FA Carling Premiership Game 37: Monday 08 May 2000 Leeds United 1 - 1 Everton (Half-time: 1 - 0) Crowd: 37713 Referee: A D'Urso (Billericay)
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vs Everton - Nick Allen

Ending the season as we begun it - somehow managing a dull draw from a game we should have cruised, looking at all the chances we made thinking we should have creamed them.

The reasons we didn't win, well where do you start -
- Martyn's blunder
- Bowyer's header from 3 yards
- countless other chances that went begging
- the referee...
- DUBERRY
- O'Leary for not subbing Duberry when 37000 people could see what was going to happen.

As has been said Everton were in complete control for the opening 40 mins or so - the game was being run by Collins, Hutchinson, and both Hughes's - all 4 of our midfield were AWOL, putting up no opposition, and offering no cover for the defence. They were making monkeys out of us. Duberry didn't help himself by continually fouling Hughes/Hutchinson for the opening 20 mins thereby giving the referee carte blanche to blow the whistle every time he went near a forward, which he did even when no foul was committed. Then he gets booked and you just know its going to go downhill from there. Woody facing the same forwards, having similar problems controlling them gave away nothing like the number of fouls that Duberry did... its about a difference in class...and in the end Woody achieved a semblance of control at the back. Those who gave Duberry a standing ovation as he left the pitch need to look at what they expect from a football match, cos through his stupidity he gave up the impetous and advantage that the team had worked hard to achieve.

Suffice to say Bridges' goal was against the run of play - a long ball over the top, outrunning the defence, one touch, and a searing volley from inside the box that the keeper had no chance with.

I was sad to see Dunne sent off early in the second half, not cos his foul didn't deserve it, it did, it was a bloody awful scything down of Bridges on the half way from behind, but because I was relishing the prospect of goading the champion pie eater of the premiership... ah well. Hutchinson's sending off was his own fault, kicking the ball away petulantly - when already booked. Admittedly the free kick he was moaning about was a joke, Hughes had made a great tackle. But why didn't Sparky Hughes walk when the ref gave a free kick for violent conduct (kicking after the ball had gone), and him already booked - or Barmby for smacking Mills (admittedly with provocation) which the linesman drew his attention to... why, because he was too chicken that's why. Not that I want to beat teams by superior numbers but if they're indulging in violent conduct then they should be sent off.

We did have some good chances in the 2nd half, Kewell's long shot, Bowyer's header, Wilcox sliding in at the far post and just missing Bridges' cross-shot, Bakke's header from the corner...and played pretty well in the second half all-in-all. But a draw was not far from fair.

MARTYN - little to do, and then a huge cock-up, no one said being a goalie was easy
KELLY - MOTM - deserves special mention for the number of high quality attacking runs and crosses he made in the 2 nd half especially - it was great, just like old times - Shearer would have bagged a hattrick of headers from that service.
MILLS - reasonable
DUBERRY - a disgrace - Listen to his Lordship he is right on the button here
WOODGATE - began very dodgily, gradually got better - looked happier with Alfi alongside.
BAKKE/BOWYER/McPHAIL/WILCOX - nowhere in the 1st half, somewhat better in the 2nd
KEWELL - sporadic influence
BRIDGES - good goal, and occasional good touch, but largely anonymous

subs HAALAND - should have come on at halftime - should have started really

HUCKERBY came on to little noticeable effect.

Ref - worst this year by a mile.

crowd - a few glory hunters down on the average I see...

Nick - who knows that if Duberry starts on Sunday then O'leary is blind.

Nice to see Lucas looking sharp in his suit at the end getting a good reception from the Kop - with kid in tow - On TV on Wed night the John Inverdale show at about 11pm BBC1

Last night - Oystein

In a lot of postings today we have been reading that the ref was a wanker, that Duberry is (use the adjective you prefer) and never should play for Leeds again, that Nigel made a mistake for once, that the Evertonians played better than they should, as they had nothing to play for, that every or any supporter is a better manager than DOL...

