Emne: EX-Manager: Simon Grayson

[Promotion 2010]

En NY form for tillitt: Grayson bestemmer selv om hva som skal skje med Beckford! Grayson har jo uttalt at av tre scenarioer så er det at Beckford forsvinner det aller værste!

Ken Bates insists Simon Grayson will decide Jermaine Beckford's future at Leeds
Leeds United chairman, Ken Bates, has insisted that manager Simon Grayson alone will determine the fate of Jermaine Beckford.
 
By Rob Stewart
Published: 7:30AM GMT 14 Jan 2010

In demand: Jermaine Beckford has attracted interest from several clubs but Leeds insist a decision on his future rests with them Photo: ACTION IMAGES
In an emphatic demonstration of his faith in Grayson, Bates has declared that the manager will be left to decide whether Beckford will be allowed to leave for Newcastle this month or will stay at Elland Road until the end of the season when his contract expires.

"Whether Beckford has to stay and honour his contract and leave us for nothing at the end of May or whether we go now and pick up one or two million of whatever the latest figure that is being bandied is entirely down to the manager," Bates said.

"Simon's job is to win us promotion. If he decides that Beckford will still get us 10, 12, 15 goals to help achieve that target and we forfeit the money which we would get because he has stayed until the end of the season then that is Simon's decision.

"If, on the other hand, he decides to cash in now and take the money and reinvest it elsewhere – and whatever money we get we will reinvest in new players – is entirely up to him.

"He is the manager. It is a management decision so it is down to him. We know Becks wants to leave on the other hand he has signed a contract with the club and he must honour it unless the manager decides otherwise."

Championship pacesetters Newcastle have had a third bid of £1.5 million rejected for the League One leaders' 20-goal top scorer who has also been linked with Premier League clubs such as Wigan, Bolton, Hull and Wolves, much to Bates' amusement.

"He has been going to so many clubs I have been wondering if I should trying to work out some kind of scam whereby we reproduce him and sell him to five or six clubs at the same time," Bates added. "That would confuse the registration department of the Football League wouldn't it?

"I think we have handled the situation well and to be fair to Jermaine, even though he has made his feelings clear that he would like to move, we have made it clear we have not made our minds up yet. In the mean time he has got with it and banged in five goals in four games. We can't complain about that can we?"

Bates also took a swipe at Burnley who were linked with Grayson following Owen Coyle's departure to Bolton.

"Why would Simon want to leave Leeds for Burnley?" Bates said. "I mean, they are a small manufacturing town in Lancashire. Simon is a Yorkshireman. We have ten times their population, 50 per cent bigger gates than Burnley and we beat them in pre-season anyway.

"They might be in the Premier League at the moment but I think they lost £9 million last year and if they come down they will go back to there they came from whereas Leeds are on the up.

"Simon has already stated the same things and asked why would he want to leave Leeds for Burnley. He wants to manage in the Premier League with Leeds United and that is what he is going to do hopefully sooner rather than later."


 

[Hallgeir *]

 "Nye" toner fra Bates! 

[Frode]

Spent på hva Grayson foretar seg nå.  Vi har 3 begredelige kamper bak oss (ikke bare resultatmessig), 3-4 klubber puster oss i nakken, og frykten for en helsprekk har nok begynt å bre seg i korridorene.  Blir spennende dager fremover - både ift.transfers og ikke minst neste seriekamp mot Swindon.

[Jon R]

Spent på hva Grayson foretar seg nå.  Vi har 3 begredelige kamper bak oss (ikke bare resultatmessig), 3-4 klubber puster oss i nakken, og frykten for en helsprekk har nok begynt å bre seg i korridorene.  Blir spennende dager fremover - både ift.transfers og ikke minst neste seriekamp mot Swindon.

Da Grayson tok over mente "alle" at en clear-out i stallen måtte til. Grayson beholdt roen og gjorde et par-tre gode signinger for å komplementer det han allerede hadde. Raskt fikk han skuta på rett kjøl .  

Da vi røyk ut av play off mot Milwall mente mange at nå måtte det brukes store penger for å styrke stallen radikalt i alle ledd. Dette var helt nødvendig for å holde tritt med de beste lagene den kommende sesongen. Grayson behold roen og gjorde 4 lure signinger på free transfer, inkl en keeper ingen hadde hørt om. Dommedagsprofetene skrek Ulv! Ulv! og mente at dette kom til å gå bra aldri i væla. Vi gikk ubesiret i de 13 første kampene, toppet tabellen og skrev 24. oktober før dommedagsproftene fikk skikkelig vann på mølla på ny.

I løpet av denne korte downperioden kom de evige pessimistene ( eller "realistene" som noen av disse liker å omtale seg selv som) på banen med sitt gudsjammerlige "nå rakner det igjen"! Hva gjorde Grayson? Han beholdt roen, og brakte inn Bromby pluss noen lånspillere til plasser hvor vi var akutt plaget med skader. Snart begynte vi å vinne kamper igjen...

Nå har vi en ny down og det ropes igjen på Ulven. Hva kommer så nå til å skje? Jeg tipper at Grayson beholder roen og bringer inn et par-tre  nye ansikter for å styrke de lagelene hvor vi er mest sårbare ( noe han hadde gjort uansett, selv om vi hadde vunnet de tre siste kampene) , før den lange vårseseongen tar til for alvor. Utover det sier han:  "La oss jobbe enda hardere men holde oss til planen, karer"! Og snart vinner vi kamper igjen....

Om de som nå maler fanden på veggen tenker Grayson kanskje: " Du verden. To tap på rad. Nå rakner alt".  

Dette mens han ler stille for seg selv.  

