg hardt på madammen å håper det plopper ut
Etter 40 år og uten avkom så må altså eg greie å fikse termin ett par dager etter at Leeds United spiller på nye Wembley......fxxn i helxxxe.
Håper ennå på ett velskapt barn innen fredag kveld

Slapp av, kommer ikke før tidligst mandag 

[jackbauer68]

Ã… spille en kamp e no det minste problemet....fake en skade på neste trening:)

det værste e at hvis eg ikkje komme meg bort å Leeds skulle vinne så kan eg som overtroisk aldri meir reise på en finale siden vi har tapt 3-0 hver gang eg e på en finale

[Bites Yer Legs]

Alt for å se Leeds ja.. Eg er enig med dere begge.  Eg går heller for den varianten å satse 120% i hver duell å håpe på at en stolpe eller støvel tar seg av resten sånn at finalen blir sett, være det i stuen eller sykesengen 

[Runar]

Kjøp en opptaker å ta opp kampen. det var min løsning i 2006. Fikk sett kampen uten å vite resultatet 2 timer etter kamp slutt.

[Bites Yer Legs]

Kjøp en opptaker å ta opp kampen. det var min løsning i 2006. Fikk sett kampen uten å vite resultatet 2 timer etter kamp slutt.

Det har eg ikke nerver til. Får tynt ut mest mulig av 1 omgang før eg motvillig drar meg sjøl til kamp.. Tørr ikke tenke på hvilken "state" eg er i..

[Larsen.]

Hehe, når kampen begynner hall 4, så rekker jeg i det minste de 35 siste minuttene av kampen, men gjør meg ikke noe om jeg tråkker over eller no på neste trening

[kjelvi]

Leeds United fullback in contention for Wembley start

Alan Sheehan has three training sessions with which to convince Gary McAllister to return him to Leeds United's starting line-up for Sunday's League One play-off final.
The Irish full-back is free to play at Wembley after completing a three-match suspension last week and his availability is causing McAllister's biggest dilemma ahead of United's clash with Doncaster Rovers at Wembley.
Bradley Johnson has played on the left side of defence during the club's last three games, and McAllister would alter his side with great reluctance following their outstanding semi-final victory over Carlisle United last week.
The Leeds boss kept faith with the line-up which lost 2-1 to Carlisle during the first leg at Elland Road for the return fixture at Brunton Park, and he was repaid by the 2-0 victory in Cumbria which secured United's place in the play-off final.
Sheehan missed both semi-final games following his straight red card at Yeovil Town on April 25 – a dismissal incurred by a rash and unnecessary two-footed tackle on Yeovil's Lee Peltier – and McAllister is considering whether to recall on his only recognised left-back or leave Bradley Johnson in a defensive role.
McAllister said: "He (Sheehan) is relieved that he's able to come back into the squad, and this is the big part of my job.
"I've got three more training sessions to see the look in people's eyes, and then I'll make my decision on Saturday."
United have no other injury concerns and look set to travel to Wembley on Sunday with a full squad.

YEP

[kjelvi]

Andy D'Urso named as the referee for the League One Play Off Final at Wembley.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_D'Urso

[PetterH]

Fikk en nitrist nyhet idag Skal spille kamp selv Søndag hall 4, hva skal jeg gjøre?

Hadde dette gjaldt meg,hadde det ikke vært den minste tvil.
Det er bare å droppe å spille din egen kamp.
Er det noen gang du bør ha god samvittighet for å svikte dine lagkamerater,
så er det på Søndag.

Enda verre å svikte Leeds :-))

Selv hadde jeg nok droppa mitt eget bryllup,dersom playoff-finalen hadde falt på samme dag :-))

[flynn]

Misunner alle som drar over noe inn i h....

Regner med at alle har pugget denne sangen, og lar den runge over Wembley:
Melodien er foreløpig bare i mitt hode, men synger dere høyt nok blir det nok fint uansett!

