born-to-win - Comments

12 February 2013
Last updated at 15:20


Owen Coyle has this afternoon departed Bolton Wanderers, with the manager leaving to take charge at Sunderland.

Coyle, 46, has left a club who are seventh place in the npower Championship, and just two points off the play-off places, to take over a Sunderland side, who are currently two points off safety in the Barclays Premier League.

The Scottish-born manager had been at the Reebok Stadium since January 2010, after joining from bitter rivals Burnley, and The Trotters fans were hoping they could bounce straight back into the top flight this season, after relegation last season, but if they are to get promoted this season, they will have to do it without Coyle.

The Black Cats have handed Coyle a deal until 2015, worth a reported £25,000-per-week, with the Sunderland supporters hoping the new manager can keep them up this season, with 11 games remaining this season.

It will be a difficult start to life at The Stadium of Light, with trips to fellow strugglers Reading and Wigan Athletic up first, then they home ties against Fulham and Manchester United, before facing a trip to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea.

Rumours have already started as to who will replace Coyle as manager of Bolton Wanderers, with Tony Mowbray, Kenny Jackett and Dougie Freedman being linked with the job, but it seems Mick McCarthy is the favourite for the job.

9 February 2013
Last updated at 18:50


Leeds United were lucky to claim all three points this afternoon against Charlton Athletic, with Luke Varney scoring the only goal of the game, in the first minute of the match.

Charlton Athletic came into this clash on the back of a 1-1 draw away to Birmingham City, and manager Karl Robinson made two changes from that game, out went Andy Hughes and Salim Kerkar, with Chris Solly and Dale Stephens replacing them.

Leeds United manager Phil Walker made six changes from the draw with Bristol City, with rumours indicating he was resting a number of players for the FA Cup clash at West Brom next weekend, out went Aidan White, Jason Pearce, David Norris, Rodolph Austin, Ramon Nunez and Ross McCormack all making way, with Adam Drury, Patrick Kisnorbo, Sam Byram, Paul Green, Michael Tonge and Luke Varney coming in.

The visitors took the lead in the opening minute, with attacker Luke Varney finding the net, with his seventh strike of the season, against one of his former clubs. The goal for The Whites came from a dreadful mistake by the hosts, attacker Chuks Aneke played a slack ball back to keeper Ben Hamer, which Varney latched onto, and the number 11 calmly slotted the ball home.

The home side created their first chance of the match on 29 minutes, when Yann Kermorgant went close with a low shot. The chance for The Addicks was created by Chuks Aneke, the attacker was found by a pass from Jonathan Greening, he then slotted the ball in Kermorgant, who then hit a low drive across the goal mouth, which Paddy Kenny tipped wide of the far post.

The next chance of the match fell to the visitors, with midfielder Michael Tonge going close on 51 minutes. The chance for Tonge was created by Luciano Becchio, the Argentinian striker received the ball from a Sam Byram pass, before passing it back to Tonge, and the striker took a touch before hitting a low drive, which Ben Hamer did well to save down low to his right.

The final decent chance of the game came on 65 minutes, when Johnnie Jackson brought a save out of Paddy Kenny. The chance for The Addicks midfielder was created by striker Danny Haynes, he had just come on for Jordan Cook, and Haynes pulled the ball back to Jackson, but he could only hit a shot along the deck, which was straight at keeper Paddy Kenny.

At the final whistle here at The Valley, Charlton Athletic will feel they could have grabbed a point here, with Leeds United not at their best this afternoon, but it did seem that manager Phil Walker had one eye on the clash with West Brom next weekend, with a host of first-team regulars being rested.

Charlton Athletic manager, Karl Robinson, on the defeat. "I feel that we were very unlucky this afternoon to lose this match, they (Leeds United) were not at their best this afternoon, and we certainly created the chances, but failed to convert them.

"We might be bottom of the league, but with a couple of wins and good performances, we can get ourselves out of this position."

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the victory. "Well that was not our best performance this season by a long way, but we have picked up all three points this afternoon, which is the main thing, as this win keeps us on the chase for promotion.

"In terms of the match next weekend, yes I did start a weakened line-up today for that match, but that is because I believe we have a great chance of victory at West Brom, but need our best players 100% fit.

"In terms of the youngsters who came off the bench today (Monty Gimpel and Simon Lenighan), I believe they have a very bright future ahead of them, both have made their debuts already this season, and both could feature more in the remainder of the season, along with a number of other younger faces, as we have a number of young faces who could have a bright future ahead of them."

Charlton Athletic starting line-up (4-2-3-1). Hamer, Solly, Morrison, Dervite, Wiggins, Jackson (c), Stephens, Cook (Haynes 62), Aneke (Green 45), Greening (Hollands 56), Kermorgant.
Subs not used. Button (gk), Evina, Kerkar, Cort.

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Peltier (c), Lees (Gimpel 86), Kisnorbo, Drury, Byram (Abeid 58), Green, Tonge, Thomas (Lenighan 78), Becchio, Varney.
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Thompson, White, McCormack.
Goal. Varney 1.

Attendance. 12,956.
Referee. Richard Townsend.
Man of the Match. Dorian Dervite (Charlton Athletic), rated at 8.2 over 90 minutes. Leeds United were kept quiet all afternoon thanks to a good performance by Dervite, he timed his tackles to perfection, and made sure the opposition strikers were hurried all afternoon.

