FA Carling Premiership Game 8: Saturday 3 October 1998 Leeds United 0 - 1 Leicester City (Half-time: 0 - 0) Crowd: 32606 Referee: G Barber (Pyrford)
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It's Official - we've been Duped! - Voice of Football

Where the fuck was GG this summer? Adding just one very mediocre foward to this already mediocre bunch!

GG is just a conman. As well as doing nowt for the team, as far as I can see he hasn't developed any of our youth team, except for Kewell perhaps. He got rid of Paul Hart too.

Leicester, meanwhile are a superbly organised team. We could have lost 4-0. Get O'Neill signed up now. Anyone who can turn Cottee into a 90 minute threat should be given anything to be our manager.

O'Leary is pissing about, obviously thinking about going to Spurs, and anyway do we want someone who has NEVER managed a club before experimenting with us? A recipe for disaster for sure.

Scores
Martyn - 8
Hiden - 6
Weatherall - 6
Molenaar - 4
Harte - 3 (Granville - 6)
Bowyer - 6
Sharpe - 6
Halle - 4
Haaland - 4
Jimmy - 6
Clyde - 4

vs Leicester - Nick Allen

To be blunt Leicester stopped everything we tried to do, with a big well organised back line, and a competetive midfield, and made it look easy. Izzet and Lennon would both be welcome to pull on the white shirt on this performance. Heskey proved why he's still only a prospect - yes big, fast, strong, and talented, but his finishing when twice in 5 minutes he was unmarked at the far post from corners, was limp. Mind you he spent the better part of the game getting goal side of Molenaar. Those of you who've seen the goal on TV, talk to me about Molenaar's attempted "tackle" of Heskey as he receives the ball just in our half - Bob wafts a leg at him, which is not only miles off the ball but succeeds in throwing himself off balance, and making Heskey sprint down the line his only - and yet ridiculously easy - option. Molenaar sold himself a dummy.

Interestingly for those of us who want a Lucas - Wetherall back pairing, Wetherall came straight off the bench to be captain. I hope that this means that Molenaar was GG's man and he will now revert to being a squad player - or even a Spurs player.

The only real plus for us was the re-emergence of Sharpe as a threat to the opposition. He had his best game for Leeds on Saturday, and it all kicked off for him after a surging run down the left wing beating 2, and swinging in a delightful cross, only to see Halle as the man on the end of it. From then on he was hungry for the ball inventive with it, and a real problem for Leicester. He moved into CMidfield in the 2nd half, as we moved to 3 Chalfs, and pushed Granville froward. Granville came on at half time for Harte, and looked OK, if nervous.

Half the crowd sung "stand up if you want O'Neill", to which the other replied "O'Leary, O'Leary". It does look like its between those two.

POINTS

MARTYN -6- little to do - no chance with goal.
HIDEN -5- some good work, alongside some hurried last ditch scrambling. Lost Heskey at the corners twice.
HARTE -4- sadly ineffective - replaced by GRANVILLE -5- who was a little better.
MOLENAAR -5- Unable to cope with Heskey. Physically flattening smaller people does not equal marking them.
WETHERALL -6- did exactly what you expect of him, tackled hard, won everything in the air, and passed the ball like a deranged morris dancer. A good old fashioned no nonsense CHalf - if in doubt, Car park it.
HALLE -1- complete bollocks
HAALAND -1- complete bollocks with dyed hair.
BOWYER -7- as good as ever, but its wasted on those around him.
SHARPE -8- him and LeeBowya, the only decent creative forces in our team
WIJNHARD -5- huffed and puffed to no effect.
JIMMY -5- ditto.
But in defence of the forwards, against a good defence like Leicesters - they need better service and better support than they got here.

Interesting facts from the programme - Jimmy has 25 goals in 45 full appearances for us - which is a ratio that I would accept from our lead striker. Wetherall is the second leading goalscorer in the squad with 17.

Finally - who the fuck allowed GG a whole page to "explain" why he left us. I don't care. I don't give A FLYING FUCK WHAT HIS MEALY MOUTHED SELF RIGHTEOUS REASONS ARE. He's not Leeds anymore - who sanctioned this?

Leicester - Nige Sykes

I honestly thought that we'd seen the back of games like this one. It was easily as bad as the worst of the Wilko era, possibly worse.

How so many professional footballers can be so completely unable to do something as straighforward as pass the ball more than a few yards even when under no pressure whatsoever is a mystery to me.

Particularly wierd was the apparent invisible skill-sucking barrier 25 yards out from the Leicester goal. I lost count of the times that one of our players (usually Sharpe) moved up pitch with the ball only to get to the invisible barrier and immediately fuck up. It was as if his boots had turned to anti-matter the way they suddenly repelled the ball.