---------
We’ve been about for 90 years, our hist’ry makes us proud,
At Elland Road we cry and sing, the fans are clear and loud
Until the sixties we were pretty poor to say the least,
Then Revie came and took control, and built an awsome beast

For almost 50 years since then, we’ve been among the best,
We’ve fought and won and lost a few, and silenced all the rest
Our shirts are white, our blood is red, we’re always standing tall
United in our quest for gold, we see opponents fall

Leeds forever, take a stand
Assist the holy cause
Give our lads a helping hand
Join in the applause

Revie, Wilco, you and I, legends come and legends die
Bremner, Gray, Giles and all, true performers with the ball
Leeds however marches on, on from here to Kingdom come
Off to conquer all the world, help us all to spread the word

Leeds forever, take a stand
Assist the holy cause
Give our lads a helping hand
Join in the applause

We might be down, but never out, you’d better start prepare
When Maccas boys begin to play, the others best beware
Deduct our points, foul our play, but remember one small thing
Leeds come back, this time to stay, join us when we sing:

Leeds forever, take a stand
Assist the holy cause
Give our lads a helping hand
Join in the applause

Today we fight to restore faith, the fall from grace was quick
When money came and money went, it made supporters sick
Let past be past, let days go by, forget about the pain,
We’ll top the league and win the cup, Leeds are back again!

Leeds forever, take a stand
Assist the holy cause
Give our lads a helping hand
Join in the applause

[janove]

Er det noen som er interessert i play-off finalebilaget til YEP paa fredag?
Skal ta med for to personer til London, samt sende fire stk til Norge.
Avisen, konvolutt og porto kommer paa 45-50 kroner, sendt til Norge.
 

[jackbauer68]

Ja takk gjerne.....sender deg en personlig melding:)
Thanks a lot:)

[Promotion 2010]

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/DOWNLOAD-FREE-Leeds-United-Wembley.4106278.jp

Dette blir moro!

MOT

[sportcarl1]

är det någon som vet hur många biljetter som är sålda?

[kjelvi]

Er det noen som er interessert i play-off finalebilaget til YEP paa fredag?
Skal ta med for to personer til London, samt sende fire stk til Norge.
Avisen, konvolutt og porto kommer paa 45-50 kroner, sendt til Norge.

Ja takk!   
Sender deg en mail til hotmailen din!

Kjelvi

[kjelvi]

Leeds still one of six biggest clubs in England
As Doncaster Rovers prepare for their biggest game in 50 years, Mickey Walker talks about his affection for the former club he is plotting to upset at Wembley.
HE regards them as one of the six biggest clubs in the country and would have been rooting for them to win on Sunday – had he not spent the week plotting their downfall.
Doncaster Rovers director of football Mickey Walker still holds his former employers at Elland Road in the highest of regards, but come 5.00pm on Sunday he hopes his present paymasters will be plying their trade in the division above them.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/leeds/Leeds-still-one-of-six.4109334.jp


It's win or bust for United now
At the end of a season which feels like the longest of his career the realisation that Leeds United are 90 minutes away from boom or bust has taken time to sink into David Prutton.
The midfielder has witnessed every inch of United's journey from insolvency to Wembley during a year which, at times, seemed as if it might never end. Play-off finals are games of high risk, but Prutton is aware of exactly how much Leeds are staking on Sunday's League One game against Doncaster Rovers.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/It39s-win-or-bust-for.4109765.jp


Doncaster Rovers suspend ticket sales
Leeds United fans have prompted Doncaster Rovers to suspend the sale of tickets at their Keepmoat Stadium offices for Sunday's Coca-Cola League One play-off final.
Leeds and ticket touts have gathered at the ground in the hope of landing tickets for the Wembley showpiece after missing out on the Elland Road club's allocation.
A Doncaster statement read: "It is with great regret that Doncaster Rovers must announce the suspension of sales of tickets at the Keepmoat Stadium ticket office.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Doncaster-Rovers-suspend-ticket-sales.4110301.jp


Hird eyes hometown success against former club Leeds
DONCASTER-BORN Sam Hird has forced his way into his hometown team in recent weeks.
And after playing a significant role in helping the club reach the League One play-off final, the 20-year-old defender is now plotting to scupper the team who helped launch his career.
Hird joined Leeds United as an 11-year-old and spent much of his formative years in the youth set-up at Elland Road.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/leeds/Audio-Hird-eyes-hometown-success.4112980.jp