Unlucky on getting relegated on the last day of the season, but hopefully you should get promoted this season.

2 February 2013
Last updated at 22:55


Sheffield Wednesday have tonight appointed Portsmouth boss Michael Appleton as their new manager.

The South Yorkshire side have been struggling all season at the wrong end of the table, and after their 2-0 defeat away to Watford this afternoon, their fans are looking over their shoulders even more now.

It has taken Wednesday over a month to replace Dave Jones with a permanent manager, with ex-striker John Sheridan taking over in a caretaker role in December, and he will now go back to his old role, which is as a first-team coach.

In terms of the contract that Appleton has signed, he has put pen to paper on a deal until June 2015, thought to be worth £8,750-per-week, with Wednesday fans hoping he can keep the club up this season, with 15 games remaining this season.

Appleton, 37, will have a tough start to life at Hillsborough, his first game is a home fixture with fellow strugglers Cardiff City, then he faces high-flying Leeds United at home, before trips to Birmingham City and Hull City, and his fifth game in charge is at home to Blackpool, so all five of those games will be tough and crucial for The Owls.

In terms of who could replace Appleton at Fratton Park, nobody is the favourite for the job, but managers like ex-Charlton Athletic boss Chris Powell, ex-Sheffield Wednesday manager Dave Jones and ex-Wigan Athletic boss Paul Jewell, have been linked with the vacancy.

2 February 2013
Last updated at 19:00


Bristol City held promotion chasing Leeds United to a 0-0 draw at Elland Road today, in a game of very few chances.

Leeds United manager Phil Walker made five changes from the FA Cup win at Brentford, out went Jamie Ashdown, Patrick Kisnorbo, Sam Byram, Simon Lenighan and Dominic Poleon, with Paddy Kenny, Lee Peltier, David Norris, Rodolph Austin and Ross McCormack replacing them.

Bristol City made four changes from the 2-0 win over Birmingham City two weeks ago, out went Greg Cunningham, James Wilson, Chris Basham and Stephen Pearson, with Richard Foster, Cole Skuse, Garry Monk and Steven Davies replacing them.

The first chance of the match fell to the visiting side, with left-back Richard Foster going close with a low shot. The chance for defender Foster was created by Jon Stead, the striker picked the ball up from a Marvin Elliott pass, before laying it into the run of Foster, who knocked the ball past the tackle from Lee Peltier, before smashing a shot just over the crossbar.

The next chance of the match came ten minutes later, with Luciano Becchio clipping the top of the crossbar with a header. The chance for the Leeds United striker was created by Tom Lees, he played a long ball from his own half, that ball found Becchio who was in behind The Robins defence, but he looped a header onto the top of the crossbar and over.

It was the home side who had the next chance of the match, with Ramon Nunez forcing a good save out of Tom Heaton. The chance for the home side came on 58 minutes, after Nunez was found on the edge of the box by Aidan White, he then cut inside before curling a shot towards goal, which Heaton did well to save and hold onto the ball.

The final chance of the match fell to the visitors, with striker Jon Stead wasting a great chance to win the match. The chance for the Bristol City striker was created by Cole Skuse, he won the ball in a tackle on David Norris, before slotting it into the run of Stead, and he hit a low shot which clipped the foot of the post, before going behind for a goal kick.

Full time at Elland Road and it has ended goalless this afternoon, with Jon Stead having the best chance of the match, with him clipping the post in the last five minutes. Leeds United remain in second place in the table with this draw, while Bristol City drop into eighth place.

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the draw. "This was just one of those games where nothing went right for us, but thankfully nothing went wrong neither, so a point was a fair result for both sides.

"We now face a trip to bottom of the table Charlton Athletic next weekend, and we know that will be a big game, before travelling to West Brom in the FA Cup."

Bristol City manager, Derek McInnes, on picking up a point today. "Coming to Elland Road is always a tough task, especially with them in second place in the table, and having only lost twice at home this season, but we put in a good display this afternoon, and we were very unlucky not to pick up all three points.

"Hopefully with 15 games remaining this season, we can continue our good form, and maybe clinch a play-off spot, but we have to take each game as it comes."

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Peltier (c), Lees, Pearce (Green 53), White, Norris, Austin (Abeid 59), Nunez, Thomas, McCormack, Becchio.
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Pugh, Byram, Varney, Tonge.
Booked. Austin.

Bristol City starting line-up (4-4-2). Heaton, M. Wilson, McGregor, Monk (Carey 45), Foster, Adomah, Skuse (c), Elliott, Davies (Woolford 45), Stead, Baldock (Pitman 74).
Subs not used. Gerken (gk), J. Wilson, Basham, Gower.

Attendance. 24,674.
Referee. Neil Swarbrick.
Man of the Match. Jason Pearce (Leeds United), rated at 7.7 over 53 minutes. The Leeds United centre-back may have only played 53 minutes today, but he was the best player out there, and controlled the match while he was on the pitch from the centre-back position.

NPOWER CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD NAMED FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON.

1 February 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Championship squad named for the rest of the season.



Phil Walker has today named his npower Championship squad for the rest of the season.

It is a 21-man squad that Walker has named, with new January signings Michael Tonge and Jerome Thomas being named, with them replacing El-Hadji Diouf and Andy Gray, who both departed in January. There are places for Robbie Rogers and Leigh Bromby in the squad list, Rogers spent the first part of the campaign with Stevenage on loan, while Bromby has been out all season with a knee injury, and both players could feature in the final part of the campaign.