We did have a few good crosses throughout the game (unusually), but nobody ever got on the end of them with any gusto.

10 minutes into the game I said to the guy next to me - "Is that Cottee? - Shit! that fucking dwarf always scores against us." It was as inevitable as the "Stand up..." song after 5 minutes.

POINTS

MARTYN -6- not a lot to do. Flapped at a few corners. Borrowed Lucic's toblerone boots for the day.
HIDEN -5- Reasonable, but looses his man when defending set pieces far too often.
HARTE -2- Utterly, utterly shite. Passed like Mike Whitlow with his feet tied together.
GRANVILLE -5- Looked equally shite at first, but put that down to nerves. Steady if unspectacular afterwards.
MOLENAAR -5- Coped with Heskey most of the time (after a fashion). Some very rash and strange challenges near the half way line though.
WETHERALL -6- Pretty good. Must be back in with Luke from now on. Just like a traditional centre-half (including the inability to pass the ball).
HALLE -4- Ran around being completely unaffective all afternoon.
HAALAND -4- Headless chicken. More guilty than most on the passing / getting caught in possession front.
BOWYER -6- As per Alfie, but less crap. At least he had a glimmer of passion on display.
SHARPE -7- Seemed to be the main culprit on the getting caught 25 yards out front, but was all over the pitch and saw twice as much possession as the rest put together. Can't fault the effort. Needed more options from the rest when on the ball.
WIJNHARD -5- Hmmm. I start to suspect he's not going to be good enough.
JIMMY -4- Not interested. Jogged around diving and whinging all afternoon. Suffered the penalty of crying wolf when bundled over in the box in the 1st half. Never in the box when the occassional good cross came in. Crying out for a big centre-forward to play alongside him.
MCPHAIL -4- on for a few minutes at the end. What he did was ineffectual. Has the fattest legs in football. No wonder he's chastised for being slow.

Leicester Review - Barjinder Singh

DOL - 5
Deserves credit for changing the team around in an attempt to sparks things up a bit with the introduction Granville so early on in the game and then Kewell later; something which JG would never have done. Should have taken one of the midfield donkeys off though.

Martyn - 6
Surprisingly no scares this game but relied too much on the likes of Hiden/T1000 to protect him at Leicester's many corners, when he should've come out and took control. Couldn't do anything about the goal.

Hiden - 5
Got down the right wing well during the first half but defended badly during set pieces. Heskey should have made him pay for his lack of marking; fortunately he shot like a defender on both occasions.

Harte - 2
Looked heavy and constantly skinned by Savage.

T1000 5
Lost out to Heskey most times, both in the air and on the floor. Did better when facing Cottee. Poor distribution by his own standards.

Wethers 6
Coped well with the arial threat and a few crunching tackles. Good at corners and nearly got us a goal from one with Keller just tipping over. Gets the nod for me next game simply due to his ability at set pieces @ both ends.

Alfie 2
Please send this man to passing school ASAP.

Bowyer 5
Got forward well but lacked the skill to beat a man. Had an good effort where he had the last man to beat, took it inside and tried to curl it into the top right; flew over with Keller not having to make a save.

Sharpe 7
Had so much of the ball, but if only he had the skill of Juninho to exploit the massive spaces in midfield. Couple of good crosses; seemed to be a bit reserved to commit himself into the tackle which is understandable.

Halle 5
Only person in the front line not afraid of heading the ball. Most of Martyn's goal kicks went his way, which he flicked on successfully to either JFH or Clyde who'd loose it. Game passed him by all too easily.

JFH - 5
Usual moaning, crying, diving, shouting at Bowyer, refusing to head the ball. Looked like a man who wants out. Still a hero though.

Clyde - 6
Two great efforts but not having much luck with refs; most of the decisions go against him and seems to be bullied by defenders a lot. His time will come..

Granville - 7
Looked very good and comfortable on the ball and prepared to take on the Leicester right back. Couple of good crosses but nobody there to finish. Difficult selection prob for DOL next game.

Kewell - 5
Didn't have much time; confidence still low and lacks the hunger of last season

Ref - Poor I thought unless Clyde is fooling me very time.

Diplomatic Irishmen talk a good audition - Michael Walker

Considering the delicate and uncertain nature of an evolving situation, there were a surprising number of answers to be heard at Elland Road on Saturday. Then again, the majority of them came from two Irishmen, Martin O'Neill and David O'Leary, who, even if they had not been auditioning for the vacancy at Leeds United, could represent their country at talking.

"Leeds United are a big, big club and, let me tell you, I am quite honoured to be put in the speculation," was one O'Neill response to the flurry of questions about his future. "Put it this way, getting beat today hasn't put me off management," was one of O'Leary's. "If the chairman wants me to stay then I will."

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