[Frode]

Spent på hva Grayson foretar seg nå.  Vi har 3 begredelige kamper bak oss (ikke bare resultatmessig), 3-4 klubber puster oss i nakken, og frykten for en helsprekk har nok begynt å bre seg i korridorene.  Blir spennende dager fremover - både ift.transfers og ikke minst neste seriekamp mot Swindon.

Da Grayson tok over mente "alle" at en clear-out i stallen måtte til. Grayson beholdt roen og gjorde et par-tre gode signinger for å komplementer det han allerede hadde. Raskt fikk han skuta på rett kjøl .  

Da vi røyk ut av play off mot Milwall mente mange at nå måtte det brukes store penger for å styrke stallen radikalt i alle ledd. Hvis ikke kom vi ikke til å holde tritt med de beste lagene den kommende sesongen. Grayson behold roen og gjorde 4 lure signinger på free transfer. Dommedagsprofetene skrek Ulv! Ulv! og mente at dette kom til å gå bra aldri i væla. Vi gikk ubesiret i de 13 første kampene, toppet tabellen og skrev 24. oktober før dommedagsproftene fikk skikkelig vann på mølla på ny.

I løpet av denne korte downperioden kom de evige pessimistene ( eller "realistene" som noen av disse liker å omtale seg selv som) på banen med sitt gudsjammerlige "nå rakner det igjen"! Hva gjorde Grayson? Han beholdt roen, og brakte inn Bromby pluss noen lånspillere til plasser hvor vi var akutt plaget med skader. Snart begynte vi å vinne kamper igjen...

Nå har vi en ny down og hva kommer nå til å skje? Jeg tipper at Grayson beholder roen og bringer inn et par-tre  nye ansikter for å styrke de lagelene hvor vi er mest sårbare ( noe han hadde gjort uansett, selv om vi hadde vunnet de tre siste kampene) , før den lange vårseseongen tar til for alvor. Og snart vinner vi kamper igjen....

Om de som nå maler fanden på veggen tenker Grayson kanskje: " Du verden. To tap på rad. Nå rakner alt".  

Dette mens han ler stille for seg selv.  

For ordens skyld: mitt innlegg var ikke ment som noen form for krisemaksimering.  Men la oss heller ikke gjøre Grayson til en gudeskikkelse.  Tviler sterkt på at han sitter med stoisk ro og ler arrogant av at avstanden til play off har krympet.  Han som andre managere lever av resultater, og noe annet enn opprykk betyr exit Grayson - og det vet han nok.

[Dennis]

Forsvinner ikke snart Simon Grayson til Burnley? 

[Jon R]

Spent på hva Grayson foretar seg nå.  Vi har 3 begredelige kamper bak oss (ikke bare resultatmessig), 3-4 klubber puster oss i nakken, og frykten for en helsprekk har nok begynt å bre seg i korridorene.  Blir spennende dager fremover - både ift.transfers og ikke minst neste seriekamp mot Swindon.

Da Grayson tok over mente "alle" at en clear-out i stallen måtte til. Grayson beholdt roen og gjorde et par-tre gode signinger for å komplementer det han allerede hadde. Raskt fikk han skuta på rett kjøl .  

Da vi røyk ut av play off mot Milwall mente mange at nå måtte det brukes store penger for å styrke stallen radikalt i alle ledd. Hvis ikke kom vi ikke til å holde tritt med de beste lagene den kommende sesongen. Grayson behold roen og gjorde 4 lure signinger på free transfer. Dommedagsprofetene skrek Ulv! Ulv! og mente at dette kom til å gå bra aldri i væla. Vi gikk ubesiret i de 13 første kampene, toppet tabellen og skrev 24. oktober før dommedagsproftene fikk skikkelig vann på mølla på ny.

I løpet av denne korte downperioden kom de evige pessimistene ( eller "realistene" som noen av disse liker å omtale seg selv som) på banen med sitt gudsjammerlige "nå rakner det igjen"! Hva gjorde Grayson? Han beholdt roen, og brakte inn Bromby pluss noen lånspillere til plasser hvor vi var akutt plaget med skader. Snart begynte vi å vinne kamper igjen...

Nå har vi en ny down og hva kommer nå til å skje? Jeg tipper at Grayson beholder roen og bringer inn et par-tre  nye ansikter for å styrke de lagelene hvor vi er mest sårbare ( noe han hadde gjort uansett, selv om vi hadde vunnet de tre siste kampene) , før den lange vårseseongen tar til for alvor. Og snart vinner vi kamper igjen....

Om de som nå maler fanden på veggen tenker Grayson kanskje: " Du verden. To tap på rad. Nå rakner alt".  

Dette mens han ler stille for seg selv.  

For ordens skyld: mitt innlegg var ikke ment som noen form for krisemaksimering.  Men la oss heller ikke gjøre Grayson til en gudeskikkelse.  Tviler sterkt på at han sitter med stoisk ro og ler arrogant av at avstanden til play off har krympet.  Han som andre managere lever av resultater, og noe annet enn opprykk betyr exit Grayson - og det vet han nok.

Arroganse er ikke Graysons stil, så latteren holder han for seg selv.  

Ã… snakke om "helsprekk" etter to begredelige ligakamper vil utvilsomt være å krisemaksimere ja. Poenget mitt med å presentere historikken var jo nettopp å illustrere at Grayson har vist seg som en sindig mann som ikke agerer med å kreve nye spillere hver gang det butter imot ( i motsetning til mange av hans kolleger på fotballøya). "The Grayson way" er først og fremst å jobbe målrettet med de spillerne han allerede har. Dette har han lykkes med før og jeg ser ingen grunn til at han  ikke skal lykkes med det igjen. Med andre ord ingen grunn til panikk.  