There are a number of players with us who have first team experience, but do not have to be included in the squad list due to their age, and that list includes Monty Gimpel and Simon Lenighan, who have made the break through into the first-team since the start of the campaign, while Dominic Poleon who departed on loan in January, has also been included in this list, as he will return before the end of the campaign.

The 21-man npower Championship squad. Paddy Kenny, Jamie Ashdown, Leigh Bromby, Tom Lees, Lee Peltier, Paul Green, Adam Drury, Jason Pearce, Danny Pugh, Patrick Kisnorbo, Rodolph Austin, Michael Brown, David Norris, Michael Tonge, Robbie Rogers, Jerome Thomas, Ramon Nunez, Ross McCormack, Luke Varney, Luciano Becchio and Davide Somma.

The players who are under-21, who have first team experience. Alex Cairns, Zac Thompson, Charlie Taylor, Monty Gimpel, Aidan White, Sam Byram, Mehdi Abeid, Simon Lenighan and Dominic Poleon.

Leeds United January transfer window round-up.

Last updated: February 1, 2013 11:30am.





The January transfer window slammed shut last night at midnight, and we now round-up the comings and goings at Elland Road, in January.

The West Yorkshire club have made three signings during the transfer window, with two joining on loan and one joining on a permanent deal. The one player to join on a permanent deal is Michael Tonge, he has joined from Premier League side Stoke City, for a reported fee of £65,000. The two players to join on loan are Jerome Thomas and Mehdi Abeid, who have joined from West Brom and Newcastle United respectively, with Thomas staying until March, and Abeid staying until the 17th of this month.

Three players have departed Elland Road during the transfer window, with two leaving on free transfers, while the other has departed on loan. The two players to depart on free transfers were Andy Gray and El-Hadji Diouf, Gray left to join Dundee, while Diouf was released and has since joined French club Le Mans. The only player to leave on loan was Dominic Poleon, he joined Portsmouth yesterday on a two month loan, and he could make his debut at Hartlepool tomorrow.

In: Michael Tonge (Stoke City, £65,000), Jerome Thomas (West Brom, Loan), Mehdi Abeid (Newcastle United, Loan).

Out: Andy Gray (Dundee, Free), El-Hadji Diouf (Released), Dominic Poleon (Portsmouth, Loan).

January awards announced in the npower Championship.

Last updated: February 1, 2013 10:00am.





The npower Championship awards have been confirmed for the month of January, with Wolves picking up two of the four awards.

Wolves manager Stale Solbakken has picked up the Manager of the Month award, after he guided them to four wins in their four games in January, with the club hitting ten goals in those games. The Player of the Month award has gone to Kevin Doyle, also of Wolves, after being in deadly form in January, scoring in excess of a goal a game. Brighton and Hove Albion centre-back Lewis Dunk picked up the Young Player of the Month award, after he put in a series of solid performances last month. The final award of the month is the Goal of the Month, which went yet again to a Cardiff City player, this time it was Craig Bellamy who scored the goal, after he hit a shot from 27 yards out, away at Charlton Athletic.

It is still Wolves and Leeds United who lead the way at the top of the table, with the Midlands side 14 points clear of the West Yorkshire side, and looking likely to lift the league title this season. In the play-off places, it is Blackpool, Bolton Wanderers, Hull City and Crystal Palace, with all four of those teams having been promoted from the second tier in the past. In the relegation places at the start of February, it is Cardiff City, Derby County and Charlton Athletic, although it is very tight down at the wrong end of the table.

Manager of the Month. Stale Solbakken (Wolves).
Player of the Month. Kevin Doyle (Wolves).
Young Player of the Month. Lewis Dunk (Brighton and Hove Albion).
Goal of the Month. Craig Bellamy. Charlton Athletic v Cardiff City.

POLEON DEPARTS ON LOAN.

31 January 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Striker departs for two months.



Striker Dominic Poleon has today joined League One side Portsmouth for two months.

Poleon, 19, has been allowed to join the Fratton Park club on loan, with manager Phil Walker wanting him to gain some first-team experience, with the League One club, even though he has played nine times for us this season, but he has yet to find the net for us, in the nine games he has played.

Portsmouth will also pay all of Poleon's weekly wage, while he is at Fratton Park.

Cheers Thunder1301, glad you find this story good to read.

After a couple of months of having a break my story is back, so I hope people will follow this story and comment on it, like before.

PLAYERS RETURN FROM LOAN DEALS.

30 January 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Trio return from their loan spells.



We can confirm that Charlie Taylor, Joe McCann and Sanchez Payne have returned to us, after their loan spells ended today.

The three youngsters moved out on loan on the last day of August, and have all returned from there loan spells today, with all three players gaining first-team football for their loan clubs.

Midfielder Payne, 20, moved to AFC Wimbledon to play under our former manager Peter Reid, and he featured for the club 27 times in all competitions, and scoring one goal in an AFC Wimbledon shirt.

Left-back Taylor, 19, made the breakthrough into our first-team squad last season, and he joined Accrington Stanley, making 28 appearances in all competitions, and like Payne he scored one goal for his loan club.

Central-midfielder McCann, 20, joined West Yorkshire neighbours Bradford City, but did not feature regularly for them, making just three appearances in the league, and five appearances in all competitions.

I agree and hopefully we can cause an upset to progress into the next round.

Fifth Round draw is made.