[kjelvi]

Andy D'Urso named as the referee for the League One Play Off Final at Wembley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_D'Urso

D'Urso To Take Charge Of Wembley Derby
Former Premier League referee Andy D'Urso will be the man in charge of Sunday's League One play-off final.
D'Urso was given a mention on this site earlier this season because it was back in October when Gus Poyet was fined £1,500 and also warned as to his future conduct by the Football Association for the comments he made in the aftermath of United's 3-0 Carling Cup defeat at Portsmouth in August.
Our former manager's assistant had denied a charge of misconduct after criticising the Billericay whistler, but the charge was proved. Poyet had suggested D'Urso held a vendetta against him and Dennis Wise stemming back to their playing days at Chelsea.
Poyet said at the time: "Andy D'Urso is not good enough for us and I don't want to see him at a Leeds match again."
But five months later and with Wise and Poyet gone, D'Urso was appointed to preside over March's 2-0 home win over Walsall and I thought he had a really good game that evening.

rivals.net

[kjelvi]

Bates's Wembley play-off pledge


Ken Bates

KEN BATES has promised to behave when he comes face-to-face with Football League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney this Sunday for the first time since Leeds United's unsuccessful points appeal.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/Bates39s-Wembley-playoff-pledge.4114351.jp



LORIMER: Do yourselves justice!


Peter Lormier

By Peter Lorimer, Talking Soccer
The road to Wembley is almost at an end, and all we can ask for from Leeds United at the peak of a fantastic season is for the players to spread the icing on the cake.
This team deserved automatic promotion and I believe they would have won the League One title had it not been for the pressure of the 15-point deduction, but if you'd written the story of this season you'd want it to end with victory in the play-off final.
Sunday's match against Doncaster Rovers will be the height of drama and, I dare say, a chance for Leeds to stick two fingers up to Mr Football League. My only hope is that the players do themselves justice.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/LORIMER-Do-yourselves-justice.4113282.jp


HAY: United victory would be fitting


Phil Hay

What likelihood of the respective chairmen of Leeds United and the Football League coming eye-to-eye in the vast corridors of Wembley on Sunday?
Given football's propensity for conflict and controversy, the answer is reasonably high. Lord Brian Mawhinney has some 2,000 toilets to hide in if he wishes to avoid Ken Bates, but the two figureheads will no doubt be prepared for that awkward meeting.
Wembley, with a circumference of one kilometre, is not necessarily big enough for the both of them.
Mawhinney may have nothing to say, vindicated as he felt by the recent arbitration ruling supporting the decision of the Football League to deduct 15 points from Leeds United.
Bates, in contrast, has more to say than he could possibly transmit in one short conversation.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/HAY-United-victory-would-be.4114251.jp


Leeds United should have been given more tickets - Ryan
Doncaster chairman John Ryan wishes the club's unsold Coca-Cola League One play-off final tickets could have been passed on to Leeds supporters.
Rovers have been unable to sell their full allocation for Sunday's all-Yorkshire showdown at Wembley, while Leeds, who sold out completely, have been criticised after thousands of their fans missed out.
The South Yorkshire club suspended the sale of their tickets at the Keepmoat Stadium yesterday, due to the numbers of Leeds fans who had gathered at the ground in the hope of securing one.
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Leeds-United-should-have-been.4114147.jp

[sveifors]

Ett nytt bevis på at FA er "ute" etter oss er at Doncaster og Leeds ble tildelt 36000 biletter hver. Doncaster har hatt 8000 i snitt mot Leeds 26000.

Leeds har solgt ut sine 36000 og kunne vel ha solgt mange mange flere, mens Doncaster har solgt 24000 og har måttet stenge salget fordi for mange Leeds supportere satt i kø der.

Doncaster ønsker å overføre de ledige billettene til Leeds, MEN FA sier nei, da står heller plassene tomme. Når skal FA slutte å furte.

Alle synes å være mot oss og det er det som gjør oss spesielle OSS mot røkla, derfor skal vi fan mæ vinne på søndag, det vil svi langt inn i FA.