PS: En god spiss som cover for Becchio og en kantspiller til å fylle hullet etter Gradel, samt en konkurent til høyrebackplassen hadde vært fint. Gjerne lånespillere alle tre. Det tror jeg Grayson tenker også.  Showumnis og Vokes exit, pluss skade på Kandol indikerer at en ny spiss er pri nummer en for Larrygutten vår.  

[Superfan]

Forsvinner ikke snart Simon Grayson til Burnley? 

Som hva da? Burnley har jo ansatt ny manager (Brian Laws).

http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/LatestHeadlines/0,,10413~1930816,00.html

[Dennis]

Forsvinner ikke snart Simon Grayson til Burnley? 

Som hva da? Burnley har jo ansatt ny manager (Brian Laws).

http://www.burnleyfootballclub.com/page/LatestHeadlines/0,,10413~1930816,00.html

Tullball fra min side.

[Promotion 2010]

SIMON GRAYSON: I'VE MADE LEEDS POPULAR AGAIN
ABOVE: Simon Grayson reckons he has achieved mission impossible – making Leeds popular again 23rd January 2010 By Jeremy CrossYour Shout ( 0 )
SIMON Grayson reckons he has achieved mission impossible – making Leeds popular again.



The League One leaders face another tough task when they go in search of a successive FA Cup upset at Tottenham tonight.



A trip to face Harry Redknapp’s high-flying big guns at White Hart Lane is their reward for dumping out Manchester United in the previous round.



It promises to be another huge test of Leeds’ credentials but Grayson believes anything is now possible after winning over thousands of neutrals in the wake of their shock win at Old Trafford earlier this month.



For years Leeds have been a club people love to hate but Grayson said: “I’d like to think we’ve won over the neutrals.



“There’s a lot of people I’ve met at games over the past couple of weeks that have said we deserved to win at Manchester United and that the team was a credit to me and that we play the game in the right manner. That is very encouraging."



“That’s my philosophy as a manager, to try to do the right things and entertain people and get people saying nice things about us. Hopefully we can continue that. There are a lot of people who like Leeds to suffer, but we are trying to do something about that and make us popular."



“We are not here to be popular, don’t get me wrong, we are here to win matches. If we win every game between now and the end of the season and everybody still hates us then I’m not too bothered, because we’ll have achieved our target of promotion and being successful.”



Grayson, pictured celebrating victory at Old Trafford, earned the freedom of Leeds when his side stunned Sir Alex Ferguson’s men but he believes Spurs will be an even tougher nut to crack. And he fears his side are in danger of becoming victims of their own success with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp in no danger of taking the fallen giants lightly.



Grayson, who has a full squad to choose from and will be hoping for more magic from United slayer Jermaine Beckford, added: “I think this one will be tougher.


“The expectation level is slightly higher now because we beat Manchester United in the previous round. Tottenham see this is a major opportunity to win a cup this year. There’s a group of teams in the Premier League that look upon the cups as a great opportunity to win some silverware and get into Europe and I think Tottenham fit into that bracket."



“I don’t think they will win the Premier League this season, but they are certainly looking for Champions League football and want to win a trophy. They will play their strongest team. We have just got to make sure we try and do the same things we’ve done before."



“If we come off the pitch with no regrets and still lose then so be it. As long as we have given ourselves a great opportunity to do the best we can then you can’t ask for more than that. It has been highlighted worldwide what happened with our performance against Manchester United so it’s going to be difficult, but it was always going to be difficult for us."



“But we know if we play to our potential like the last round we can get a positive result.” Chairman Ken Bates chose to miss Leeds’ sensational win at Old Trafford and Grayson is hoping his boss gives White Hart Lane a miss as well.

“I’m not sure if he’s going. He’s only just got back from South Africa.



“He wasn’t at Old Trafford, which might be an omen, so maybe I can keep him under lock and key this weekend.”

[Promotion 2010]

Simon Grayson plots giantkillers Leeds United's return to big time
Tottenham were one of the main beneficiaries of Leeds United’s self-induced decline from European power to lower league makeweights.
 
By Rob Stewart
Published: 7:46PM GMT 22 Jan 2010

 
Man on a mission: Simon Grayson is determined to bring the glory days back to Leeds Photo: GETTY IMAGES The presence of so many former Elland Road old boys on the White Hart Lane payroll represents a salutary reminder of the Yorkshire club’s dramatic slump.

By his own admission, that fall from grace still saddens Simon Grayson but he intends to use Saturday’s FA Cup meeting with Harry Redknapp’s side to show that the jaw-dropping victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford was no one-off and that he is on track to dispel the years of misery and show that Leeds are climbing back towards the upper echelons.

 
Related Articles
Redknapp tribute to Bates
FA Cup 4th round: previews
Leeds' promotion may secure Beckford
Bates: manager to rule on Beckford
Newcastle will not pay over odds for Beckford
Sport on television Spurs captain Robbie Keane will be the most obvious reminder to travelling supporters of the good old days at Elland Road, when Leeds threatened to conquer Europe, as will the presence in the stands of former players Jonathan Woodgate, Aaron Lennon and teenager Danny Rose who left Grayson’s club as financial meltdown followed wild spending.

“I think, regardless of what’s in the opposition squad, there’s a sadness of what’s happened to the club and the decline,” said Leeds fan-turned-player-turned tracksuited manager Grayson in a classroom at Leeds’ Thorp Arch training ground.

“Not so long ago this club was in Europe and they were in the top six and wanting to improve to get to where they were 30 years ago under the likes of Don Revie, Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles.