Last updated: January 27, 2013 6:10pm.





The draw for the Fifth Round of the FA Cup has been made this evening, with a number of lower league teams still in the competition.

The tie of the round could take place at London Road, if Peterborough United defeat Barnsley in the replay, then they will take on Manchester United, so it could be Ferguson junior taking on Ferguson senior.

High-flying npower Championship side Wolves have been drawn at home, with them taking on Liverpool at Molineux, with both teams hoping to progress in the competition.

Tottenham Hotspur will face a lower league side at White Hart Lane, with them taking on either Port Vale or Charlton Athletic, who will face each other in a replay.

Struggling Premier League side West Brom will be hoping to progress into the next round, and they will take on high-flying Leeds United at home, who will be hoping to cause an FA Cup upset.

Other notable ties include Queens Park Rangers taking on Manchester City, Arsenal will travel to Aston Villa, and Cardiff City will be at home to Norwich City.

The ties are expected to take place on the weekend beginning the 16th of February, but please check your clubs website for the date of the fixture, and for ticket details.

The FA Cup Fifth Round draw in full.
Aston Villa v Arsenal.
Barnsley or Peterborough United v Manchester United.
Cardiff City v Norwich City.
Queens Park Rangers v Manchester City.
Reading or Crystal Palace v Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur v Port Vale or Charlton Athletic.
West Brom v Leeds United.
Wolves v Liverpool.

Ye it was good to book our place in the draw for the next round, hopefully we can make this a good cup run.

27 January 2013
Last updated at 16:05


Leeds United booked there place in the FA Cup fifth round draw later today, by beating Brentford 3-1 at Griffin Park.

Brentford boss Uwe Rosler made one change from the 2-1 win over Crewe Alexandra, out went Harry Forrester, with him being replaced by Tom Adeyemi in the midfield.

Leeds United came into this game on the back of a 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town, and they made seven changes in total, out went Paddy Kenny, Paul Green, Danny Pugh, Rodolph Austin, Michael Tonge, Luke Varney and Ross McCormack, with Jamie Ashdown, Tom Lees, Sam Byram, Simon Lenighan, Ramon Nunez, Luciano Becchio and Dominic Poleon replacing them.

The first real chance of the match ended with the ball in the net, with Ramon Nunez firing the visitors into the lead. The assist for the goal came from striker Luciano Becchio, he flicked a long ball from Patrick Kisnorbo on, and that played in Honduran midfielder Nunez, who slotted the ball past Richard Lee for 1-0.

It was Brentford who had the next chance in the match, with Toumani Diagourga firing a shot just over the crossbar. The move for the hosts started from a corner, Sam Saunders whipped the ball into the far post from the right, but Patrick Kisnorbo headed the ball clear, and the ball fell to midfielder Diagourga, who then hit the ball on the half volley, but his shot went just over with Paddy Kenny beaten.

The first chance of the second half went to the visitors, with Luciano Becchio going close with a header. The chance fell to The Whites on 55 minutes, with midfielder Sam Byram creating the chance, he skipped past a challenge from Scott Barron before whipping the cross into the far post, which saw found Becchio who headed the ball at goal, but Richard Lee tipped the ball over.

Leeds United doubled their lead on 62 minutes, with Ross McCormack firing home their second goal. The Scottish striker had only been on the pitch for five minutes, when he was played in on goal by midfielder Ramon Nunez, the striker then rounded Brentford goalkeeper Richard Lee, before firing home into an empty goal via the crossbar.

The hosts had the ball in the back of the net on 90 minutes, with Stuart Dallas finding the net with a deflected shot. The goal for Dallas was created by Leon Legge, he headed a corner from Sam Saunders back to Dallas, and he hit a low shot at goal, which was deflected in by Leeds United centre-back Jason Pearce.

The away side found the net yet again in the fifth minute of injury time, with Luciano Becchio adding a third for them. The Argentinian was played in on goal by midfielder Paul Green, he had picked up a square ball from Simon Lenighan, before chipping the ball into the run of Becchio, and the striker went in on goal, before calmly slotting the ball home into the net.

Full time here at Griffin Park, and Brentford have been easily beaten this afternoon, with Leeds United cruising into the fifth round draw, which will be made later today, and they will be hoping to draw either a big Premier League side, or a team who they can beat to reach the last eight of this competition.

Brentford manager, Uwe Rosler, on exiting the competition today. "It is very disappointing to exit the FA Cup this afternoon, but we have had a great run in this competition, and today it unfortunately has come to an end.

"We can now look at getting promotion from League One, maybe we will face Leeds United in the league next season, and maybe beat them."

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on progressing into the next round. "It will be great to see us in the fifth round for the first time in ten years, and I hope the draw will be kind to us, so we can get even further this season.

"The win was even more pleasing with us naming a weakened line-up, Ramon (Nunez) was great picking up the man of the match award, while Simon (Lenighan) put in another great shift, but this now does give me selection problems for the next match, but it is a problem I welcome."

Brentford starting line-up (4-4-2). Lee, Chimbonda (O'Connor (c) 45), Legge, Dean, Barron, Saunders, Diagourga, Adeyemi (Lawless 45), Dallas, Hayes, El Alagui (c) (Reeves 63).
Subs not used. Moore (gk), Forshaw, Donaldson, Logan.
Goal. Dallas 90.
Booked. Chimbonda, Hayes, Legge, Dean.

