Sun 15 Sept 2001

Charlton 0 Leeds 2

4 clean sheets, 11 points, and most significantly - we are top of the
league.

But we arent really playing very well. Or are we just perfectionists?

Until Stuart got sent off for a silly lunge at Harte, Charlton were
marginally the better side. The Leeds goal came under some serious
threat from the impressive Bartlet and only a breathtaking Martyn save
from Fish's mullet….i mean…bullet.... header kept it level.

Stuart was a touch unlucky to go. It was right in front of the Leeds
fans who went potty and also Harte made a 5-course meal of it and the
referee had no option really. Once the red had been produced Harte was
straight up and with a quick rub of the ankle and a token 2 second limp
he was back as good as new.

A few minutes earlier Harte's curling through ball was met by Keane who
got goal side of Fish (out of water) and he dinked it in to make it 1-0.
Fish lay there battered.

Charlton must have cursed their luck. Man for man Leeds were better
players but collectively Charlton seemed to gel the better. Leeds had
got the crucial 1st goal though.

Time and again Leeds wasted possession. Bowyer was the main culprit and
Kewell was not far behind. Both players seemed to play wherever they
wanted and if it hadn't been for Ollie and Batts we would have been
seriously over run in the middle. It surprises me that Brian Kidd seems
to like a narrow midfield at Leeds when at Man U they played with so
much width.

Maybe he doesn't have a say in it. Maybe he just gets the cones out at
training and puts them away after.

Leeds had a succession of corners but the Charlton ball boys kept
replacing the normal ball with a cannon ball so Harte couldn't kick it
off the ground. What a set of bastards.

10 men Charlton briefly pushed Leeds back and had a couple of half
chances to equalise but they were soon well and truly on the back foot.

Keane seemed for all the world to have "won" a penalty but the referee
decided otherwise and booked the Leeds striker who quiet rightly
shrugged his shoulders. His Irish team mate - the Charlton keeper - must
have thought the referee was going for a red card with his name on it.

At half time I felt Leeds were a little lucky to be ahead.

The 2nd half was a different story.

Chance after chance went begging and Keane somehow missed 3 fairly
simple chances. Then from nowhere up popped Danny Mills. It was like
the Millennium Dome appearing on a misty horizon.

The balding one had been booed throughout by the home fans (Mills nearly
maimed Scott Parker last season) and he silenced them with a left footed
20+ yard strike that flew into the corner of the net.

The Leeds fans gasped for breath and then collectively yelled the now
infamous chorus. D****M****I*F******B******* ! A great song. Even Dad's
let their little lads sing it cos the swearing in it isn't really proper
swearing. Its just that no words can describe just how brilliant Millsey
is.

Ok he's shite but that's all part of the fun.

Not to be outdone Bowyer perked up and he had 3 chances himself to get
on the score sheet against his former club. One of the chances would
have been goal of the month when Keane's backheel fell inch perfect to
the Londoner's left foot but he thrashed it narrowly wide.

Keane missed another 400 chances and Kewell flirted briefly with the
idea of actually doing something and after some great control he chose
to try and juggle the ball into the net rather than cracking it in.

Viduka watched on in a confused daze. Moments earlier Harte had belted a
free kick straight onto The Pieman's bonce and nearly knocked it off. It
must have been like heading an anvil.

The Leeds fans whinced and sympathetically sang Viduka's name
but he didn't know where the fck he was.

He stumbed round with his arms out saying "where's the bakery, where's
the bakery ?"

Oh well - 2-0 was good enough to put us top and we still have not played
a really good game in 5 yet. The rest of the league beware !

Scores/

Martyn - 8 - made one fabulous save early doors from point blank - his
reactions were not human.

Mills 8.5 - a strike Arthur Scargill would have been proud of. I hope
he gets to keep the matchball so he can paint some eyes on it and it'll
remind him of himself.

Harte 7 - nice over-reaction to help Stuart get sent off. That's part
of the game nowadays so well done - it was as good as a goal.

Matteo - 7.5 - I thought we'd never replace Radebe. Now its "Lucas who?"

Ferdinand 7 - Bartlet & Euell were a handful early on but they soon met
their match.

Bowyer 5 - sprang to life late on but was anonymous 1st half. His
passing is woeful.

Batty 7 - Thankfully 10 times better than last week. Kept his passing
simple. Had a shot that nearly knocked the bloke behind me out. Nice
backheel to set up Millsey's goal.

Dacourt 8 - bloody magic. Bloody black magic.

Kewell 5 - where is he supposed to be playing ? Seems to have a free
role sulking wherever he wants.

Viduka 4 - streuth big man! Slow and fat. Fucking do some running you
fat fucker.

Keane 7.5 - grabbed a goal and was robbed of a penalty but he missed
some sitters. A vast improvement from Bolton.

Subs/
McFrail (for Ollie) - 7 - passed neatly but the game was dead by then.
Put a tackle in and nearly ended up in the crowd.

--
stotty

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