FA Carling Premiership Game 6: Saturday 19 September 1998 Leeds United 0 - 0 Aston Villa (Half-time: 0 - 0) Crowd: 33446 Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees)
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vs Villa - Nick Allen

We had a strange line-up with Alfie and Clyde being dropped, and Halle and Bruno stepping in. Bruno came into midfield, while Halle was played at a pushed forward right midfield, to sit on Wright their Lback, and keep him pinned back. Struck me as a weird one but in fairness to Gunnar, he had a good game - sensible passing, good crossing, and some intelligent runs to make space, and get on the end of thrown ins.

Dropping Clyde meant that Harry was moved - he played just off Jimmy - which had two effects. It was good for Harry, who got more involved that previously this season, but it meant that Jimmy was left on his own against 3 Chalfs. Which he predictably got nothing out of.

Let's deal with Jimmy right away - he had a couple of decent chances - one header in the first 15 minutes from a Halle cross, which just drifted wide. He spent most of the last 20 minutes on his arse, moaning, and it began to get on the tits of the folk around us - I did have a mental image of a red faced Rev hoping around in a fury at one point - so much so that they almost began booing him, they didn't, but it was close. The problem for Jimmy though is that of crying wolf, after three or four episodes like this, he then got flattened as he charged through, but the referee gave nothing. I wonder if GG hasn't instructed Jimmy to get whatever he can near the box, knowing that we're more likely to score form that than from open play. Or maybe Jimmy just likes to dive.

We also brought Hopkin into Cmidfield, where he looked more comfortable and more effective, still not good enough like, but getting better. Bruno added fluency and bite. LeeBowya was the pick of our midfield by a mile.

Lucas was immaculate.

Something that points out our lack of invention is that our two most potenet threats were Harte - who had a succession of shots, and crosses that caused no end of bother - and the Hiden/Harte axis down the right. The nearest we came was Harte's long range effort at the end of the first half, - cut inside onto his right foot, hit the shot from 25 yards out, bounced onto the far post with Bosnich beaten, Bowyas flying header from the rebound hit the bar.

Villa's closest effort was when BigBob tried to chest control a long ball on the edge of his own box, and only succeeded on putting it on a plate for Joachim. Who fortunately for us and Bob, slid it past the post.

POINTS:

MARTYN -6- one awful sliced clearance, gave Hendrie a pop at an empty net, otherwise sound.
HIDEN -6- good coming forward.
HARTE -7- biggest threat on the day.
RADEBE -8- normal service (described by D. Lacey as hugely impressive, and having "authority")
MOLENAAR -6- still not convinced.
HALLE -7- wasn't happy about his inclusion but he had a good game - he is not a long term answer though.
HOPKIN -6- his best of the season
BOWYER -8- he drives us forward, looks a threat, and tackles like a dervish. stlg5m on Batty would be a waste.
RIBERIO -6- good to see him back, now he needs a game or two to really get going.
JIMMY-5- a bad day at the office.
KEWELL -5- his best game so far.

If we lack bite and penetration why not look at Phillips of Sunderland.

Crowd 33000 ish - and quiet.

Killa 0-0 thrilla v Villa??? - John Lee

Great game, completely dominated the other team, bags of possession,lots of committed tackling, who could complain at that. Yeah, but did we look like scoring. Well, the whingeing skiver/diver had a close header, and a Harte/Bowyer double woodwork combo was unlucky in the extreme. Anything else. Well Harte whapped a tremendous shot from 40 yds, and Halle would surely have scored if Jimmy wasn't such a greedy c***!

OK, so it had 0-0 all over it from the start, but if the lack of creativity we witnessed on Satdi was what is going to win us silver-ware then I'll also expect it to rain fivers today! We could have won this game (is this the 4th time seemingly everyone has said this this season) - Villa were average, came to defend, and we couldn't break them down. Same old story!