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Ashdown, Lees, Kisnorbo (c), Pearce, White, Byram (Green 81), Lenighan, Nunez, Thomas (Varney 70), Poleon (McCormack 57), Becchio.
Subs not used. Kenny (gk), Pugh, Gimpel, Austin.
Goals. Nunez 20, McCormack 62, Becchio 90+5.
Booked. Lees, Thomas.

Attendance. 10,340.
Referee. Phil Dowd.
Man of the Match. Ramon Nunez (Leeds United), rated at 9.0 over 90 minutes. The Honduran midfielder has not been a regular this season for the senior squad, but with this performance today, with him scoring and then creating a goal.

Ye a good win especially away Dan

THREE MORE NEW DEALS HANDED OUT.

24 January 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
One player and two members of staff are handed new deals.



We can this afternoon confirm that three new deals have been signed at the club.

One deal has gone to a player, with teenager Chris Dawson signing a new deal today. Dawson, 18, has signed a professional deal this afternoon with us, with the central-midfielder signing a deal until June 2015, with him hoping to make the break into the senior squad in the near future.

We have handed two members of staff new deals at the club, with Bobby Davison and Paul Perkins signing new deals. Davison, 53, has signed a new deal until 2015, and will see him continue in his role as a coach with the Under 18s, while Perkins, 29, will continue his job as the Head Physio, with him staying until 2015.

19 January 2013
Last updated at 20:30


Leeds United got back to winning ways this evening, by beating West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town 2-1, at the John Smith's Stadium.

Huddersfield Town came into this match on the back of a 3-0 victory over Cardiff City here on Tuesday night, and manager Simon Grayson named the same team from that match, with Keith Southern playing despite limping off in that match.

Leeds United suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, and manager Phil Walker made six changes from that match, with Lee Peltier, Tom Lees, Adam Drury, Sam Byram, David Norris and Luciano Becchio all dropping out, with them being replaced by Paul Green, Danny Pugh, Jason Pearce, Aidan White, Michael Tonge and Ross McCormack.

The first chance of the match went to The Terriers, with James Vaughan forcing a fine save out of Paddy Kenny. The chance for Vaughan was created by James Henry, he picked the ball up out wide and whipped the ball into the box, that cross found Vaughan who brought the ball down, before hitting a low drive which Kenny did well to save.

The away side had the ball in the net on 19 minutes, with striker Luke Varney opening the scoring. The goal for the visitors came from a quick counter attacking move, they cut out a corner from Huddersfield Town, with Aidan White heading the ball clear to find Michael Tonge, he skipped past a tackle from ex-Leeds United man Adam Clayton, before playing the ball into Luke Varney, and he ran from the halfway line before hitting a drive from 30 yards, which flew past Alex Smithies and into the net.

The next chance in the match went to the home side, with striker Lee Novak putting his shot just wide of the net. The chance for Novak was created by strike partner James Vaughan, he took the ball off Leeds United midfielder Aidan White, before slotting it into the run of Novak, and he hit a low drive which beat Paddy Kenny, but went wide of the goal.

The first chance after the half time whistle did not come until the 62nd minute, but the home side put the ball in the net, with Lee Novak scoring the equaliser. The goal for Novak was created by Danny Ward, he knocked a cross from James Henry down to Novak, and he met the ball with a left footed volley, which went past Paddy Kenny and into the net.

With ten minutes in the match remaining, Leeds United made two key substitutions, on came Luciano Becchio and Zac Thompson, and four minutes later the visitors had the winner, with Becchio finding the net. The goal for the Argentinian was created by fellow sub Zac Thompson, he picked the ball up from a Danny Pugh pass, before pulling the ball back to Becchio, and he fired home in front of the travelling fans, for his 17th goal of the season.

Full time here at the John Smith's Stadium, and Leeds United have claimed a 2-1 victory this evening, with a key victory over there West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town. The visitors have moved six points clear of third placed Blackpool tonight, but they do have a game in hand on The Whites, while Huddersfield Town are four points off the play-off places.

Huddersfield Town manager, Simon Grayson, on the derby defeat. "This was a typical derby game this evening, a tight match with very few chances, and of course I am disappointed to lose to our rivals, but this also completes their double over us.

"We are still having a terrific season so far, we were predicted to be relegated in the summer, and we lost Jordan Rhodes to Blackburn Rovers, but we are only four points off the play-off places, so for me we are having a great season."

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the win. "A good win for us this evening against one of our local rivals, and this gets our promotion push back on track, and puts six points between us and Blackpool in third place.

"It was also a good win when you look at the stats from the match, we only had 39% of possession, six shots on goal and two of those were on target, both of those ended up in the net, and the opponents had 24 shots in total on goal, but luckily we only conceded one goal."

Huddersfield Town starting line-up (4-4-2). Smithies, Hunt, Fontaine, Gerrard, Dixon, Henry (Gobern 73), Clayton (Higginbotham 84), Southern (c), Ward (Norwood 79), Novak, Vaughan.
Subs not used. Porter (gk), Scannell, Wallace, Woods.
Goal. Novak 62.
Booked. Henry, Vaughan.

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Green, Kisnorbo (c), Pearce, Pugh, Thomas (Lees 68), Austin, Tonge (Thompson 80), White, McCormack, Varney (Becchio 80).
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Drury, Byram, Abeid.
Goals. Varney 19, Becchio 84.