“It is sad, but it’s happened and you can’t do anything about it. We have learnt from the experience, as a club. Now we are trying to take it back to the next level and beyond.

"I would like to think that the club had sunk as low as it could have done two or three years ago when [chairman] Ken Bates came in and saved it and now we are trying to get back up make sure we never go to those depths again.

“We’ve got everything here that’s geared to the Premier League. All these facilities (including an impressive swimming pool and spacious gym) are from the Premier League days and we are averaging gates of 25,000, which is really excellent. If we went to the next level we would get up to 30,000, and beyond that if we got back to the Premier League.

“But we’ve got to take things one step at a time. It is a big club in the wrong division but we are in that division for the reasons that we are.”

On a potentially pivotal weekend, , Leeds could find themselves knocked off the top of League One by Norwich by the time they go out to face Spurs.

Grayson, however, is unfazed by that prospect. “By the time we come to play Swindon [on Tuesday] we might not even be top but that is part and parcel of the season,” Grayson said.

“We have been up there all season but Norwich and Charlton deserve credit because they have been on impressive runs but we have still got 21 games to go and hopefully we can win the majority of them.

"There are tough teams and tough places to go but hopefully the FA Cup can kick-start the rest of our season.

“Whatever happens, we’ve just got to make sure we try to do the same things we’ve done before. If we come off the pitch with no regrets and still lose, then so be it. As long as we’ve given ourselves a great opportunity to do the best we can then you can’t ask for more than that.”

The Damned United, Dirty Leeds, call them what you want, but Grayson is striving to change perceptions. “There are a lot of people who like Leeds to suffer, but we are trying to do something about that.

“We are not here to be popular, don’t get me wrong, we are here to win matches. If we win every game between now and the end of the season and everybody still hates us then I’m not too bothered, because we’ll have achieved our target of getting promotion and being successful.

“But I’d like to think we’re winning over the neutrals. There’s a lot of people I’ve met at games over the past couple of weeks that have said we deserved to win at Manchester United and that the team was a credit to me. That we play the game in the right manner.

“That’s encouraging. That’s my philosophy as a manager, to try to do the right things and entertain people and get people saying nice things about us.”

[HåvardK]

Simon Grayson - en kjernekar i all sin ferd. Nesten for godt til å være sant at han er manager for Leeds.

[Pettersen97]

Statistikk av Simon Grayson sin manager karriere tadd ut av wikipedia. Enjoy

Lag          Kamper     Seiere     Uavgjorte     Tap     Win%

Blackpool   160          59          51               50      36.88
Leeds Utd   65           41          13               11      63.08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Grayson

[auren]

Statistikk av Simon Grayson sin manager karriere tadd ut av wikipedia. Enjoy

Lag          Kamper     Seiere     Uavgjorte     Tap     Win%

Blackpool   160          59          51               50      36.88
Leeds Utd   65           41          13               11      63.08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Grayson

En liten kuriositet: Regnes dette etter 90 minutter? Da tenker jeg på cupkamper. Vi spilte jo 1-1 mot Watford, men vant 2-1 etter ekstraomganger. Blir dette da regnet som uavgjort eller seier? Vi spilte også 2-2 mot Spurs i Fa-cupen. Hvis vi vinner neste kamp, blir dette regnet som 1 seier, eller 1 seier og 1 uavgjort? Og hva hvis kampen går til ekstraomganger på Elland Road og kampen blir avgjort på straffespark?

auren; bare nysgjerrig

[Asbjørn]

Statistikk av Simon Grayson sin manager karriere tadd ut av wikipedia. Enjoy

Lag          Kamper     Seiere     Uavgjorte     Tap     Win%

Blackpool   160          59          51               50      36.88
Leeds Utd   65           41          13               11      63.08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Grayson

En liten kuriositet: Regnes dette etter 90 minutter? Da tenker jeg på cupkamper. Vi spilte jo 1-1 mot Watford, men vant 2-1 etter ekstraomganger. Blir dette da regnet som uavgjort eller seier? Vi spilte også 2-2 mot Spurs i Fa-cupen. Hvis vi vinner neste kamp, blir dette regnet som 1 seier, eller 1 seier og 1 uavgjort? Og hva hvis kampen går til ekstraomganger på Elland Road og kampen blir avgjort på straffespark?

auren; bare nysgjerrig

Du har jo alle tilgjengelige data. Det er bare å sette igang & regne så finner du det ut     (lathans!)

[Dennis]

Den lave vinnerprosenten ble trukket fram som en negativ ting imot Simon Grayson da han ble ansatt; den statistikken har han så langt gjort til skamme!

[Pettersen97]

Statistikk av Simon Grayson sin manager karriere tadd ut av wikipedia. Enjoy

Lag          Kamper     Seiere     Uavgjorte     Tap     Win%

Blackpool   160          59          51               50      36.88
Leeds Utd   65           41          13               11      63.08

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Grayson

En liten kuriositet: Regnes dette etter 90 minutter? Da tenker jeg på cupkamper. Vi spilte jo 1-1 mot Watford, men vant 2-1 etter ekstraomganger. Blir dette da regnet som uavgjort eller seier? Vi spilte også 2-2 mot Spurs i Fa-cupen. Hvis vi vinner neste kamp, blir dette regnet som 1 seier, eller 1 seier og 1 uavgjort? Og hva hvis kampen går til ekstraomganger på Elland Road og kampen blir avgjort på straffespark?

auren; bare nysgjerrig

Æ gidde ikke bryne haue på regning for å finne d ut på en Søndags kveld
Men æ rægne me d e ætter 90 minutt

[Promotion 2010]

Når vi nå beregner Graysons seire og tap, hva regnes denne kampen som.... Seier eller tap? Trekkes straffekonken tilbake til første kamp som vi tapte eller hva gjør den med denne kampen?

