Sat 8 Sept 2001

Leeds 0 Bolton 0

Att. c40,000 - a sell out.

There were 2 things about the crowd that surprised me. Firstly why are
away sides given 3500 seats in the South Stand which allows their fans
to make lots of noise and give their players a lift ? Other grounds
don't always afford us such luxuries.

Secondly, if Leeds had a sell out 36,500 fans there - then where are the
other 10,000-15,000 supporters we are looking for over the next 3 years
supposed to sit in the meantime ? In a blimp ?

I'd give the away fans the 1800 capacity S.East corner and let the "new"
Leeds fans fill the South Stand. Surely this is possible.

Well if we play like we did against Bolton we'll be lucky to attract 15
news fans let alone 15,000 of the poor buggers.

There are turning points in history, turning points in people's lives,
turning points in footballer's careers. Saturday was sadly a watershed
for 2 players.

First up - David Batty. Hopefully one day - Sir David Batty.
Who knows whether its Father Time's inevitable effects or the
distractions of being a best-selling autobiographer but David Batty
looked a poor player for the first time in hundreds of games i've seen
him play for Leeds. It wasn't just a one off bad game - you can tell
those - but Batty simply looked woeful. His passing was poor, he looked
hurried and slow. His bite gone. I'm praying I'm wrong but Batts appears
to have dropped several notches after last season's unbelievable
performances.

Second up is Mr.Harry Kewell - "The Magician" as he's recently been
called. "Lazy conceited Prima Donna" would be more apt. At one point
Ferdinand pointed an accusing finger at Kewell's non-existent attempt to
help out his defence and the captain gave him a frightful bollocking.
Kewell's attitude of late stinks. If he persists in this almost arrogant
and flippant manner then he should be banished to the reserves for a
fortnight or two. Harry - Watch Ryan Giggs tackle back. Watch and learn
son - watch and learn.

You may think i'm being harsh on a side that is lying 3rd in the table
and has amassed a healthy 8 points from 4 games. Well let me assure you
that it was alarming on Saturday that (a) So called "inferior" Bolton
were by far more committed than Leeds (b) they tactically outthought us
using a tried and tested formula and (c) too many of our players are
painfully out of form and void of any ideas whatsoever.

I'm not the greatest fan of Stephen McPhail by any stretch of the
imagination but as he sat redundant on the bench I wondered what could
be going through O'Leary's head. Bolton, a blanket back 9 with Rickets
on his own were strong and resolute. Leeds' narrow game was never going
to unlock the door. McPhail - a sublime talent and a genius at prising
open the stiffest of defences with a single sway of his ample hips -
seemed the logical choice. Wrong. If not then in what situation would
O'Leary deem him to be appropriate to be utilised ? Maybe he could sell
raffle tickets ? Batty was having a nightmare and the couple of times
when he found himself in advanced situations he looked like he was about
to have a nosebleed. Would McPhail have capitalised in such situations ?
We'll never know.

What I do know is that Sam Allardyce, Bolton's no-nonsense manager, has
assembled and organised a team of lesser known men into a very compact
and hard working unit. Just look at Michael Whitlow - what a
transformation this man has undergone since his ponderous days at left
back for Leeds United. I only wish David O'Leary had half the tactical
nous as his counter part.

Bolton came for a point. So what ? Its their prerogative to do so. Leeds
cannot use this as an excuse as every team in the bottom half of the
table and many of those in the top half come to Elland Road with little
or no attacking endeavour. We don't see to have learnt. We dont seem to
have the capacity or will to try something a bit different.

Last season we had the good fortune to witness some of the finest
footballers in the world from Barcelona and Real Madrid. What struck me
about these teams was the width and patience that they played with. With
their clever movement and slick passing it was only a matter of time
before they had a man advantage somewhere on the pitch and with their
attacking options stretched right across the whole width of the pitch
they pulled our defence to breaking point. Simple and effective.

I'm no tactical genius and nor is David O'Leary but ploughing through
the middle with the ball - playing off the cuff, with no game plan, no
movement, and no width on the right at all is hardly conducive to
creating goalscoring opportunities and winning football matches.

I've slagged off half the team so I may as well slag off the rest.
Wilcox made such little impact against one of the weaker sides in the
league that i'm beginning to question whether or not he is worth a place
in the team. Kewell was pushed onto the right but he hated it there and
sulked so much that he kept swapping wings with Jason. It was like a
bloody relay race passing the unwanted Right Wing baton between them.