Attendance. 24,503.
Referee. Mike Dean.
Man of the Match. Patrick Kisnorbo (Leeds United), rated at 8.1 over 90 minutes. The centre-back for the visitors put in a great performance today, helping them out with a number of key interceptions, and has shown the player he was a few years ago.

ABEID JOINS US ON LOAN.

18 January 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Midfielder joins from Newcastle United.



We can today confirm the signing of Newcastle United midfielder Mehdi Abeid on loan.

The 20-year-old central midfielder has joined us on loan for a month, and is expected to go straight into the squad, that will travel to Huddersfield Town on Saturday, a game which will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Abeid who was born in France, but has declared himself available for the Algerian national squad, will not be available for the FA Cup, but could be used regularly in the league, until his loan spell ends next month.

We have handed him the squad number 15 for his time at Elland Road.

Ye they have now done the double over us, but there are still plenty of games left in the league.

16 January 2013
Last updated at 23:10


Crystal Palace inflicted the first defeat of 2013 on Leeds United at Selhurst Park tonight, with The Eagles running out 2-0 winners.

Crystal Palace made just the one change from the 2-0 defeat away to Hull City, out went Julian Speroni, who had picked up an injury in that match, to be replaced by Graeme Smith, who was handed his debut by Dougie Freedman.

Leeds United made four changes from the 2-2 draw with Bolton Wanderers, at Elland Road on Sunday, out went Danny Pugh, Jason Pearce, Paul Green and Ross McCormack, with Adam Drury, Patrick Kisnorbo, Sam Byram and Jerome Thomas replacing them.

The first chance of the match came on 14 minutes, with Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha going close with a low shot. The chance for Zaha was created by Owen Garvan, he played a good ball into the Palace attacker, and he turned a challenge from Patrick Kisnorbo, before hitting a low shot, which was well saved by Paddy Kenny.

Leeds United went close just five minutes later, with midfielder Sam Byram hitting the post. The move for the visitors began after they gave the ball away, skipper Paddy McCarthy played a poor ball down the line, which Adam Drury picked up, he then switched the ball to the opposite flank to find Byram, and he brought the ball down, before hitting a shot which beat Graeme Smith, but rattled the post.

The next chance in the match fell again to the visitors, with Jerome Thomas going close, a player who was making his full debut today for The Whites. The chance for Thomas was created by fellow midfielder David Norris, he beat Owen Garvan in the air and headed it into the path of Thomas, who knocked the ball past Peter Ramage, before hitting a low drive at goal, which was pushed away by Crystal Palace goalkeeper Graeme Smith.

It was Crystal Palace who had the next chance in the match, and they put that opportunity in the net, with Jon Williams getting the goal. The assist for the goal came from Jonathan Parr, the left-back played a low first time pass into Williams, the Palace midfielder then fired the ball home past Paddy Kenny, and into the roof of the net.

It was the away team who had the first chance of the second period, with Luke Varney hitting the inside of both posts in the opening 40 seconds. The move for Leeds United started from the back, Patrick Kisnorbo played a great ball out to Jerome Thomas, with the winger beating Darcy Blake before cutting it inside to David Norris, he then slotted the ball into Varney with a first time pass, the striker then hit a low drive at goal, and the shot had beaten goalkeeper Graeme Smith, but it came off the inside of one post and hit the other, before bouncing clear without going over the line.

The next best chance in the match did not come until after the hour mark, with Darius Vassell forcing a good save out of Paddy Kenny. The ball came to the ex-England striker from a Shane Ferguson pass, and he skipped past a challenge from Tom Lees, before hitting a low shot at goal, which Kenny did well to save with it going in the bottom corner.

The home side wrapped the game up on 89 minutes, with Mile Jedinak sending a looping header past Paddy Kenny, and into the net. The goal was created from a free kick out on the left wing, the ball was whipped into the box by Jonathan Parr, and with the Leeds United defence having fallen to sleep, Jedinak headed a looping header past Paddy Kenny, and into the net to make it 2-0.

Full time here at Selhurst Park and all three points will stay in London tonight, thanks to goals from Jon Williams and Mile Jedinak, which gave Crystal Palace a 2-0 victory over Leeds United. This result for the home side means they move up two places to seventh place, while Leeds United remain in second place in the league table.

Crystal Palace boss, Dougie Freedman, on the three points. "A great win for us tonight against Leeds United, and a win that takes us level on points with sixth placed Hull City, so hopefully in the coming weeks we can move into the play-off places.

"I was worried with the way we started the game tonight, but the lads showed good determination, and the goal before the break helped us, as that made the visitors changes their team talk."

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the defeat. "A very disappointing result for us here at Selhurst Park tonight, as I believed we was going to get all three points, especially with the way we controlled the opening 30 minutes, and for us to hit the woodwork three times and not win, is mightily unlucky for us.

"I feel we may need to add a couple more faces to the squad, everybody can see we do not have the biggest squad, so I need to add to my squad to give us depth."

Crystal Palace starting line-up (4-2-3-1). Smith, Blake, McCarthy (c), Ramage, Parr, Garvan, Jedinak, Zaha, Williams, Ferguson, Vassell (Cole 88).
Subs not used. Lee-Barrett (gk), Ward, Marrow, Watt, Martin, Moxey.
Goals. Williams 43, Jedinak 89.

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Peltier (c), Lees, Kisnorbo, Drury, Byram, Austin (Tonge 58), Norris, Thomas (White 71), Becchio, Varney (McCormack 58).
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Green, Pearce, Thompson.
Booked. Lees.