[Promotion 2010]

I tillegg deler jo alle 4 play-off lagene potten av penger som kommer inn i disse kampene - det er mye penger, mest pga Leeds-fansen!

[kjelvi]

Self-belief drives O'Driscoll
DONCASTER Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll has played down talk of a 'revenge mission' ahead of Sunday's League One play-off final against Leeds United.
O'Driscoll was in the Bournemouth side that suffered relegation at the hands of Leeds 18 years ago and admits it was one of the lowest points of his career.
Leeds could yet inflict another major disappointment on O'Driscoll if they win at Wembley this weekend but the Rovers manager insists the game is nothing personal.
"You can't live your life looking back like that," he said.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Selfbelief-drives-O39Driscoll.4114789.jp


Howson praying for promotion: Whites youngster hoping for more magic at Wembley
Leeds United's play-off semi-final hero Jonathan Howson is praying The Whites win promotion back to the Championship on Sunday.
Gary McAllister's side booked a place in this weekend's final at Wembley courtesy of Howson's brace as Leeds battled back from a one-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 aggregate win over Carlisle.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_3600486,00.html


Wembley: Rovers face ultimate test
PREVIEW: COCA COLA LEAGUE ONE PLAY-OFF FINAL
The perfect way to end a season or the biggest nightmare imaginable? A Yorkshire derby at Wembley to decide which side will ascend to English football's second tier and which will be left languishing in League One. Plucky phoenix from the flames Doncaster Rovers or despised fallen giants Leeds United?
http://www.southyorkshiretimes.co.uk/sport/Wembley-Rovers-face-ultimate-test.4107731.jp


Yorkshire on the rise  
In 2001, Leeds reached the semi-finals of the Champions League and secured a top four place in the Premier League for the third year running. Doncaster finished ninth in the Conference.
Yet on Sunday they will meet on equal terms in the League One play-off final at Wembley, with a place in the Championship at stake.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_2/7412604.stm


Rovers pair to be fit for final 
Doncaster Rovers manager Sean O'Driscoll expects Ritchie Wellens and Gareth Roberts to be fit to face Leeds in Sunday's League One play-off final.
The pair were both substituted during Rovers' 5-1 semi final victory over Southend on Friday.
But O'Driscoll has told BBC Radio Sheffield that was just a precaution.
"Gareth felt his hamstring and we were mindful of doing any more damage and Ritchie's got an ongoing hernia problem and it was sensible to bring him off."  (BBC)


Toon Boys Backing Leeds Revival!
Leeds go into their League One play-off final against Doncaster Rovers with the backing of their former players now at St James' Park.
Paul Huntington will walk out at Wembley this weekend wearing the white of Leeds United. And I'm sure he has the backing of his former team-mates Alan Smith, Mark Viduka and James Milner, who all played for the Elland Road outfit and still have fond memories of the days when Leeds were a mighty power in Premiership football.
http://www.newcastleunited-mad.co.uk/news/loadnews.asp?cid=TMNW&id=393065

[kjelvi]

Rovers' extra quality should be enough to edge out Leeds

AS play-off fever continues to rise, one man who is ideally placed to pass verdict on Yorkshire's League One hopefuls, tells Ian Appleyard who he thinks will emerge from Wembley as a Championship club.
FORMER Doncaster Rovers and Leeds United winger John Buckley delivers his verdict on Sunday's League One play-off final at Wembley.
Buckley, now 46, is the coach of the Doncaster Rovers Belles and a regular in the press box at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Managers
I know Gary McAllister, who was a team-mate of mine at Leicester. I think his battle plan will be to stop Rovers. He won't like to admit it, but I don't think Leeds can out-play Rovers with the players he has got at his disposal.
Doncaster have got a fraction more quality. Just now, Gary has not got the players who can play the game the way he would like. He has done brilliantly to get them into the play-offs, but he would like them to be able to stroke the ball around a bit more.
It still amazes me that the Rovers manager, Sean O'Driscoll, is not given more credit by the supporters.
They sing the chairman's name but not the manager's. He has got the team passing the ball for fun and if that doesn't please the supporters, I don't know what will. He sticks to what he believes in and his players never, ever, launch the ball.