Nobody knew where the bloody hell anyone was supposed to be playing.
When Kewell got the ball he lost it nine times out of ten. Did he track
back and try and win it back? DID HE FUCK ! The more I think about it
the more it annoys the arse off me. If he put as much effort into his
game as he did into that fucking advert he did for Adidas then he may
actually be worth drooling over again. Until then he can kiss his Adidas
football and then shove it up his sulking Aussie arse. He aint a proper
Aussie cos they are hard and ruthless. There's no room for pussies like
Kewell (and who the fuck is that twat Sonny that Adidas use ?)

After the fighting display against Arsenal we have looked disinterested
and disjointed against West Ham and Bolton. Something needs to be done
and someone needs to tell Kewell to pull his socks up or else !

The game was dull but I've seen so many games like these over the years
I've become hardened to it. I don't like losing, I don't like drawing
but what I dislike most is an apparent lack of effort and a lack of
application.

Robbie Keane. A twelve million pound striking genius. For most of the
game I had to rub my eyes to reassure myself that it was indeed Keane on
the pitch and not one of those Corinthian mini-Statues that was standing
in for him. His first touch looked plastic, his pace looked plastic if
someone had held a candle to him he would have melted into the hallowed
turf. Maybe they did.

It took Leeds 25 minutes to force their first meaningful attack. Kewell
sulked past 2 defenders and muffed his pass to Viduka. Chance gone.
Close to half time Wilcox for once was found unmarked out wide and he
dithered with his shot. Chance gone. Earlier Bolton had flashed the ball
dangerously across our goalmouth several times and if a goal was to come
then it was to be the minnows who got it.

Things HAD to be changed at half time. The Wilcox-Kewell debacle needed
sorting out. Was it ? What do you think ?

Bolton went into reverse gear. It was all Leeds possession. Bolton
soaked it all up and more. But for Ollie Dacourt relentless charges
forward Leeds would have nothing going for them. Viduka dropped too deep
and despite his clever touches on the half way line he never busts his
ample gut to try and rejoin and support the attack. Its the "I've done
my bit" attitude that irks me.

Bakke belatedly came on for Wilcox. Kewell stomped his feet and took his
pram and toys back to the left hand side. Bakke, no doubt under
instruction, played in the middle with Batts and Ollie, therefore
leaving the right unattended except for the ghost of Gordon Strachan
thrusting down the wing and crossing the ball dangerously into the
middle for Chapman. If only.

Bakke gave Leeds a brief fillip but Bolton soon regrouped. For all their
efforts though Bolton nearly threw it away. Kewell twice hurriedly
blasted over from outside the box when a modicum of composure would have
taken him into a better scoring position closer to the goal. What was
the boy thinking Ron!?

Keane was then gifted the best chance of the game. Bolton's keeper
scuffed a goal kick and Keane despite being 2 inches tall and made of
plastic ran into the box but instead of shooting he passed the ball back
to Bolton's keeper. Oh well.

Kewell appeared to be tripped in the box but his ridiculously
exaggerated swan dive gave the referee no option other than to play on
and laugh.

Kewell was then tripped on the edge of the box 3 minutes into injury
time but not for the first time in the game Harte's free kick was more
Barnsley than Brazil.

Scores
------

Martyn 6 - Not sure if he touched the ball
Kelly 5 - Offered no support coming forward. Always unsure at the back.
Harte 5 - Contributed little to the game
Ferdinand/Matteo 7 - first half coped well with Bolton's incisive
attacks. 2nd half Matteo at least tried to start a few attacks by
running with the ball.

Wilcox 4 - Buggered about by our tactics. Too slow in mind and body to
be a winger.
Dacourt 9 - Captain Marvel. The best Leeds player by several hundred
miles
Batty 4 - I nearly cried.
Kewell 3 - Ability like no other but has become pathetic.

Viduka 6 - Clever player but needs a motor bike to help him get forward
quicker.
Keane 2 - what the fck is going on Robbie lad ?

Sub (singular)
Bakke 7 - made such an impact it beggars belief why he wasn't brought on
earlier.

MoM - Ollie - d'accord

All in all - shite.

--
stotty

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