Scores

Martyn 6 - OK, but some poor kicking of the Lukic variety into touch
Hiden - 8 defensive mark - 2 - getting forward. He must have been told to stay back, as it seemed he was on a piece of elastic attached to our goal!
Molenaar 6 - one heart-stopping mis-control nearly let in Joachim, but OK, aside from THAT pass!
Radebe 8 - no one to touch him in the Premiership!
Harte 7 - excellent shooting, one or two good corners amidst some terrible crosses and passing
Halle - 7 hard to slag Gunnar off, cos he played to his limits, made some excellent runs (no chance of getting the ball from JFH though!), but a wing-back he is not!
Hopkin 7+ - thought he had his best ever game for us. Looked like he at least knew which way was forward, and seemed the most likely to unlock Villa. Some dodgy passing still in his game!
Bowyer 7 - fully involved in midfield melle!
Ribiero 6+ - not at his sharpist yet. Needs more games.
Kewell - 5 - insignificant!
Hasselbaink 4 - good early chance, stopped trying after 15 minutes. Control as per normal. Pathetic cheating & diving (and lying on the floor uninjured whilst the game went against us) opened a few more eyes! The only time I can ever remember a Gods player attended to by the physio and then not applauded as he got up! He attempted an even worse dive later after a blade of grass `looked at him funny!'. The word SHITE would be most apt! Was it Michael Gardiner who said that if he's scoring goals then he's alright?? Well he isn't, and he's costing us goals cos he won't pass to others in a goal-scoring position. He is such a greedy twat, and NO, I don't like cheats! Everyone prattles on when Hughes, Klinssman, Heskey, Shearer dive around getting free-kicks, but then you'll defend the most amateurish diver since Gordon Watson at Sheffield Wednesday!! Unbelievable!

Sharpe 4 - take your pick from unfit or past it. Either way, not up to it. No speed and not enuff skill
Haaland 5

If I was Wijnhard I'd be dead p*ssed off at the situation!

Villa Review - Barjinder Singh

GG 8
Spot on with the tactics and deserves credit for being brave enough to change a winning team. Definitely looked more balanced and creative whilst denying Villa to play by pressing our game constantly onto them.

Martyn 6
As always provided us with our routine, two scares per game. Apart from that showed a lot more confidence than in the past in the box on one/two occasions. Little to do on the whole.

Hiden 6
Linked well with Halle but must chance it and take players on once in a while.

Harte 8
Very confident performance. Not afraid to shoot and unlucky not to score on two occasions. A few desperate lunges at the ball early on but then steady.

T1000 7
Ok Whethers is better at set pieces but this man can pass a ball out of defensive and looks comfortable doing so. Apart from his one mistake which should have cost us, a performance & player which the likes of Roy Evans would kill for at the moment.

Lucas 10
How much better can he play than this..didn't give the Merse or Poachim a sniff all afternoon, the King yet again.

Hopkin 6
Managed to find a white shirt lots of times. 100% improvement compared to last two performances.

Bowyer 7
Solid. The summer diet of Chicken & Pasta has definitely helped him as he doesn't get knocked off the ball so easily like last season.

Riberio 7
Had Taylor chasing him all over the pitch. Looked adventurous and busy, just needed somebody to make a run so he could thread the ball through. Put his put on the ball very well at times.

Kewell 7
Much better and got himself into some really good positions. A bit of practice in the shooting school beforehand and he could have got a hat-trick.

Halle 8
Best game in a Leeds shirt for me. Put in some super crosses, won most of the challenges in the air and a bit of trickery on that right flank which I didn't think he had in him. Great change by GG.

JFH 6
Way way too greedy at times. Expects the ball to be passed to him every time now but hardly returns the compliment and moves for it. Just like last week must try and win the ball in the air occasionally; perhaps he's worried about his brain-cells eh .

Sharp 6
Needs a start to be able to express himself.

Crowd - Not bad.

All locked up without the hint of a key - David Lacey

After Aston Villa, the early Premiership leaders, and Leeds United, the team lying third, had shared a goalless draw at Elland Road on Saturday which was about as entertaining as the mating ritual of giant turtles the idea that either might win the championship did not bear thinking about.

In fact George Graham, the Leeds manager, practically dismissed the notion out of hand. "Both of us could finish in the top six," he said, "but probably no better than that.

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