 

[Asbjørn]

Når vi nå beregner Graysons seire og tap, hva regnes denne kampen som.... Seier eller tap? Trekkes straffekonken tilbake til første kamp som vi tapte eller hva gjør den med denne kampen?

 

Ikke at jeg sitter på noen fasit, men dette er da en seier, 3-2, akkurat slik vi tapte 2-1 sist.
1-0-1 og 4-4 i målforskjell over to kamper...

[Evig Pint]

Når vi nå beregner Graysons seire og tap, hva regnes denne kampen som.... Seier eller tap? Trekkes straffekonken tilbake til første kamp som vi tapte eller hva gjør den med denne kampen?

 

Ikke at jeg sitter på noen fasit, men dette er da en seier, 3-2, akkurat slik vi tapte 2-1 sist.
1-0-1 og 4-4 i målforskjell over to kamper...

Enig.

[Promotion 2010]

Grayson har nå vært i 2 klassiske "Leeds situasjoner" dvs. situasjoner der vi er historisk suverene ift. å feile - play off i fjor og semifinale i en cup han tross alt ville vinne.  Har mislyktes begge ganger.  Uansett får han "bestått" så langt, jfr. suveren innsats i serien.  Men feiler vi ift. opprykk har han ikke det som trengs.  Selv både håper og tror jeg at Grayson er mannen, men liker ikke at denne "feile når det gjelder forbannelsen" følger også ham ... så langt.

Ehh postet innlegget på feil sted.  Sorry.

Nå da!?

[fmtj]

Leeds United F.C. History
Leeds United F.C. History : Foreword
1919-29 - The Twenties
1930-39 - The Thirties
1939-46 - The War Years
1947-49 - Post War Depression
1949-57 - The Reign of King John
1957-63 - From Charles to Revie
1961-75 - The Revie Years
1975-82 - The Downward Spiral
1982-88 - The Dark Years
1988-96 - The Wilko Years
1996-04 - The Rollercoaster Ride
2004-10 - Down Among The Deadmen
100 Greatest LUFC Players Ever
Greatest Leeds United Games
Players' Profiles
Managers' Profiles
Leeds City F.C. History
Leeds City F.C. Player and Manager Profiles
Leeds United/City Statistics
 
Grayson: Simon Nicholas (Simon)

2008-Current (Manager Details) (Player Details)

Simon Nicholas Grayson was born 16th December 1969 in Ripon, North Yorkshire and started his football career at Leeds United in June 1988 and progressed through the junior ranks as a right sided defender or midfielder but was unable to make the big breakthrough at Leeds, playing just twice in four years. He signed for Leicester City in March 1992 and went on to make two hundred and twenty-nine appearances in five years. He won a League Cup Winners’ Medal with Leicester in 1997, and was voted the club's player of the season in the same year. Grayson moved to Aston Villa for £1,350,000 in July 1997 and made another forty-nine EPL appearances at Villa Park. He then signed for Blackburn Rovers for £750,000 in July 1999, where he made thirty-four appearances in his first season. He lost his place in the team the following season and spent most of the next two years on loan, with spells at Sheffield Wednesday, in August 2000, playing five games, Stockport County, in January 2001, playing fourteen times, Notts County, in September 2001 scoring once in thirteen games, and Bradford City from February to April 2002, where he got in seven games, all to restrict his games with Rovers, before joining Blackpool permanently in July 2002. Grayson signed for Blackpool on a free transfer on 19th July 2002. He made more than one hundred appearances for the Seasiders and captained the side. He started his career at Blackpool in the right-back berth, but was moved to midfield by former boss Colin Hendry to bolster an area of weakness. Grayson moved into coaching in the 2004–05 season, managing the reserve squad at Bloomfield Road with some success before he was named Caretaker Manager of the first team in November 2005, following the departure of Colin Hendry. After diverting Blackpool away from relegation that season he was given the job on a permanent basis for the start of the 2006–07 season. Grayson retired from playing at the end of the 2005–06 season to focus purely on the managerial side of the game. In late 2006, he led Blackpool to only one defeat in fourteen League games, a sequence that included five wins out of six, resulting in their appearance in the four play-off positions. The run also brought attendances of more than 7,000 to Bloomfield Road. This led to Grayson being awarded the Manager of the Month award for December. On 6th January 2007, he guided Blackpool to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup for the first time in seventeen years, after beating Aldershot Town 4–2 at Bloomfield Road. They were knocked out by Norwich City, who beat them 3–2 after extra time, in a replay at Carrow Road on 13th February, narrowly missing out on a trip to London to face Chelsea in the last sixteen. Grayson received his second League One Manager of the Month award of the 2006–07 season in May 2007. Two days later, on 5th May 2007, Grayson guided Blackpool to a final placing of third, and thus a place in the play-offs. Blackpool beat Oldham Athletic 5–2 on aggregate over the two legs of the Play-off Semi-Final. They met Yeovil Town in the Final at the newly-renovated Wembley Stadium on 27th May 2007 and won 2–0, securing promotion to The Championship. It was their tenth consecutive victory, a new club record. This was extended in Blackpool's first game in the CCCL with a League win over Leicester City and a victory against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup. In October 2007, Grayson guided Blackpool to the Fourth Round of the League Cup for the club's first time in thirty-five years. They were drawn against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, where Spurs won 2–0. In December 2007 Grayson signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, following two years working without a formal contract. In May 2008, Blackpool finished nineteenth in the CCCL, their highest finish in the Football League since 1971–72. Grayson was heavily linked with the vacant managerial post at Leeds United, with whom he started his playing career, following the sacking of Gary McAllister in December 2008, but Blackpool refused permission for Leeds to speak to Grayson. Despite this Grayson tendered his resignation, which the Blackpool board did not accept, and he was announced as Leeds United's new Manager. Blackpool were considering taking legal action against both Grayson and his new club. Grayson's first game in charge was at Elland Road on Boxing Day against one of his former clubs, Leicester City, who were top of the League. Leeds had lost their previous five games, but a late equaliser from Robert Snodgrass gave Grayson's new club a 1–1 draw. He recorded his first victory with a 3–1 win away at Stockport County to break a run of six games without a win for Leeds, during which period the team had slipped from second to ninth. After winning five and drawing one of his first eight games in charge, United suffered consecutive away defeats at Huddersfield Town and Hereford United and appeared to be loosing touch with the leaders and even a play off place looked in doubt. They put in a good recovery losing only one of their last fifteen League games and finished the season in fourth spot. The play-offs were a disappointment going out to Millwall on aggregate by 1-2. Leeds and Grayson were off to a flying start, winning eight and drawing one of their first nine fixtures to head the table.
 Competition Played Won Drawn Lost For Against
Nil (To 2007/08) 