Attendance. 14,007.
Referee. Dean Whitestone.
Man of the Match. Jonathan Parr (Crystal Palace), rated at 8.7 over 90 minutes. The Palace left-back put in a great shift at the back, and helped the teams cause by creating both goals for his team.

Cheers SSS and ye I believe we can reach the fifth round, and then hopefully we can pick up one of the top Premier League sides at home, to raise some money.

Hope you keep reading and giving me feedback aswell

Great results against Arsenal, Chelsea and Villa. This is also a great story, keep up the great work.

FA CUP CLASH PICKED FOR TELEVISION COVERAGE.

16 January 2013.
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Trip to London picked for television.



Our trip to Griffin Park to take on Brentford in round four of the FA Cup has been put back 24 hours, that is because it has been picked for live television coverage.

The FA Cup fourth round clash at Griffin Park will be shown live on ITV, with the match kicking off at 1:30pm, on Sunday the 27th of January, instead of 3:00 pm the previous day.

The last time we visited Griffin Park was in the 2009-10 season, with the game finishing 0-0, in a season we secured promotion from League One, back to the Championship.

The Londoners are doing well this season under Uwe Rosler, with the club in the play-off places in League One, and are in the final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy Southern Section, where they will face Crawley Town over two legs.

If we do win the match against Brentford, it will be furthest we have got in the FA Cup since the 2002-03 season, a season which we were dumped out in the sixth round, after a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

13 January 2013
Last updated at 16:05


Leeds United and Bolton Wanderers shared the points this afternoon at Elland Road, with the match finishing 2-2.

Leeds United came into this clash on the back of a 4-0 win against AFC Wimbledon, and manager Phil Walker made six changes from that win, with Jamie Ashdown, Patrick Kisnorbo, Sam Byram, Adam Drury, Simon Lenighan and Dominic Poleon being rested, with Paddy Kenny, Jason Pearce, David Norris, Luke Varney, Rodolph Austin and Luciano Becchio coming in.

Bolton Wanderers came into this game on the back of a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest last weekend, in the FA Cup, and manager Owen Coyle stuck with the same team that drew at The City Ground.

The first chance of the game fell to the visiting team, and they had the ball in the back of the net, with Kevin Davies scoring for them on three minutes, with Davies scoring for the 20th time this season. The assist for the goal went to Sam Ricketts, the Bolton full-back broke forward before crossing the ball into the box, to find Kevin Davies, he brought the ball down on his chest, before firing home into the roof of the net, to make it 1-0 to The Trotters.

The next chance in the match came on 26 minutes, and it was David Ngog who had the chance, but put his shot wide. The Bolton striker was found by a Stuart Holden pass, and Ngog skipped past a Jason Pearce challenge, but fired a low shot wide of the goal.

It took until the 42nd minute for the home side to have their first real chance of the match, but had the ball in the back of the net, with Luke Varney equalising for them. The goal for the home side came after great one touch football from them, it was David Norris who grabbed the assist for the goal, he picked the ball up from a Luciano Becchio pass, before laying it out wide to Varney, he took a touch to take the ball inside, and then curled the ball into the far corner of the net.

The visiting side had a great chance to make it 2-1 just before the end of the first half, but Lee Chung-Yong saw his header tipped over by Paddy Kenny. The chance for Chung-Yong was created from a corner, right-back Tom Hateley whipped the ball into the near post, and that found Chung-Yong who flicked the ball on, and Kenny did well to push the header over.

It did not take the visitors long to find the net again, with Kevin Davies scoring yet again, with that goal coming from a Danny Pugh mistake. The mistake by Pugh was a short pass back to goalkeeper Paddy Kenny, after he received the ball from a Rodolph Austin pass, that short pass back allowed Davies in, and he lofted the ball over Kenny and into the net.

The home side had their first good opportunity of the second half on 62 minutes, but Luciano Becchio failed to convert his chance. The chance for the Argentinian striker came after he met a cross in the box, the cross came from the right boot of midfielder Paul Green, and Becchio met that with a powerful header, but he headed the ball over the top.

The home side equalised for the second time in the match on 72 minutes, with attacker Luke Varney scoring for the second time in the match. The goal came yet again after good passing football from them, centre-back Jason Pearce played a simple pass into David Norris, who then slotted the ball into Varney, and he worked his way into the penalty box, before placing a shot out of the reach of Adam Bogdan, which ended up in the net for 2-2.

Full time at Elland Road and it has been a four goal thriller, with the points being shared here this afternoon, the away side twice took the lead through Kevin Davies, but twice Luke Varney equalised for the home side. This result means Leeds United remain in second place, while Bolton Wanderers remain in fourth place.

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on the draw. "A good result for us as twice we had to come from behind this afternoon, to clinch a point against a strong Bolton side today.

"We do have a busy schedule coming up now, with a trip to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, before a derby game against Huddersfield Town next weekend, so we will need to have all our players helping out in these two games."

Bolton Wanderers manager, Owen Coyle, on picking up a point today. "There is both good and bad points to take away from the game today, the good is that a point here at Elland Road is a great thing to get, but the bad is that to twice lead and not win is not good enough.

"I will be hoping we can progress in the FA Cup in midweek, but I will focus on that game in the coming days."