Defence
Neil Sullivan has been fantastic in goal for Rovers this season, I think he has only had one stinker, most of the time he has looked pretty solid. Out of the two goalkeepers, I would prefer Sullivan to Casper Ankergren, who can be more erratic.
Sam Hird is an ex-Leeds player who could be one to watch. I did not think this boy would be as good as he is turning out to be. He could be a bit stronger, but he passes the ball out of defence for fun.
I think Leeds could be exposed for pace at the back. Doncaster will try to prod and turn their centre-backs, Huntington and Michalik.
James O'Connor is a full-back who likes to bomb forward for Rovers and Leeds may exploit that if he leaves himself open but I am fan of his and think he is good a player.
On the opposite side of the field, Gareth Roberts is more of an old head who will make life tough for his winger.

Midfield
Doncaster were magnificent in the semi-final against Southend, but I think Leeds will be far more in their face.
Although James Coppinger is good, it is Brian Stock and Richie Wellens who really make Rovers tick. Leeds will try to match things up in midfield and stop those two getting on the ball.
If they put those two out of the game, Leeds have a great chance of winning.
The player in the Leeds side who I think is the most important is Neil Kilkenny. Maybe he has not been mega-consistent yet but, when he is on his game, he makes everyone else tick. He is like Wellens or Stock in that regard.
Leeds have other good players in midfield – Prutton and Howson – and which team has the best mental approach is often as important anything else in a game like this.

Attack
Doncaster's strikers have not done badly this season, but no one has been massively prolific. Paul Heffernan will be missed but Jason Price always seems to make a difference. Some people say he is not a goalscorer, but some players don't have to be the most outstanding to be the most effective and Price falls into that category. He has something of a magic touch.
James Hayter has just got back into the Rovers side after a long time out and I like the look of him. He works his nuts off and who knows, his name may be written on this final. He would have hoped to have done a little bit better this season, but you can tell the quality is there.
Jermaine Beckford is like lightning for Leeds and will have to be watched. Along with crafty Dougie Freedman they will certainly test young centre-backs Hird and Mills

Overall
The longer the game goes on without a goal, the more I would fancy Doncaster to win. The first goal is really important. If Doncaster get it, I think they will be more content than Leeds to keep the ball and hold on to what they have. I think Leeds would continue to be more direct. Although Leeds won at the Keepmoat, I felt that Doncaster were the better side.
Doncaster were probably the favourites to go up automatically on the last day of the season, but they have shaken off the disappointment. The players will be very confident after the way they performed against Southend.
It won't be won by a big scoreline because it is so close to call. But I think Rovers will take it 1-0. I am not saying Rovers would take the Championship by storm if they get up, but, with one or two new additions, I am sure they could survive.

YEP

[RuneSve]

I know Gary McAllister, who was a team-mate of mine at Leicester. I think his battle plan will be to stop Rovers. He won't like to admit it, but I don't think Leeds can out-play Rovers with the players he has got at his disposal.
Doncaster have got a fraction more quality.

Vi slo de borte for litt siden, skaffet 11 poeng flere enn de i ligaen, toppscoreren vår har 20 mål (deres toppscorerer er vel ikke nærheten), vi har like mange spillere på årets lag. Hvordan kan han mene at Doncaster har mer kvalitet?

[Dennis]

I know Gary McAllister, who was a team-mate of mine at Leicester. I think his battle plan will be to stop Rovers. He won't like to admit it, but I don't think Leeds can out-play Rovers with the players he has got at his disposal.
Doncaster have got a fraction more quality.

Vi slo de borte for litt siden, skaffet 11 poeng flere enn de i ligaen, toppscoreren vår har 20 mål (deres toppscorerer er vel ikke nærheten), vi har like mange spillere på årets lag. Hvordan kan han mene at Doncaster har mer kvalitet?

Media-spill? Selvsagt

Leeds har bevist at laget er bedre, så ordene hans faller på egen urimelighet. Men man skal ikke undergrave verdien av psykologisk spill. Vi får håpe det bare tenner gutta, for at de kan vakle under press så vi på Elland Road!