Simons profil på nettsiden Leeds United Hisatory

[Promotion 2010]

LUFC Grayson loving every minute of it
Simon Grayson will celebrate two years in charge at Elland Road on the 23rd December and he`s loving every minute of it.

Ken Bates prized the life long Leeds fan away from Championship side Blackpool and the move seems to be working out as one of the best things the Chairman has done since arriving at the club.

Grayson was speaking on the Football League Show ahead of Saturday`s game against Queens Park Rangers and he said of his time so far at Elland Road, " Being a Leeds fan I suppose I knew what it was all about. When your in the hot seat on a daily basis you do realise what it really means to people and I`m loving every minute of it.
"There`s a lot of pressure on you but that`s what you come into the industry for. I am at a football club that I love being at and hopefully I`ll be here for many more years to come."

When Grayson took over in 2008, the side had just slumped to their fifth straight defeat under then boss Gary McAllister and were in mid table in League One, they had also suffered the embarrassment of a FA Cup second round loss at non-league Histon Town.

Grayson`s first game in charge was ironically against Leicester City on Boxing Day who the side face on the same day this season.

There was already a fighting spirit shown from the player that had been missing in recent months, when Robert Snodgrass scored an equaliser for Leeds deep into stoppage time.

The team started to click and a remarkable end to the season saw them finish just five points from an automatic promotion spot in fourth place, they lost just one of their last fifteen league games and that was a 93rd minute winner at champions Leicester City.

The play offs proved one step to far and the side bowed out at the semi final stage 2-1 to Millwall on aggregate but the foundations had already been put in place for the following season.

Leeds set of in fantastic fashion in 2008/09 and led the table by twelve points going into the New Year.

Despite suffering a dip in form that saw them drop out of the automatic promotion places in April, Grayson gathered his troops to win five of their last seven games, including a nail biting last day win over Bristol Rovers to claim promotion in second place.

Also during the season, Leeds enjoyed good cup runs, they were unlucky to lose 1-0 to Liverpool in the Carling Cup and went out on penalties in the Johnstone`s Paint Northern area final to Carlisle.

However the highlight of the season was the never to be forgotten FA Cup run.

Leeds were drawn at old enemies Manchester United in the third round. Leeds hadn`t won at Old Trafford since 1981 and with them fielding quite a strong side Leeds were probably not expecting much to change on that cold Sunday lunchtme in Manchester.

What was to follow rocked the world of football as Leeds came and went and booked their place in the fourth round, thanks to a solitary Jermaine Beckford goal at the Stretford end, to send the 9,000 travelling Leeds fans wild.

In the fourth round another high flying Premiership side was on the agenda for Grayson and his players. Once again they produced the result of the round when two Jermaine Beckford goals earned Leeds a draw and a replay at Elland Road.

Unfortunately that was where the dream ended as a Jermaine Defoe hat-trick booked Spurs a place in the fifth round with a 3-1 win.

Leeds started life back in the Championship for the first time since 2007 at the start of this season and despite losing their opening day fixture they enjoyed a steady start to the season that saw them in the play off places at the end of September.

The Leeds side then suffered a number of injuries and with upto ten players on the sidelines during October the clubs form dipped that culminated in a 4-0 home defeat by Cardiff City.

Grayson once again showed his qualities and since that defeat his side have won six and drawn three of their following nine games.

The spirit he has built in his team can be summed up in their last two league games, they turned around a 2-0 half time deficit at Burnley to come away with all three points with a 3-2 victory and they produced their best performance of the season on Saturday to beat league leaders Queens Park Rangers 2-0.

Leeds are now second in the table just three points behind Rangers and despite Grayson playing down the clubs chances of promotion this season you can`t help but think that under his excellent stewardship the good times of the Premier League are not far away.

Since his arrival his side have broken two long-standing club records that were set during the glory days of the Revie era.

They now hold the club record for fifteen straight league home wins, beating the previous best of thirteen set by the Revie side of 1968/69.

They also won their first eight games of the 2009/10 season in all competitions beating another record that was set by the great Revie side in 1973.

Grayson has a great win ratio since his arrival at Elland Road, his side have played 111 games since his arrival in all competitions, winning 62, drawing 23 and losing 26 with a win ratio of 55.86.





