Bassett's warning to United fans
Dave Bassett warns United fansDave Bassett has admitted that Leeds United are fighting against a statistical improbability by attempting to repeat their first 23 results during the second half of the season.
United amassed 52 points before turning for home on New Year's Day, leaving the club 37 points in credit as a result of their points deduction.
But Bassett conceded that Leeds would be breaking a historical mould if they doubled their halfway tally by the end of the final game against Gillingham at Elland Road on May 3.
Dennis Wise's assistant sought to rein in expectation after Leeds were beaten 1-0 by Doncaster Rovers on Saturday, their third defeat in five league matches.
The last three months have been less profitable for Leeds than the weeks that saw their campaign begin with a 13-match unbeaten run, and the loss to Doncaster raised issues about the make-up of Wise's team.
A midfield containing three January signings looked less certain than it had against Northampton Town and Crewe, and United's meagre number of opportunities up front underlined the club's plan to recruit another striker on loan.
To complicate matters further, Wise's replacement for Rui Marques, Darren Kenton, spent Sunday nursing a twisted ankle sustained in his home debut.
A crucial four-day period encompassing away games at Luton Town and Southend United is looming and successive victories would take Leeds to the brink of the 50-point mark, with 17 league games remaining.
But Bassett insisted notions that United would stroll to a total of 104 points at the end of the season ignored the pressure that traditionally builds through the second half of league campaigns.
Bassett said: "The second half of the season was always going to be harder.
"The players were fantastic in the first half but to emulate that is very difficult. Teams who end up at the top of the table don't get the same in the second half of the season.
"It's only ever been done once, and that was by Fulham about nine years ago.
"To think that Leeds were going to get another 50-odd points in the second half of the season, and to expect Leeds to automatically do that, is a tall order. But we're still in fifth position and if the season finishes today then we'd be in the play-offs.
"Everybody would have had that at the start of the season. Getting into the play-offs would be a great achievement, but we haven't given up on chasing top spot. We want to do that, and the players could have an early holiday then.
"The expectations were lifted by the players and if there had been a few defeats early in the season we'd be looking at it differently. But that's part and parcel of life. We have to accept that, and we're not kidding ourselves – we know it's going to be hard during the second half."
The example of Fulham is taken from the 1998-99 season, when the London club won Division Two with 101 points and became one of only two sides in the last two decades to reach three figures in the third English tier.
Fulham gathered 49 points during their first 23 games – three fewer than Wise's Leeds – and closed out the season by claiming a further 52, helped by eight successive victories in March and April.
They won the league by a canter from Walsall, and never looked back. Wise would be happy to replicate that model of success.
Doncaster are themselves a more convincing image of consistency than Leeds after one defeat in 18 matches, and Bassett agreed that Sean O'Driscoll's side had deserved their victory at Elland Road.
But Bassett said: "A lot of our decision-making wasn't good.
"We pointed out to the players that Doncaster are on a better run than us. They're a good side and they're challenging. But it's alright talking about it – the players have to take it on board.
"A few or our players were below par, and most of the Doncaster players seemed to be on their game.
"It's like a baby with a nappy – you teach them and when they take it off they've got to grow up and learn for themselves. A few still had their nappies on.
"Doncaster played very well and they had more efforts on goal than we had. People generally don't take much notice of that, but it does have an effect.
"I felt after 15 minutes that Doncaster were up for the game more than we were, and they looked physically prepared to put themselves on the line."
A striker remains high on Wise's shortening list of transfer priorities, although the centre of his defence may need additional attention if Kenton's injury leaves only Paul Huntington and Matt Heath available for Saturday's game at Kenilworth Road.
Bassett said: "With one or two players that Dennis had his eye on, we've had a kick-back saying we can't get them.
"Hopefully we might have another player in by the end of the month, maybe two. But it might be that we have to get on with what we've got because we're not going to take somebody for the sake of it.
"We won't over-react. It would have been great to have beaten Doncaster but they got the three points and they smile. We've got a miserable face but we'll have a smile some other time."
YEP
