KAMP: vs QUEENS PARK RANGERS, 18/12 2010

[torivar]

Bra Promo!

Samle sammen slike til oss etter hver kamp

[Budda]

Video med Merson om kampen i går:

http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,26691,12606_6598283,00.html

[Lucas the Kop Cat]

Lovlig sent ut, men grattis til oss alle!

[Bites Yer Legs]

Fortsatt fra WACCOE:

Kasper -7 Not a massive amount to do but commanded the defence well as ever.

Connoly -8 Solid at the back, bombed on brilliantly in support of Snoddy
McCartney -8 As above but replaece Snoddy with Max
Collins -7.5 Solid, very calm under pressure
Bromby -7.5 Similar to Collins, impressed with him today.

Kilkenny -7 Did the simple stuff really well, kept us ticking
Johnson -8.5 Fantastic today worked his socks off and passed pretty well too.

Snoddy -9 Tore their fullbacks to shreds at times
Howson -8 At the heart of a lot of attacks, lovely one touch passing.
Gradel -9 Constant menace

Becchio -100 He signed a new contract. (7 worked his bollocks off, chased everything and won a fair bit in the air.)



What a day.

Great game and Becchio signs.

Ratings for the day:

Schmeichel 7.0 - solid, good handling, some poor kicks, not called on too much.

McCartney 7.0 - solid, linked well with Gradel.
Collins 7.5 - very active and decent performance. Strong in the air and kept Hulse quiet.
Bruce 5.0 - not on for long. Some dodgy play (was he carrying an injury from pre match?). We looked better when he came off.
Connolly 9.0 - outstanding performance. Supported the attack brilliantly at times. Brilliant play with Snodgrass, Howson and Gradel at times.

Johnson 7.5 - I have been a critic of Johnson, mainly for his poor concentration when in defensive duties and for his SLOW working football brain. Stuck back and was very disciplined today. More of the same please Bradley.
Kilkenny 7.5 - His mixed his passing far better today. Had some wayward passing, but he played numerous quick passes, keepingt the ball moving and he made many, interceptions.

Gradel 9.0 - two deserved goals and at least one other brilliant move he deserved another. Outstanding performance and showed why he deserves to be first on the teamsheet for our wide players. His second goal was superb. Reminded me of Rod Wallaces goal where he ran from his own half, turned his marker inside out and scored.
Howson 8.5 - for me this was Howsons best performance. Far better than when he got his hattrick. He was INVOLVED so much more than any other game I have seen him in the last 18 months. He was involved in some lovely play and as I have been saying for ages now, Howson needs to play high up the field, deeper and he struggles. Some of his interplay with Snodgrass, Connolly, Gradel and Becchio was a joy to watch.
Snodgrass 8.0 - A really good game today. A far better start than he did last week. He had the beating of his marker (and beat his marker 4-5 times before crossing for Howsons half knock back for Gradels first goal). Along with Gradel, Snodgrass is instrumental for us in the wide positions. Teams fear these two wide players I am sure.

Becchio 17.0 - Move of the day. Signing his contract gives him +10.0. Worked hard. was mollested all day with elbows , arms and legs from the opposition defenders, but he stuck to his task. Started to get more into the game as we started to pick up the pace. Linked other players into the game when he worked out how to get a bit more space. Almost bagged a goal but for a good save by their keeper.

Bromby 7.0 - solid performance without getting overly involved. I dont remember too much he did, but on the 2 occasions that stand out he was more than enough for the task.
Sam 5.0 - not on for long but other than a run at their defence he really didnt do that much.
Paynter 6.0 - no time at all but a +1.0 purely for the HELLO introductory challenge when he did come on.

Grayson 10.0 - stuck to his guns. 4231. Warnoch had absolutely no answer to the formation and his changes were poor.



Kasper - 7 - Catching practice. Was more troubled in the warm-up. Comedy time wastng.

McCartney - 7 - Did alright against a good side. Never too troubled
Collings - 7 - Never easy against Hulse. Backed off too much at times.
Bromby - 8 - Best performance for Leeds?
Connoly - 8 - Great signing. Best right back since Kelly .

Kilkenny - 6.5 - In and out sort of game. Won a header!
Johnson - 8 - I've slagged him off previously but THAT was what he should be doing. Simple stuff, not trying to be too clever.

Gradel - 9 - The movement of our forward 4 was brilliant. Gradel was everywhere. Had a poor spell just before his second but scored once of our best goals this season.
Howson - 8 - Consistency at last!!!
Snoddy - 9 - Absolutely battered their left back. Never seen a defender get taken to bits like that since Simon Walton against the blunts.

Becchio - 7 - Forced a great save early on. Worked hard and brought Gradel, Howson, and Snoddy into the game.

Grayson - 10 - Hokey cokey with Bromby/Bruce aside got everything right today. We played as a team, and were so profesional in the last ten minutes that we never looked like letting QPR back in.

Fans - 9 - Had a great time today. The spell in the second half before the second goal was brilliant. Best fun had at a match in ages.

Outstanding day.


Schmeichel - 7 - Did what he had to do. Although the exceptional distribution he had at the start of the season is fading a bit.

Connolly - 8 - Mr Reliable. It's great to never worry about being exposed down the right. Arguably the signing of the season for me.
Collins - 7.5 - Typical performance, loves it when the ball is player aerially.
Bromby - 8 - Very good game to say that it's basically the first time he's played all season.
McCartney - 7.5 - Solid and seems to enjoy having Max in front of him.

Johnson - 8 - Normally a big critic of his but today he was excellent. "Enforcer".
Kilkenny - 7 - Looked slow at times, but still can't really fault anyone in our midfield today.