Read more: http://www.leeds.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=225215#ixzz18fAEID9z

[Jon R]

Artig tilbakeblikk over karrieren hans til nå. Ingen tvil om at Grayson har funnet tilbake vinnerresepten fra det første året i managerstolen. Leder han oss til vårt andre opprykk på to sesonger vil han skrive seg inn i historiebøkene nok en gang: Ingen Leeds lag før Graysons har avansert så mange plasser i ligasystemet på så kort tid. 

[Jon R]

Skal forresten ete hatten min om han ikke blir Manager of the month for desember. 

[Promotion 2010]

Skal forresten ete hatten min om han ikke blir Manager of the month for desember. 

Han er i hvert fall ettertraktet:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6605627,00.html

Top job turned down!

[Promotion 2010]

Tabellen før Graysons første kamp "in charge" - nr 9 i L1:
http://www.leedsunited.com/page/LeagueTable/0,,10273~20081220,00.html

Tabellen akkurat NÃ… - nr 2 i CCC:
http://www.leedsunited.com/page/LeagueTable/0,,10273~20101218,00.html


Regn ut selv, men vi har hoppet 32 plasser i systemet. Utrolig bra på 2 år, mener jeg! 



Two-year Leeds United anniversary for Grayson

6:40am Thursday 23rd December 2010

Print Email Share Comments(0) By Sports Desk »

It will seem a bit like groundhog day for Simon Grayson when he prepares his Leeds side this morning for their Boxing Day match at Leicester.

It was exactly two years ago that Grayson took over as United manager and his first match was also against the Foxes.

The difference is that two years ago both sides were in League One and it was Leicester who were flying at the top of the table while Leeds were on the back of a five-match losing run.

Now Sven Goran Eriksson’s side are wallowing in the bottom half of the Championship and Leeds are up to second after convincingly beating leaders QPR at the weekend to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches.

It has not all been plain sailing for Grayson, who has been on a tight budget and faced problems like dealing with want-away striker Jermaine Beckford.

Ironically, it was the Leeds boss’s diplomatic handling of that tricky situation that finally persuaded many fans that he was up to the job.

Former Eland Road apprentice Grayson, who signed a new three-year deal after leading the club to promotion last season, has 62 wins under his belt with just 26 defeats and 23 draws, a record chairman Ken Bates hopes will continue to grow.

“With all the madness in football, Simon is probably one of the longest-serving managers in the league,” said Bates.

“He has brought stability to the club and has just got on with the job. We have supported him in every way we can afford but his demands are not excessive and he is realistic.

“He is respected by everyone and has a cool head. When we lose I don’t get panic calls the next morning. There’s just a cold assessment of what went wrong and how we can put it right.

“I’ve got great hopes for Simon and I hope he is here for many years to come.”

[Dennis]

Skal forresten ete hatten min om han ikke blir Manager of the month for desember. 

Han er i hvert fall ettertraktet:

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6605627,00.html

Top job turned down!

Mon tro om det var hold i Burnley-ryktene etter at Owen Coyle tok over Bolton?

Kanskje har Grayson den selvinnsikten det ble etterlyst her? Det er jo vedtatt at han ikke har det som skal til i Premier League, allerede. 

[Promotion 2010]

Grayson looks back with pride:

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20101223/grayson-looks-back-with-pride_2247585_2250531

 

[Asbjørn]

Grayson looks back with pride:

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20101223/grayson-looks-back-with-pride_2247585_2250531

 

Jeg syns det var så glimrende å lese hele intervjuet at jeg likegodt sakser det (fra waccoe):

Firstly, congratulations on two years in charge of Leeds United. Do landmarks like that mean much to you?

To be honest, I'm delighted to be still in a job based on what has happened to other managers over the past few months and years. It's a precarious industry and obviously delighted to be still here after two years and I want to try be here for a lot longer. We've had some good success and the major thing that I was asked to do when I first came to the club was to try get the club out of League One and we managed to achieve that. Hopefully we can keep building and progressing as a football club for the next few years.


When you joined, did you have plans in your mind and timescales? Two years in, would you have been happy sitting second in the Championship? Did you want to be further ahead?


No, no… I think two years down the line and second in the Championship, we couldn't have asked for anything better. Ideally, when I look back, it would have been very nice to have been able to get out of League One when we lost to Millwall in the semi-final but we achieved a lot that season and obviously last year we had a fantastic season. We did the ultimate aim of getting out of the division and there was the cup runs that we had as well. We've had a lot of highs, we've had some negatives as well and you have to learn from them. I certainly have as a manager, I think the club has as well and the players certainly have. So a lot has been achieved by the football club but we have only just set out on what I tried to achieve when I came here in the first place.


Managers have to be given time to achieve things like that - you are coming up to being one of the longest serving around at the moment. Do you think we'll ever get back to the time when managers are given the time to succeed at a club?


I think a lot of it is obviously dictated by the results and if you have a bad run of results then you can't do anything about it. The one thing that does baffle managers and the LMA is when people come in and have a different perspective on jobs, ownerships and then get rid of managers who have been very successful. Some of the decisions over the last few weeks have been surprising to say the least when you see it happen but that's what happens at times. If you're successful then you have got a great chance of keeping hold of your job for a lot longer but we are sort of in a precarious industry when you never know what's around the the corner. You never know when you are going to be sacked or when you're going to be at a football club, you have just got to keep working hard and hopefully the plans that you have outlined for the future you are able to fulfil.


In other Leeds United matters, Luciano Becchio has signed his new contract, just how happy are you to tie that up before the window closes?