[Promotion 2010]

Begge lag på Wembley samtidig... 

http://www.leedsunited.com/page/NewsroomDetail/0,,10273~1318483,00.html

[sveifors]

Super artikkel som om jeg skulle ha skrevet den sjøl:

From The Times
May 24, 2008
Premier Leeds? You're having a laugh - it's great in League One
Rick Broadbent

Yorkshire has always been funny in a sick joke type of way. It is like living with the Ant Hill Mob. You sense that something is going on underneath the bonnet, just out of sight and touch, but life lumbers on and you never win. London is Penelope Pitstop, Manchester is Dick Dastardly and we are the makeweights, the little men with sore feet and comedy cameos.

And now Leeds United are going to Wembley. God help us. What happened to sooty black buildings, sledgehammer subtlety and a bag of scraps? What happened to Alan Bennett saying that life was generally something that happened elsewhere?

You see I do not want success. I am a Leeds fan, but I do not crave a rise through the ranks. I do not want to be the tenth best team in a league we can never win because - and I mean this - I have enjoyed this season in Coca-Cola League One every bit as much as the one when we made it to the Champions League semi-finals.

We are constantly told that the Barclays Premier League is the best in the world and that the Champions League is the apotheosis of lip-balm wearing playboys with shin-pads. It is not true. Most neutrals watched Chelsea play Manchester United on Wednesday with a passing interest. The best league is the one with your team in it. Like many, I just felt that it was a shame there could be only one loser in Moscow.

The big game this week is Leeds versus Doncaster Rovers. I will not cry like a baby if we lose. After all, most Leeds fans expect it.

The previous time Leeds went to the play-offs, in 2006, it took about 90 seconds at the Millennium Stadium to realise that we were not as good as Watford. When we went to Wembley ten years earlier, we were stuffed by a mediocre Aston Villa team. Savo Milosevic looked a world-beater.

But what a lot of newcomers to football's bandwagon do not understand is that football is all about pain and suffering. It is the struggle that is addictive, not the success. Read about the Beatles and the most intriguing bits are the days spent swanning around Hamburg with a quiff and a dream. When the dream is realised, they soon become boring old hippies and start writing songs about Rocky Raccoon.

Leeds fans have never had it so good, but where will it end? I can live with the Championship, but why would any club aspire to the Premier League? Why would you want to be Bolton Wanderers or Fulham or West Bromwich Albion? Teams with no chance of anything other than regular thumpings and survival.

This year Leeds have won a lot of matches and I cannot tell you how good that feels after the previous seven years. Get Didier Drogba to come round and fall over in my rockery if you want, but the Premier League is boring. I do not aspire to high-class mediocrity. I would rather be a big fish in a small pond.

And life in League One is like a throwback to the 1970s. You even have local players in your team. One of ours, Jonny Howson, scored twice to win the semi-final against Carlisle United. You could identify with him because he has not spent pre-season on a yacht in the Algarve or leaving his Bentley in a disabled parking space. This is a world beneath hype.

Football down here is more real. The fans do not ring up radio stations and demand that Rafael Benítez gets sacked because Liverpool came fourth. It is about getting through, plugging away, avoiding administration. It is about the love of the club, not the belief that the world owes you a Champions League final because your season ticket costs a lot.

The best day in my football-watching life came when Leeds won away to Bournemouth in 1990 and clinched promotion. The league title followed two years later and, sweet as it was, confirming Manchester United's continuing loser status, it was not as good as Dean Court.

I recommend it to all of you depressed fans in the Premier League. Have your club go bust and get a reality check and a cup of Bovril down in the lower leagues. You may just remember what football is all about.

[Klausen]

Alan sheehan er ferdig med å sone karantene og starter muligens kampen på søndag! Det innebærer kanskje at Bradley Johnson må finne seg en plass på innbytterbenken.

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/sport/Wembley-woe-for-Johnson-as.4117528.jp

Jeg personlig ser gjerne at Johnson får fortsette, for han gjorde en meget bra kamp forrige gang.

