Fra YEP i dag....
By Phil Hay
Published on Monday 25 July 2011 08:30
Simon Grayson has again urged Leeds United’s supporters to have faith in the club’s plans for the new season after the travelling fans voiced their discontent at Hillsborough, writes Phil Hay.
Chants against United’s owner, Ken Bates, were heard during United’s 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, a reaction to a summer in which Leeds have signed only two new players.
Grayson, above, was hoping to see that number increase to three today with the arrival of another goalkeeper but concern among Leeds’ support was evident in Sheffield with the club beset by injuries and less than a fortnight from starting their Championship season.
Leeds have two friendlies remaining – tomorrow’s game at Sandefjord and Sunday’s meeting with Newcastle United – but Grayson said: “As I said a couple of weeks ago, just be patient and see where we are before we play Southampton. In an ideal world I’d have had my team in place three or four weeks ago but that isn’t the scenario sometimes. You have to wait for good players to come along and deals can go backwards and forwards. They’re not always easy to conclude.â€
Asked if confirmation of a new arrival today would be a relief, Grayson said: “It’s not a relief from my point of view because I know how hard we’ve been working and how close we were and are to this and other deals.
“From the outside it might look like we’ve not been doing much and frustration might creep into the fans but I can assure them that we are working hard. Hopefully by the end of this week there’ll be a couple more signings done.â€
A late penalty from Max Gradel maintained United’s unbeaten record at Hillsborough where ex-Leeds player David Prutton gave the hosts a 1-0 lead after eight minutes.
Grayson was encouraged by the sight of Patrick Kisnorbo completing 90 minutes for the first time since rupturing an Achilles tendon in March 2010, and the Australian defender looks increasingly likely to be available to start United’s first Championship game at Southampton on August 6.
“I’ve tried to get him as much football as I can without overdoing it,†Grayson said. “This was a good opportunity for him to be really tested. Psychologically it must be a big thing for him to get through 90 minutes.
“In the first half we didn’t have the tempo we wanted but in the second half we looked a lot livelier. Wednesday gave us a test going forward and the players stood up to it. With two games to go, I’m pleased with how the team’s developing.â€