Yeah delighted. There was a lot of speculation about him - he was very much in a similar position to Jermaine last year. I didn't want it dragging on or anything like that and there has been a lot of work gone on behind the scenes to secure him. He's a fans favourite, he's a players that certainly shows a lot of passion, commitment and effort and has come a long way since we signed him a few years ago. So I'm delighted to have secured him. We didn't want to get into a position where we lost him or the speculation started again about losing him in January or he left on a free transfer. Delighted him and Davide have signed and there obviously only two at this moment in time that we're speaking to about sorting things out. Time will tell with those.


When a big-name player at your club does commit his future to it, how much of an influence can that have on guys discussing new contracts and particularly who you want to bring in in January?


Well that's down to the individuals but it does show our ambition. We could quite easily have sold Jermaine last year in the window but we kept him and he helped us get promoted. We could quite easily have sold Luciano in the window and got the money in and see where it would take us. So when you do sign your best players, it does say to other people 'look, we're trying to take this club forward the the next level and be successful' and it doesn't do you any harm. When you are keeping hold of your better players, to the outside world, it helps with players that you are trying to attract to the football club. There's a massive attraction to this club anyway in terms of facilities and fanbase and players coming in, you get players talking about wanting to come here and it doesn't do us any harm to keep our best players.


Looking at your injuries going into Christmas, two at centre-back in Alex Bruce and Andy O'Brien, how are they?


Alex has done a little bit of running this morning and Andy has as well at Bolton. He's gone back there for a few days to let them assess his situation. We'll see where we are with both of them tomorrow. Again, I have always stated that if any of them are doubts we won't run the risk. We have such a busy period coming up now and we have had players that have come into the team that have done well. Leigh Bromby last weekend was very good and he has waited for his opportunity, as a lot of other players have waited too. They will get their opportunity over the Christmas period because there is so many games coming up. We want to give those players the best opportunity to play for the whole of the Christmas period and not just the Leicester game.


Is Andy going back to Bolton just a matter of course with a loan arrangement?


Yeah, he has just gone for him to be assessed by their medical people. You do these things because our staff liaise with the Bolton medical staff and it's just making sure that both parties are happy. He's not our player as such, so there's no point in him coming back here and we rush him back and he's out injured for a lot longer and then Bolton won't be too pleased with it. So between a few parties we make a decision when to bring him back.


Some big games over the Christmas period. How much of a test is this going to be for you?


Well it's a big test anyway because of the games coming thick and fast but the one thing that we have got is strength in depth. We have got players who are desperate to get some time on the football pitch that have not had that opportunity over the last few weeks and some that have not had that opportunity since we signed them in the summer. So as a staff, we'll assess each player and each game as it comes along. I won't really be thinking about the next game ahead in terms of who might play and who might not play but over that course of time there will be certain individuals that will play large parts every game because I think the positions that they play and the way that they play the game might allow them to play the games. Other players certainly won't be able to play back-to-back games because of the positions that they play in and the effort they put in. We'll just see where we are, but we've certainly got players who want to be on the pitch and that's a big strength of the club at this moment in time that we have got strength in depth.


And you old club Leicester haven't really done you any favours since you came here. Are you getting frustrated at that?


Well they're a good club. They have had troubles in the past with finances but they have certainly got a fantastic manager and they have got players who are capable of getting them out of this division. They gave us a tough time when we played them earlier in the season and we lost 2-1 and the rumours have it that they are going to be going big in the transfer market in January. They have certainly done that with their loan signings. Curtis Davies, Vassell, Bednar (although Grayson says Bendtner!) - they are all Premiership players so they might not be paying any fees at the moment but they are certainly paying big. They're a good footballing side with some good players and they won't be far away. I think they have had a few inconsistent results away from home but at home they're a major threat. We know it's going to be difficult but I'm sure they will be aware of we've done so far over the last nine games and what they can achieve. It has the hallmarks of being a great game. Two good teams going at it and hopefully we can get a positive result.


The last two years, Simon - how do you rate it in terms of enjoyment throughout you career?


It's certainly up there. Probably even more significant is the success that we have had and I support the club as well. It's different being a player - all you do is look after yourself. You disappear at 1.30pm and don't think abbot football until the next morning. As a manager, you're thinking 24/7 but that's why I'm here. I love thinking about football, working out the plans and trying to be successful and the two years has shot by so quickly. I can remember as if it was yesterday. All the troubles to get here in the first place and how quickly it was going into the games over Christmas but it has certainly been a fantastic period of time for me. I have learnt a lot about myself and about the club and the players and being a manager. Ultimately, I want to make sure I keep progressing as a manager and as a football club as well. I did state on that particular day when I walked in the door that somebody will eventually take this club back to the Premiership and two years later, I'd like to be trying to achieve that.


How do you contrast the feelings around the club to how it is now?


Yeah, at this moment in time there's a real buzz about the city and the football club. There's a sense of sort of a togetherness. At the time, the team were on a poor run in League One and struggling for home form and obviously there was a lot a negativity around the place. The first thing I had to try and do was make sure that we started winning games and we did that. There were a good group of players who had lost their way and lost a bit of confidence but obviously there was having the fantastic home run. We've moved forward from then on. Ultimately there was trying to win matches to start with and get the confidence back and the positivity about the place and at this moment in time there's a great feeling about the place.


Leicester were the first team then, weren't they?


Yeah. After leaving here and going to Leicester for six years where I had my best years as a player there, to come back here for my first game as a manager against them, was a great feeling. Two years later we're stilling playing against them. It's about time we beat them, so I won't have too many friends at the Walkers Stadium on Saturday or whenever we're playing! Is it Sunday or Saturday?! (laughs)