Snodgrass - 9 MOM - Proved he's the best player at the club today. Skill, creativity, work rate and he loves a tackle. If he had Beckford pace he'd be worth about £15 million.
Howson - 8 - Worked hard, that bit of link up play with Gradel would have been goal of the season if it went in.
Gradel - 9 - An absolute menace all game. As has already been said aswell, he seemed to be everywhere. Him and Snodgrass showed that flash cunt Taarabt how to play football today.

Becchio - 8 - Brought the likes of Snoddy, Max and Howson in to the game with his play today. A yard either side of Kenny with that header and he'd have bagged a goal aswell.



               

Fantastisk svar, Promo!! Takk 

[Bites Yer Legs]

Noen som har linker til noen spillerbørser? Lurer på hvordan Bromby gjorde det..

Jeg var også nysgjerrig på dette, så jeg sjekket waccoe i går kveld. Der får han skryt:

-He was excellent and rarely troubled really. We looked better with him on to be honest as Bruce was getting dicked in the air in the first few minutes.

-He coped admirably. Couldn't of asked him to play any better

-To say he's played 10 minutes at Boro all season, he was terrific. Won everything.

-given that he's barely featured all season I thought he was brilliant.

-I'd actually quite like to see a Bromby-O'Brien pairing at the back. I just have a hunch it would work nicely.

-He was brilliant today

Kanskje har vi tilstrekkelig av stoppere likevel? Han har vel fireårskontrakt(?), da kan vi like gjerne bruke han, erfaren som han er. Godt å se at han kom tilbake med stil!!

[Promotion 2010]

Ikke lett å legge denne på riktig sted, men prøver her:

Here is the news

GREAT news for Leeds United yesterday: Not only did they beat leaders QPR to go second in the Championship, their highest position since dropping out of the Premier League in 2004, but top scorer Luciano Becchio signed a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Not such great news for those of us with Sunday newspaper deadlines to meet: Leeds announced it at 6.30pm last night.
Becchio’s future has been the subject of much speculation this season, with a contract which had been due to expire in the summer. Manager Simon Grayson has been asked about that several times this season, but it didn’t come up at all in yesterday’s post-match press conference, which took place around 5.30pm, an hour before the Becchio deal was announced.

The reason for the lack of quizzing? Possibly the fact that Grayson had stated in a Saturday morning newspaper interview that Becchio’s contract was unlikely to be sorted out before the New Year. So what changed in 24 hours? Did Jack Bauer get involved in the contract talks? We may never know.

In a way, I could understand any secrecy on Leeds’ part. Grayson had suggested after their win over Bristol City five weeks ago, in which Becchio scored a hat-trick, that a deal was imminent. It would make sense if, this time, he wanted to keep schtum until everything was absolutely certain.

And on a general level, I understand why clubs want to keep their business secret if possible. Let slip you’re interested in signing a certain player, and you risk getting gazumped by another club. Be entirely up front about all your injury problems, and you risk handing a tactical advantage to the opposition.

All the same, the timing of the Becchio announcement was hardly conducive to getting a big show in today’s papers. Some have mentioned it â€" including the one I was covering the game for â€" but not prominently. Given that Becchio’s contract talks have been a significant thread through Leeds’ season, that’s a shame. It does feel like a rare example of an organisation burying good news.

QPR manager Neil Warnock, meanwhile, was happy to share his good news. Two successive defeats have taken the shine off a 19-match unbeaten start to the league season, but Warnock was still feeling pretty chirpy after being presented with a grandson by eldest son James and daughter-in-law Sarah.

“I’ve become a granddad in the last few hours â€" a little boy, Charlie Warnock,” he said. “So there are more important things than a defeat at Leeds, aren’t there?”

Despite the defeat, Rangers still top the table at Christmas. Astonishing progress, really, given that they were 20th when Warnock took over on March 2. Perhaps the progress has come a little too quickly. “Top of the league, you’re having a laugh,” sang the Leeds fans as they closed in on a deserved victory.

Any team, however good, needs a little bit of luck to go 19 games unbeaten, and QPR have certainly had their share. Two stoppage-time goals salvaged a 2-2 draw at Derby back in August â€" surely the most remarkable comeback of the season so far â€" while goalless draws against Norwich and Swansea in October were only secured because the opposition failed to convert penalties, before late equalisers subsequently earned draws at Bristol City and Portsmouth.

Sooner or later, a defeat was coming, and it came in comprehensive fashion, at home to Watford nine days ago. In the build-up to yesterday’s game at Elland Road, Warnock declared his side were underdogs.

If much of what Warnock says seems designed to wind up opponents (of which more in the penultimate paragraph), his words can also help to take the pressure off his own players. His public pronouncements can be as tangential as they are controversial. To prove the point: Last week, after the Watford defeat, he gave an interview in which he described getting lost during a bike ride in Richmond Park, near his home, and ending up trying to make conversation with a deer about QPR’s promotion chances

Maybe there’s method in the madness. If everyone’s focusing on Warnock’s wackiness, it leaves his players free of the spotlight.

Not that Warnock is the only outspoken character involved with Rangers these days. Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone was confirmed as the club’s outright owner this week, having bought out Flavio Briatore, he of the Singapore Grand Prix race-fixing controversy. Between them, Warnock and Ecclestone could have generated enough hot air to ensure yesterday’s match at Leeds went ahead without the need for undersoil heating.

Not that Leeds would have needed any such help. On a weekend when the big freeze left most of the Premier League kicking its heels, Elland Road was playable. Leeds haven’t had a home game fall victim to the weather for almost 17 years, and the groundstaff were determined to ensure that record held.

Leeds got their reward for getting the game on. They started a little shakily, not helped by the need for an early defensive reorganisation. Centre-back Alex Bruce injured his groin in the warm-up, tried to play anyway, very nearly had to come off after six minutes and then did after just 11.

The best form of defence, they decided, was attack. Becchio’s header was tipped over by Paddy Kenny, before the excellent Robert Snodgrass fired wide from a Max Gradel set up.

