Pointing finger at agents over that new year horror
Peter Lorimer
Talking Soccer
MANY people are wondering what happened to Leeds United over the festive period, when four games yielded just four points and an in-depth analysis is required to put things into perspective.
Firstly, no opposition in this league can be lightly dismissed and it was no surprise to me that Leeds were run pretty close by Bristol Rovers, who had impressed me when we played them at their place earlier in the season.
It was pretty plain that the away games at Hartlepool and Swansea were going to be tough and so they proved. It was definitely a point gained in the north east and I think most people who saw the next match felt that the Welshmen had shaded it and deserved their three points.
It was the capitulation against Oldham at Elland Road on New Year's Day that caused most consternation and I have thought long and hard about this.
My conclusion is that much of the blame for a performance which fell a long way short of the generally high standards set this season can be laid at the door of the scourge of the modern-day game, the agents.
There's never any proof of this, but you can bet that the representatives of those players who took the field against Oldham who are fearful of losing their place once the January transfer window has ground to a halt, had been warning them not to get injured in the match for fear of missing out on a projected move.
Leeds are talking about bringing in four of five players which, of course, plants the seed of doubt in the minds of those already in the squad.
Maybe their mental focus shifts a little and the prospect of reserve team football at Elland Road would not appeal to them while a move away might.
Consequently, they are going to look after themselves a bit and may draw back a little from giving their all.
You only need a couple in this category in the team for the whole lot to fall into a heap and that, in my view, is what happened in a game in which Leeds never got going.
No wonder the manager, Dennis Wise, was infuriated.
He would be thinking, quite naturally, what a strong position his side has manoeuvered itself into with a string of impressive victories and just when he was looking for a nice home victory in front of 25,000 fans the bandwagon shuddered to an unscheduled halt.
He's trained them all week, they're on big money and he would expect nothing less than their very best.
He didn't get it and the consequences of that will become apparent over the next couple of weeks.
Thanks to the unswerving loyalty of the fans and a chairman who knows what he is doing, money has been made available to Wise in the transfer market and he will know exactly the right type of player he has to bring in with Championship football next season uppermost in his mind.
Just going back to Oldham briefly, nothing should be taken away from their fine performance under a manager in John Sheridan who has strong ties with Leeds and who has his team playing in the manner that anybody who watched him in action will relate to – good flowing football with a winning mindset.
That was their sixth consecutive away win, so anybody running away with the idea that to be beaten by Oldham signals the end of Leeds' season should put the defeat into context.
Leeds have the perfect opportunity to get their promotion aspirations back on track tomorrow when Northampton Town are the visitors to Elland Road.
I don't know very much about Northampton, but I'm inclined to think they, like many teams who come here, will be more concerned with avoiding defeat rather than going for victory and it will be up to Leeds to break them down.
I have every confidence they will.
YEP