I have to confess I have been more disappointed after a footy game than after the performance of the Whites yesterday!

I agree that the ref totally lost the plot, and gave the worst display we have seen from the man in black for a long time (then again, how long do we remember?). A lot of cards that he didn't need to issue; and more. Well, Bridges was def. not offside. Regarding the ref.'s mistakes, most of them went our way, in other words, the ref. is absolutely not to blame for the result.

Duberry - well, what can I say? Replacing Wetherall with him is the only transfer decision I have critiziced DOL for, and still am. He is not our man, and he will never be. I really can't understand why he is picked, nor why he is picked ahead of Alfie. (And you all know my view on Norwegians in the squad, i.e. I don't say this due to Alfie's colour on the passport.) I have to admit, though, that I don't think the fact that we played Duberry in itself is to blame for the result.

Nigel - he is no doubt still England's no 1 goally; and I reckon Keegan is the only Englishman that doesn't know that fact. He has the habit to make a mistake from time to time, but instead of blaming him alone, I'd ask you to focus on what happened in the midfield before the incident. (My prediction was a 2-1 win for us, i.e. they had to score somehow, and it didn't matter how the goal was.) I don't think Nigel's mistake alone is to blame for yesterdays result.

Mills - some listers have given him credit; I won't. I can't see him as a future Leeds player. In my views he did a couple of good things yesterday, he ducked to let a shot go wide indeed and goalkick for us in the first half, and he also had his ass in the right place at the right time on another occation. Improved a little in the first 15 mins of 2nd half, as the entire team did.

McPhail - despite yesterdays performance, and earlier performances; in my book he has a football player in himself, and he should be kept in the squad and developed. I admit though, that he was very anonymus in the first half yesterday. I reckon his main problem, and Bakke's, was that the two of them together is far too light-weighted to operate in our central midfield. And now I'm starting to get into what was the real reason for not winning yesterday.

Bowyer - not a right winger.

We only played football the opening 15 minutes of 2nd half. Until they where down to 10 men. (And we never seem to be good and use the advantage when the foe's are reduced to 10 (or 9), are we?)

Our midfield were caught out of position all the time, they were always late defending, and always too far away from the men in blue when they got the ball. Instead of playing the ball fast to the nearest white player, we tried some sexy back-passes, long crosses etc. without any address on it. We gave the ball away all the way, and never looked like wanting to win it back.

When we are loosing the ball when attacking, we have to fight like (again, insert your own word), to win it back immidiately; closest player to the ball have to try to tackle the opposite having the ball, the others must cover the closest player, one each. Our defence must start with strikers and midfielders.

And our way of building an attack, is via the midfield. We have to use the entire width of the pitch, and use the speed of our wingers.

We didn't at all have any flow in or play; except for first 15 mins of 2nd half. Our passing was poor indeed.

But Everton had a bad day as well. If they had played a good game, they would have beaten us easily the way we performed against them.

All in all, we didn't deserve more from yesterdays game, I think a draw was a fair result. And as mentioned, after seeing it all live on Sky, I was not very much disappointed. We were crap all over the place, and didn't play as we wanted to win.

Three are sent off as Leeds misfire - Daniel Taylor

Copy from Football Unlimited of 09/05/2000.

An uncharacteristic blunder by the Leeds goalkeeper Nigel Martyn let in Everton for a draw last night. The visitors finished with nine men after Don Hutchison was dismissed in the dying minutes after kicking the ball away and receiving his second yellow card.

The draw still took Leeds above Liverpool into third place but failure to take all three points may yet see them lose out in the contest for a Champions League berth.

In an industry where money not only talks but increasingly calls the shots the difference in financial terms between finishing third or fourth, Champions' League or Uefa Cup, would have far-reaching consequences for either club.

© Guardian Media Group plc

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