Gradel, a speedy winger whose undoubted skill is tempered by an indisciplined streak, drove Leeds in front after 25 minutes, when Jonathan Howson headed a Snodgrass cross into his path. He should have had a second shortly afterwards, but sliced wide after a one-two with Howson had opened up the Rangers defence.

Inevitably, there was a Warnock flashpoint. It came four minutes before half-time, when Leeds midfielder Bradley Johnson clattered into Jamie Mackie without incurring punishment, resulting in a free-for-all scrap 20 yards away seconds later, which saw home right-back Paul Connolly and away left-back Clint Hill booked. Warnock hopped up and down on the touchline, furious, and looked as if he might come to blows with Grayson.

As Rangers pressed forward in search of an equaliser after the break, Leeds found the spaces to damage them on the counter-attack. After Becchio had gone close, it was Gradel who added the second with 20 minutes left, running at Fitz Hall unchallenged before firing under Kenny.

Howson and Snodgrass would have added further goals but for Kenny’s agility. Rangers did not look a Premier League side in waiting.

Grayson is not one for shouting the odds from the rooftops, and played down his Leeds side’s promotion chances after the game. And yet Warnock still suggested they were getting carried away with themselves.

“I thought their celebrations in the tunnel afterwards were a bit over the top,” Warnock said. “I don’t think they’ve got promotion just yet. But it’ll be nice to see how that develops later on in the season, because we’re not at Christmas yet, are we?”

Perhaps they were just celebrating Becchio’s new contract, Neil.

[Tom S]

The reason for the lack of quizzing? Possibly the fact that Grayson had stated in a Saturday morning newspaper interview that Becchio’s contract was unlikely to be sorted out before the New Year. So what changed in 24 hours? Did Jack Bauer get involved in the contract talks? We may never know.

Vel Bengt, hadde du ein finger med i spillet

[testo]

Når man går på fotballkamp i 4 minus og litt kjelven i knæra for å bli utspillt som vi ble mot Cardiff, så var det noe på ER igår som varmet skikkelig.

Det Leeds fremførte i 90 min på Elland Road er noe av det beste jeg har sett på lang lang tid. QPR yppet seg ved et par annledninger men var alldrig farlige med unntak ved en annledning da det ble fyrt av et skudd som hadde god retning for målet men traff ryggen på en Leeds spiller og til corner, Vi var presset et par min i dette øyeblikket men det var også allt.

At Snoddy er en viktig brikke her er det ikke tvil om, banens beste uten tvil. Hver gang han fikk ballen så ble det farlig og han var veldig nære å øke ledelsen med et skudd fra 20 meter retning krysset men ble reddet mesterlig av keeper som lå langflat i lufta å reddet.
Gradel kunne fort ha blitt tremålscorer også, hadde han hatt en sko størrelse større, Gradel surra ved et par annledninger og mista ballen der man ikke bør miste den og vi fikk noen farlige kontringer mot oss, men avsluttningene sto ikke i stil til tabbellen til QPR idag, Jeg tror Kasper hadde kun 3-4 redninger under hele kampen.
Forsvaret til Leeds skal vi slutte å klage på vis de fortsetter i denne retningen, Jeg går så langt som å si at vi var bunnsolide bakover i denne kampen, en fryd å se på.

Til sist vil jeg ta med B Jonhson som også hadde en god dag, en typisk kriger som alldrig gir seg og står opp for sine medspiller ved å markere seg ved å fortelle motstander at du kødder ikke med mine kompiser og legger så inn en takling som da fører til advarsel. Han er en tøff kar som jeg kunne tenkt meg å hatt med videre, når han spiller på sitt beste så er han faktisk noe å satse på.

Til sist vil jeg bare si at det var en SYK stemmning på Elland Road denne kvelden, Dere som har opplevd det vet hva jeg prater om, for det er ikke lett å forklare dette.....DET MÃ... OPPLEVES

Spiller vi slik resten av sesongen så hadde jeg ikke vært redd for tippe Leeds United opp i Premier Leage neste sesong..........

Terje

[pale]

Når man går på fotballkamp i 4 minus og litt kjelven i knæra for å bli utspillt som vi ble mot Cardiff, så var det noe på ER igår som varmet skikkelig.

Det Leeds fremførte i 90 min på Elland Road er noe av det beste jeg har sett på lang lang tid. QPR yppet seg ved et par annledninger men var alldrig farlige med unntak ved en annledning da det ble fyrt av et skudd som hadde god retning for målet men traff ryggen på en Leeds spiller og til corner, Vi var presset et par min i dette øyeblikket men det var også allt.

At Snoddy er en viktig brikke her er det ikke tvil om, banens beste uten tvil. Hver gang han fikk ballen så ble det farlig og han var veldig nære å øke ledelsen med et skudd fra 20 meter retning krysset men ble reddet mesterlig av keeper som lå langflat i lufta å reddet.
Gradel kunne fort ha blitt tremålscorer også, hadde han hatt en sko størrelse større, Gradel surra ved et par annledninger og mista ballen der man ikke bør miste den og vi fikk noen farlige kontringer mot oss, men avsluttningene sto ikke i stil til tabbellen til QPR idag, Jeg tror Kasper hadde kun 3-4 redninger under hele kampen.
Forsvaret til Leeds skal vi slutte å klage på vis de fortsetter i denne retningen, Jeg går så langt som å si at vi var bunnsolide bakover i denne kampen, en fryd å se på.

Til sist vil jeg ta med B Jonhson som også hadde en god dag, en typisk kriger som alldrig gir seg og står opp for sine medspiller ved å markere seg ved å fortelle motstander at du kødder ikke med mine kompiser og legger så inn en takling som da fører til advarsel. Han er en tøff kar som jeg kunne tenkt meg å hatt med videre, når han spiller på sitt beste så er han faktisk noe å satse på.