Never change a winning team og alt det der..

Det er selvsagt mulighet for å bytte noen på midtbana også, men det får andre ta seg av - nå er jeg så spent at jeg knapt klarer å tenke straight!

I artikkelen over likte jeg spesielt godt dette utsagnet:

"I've got three more training sessions to see the look in people's eyes, and then I'll make my decision on Saturday."

Macca skjønner hva det dreier seg om! Roet meg litt når jeg leste det..

[sveifors]

Johnson har vært en av de fem beste de siste månedene, så det er nok ikke han som ryker om sheehan kommer inn.....

[B-m]

Super artikkel som om jeg skulle ha skrevet den sjøl:

From The Times
May 24, 2008
Premier Leeds? You're having a laugh - it's great in League One
Rick Broadbent

Yorkshire has always been funny in a sick joke type of way. It is like living with the Ant Hill Mob. You sense that something is going on underneath the bonnet, just out of sight and touch, but life lumbers on and you never win. London is Penelope Pitstop, Manchester is Dick Dastardly and we are the makeweights, the little men with sore feet and comedy cameos.

And now Leeds United are going to Wembley. God help us. What happened to sooty black buildings, sledgehammer subtlety and a bag of scraps? What happened to Alan Bennett saying that life was generally something that happened elsewhere?

You see I do not want success. I am a Leeds fan, but I do not crave a rise through the ranks. I do not want to be the tenth best team in a league we can never win because - and I mean this - I have enjoyed this season in Coca-Cola League One every bit as much as the one when we made it to the Champions League semi-finals.

We are constantly told that the Barclays Premier League is the best in the world and that the Champions League is the apotheosis of lip-balm wearing playboys with shin-pads. It is not true. Most neutrals watched Chelsea play Manchester United on Wednesday with a passing interest. The best league is the one with your team in it. Like many, I just felt that it was a shame there could be only one loser in Moscow.

The big game this week is Leeds versus Doncaster Rovers. I will not cry like a baby if we lose. After all, most Leeds fans expect it.

The previous time Leeds went to the play-offs, in 2006, it took about 90 seconds at the Millennium Stadium to realise that we were not as good as Watford. When we went to Wembley ten years earlier, we were stuffed by a mediocre Aston Villa team. Savo Milosevic looked a world-beater.

But what a lot of newcomers to football's bandwagon do not understand is that football is all about pain and suffering. It is the struggle that is addictive, not the success. Read about the Beatles and the most intriguing bits are the days spent swanning around Hamburg with a quiff and a dream. When the dream is realised, they soon become boring old hippies and start writing songs about Rocky Raccoon.

Leeds fans have never had it so good, but where will it end? I can live with the Championship, but why would any club aspire to the Premier League? Why would you want to be Bolton Wanderers or Fulham or West Bromwich Albion? Teams with no chance of anything other than regular thumpings and survival.

This year Leeds have won a lot of matches and I cannot tell you how good that feels after the previous seven years. Get Didier Drogba to come round and fall over in my rockery if you want, but the Premier League is boring. I do not aspire to high-class mediocrity. I would rather be a big fish in a small pond.

And life in League One is like a throwback to the 1970s. You even have local players in your team. One of ours, Jonny Howson, scored twice to win the semi-final against Carlisle United. You could identify with him because he has not spent pre-season on a yacht in the Algarve or leaving his Bentley in a disabled parking space. This is a world beneath hype.

Football down here is more real. The fans do not ring up radio stations and demand that Rafael Benítez gets sacked because Liverpool came fourth. It is about getting through, plugging away, avoiding administration. It is about the love of the club, not the belief that the world owes you a Champions League final because your season ticket costs a lot.

The best day in my football-watching life came when Leeds won away to Bournemouth in 1990 and clinched promotion. The league title followed two years later and, sweet as it was, confirming Manchester United's continuing loser status, it was not as good as Dean Court.

I recommend it to all of you depressed fans in the Premier League. Have your club go bust and get a reality check and a cup of Bovril down in the lower leagues. You may just remember what football is all about.

jævlig bra artikkel!!