BATES VIL HA OSS OPP!
Ken Bates: Leeds challenge for League One title 'back with a vengeance'Leeds United chairman Ken Bates believes the League One promotion challengers are "back with a vengeance", following a worrying slump in form, thanks to "deadly" Jermaine Beckford and his Jimmy Greaves-like style.
By Rob Stewart
Published: 1:39PM GMT 11 Mar 2010
Hot shot: Jermaine Beckford's goals are crucial to Leeds' promotion chances.
The Elland Road club returned to form with a 4-1 midweek win at Tranmere, when Beckford scored twice to take his tally to the season to 27, and Bates is confident that both player and team are timing their run to perfection as the promotion race hots up ahead of Saturday's visit to Southampton.
Beckford could leave Leeds this summer for free, but Bates is optimistic his goals will vindicate his decision to reject a £1.8 million bid for the player from Newcastle two months ago, even though many fans have vented their spleen in the player's direction in recent weeks.
"Jermaine is important but he is one of those players - a bit like Jimmy Greaves and I was a great fan of Jimmy's when I was young and he was playing - and he did nothing and contributed very little to a game but he got goals," Bates said.
"Jermaine doesn't run around all over the pitch but he scores goals and that is what we got him for. When he is on form he is deadly. When he is not on form he struggles and so do we.
"But his record speaks for itself. And the points we have gained thanks to his goal-scoring speak for themselves as well. We must not forget that we have one or two others who know how to score goals such as Luciano Becchio, Snoddy (Robert Snodgrass) and Jonny Howson from midfield. They all add up.
"We had a chance of selling Jermaine but we said quite bluntly that, even though we know you can leave for nothing at the end of the season, whatever we lose by keeping him will be more than compensated for providing his goals keep going up and that is what he is doing.
"All in all we are now back with a vengeance and we should be looking forward to our remaining games with great confidence."
The victory at Tranmere strengthened Leeds' grip on the second automatic promotion slot as the Yorkshire club opened up a five-point lead over Charlton and the rest of the chasing pack.
After their visit to Southampton, Leeds host Millwall before heading to leaders Norwich and then hosting Swindon.
Bates knows those games could shape the club's destiny.
"The next few games will go some way to deciding both our fate and that of the three teams we play," the former Chelsea chairman said.
"When we play them they will be needing to win whereas other teams we have played recently have needed not to lose.
"That is why they are such lousy matches to watch with teams packing their defence. These people need the points so it will be a much more open game because they will have to come at us. It means our style of football will be allowed to flourish.
"We're as good as anybody, if not the best, but it takes two to tango. We've beaten Norwich and Southampton this season, but Millwall beat us there and Swindon, who still have to come here, also beat us, so we owe them one.
"By the time those games have gone hopefully we will be in a situation where other teams are chasing us."