Til sist vil jeg bare si at det var en SYK stemmning på Elland Road denne kvelden, Dere som har opplevd det vet hva jeg prater om, for det er ikke lett å forklare dette.....DET MÃ... OPPLEVES

Spiller vi slik resten av sesongen så hadde jeg ikke vært redd for tippe Leeds United opp i Premier Leage neste sesong..........

Terje

Strålende innlegg, testo.
Skulle ønske enda flere av de som er på kampene kunne gjøre som deg.
Skrive et innlegg om kampen, stemningen, været, bortefansen, hva hjemmefansen synger, om ølkøen er lang i pausa og alt det andre som rører seg på Elland Road kampdagen.

[Promotion 2010]

Når man går på fotballkamp i 4 minus og litt kjelven i knæra for å bli utspillt som vi ble mot Cardiff, så var det noe på ER igår som varmet skikkelig.

Det Leeds fremførte i 90 min på Elland Road er noe av det beste jeg har sett på lang lang tid. QPR yppet seg ved et par annledninger men var alldrig farlige med unntak ved en annledning da det ble fyrt av et skudd som hadde god retning for målet men traff ryggen på en Leeds spiller og til corner, Vi var presset et par min i dette øyeblikket men det var også allt.

At Snoddy er en viktig brikke her er det ikke tvil om, banens beste uten tvil. Hver gang han fikk ballen så ble det farlig og han var veldig nære å øke ledelsen med et skudd fra 20 meter retning krysset men ble reddet mesterlig av keeper som lå langflat i lufta å reddet.
Gradel kunne fort ha blitt tremålscorer også, hadde han hatt en sko størrelse større, Gradel surra ved et par annledninger og mista ballen der man ikke bør miste den og vi fikk noen farlige kontringer mot oss, men avsluttningene sto ikke i stil til tabbellen til QPR idag, Jeg tror Kasper hadde kun 3-4 redninger under hele kampen.
Forsvaret til Leeds skal vi slutte å klage på vis de fortsetter i denne retningen, Jeg går så langt som å si at vi var bunnsolide bakover i denne kampen, en fryd å se på.

Til sist vil jeg ta med B Jonhson som også hadde en god dag, en typisk kriger som alldrig gir seg og står opp for sine medspiller ved å markere seg ved å fortelle motstander at du kødder ikke med mine kompiser og legger så inn en takling som da fører til advarsel. Han er en tøff kar som jeg kunne tenkt meg å hatt med videre, når han spiller på sitt beste så er han faktisk noe å satse på.

Til sist vil jeg bare si at det var en SYK stemmning på Elland Road denne kvelden, Dere som har opplevd det vet hva jeg prater om, for det er ikke lett å forklare dette.....DET MÃ... OPPLEVES

Spiller vi slik resten av sesongen så hadde jeg ikke vært redd for tippe Leeds United opp i Premier Leage neste sesong..........

Terje

Takk, veldig bra med slike innlegg. 

[Promotion 2010]

Fans rapport fra en slitsom tur med buss til Elland Road:


LUFC Snow joke for Thames Valley Whites
The Thames Valley Whites had a long and arduous day out on Saturday as the snow finally reached the South of England.

Twenty-nine fans had booked themselves on the supporter`s bus and despite what the weather was about to throw at us it wouldn`t stop us getting to Elland Road.

I am sure we were not alone as we have a large contingent of Leeds followers in the South of England and I am sure they all have similar tales to tell.

Two weeks ago as we travelled to Elland Road we had the relative luxury of seeing no snow until we reached the midlands as the north suffered the brunt of the bad weather.

That day against Crystal Palace, the Elland Road ground staff had done a fantastic job to ensure the game got the go ahead as Leeds was covered in around eight inches of the fluffy white stuff.

The RMC branch sets off from Reading for all home games at 8.30am and this Saturday they were doing so in blizzards as the snow fell heavily.

By the time we had reached Bicester the snow was settling with a good covering across all carriageways.

We picked some fans up at the services and I thought we were picking up yetis as they entered the bus.

Our next pick up was in Banbury and the normally notorious M40 was worse than usual as we plodded our way along.

We were already contemplating missing the kick off as we were already an hour behind and only fifty miles into our journey.

We were now heading across through Coventry and up to Leicester Forest services on the M1 as we had one more pick up to do. It wasn`t looking good as we had a few hairy moments and then struggled to go up a small hill as the traffic really started to slow.

The news was good from contacts further north, our final pick up at Leicester Forest said it was clear and even further north, Des from the vital site was in York having decided to travel up from Hereford on Friday to avoid the bad weather and he was saying it was sunny.

We knew we were in for a bad journey home but at this time all we cared about was being at Elland Road in time for kick off and seeing the mighty whites put the league leaders to the sword.

Amazingly, within a few miles, as we hit the M69 towards the M1 the snow stopped and the roads were nicely clear.

We now knew that baring any incidents further north, we would be there in time for kick off and even more importantly, a quick pint was still on the cards.

The two drivers we had, had already done a sterling job getting us this far and now they breezed through the rest of the journey and had us at Elland Road at 2.25pm and plenty of time for that quick pint in the pavilion.

Leeds had obviously had a small covering of snow as the ground, rooftops and around the ground were white, once again the ground staff had obviously been hard at work to get the pitch clear and looking in pristine condition.

The following two hours the Leeds players put on an exhibition as they cantered to an easy 2-0 win that moved Leeds into second place in the table and kept every fan warm on a freezing cold day.

The crowd were once again amazing as almost 30,000 hardy souls turned up and the atmosphere inside the ground was some of the best I`ve seen for a long time.

Seeing all four sides of the ground going mad for about ten minutes of the game during the second half as scarves were twirled above heads as 'We are the Champions, Champions of Europe` echoed around Elland Road was a sight to behold.

We returned to the coach revelling in the victory and now thoughts were slowly beginning to return to the journey home.

The radio was on and the traffic news came in, it wasn`t good. The same route back as we came looked daunting, the M40 resembled a car park and the A34 was at snails pace according to the reports.

One other option we could take was to go down the A43 near Northampton, that was quickly ruled out as they announced it was closed due to jack-knifed lorries.

These worries were quickly forgotten about as the texts came in that Luciano Becchio had just signed a new three and a half year deal at Elland Road.

Ironically only seconds before the texts came in, I had just finished telling a number of people on the bus that Luciano Becchio would be leaving in January as it was far too quiet on how the negotiations were going, with little coming out of Elland Road.

I became the attention of ridicule as I sank deeper and deeper into my seat wishing someone would bury me under an avalanche of snow.

After a stop at Leicester Forest services and plenty of food taken on board just in case we were spending the night on the road, we decided on taking the same route home as we had come.

Apart from one scary moment on the outskirts of Coventry as we had a little skid we were making good time as we got inside Oxfordshire, we were within three miles of turning off the M40 when we came to a halt.

At a pace that resembles a tortoise with lead in his shell we slowly moved along, thirty minutes turned into an hour, one hour turned into two, two into three and there was still no sight of the turn off for the A34.

Despite the problems the bus was buzzing, two characters, Mark Andrews and Pete Cooke were as entertaining as usual and kept the spirits up.

A Ranger Rover pulled up alongside us with Manchester United badges on the registration plates and it quickly became the target of much stick as chants of 'January the 3rd, remember the date` belted out across the motorway and despite about eight inches of snow lying in the outside lane it quickly moved on to avoid anymore.

The motorway resembled something out of a movie as cars and lorries lay abandoned wherever they grinded to an halt.

As you can imagine a bunch of grown up men on a bus was always going to end up in one thing and a few couldn`t help but throw a few snowballs.

A CD suddenly appeared of Leeds songs and Marching On Together, Leeds United Calypso and the ballad of Billy Bremner was sung loud and proud.

By the time we turned off, we were already in the early hours of the morning and we finally got around to dropping off the Bicester contingent of fans as we finally pulled off the M40.

We now just had the A34 and M4 roads left to negotiate to get the rest of us home and thankfully, the A34 was flowing quite freely.

We still had one scary moment to come, instead of dropping off one fan at the bottom of a slip road the driver decided to turn off and after a few skids and a very slow climb up a hill that never looked like happening we finally got him to his destination.

With just the fans left to be dropped off at Didcot and Reading, all was going well.

Griff who runs the branch and me were both getting off at Didcot and to help, we decided to jump off on the slip road into Didcot and get a taxi to take us the three miles into the town centre.

Unfortunately, our best-laid plans were kicked into touch when the main road into Didcot was closed due to another jack-knifed lorry.

So we set off on foot in the freezing cold conditions and deep snow.

It quickly went by as we discussed the day, lack of tickets for our members for Arsenal (ok that was me still whinging that I hadn`t got a ticket) and the fact that we were never in danger of deciding not to make this journey today (or should I say yesterday as it had now turned 2am).

Isn`t it funny, if we were due to visit the in-laws who live five miles away in weather like we had seen on Saturday, we would have said to her indoors, 'travel in this, you must be mad to go out in this, we will stay in`.
Now when they asked us at 8am on Saturday morning, 'are you still going?`, our response would all have been similar, 'yes of course we are, it will be ok`.
Despite the fact that it is a four hundred mile round trip for us all.

Griff was first to get home and after around fifteen minutes of clearing and defrosting my vehicle I finally got on my way to drive the final mile to my house.

Whilst clearing my vehicle I managed to get most of the snow off my doors somehow onto my driver`s seat.

I eventually walked through my door shortly before 3am after almost 18 hours on the road.

Everyone got home safe and a special mention must be given to the two drivers who got us up and down the country in one piece.

The day was made much easier by a few key factors. First, we just don`t want to miss a Leeds game, we travelled home after a good win (imagine if this had been after Preston or Cardiff), the great news about Luciano Becchio and also the fact that we have a great bunch of regulars who travel with the Thames Valley Whites.

Would we all do it again next week if the conditions were the same? Of course we would.


If you are interested in travelling to Elland Road with the Thames Valley Whites then the contact details are at the bottom.

The price is usually a very reasonable £25 per person.

Pick-ups are Reading Train Station, Wallingford, Didcot, Abingdon, Oxford,
Kidlington, Bicester and Brackley. Other pick-ups will be considered.

Travel is usually a 31 seater bus or by a large mini-bus (ungoverned), and when demand meets then by a 49-seater coach.

Arrival at Elland Rd is generally by 1pm. Return travel is straight after the game with last drop offs usually by 9.00pm.

There is usually one stop at Leicester Forest Services on the M1 motorway.

Membership is currently free on completing an application form.

Contact the Branch by email. s.g@virgin.net





Read more: http://www.leeds.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=225146#ixzz18aDxuXOZ

[newsome]

Leeds 2-0 QPR
Soccer Saturday analysis

Simon Grayson has transformed Leeds into genuine promotion contenders, according to Paul Merson, who told Soccer Saturday that they were worth every bit of their 2-0 victory over Championship leaders QPR.

Max Gradel struck twice to extend Leeds' unbeaten league run to nine matches - the victory lifting his side to within three points of the Londoners, who have now lost two on the spin.

"The longer the game went on Leeds were much more the dominant team. QPR were disappointing, if I'm being honest," reflected Merson.

"Adel Taarabt has got great feet and he reminds me of a school captain - he wants to beat everybody on the pitch; every time he gets the ball he has to nutmeg someone.

"He has got great talent but he doesn't seem like a team player; but he's one of those players that you have got to have in the team because he will do something out of the ordinary.

"I was very impressed with Leeds. I watched them not that long ago on Monday Night Football and they were absolutely ripped apart by Cardiff and I thought 'if these stay up they've done well' but now they are second in the league - what an unbelievable job Simon Grayson has done."

Afraid
Merson was impressed with Gradel's poise in front of goal but admitted he was concerned at QPR's lack of firepower up front.

"The two goals today were good finishes," he said. "He kept the first one down well when he could easily have ballooned it and showed a lot of composure for the second.

"They (QPR) are a big team - they look big and physical; Taarabt has been doing things out of the ordinary in a lot of these games and sooner or later they dry up and no-one else is scoring the goals. That's the worrying thing.

"But they are in a good position - they've had an unbelievable start but I think they need to dip into their pocket and buy a couple more players in January if they want to go up because if they don't I'm afraid I don't see them going up."

Merson skryter av Leeds ja!
http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,26691,16428_6598283,00.html

[Promotion 2010]

Bra Promo!

Samle sammen slike til oss etter hver kamp

De er kjapt uten etter hjemmekampene, mens fra bortekampene kommer dette sen. Da går dette i glemmeboken for lokale fans...

Mest kommer det etter gode kamper selvsagt.   

[Promotion 2010]

Litt sutring fra QPR-fansen:

Throwing coins and even a bottle into the rangers section where me and my ten year old boy were. We complained but nothing was done so decided to leave early when an object hit my son. Luckily he wasn't hurt but he was very upset.

Hostile fans. Unhelpful and arrogant stewards and aggressive old bill. I won't be going there again.


http://wearetherangersboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84263

[jackbauer68]

The reason for the lack of quizzing? Possibly the fact that Grayson had stated in a Saturday morning newspaper interview that Becchio’s contract was unlikely to be sorted out before the New Year. So what changed in 24 hours? Did Jack Bauer get involved in the contract talks? We may never know.

Vel Bengt, hadde du ein finger med i spillet

Ja,noe måtte gjøres

[Promotion 2010]

Grayson delighted with outstanding performance

Leeds United boss Simon Grayson was delighted with the performance of his side when they defeated league leaders Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at Elland Road.

Grayson described the performance as outstanding as Leeds inflicted Rangers first away defeat of the season thanks to two Max Gradel goals.

Speaking on Radio Leeds, Grayson said, "I`m delighted with the performance and the manner of how we won, I thought we were outstanding for large parts of the game and dominated. We defended well when we needed to do as a team. We worked hard, we made tackles and competed, and when we had possession of the ball we were certainly a major threat."

Leeds had already looked a threat with Luciano Becchio forcing Paddy Kenny into a great save and Robert Snodgrass saw another effort just go wide of the post when they eventually took the lead on 25 minutes.

Some excellent work by Snodgrass eventually found Howson at the far post and he headed back for Gradel to drill home with his left foot.

Becchio was thwarted again early in the second half by Kenny but they eventually put the game out of sight on 70 minutes when Gradel again drilled home with his left foot.

Leeds had more chances with Howson and Snodgrass both thwarted as Rangers had no answer to the Leeds pressure.

The win sets up Leeds nicely for the busy Christmas period and with Cardiff not playing because of the weather and Swansea losing they took the opportunity to move within three points of leaders Rangers and claim the second automatic promotion spot.


Read more: http://www.leeds.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=225140#ixzz18aZVXELv

[jackbauer68]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1YF6APvP3E

[Promotion 2010]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1YF6APvP3E

Megabra!!!! 

[jackbauer68]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1YF6APvP3E

Megabra!!!!  

Jepp,mildt sagt

[JacobScreek]

Litt sutring fra QPR-fansen:

Throwing coins and even a bottle into the rangers section where me and my ten year old boy were. We complained but nothing was done so decided to leave early when an object hit my son. Luckily he wasn't hurt but he was very upset.

Hostile fans. Unhelpful and arrogant stewards and aggressive old bill. I won't be going there again.


http://wearetherangersboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84263

For VI rykker opp og de gjør det ikke...men kan jo muligens møtes i en eller annen cup en gang..

[Tom S]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1YF6APvP3E

Megabra!!!! 

Jepp,mildt sagt

Superb

[Promotion 2010]

Guardian:

Great expectations as Leeds begin to see good times
Second in the table and unbeaten in their last nine matches, Simon Grayson's side finally seem to be pulling together

Richard Rae at Elland Road The Guardian, Monday 20 December 2010 Article history
Max Gradel, who scored both of Leeds goals in the 2-0 win over QPR, celebrates the second. Photograph: John Rushworth/Action Images

There was much talk about levels of expectation at Elland Road rday, and to be sure, they are considerable. But in beating the Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers 2-0, extending an unbeaten run to nine matches and moving up to second in the table, it is fair to say Leeds United are exceeding the expectations of the most demanding of their notoriously partisan supporters.

Not least because, as a group of still slightly wide-eyed fans on the train back from the previous week's remarkable comeback win at Burnley pointed out, it is in essence the same team who only just secured automatic promotion from League One.

Or a weaker team even, given that the top scorer Jermaine Beckford moved to Everton on a free transfer. Of 10 summer signings, only the goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, the full-back Paul Connolly and the centre-half Alex Bruce are established in the current line-up.

They certainly looked weak at the end of October, when Cardiff City came to west Yorkshire and tore Leeds to shreds on live television. That made it four defeats in five games for Simon Grayson's side, and the turnaround since is as much a testament to their young manager as it undoubtedly is to the players.

First, he acted to improve his defence by bringing in the experienced centre-half Andy O'Brien on loan from Bolton. A local boy still living in nearby Harrogate, O'Brien has played with the commitment of one who would very much like to sign the permanent deal which by all accounts Leeds intend to offer him next month.

Second, helped by the return to fitness of the wonderfully talented Scottish midfielder Robert Snodgrass, Grayson changed the way the team were playing from 4-4-2 to 4-2-3-1. With O'Brien a calming organisational influence at the back, and Bradley Johnson and Neil Kilkenny as the holding players, the inspirational young captain Jonathan Howson has licence to drive forward with Snodgrass and the Ivorian Max Gradel on either side of him, creating chances for themselves as a trio and for the lone centre-forward, Luciano Becchio.

While far from perfect â€" with the absence of O'Brien through injury Leeds reverted to their former defensively suspect ways in the first half against Burnley, before Grayson got hold of them at half-time â€" the system seems to suit the players.

"When we were conceding a lot of goals and struggling to keep clean sheets earlier in the season, it wasn't necessarily the back four that was the problem: they were making a few mistakes, but individuals in front of them weren't doing their jobs, and now we're defending as a group," said Grayson rday, as a crowd of almost 30,000 departed happily.

"Certainly you can sense the players are enjoying what they're doing at the moment, which is a big factor. But the reality is that all we've done is give ourselves an opportunity. We hope to build on it, but in a tight division we can also still get relegated â€" you can lose a few games and confidence can dwindle away. Our first aim was consolidation, making sure we would stay in the division, and that hasn't changed."

The time to take stock, he said, will be after the Christmas period. Leeds travel to Leicester City on Boxing Day and host Portsmouth 48 hours later, before playing Middlesbrough and Cardiff over the new year, the latter the last league fixture before an FA Cup third-round tie at Arsenal.

But not everything is rosy. The issue of who or what actually owns the club remains unresolved, and the tight hold of the chairman, Ken Bates, on the purse strings could result in several out-of-contract players leaving next month. One, the increasingly impressive young Argentinian striker Becchio, signed a new three and a half-year deal on Saturday, but the futures of Johnson and Kilkenny in particular remain uncertain. Grayson, whose demeanour on and away from the touchline is the epitome of phlegmatic, does not give the impression of being concerned.

"We have players who will be out of contract and we hope to try and resolve those issues, but I don't think, given where we are in the league, attracting new players will be too difficult â€" if I decide it's the right thing to do. We've got a group of players who have done well, and when that happens sometimes you have to stay loyal to them."

This Thursday marks two years since Grayson was recruited from Blackpool to take over at Leeds, then going nowhere in League One under Gary McAllister. Whatever the general opinion on Bates's stewardship, that at least is an appointment for which the former Chelsea owner continues to gain considerable credit.

The club at a glance
Ground Elland Road, 39,460.

Average attendance (league, 11 matches) 25,957

Manager Simon Grayson; first-team coaches Ian Miller, Glynn Snodin

Owner Refuse to say but deemed fit and proper by the Football league

Chairman Ken Bates

Turnover (2008-09) £23.5m; Operating loss £1.6m; Total wage bill £12.3m

Debt Once £103m, now nothing, according to Bates. "We made a profit last year. We don't owe anybody any money. We have a little bit in the bank, but not much," he told Sky Sports in November.

Net spend in last transfer window Unknown; 10 summer signings, seven on frees, three undisclosed

Biggest signing at club Ross McCormack reported £300,000 (August 2010)

Biggest ever signing Rio Ferdinand £18m


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/football-league-blog/2010/dec/20/leeds-united-ken-bates-simon-grayson

[Promotion 2010]

Meget bra match-referat fra YEP:


http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/Leeds-United-v-QPR-34Scrooge34.6666181.jp


...og fra The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/grayson-dares-to-dream-as-reborn-leeds-scent-return-to-the-top-flight-2164890.html

[Promotion 2010]

YP denne gang:

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Leeds-Utd--2-.6666295.jp

[newsome]

Noen som har linker til noen spillerbørser? Lurer på hvordan Bromby gjorde det..

Jeg var også nysgjerrig på dette, så jeg sjekket waccoe i går kveld. Der får han skryt:

-He was excellent and rarely troubled really. We looked better with him on to be honest as Bruce was getting dicked in the air in the first few minutes.

-He coped admirably. Couldn't of asked him to play any better

-To say he's played 10 minutes at Boro all season, he was terrific. Won everything.

-given that he's barely featured all season I thought he was brilliant.

-I'd actually quite like to see a Bromby-O'Brien pairing at the back. I just have a hunch it would work nicely.

-He was brilliant today

Kanskje har vi tilstrekkelig av stoppere likevel? Han har vel fireårskontrakt(?), da kan vi like gjerne bruke han, erfaren som han er. Godt å se at han kom tilbake med stil!!

Helt enig: Bromby er en meget solid og god spiller. Dessverre undervurdert.

[MOT]

http://www.leeds.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=225224

Schmeichel, Gradel og snoddy i Team of the week

[SupALeedS]

Da har jeg kommet meg hjem etter 1 døgns reising fra London til Rygge, og jeg vil på det sterkeste si ifra om at dere aldri mer må reise med RyanAir, Dette var andre turen jeg var over for å se Leeds, sammen med kjæresten, og vi bodde på Hilton Hotell i Leeds, det var et supert hotell!

Men når vi skulle hjem så visste det seg og ikke være så enkelt, vi tok buss fra Leeds station til gatwick, det tok ca 6 timer, en time forsinka pga trafikk denne dagen det er jo helt ok, så når vi kom til flyplassen så ble flyet vårt forsinket med 4,5 time, og da vi endelig kunne få gå ombord i flyet så mangla det 2 passasjerere , som vi ABSELUTT SKULLE VENTE PÃ...! i 3 timer satt vi å venta, helt til vi faktisk hadde tenkt til å få fly, da hadde ombordstigen frysi fast til flyet vi satt på, og da gikk det nok en time, når dem fant ut at fly plassen faktisk ble stengt helt, så skulle vi av flyet, og da mangla dem trappa til flyet, vi fikk en vannflaske på deling, ingen mat, ikke en gang små barn!! så etter 5 timer så fikk vi lette! Og alle var glade for å få mat, men da vi faktisk hadde kommet opp i lufta foklarte fly personellet at dem ikke skulle servere mat!!! jeeez for et selskap aldri dra med dem igjen!

Så over til noe abselutt hyggelige, KAMPEN!

Vi kom inn, fikk plass bak målet, og for en syyk stemning det var, drøye 30 tusen fans!

Og til alle skeptikere om championship neste år, jeg tror dette laget er godt nok til å gå rett opp! Vi har flere nøkkelspillere, og vil dra frem Gradel, Snograss, Smeichel, Collins som dem store!

Kasper: 7 Gjorde jobben, hadde noen meget gode inngrepner
Bromby: 6 Kom inn for en skadet bruce, klarte seg utmerket!
connely: 7 spilte godt på back posisjon, virket veldig trygg
McCartney: 7 Spilte veldig bra, god offensiv som defensiv
Collins: 9 Denne mannen har vi kritisert mye, og jeg var veldig skeptisk til han, men etter å sett han spille i dag så er han meget god!

Kenny: 7: liten, kvikk, og dirigent på midten, god med ball
Gradel: 10: konstant trussel for Qpr, kvikk og målfarlig spiller, som kommer seg ut av trange situasjoner

Snoddy: 8 Viser igjen at han er viktig for laget før 1 scoringen, smart spiller
Howson: 6 Ingen stor kamp mener jeg av howson, men så glimtvis hva han står for
Becchio: 6: syntes han var litt usynlig i det offensive, men være ved å score hvor paddy fikk så vidt vippet den over
Johnson: 5: Beklager, men har ikke sansen for denne spilleren, Treig, feit, og ikke spesielt kontroll på noe han foretar seg, ok at denne spilleren er på vei ut!


Supporterne for treningskast 10, beste var da alle sang, you should go christmas shopping!

Alt i alt en suuper tur til Leeds, gleder meg allerede nå til neste tur!!

[flynn]

Da har jeg kommet meg hjem etter 1 døgns reising fra London til Rygge, og jeg vil på det sterkeste si ifra om at dere aldri mer må reise med RyanAir, Dette var andre turen jeg var over for å se Leeds, sammen med kjæresten, og vi bodde på Hilton Hotell i Leeds, det var et supert hotell!

Men når vi skulle hjem så visste det seg og ikke være så enkelt, vi tok buss fra Leeds station til gatwick, det tok ca 6 timer, en time forsinka pga trafikk denne dagen det er jo helt ok, så når vi kom til flyplassen så ble flyet vårt forsinket med 4,5 time, og da vi endelig kunne få gå ombord i flyet så mangla det 2 passasjerere , som vi ABSELUTT SKULLE VENTE PÃ...! i 3 timer satt vi å venta, helt til vi faktisk hadde tenkt til å få fly, da hadde ombordstigen frysi fast til flyet vi satt på, og da gikk det nok en time, når dem fant ut at fly plassen faktisk ble stengt helt, så skulle vi av flyet, og da mangla dem trappa til flyet, vi fikk en vannflaske på deling, ingen mat, ikke en gang små barn!! så etter 5 timer så fikk vi lette! Og alle var glade for å få mat, men da vi faktisk hadde kommet opp i lufta foklarte fly personellet at dem ikke skulle servere mat!!! jeeez for et selskap aldri dra med dem igjen!

Så over til noe abselutt hyggelige, KAMPEN!

Vi kom inn, fikk plass bak målet, og for en syyk stemning det var, drøye 30 tusen fans!

Og til alle skeptikere om championship neste år, jeg tror dette laget er godt nok til å gå rett opp! Vi har flere nøkkelspillere, og vil dra frem Gradel, Snograss, Smeichel, Collins som dem store!

Kasper: 7 Gjorde jobben, hadde noen meget gode inngrepner
Bromby: 6 Kom inn for en skadet bruce, klarte seg utmerket!
connely: 7 spilte godt på back posisjon, virket veldig trygg
McCartney: 7 Spilte veldig bra, god offensiv som defensiv
Collins: 9 Denne mannen har vi kritisert mye, og jeg var veldig skeptisk til han, men etter å sett han spille i dag så er han meget god!

Kenny: 7: liten, kvikk, og dirigent på midten, god med ball
Gradel: 10: konstant trussel for Qpr, kvikk og målfarlig spiller, som kommer seg ut av trange situasjoner

Snoddy: 8 Viser igjen at han er viktig for laget før 1 scoringen, smart spiller
Howson: 6 Ingen stor kamp mener jeg av howson, men så glimtvis hva han står for
Becchio: 6: syntes han var litt usynlig i det offensive, men være ved å score hvor paddy fikk så vidt vippet den over
Johnson: 5: Beklager, men har ikke sansen for denne spilleren, Treig, feit, og ikke spesielt kontroll på noe han foretar seg, ok at denne spilleren er på vei ut!


Supporterne for treningskast 10, beste var da alle sang, you should go christmas shopping!

Alt i alt en suuper tur til Leeds, gleder meg allerede nå til neste tur!!

Flott SupA!
Og en smule misunnelig på dere som var på denne kampen. Forhåpentligvis blir det flere slike storkamper framover, med stinn brakk, stor steming og 3 poeng!
Jeg noterer meg også problemer med RyanAir, men nå var det vel ikke bare de som har slitt en smule de siste dagene så det kan godt hende du hadde vært like ille ute om du reiste med noen andre også...

flynn

[samadhi]

ingen mat, ikke en gang små barn!!

Dette gjelder nok ikke bare RyanAir. Ytterst få flyselskap som serverer små barn, selv i nødsituasjoner...

[lojosang]

ingen mat, ikke en gang små barn!!

Dette gjelder nok ikke bare RyanAir. Ytterst få flyselskap som serverer små barn, selv i nødsituasjoner...

Faktisk hadde jeg regna med at Ryan Air var de eneste som VAR troende til det.