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Kenny, Peltier (c), Lees, Pearce, Pugh (White 53), Green, Austin (Byram 77), Norris, Varney, McCormack, Becchio (Thomas 66).
Subs not used. Ashdown (gk), Thompson, Kisnorbo, Tonge.
Goals. Varney 42, 72.
Booked. Becchio, Austin.

Bolton Wanderers starting line-up (4-4-2). Bogdan, Hateley, Ream, Knight, Ricketts, Chung-Yong (Eagles 68), Holden (Mears 90), M. Davies, Petrov (Wylde 72), K. Davies, Ngog.
Subs not used. Lonergan (gk), Sordell, Mills, Hume.
Goals. K. Davies 3, 52.
Booked. Hateley.

Attendance. 25,843.
Referee. Steve Tanner.
Man of the Match. Luke Varney (Leeds United), rated at 8.8 over 90 minutes. The Leeds United attacker did well this afternoon, gave the opposition defence problems all game, and took his two goals well, which helped them claim a point today.

Am hoping we can get into round five and then one of the top four at home

9 January 2013
Last updated at 14:20


Jerome Thomas has left West Brom this afternoon, with the winger dropping down into the npower Championship to join Leeds United on loan.

Thomas, 29, has become the second player to join the club during this transfer window, after Michael Tonge joined last week, and Thomas has joined on a loan deal for three months, with the West Yorkshire side paying half his weekly wage, but able to play him in the FA Cup.

The London-born player started his career with Arsenal, but he moved to Charlton Athletic having not made his league debut with The Gunners, he then left The Addicks to join Portsmouth, where he played three times in the league, before joining current club West Brom, and after a successful season last term where he played 29 times in the league, he has been frozen out this season by both Steve Clarke and Ian Holloway, and in recent weeks found himself on the transfer and loan list.

The player is expected to be in the squad for the clash with Bolton Wanderers on Sunday, and has been handed the number nine shirt this afternoon, by Leeds United boss Phil Walker.

FA Cup Fourth Round draw.

Last updated: January 6, 2013 6:00pm.





The FA Cup Fourth Round draw has been made this evening, with a number of ties which could cause upsets.

Premier League holders Manchester City could face FA Cup holders Chelsea at home, that is if they beat Preston North End in the Third Round replay, after the 1-1 draw at Deepdale this afternoon.

There will be a Black Country derby at Molineux, with Walsall who knocked Birmingham City out in the last round, earning a trip to Wolves, who are top of the npower Championship.

League Two club Chesterfield could get a trip to Old Trafford, but that is if they beat Sunderland in the replay, and Manchester United defeat Newcastle United in their replay.

Struggling League One side Portsmouth have been handed a big financial boost, with them being handed a home tie against West Brom, who are unbeaten in seven games.

Blackburn Rovers could earn a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool, but that is if The Reds beat Blackpool, who forced them into a replay yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile in other ties, Stoke City will travel to Arsenal, Leeds United will travel to Brentford, Everton will take on Derby County at Goodison Park, and Queens Park Rangers will host Southampton.

The FA Cup Fourth Round draw in full.
Arsenal v Stoke City.
Barnsley v Peterborough United or Leicester City.
Brentford v Leeds United.
Dagenham and Redbridge or Port Vale v Charlton Athletic.
Everton v Derby County.
Liverpool or Blackpool v Blackburn Rovers.
Newcastle United or Manchester United v Chesterfield or Sunderland.
Nottingham Forest or Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa or West Ham.
Portsmouth v West Brom.
Preston North End or Manchester City v Chelsea.
Queens Park Rangers v Southampton.
Reading v Crystal Palace.
Scunthorpe United or Millwall v Norwich City.
Swansea City or Wigan Athletic v Tottenham Hotspur.
Wolves v Walsall.
York City or Middlesbrough v Cardiff City.

Ye especially with McCormack hitting all four goals.

5 January 2013
Last updated at 18:10


Ross McCormack fired Leeds United into the fourth round of the FA Cup today, by scoring all four goals in the win over AFC Wimbledon, at Elland Road, with new signing Michael Tonge in the stands watching this win.

Phil Walker rung the changes for the home side for this match against a side two divisions below them, only Lee Peltier, Adam Drury, Danny Pugh and Ross McCormack remained from the side that drew 1-1 with Peterborough United. They handed a full debut to teenage midfielder Simon Lenighan, while Monty Gimpel was named on the bench, with him being handed the number 36 shirt.

AFC Wimbledon came here with ex-Leeds United manager Peter Reid in charge of them, and Reid made five changes from the draw away to Bradford City, out went Sebastian Usai, Curtis Osano, Adedeji Oshilala, Louis Harris and Sanchez Payne, with Seb Brown, Jim Fenlon, Warren Cummings, Mat Mitchel-King and Rashid Yussuff replacing them.

It took the home side just 13 minutes to find the net for the first goal, with Ross McCormack firing them into the lead. The assist for the goal went to midfielder Paul Green, he picked the ball up from a pass by Dominic Poleon, before slotting the ball into striker McCormack, and he took a touch before firing home a fierce left footed drive, which went into the roof of the net for 1-0.

The next chance in the match fell to the home side, with Adam Drury forcing a good save out of Seb Brown, in the AFC Wimbledon goal. The attack started when the visitors lost the ball on the halfway line, Paul Green who got the assist for the opening goal picked the loose ball up, and played it out wide to Drury, he then hit a first time shot from distance, and Brown had to get down well to save the shot.

It was 2-0 to Leeds United on 31 minutes, with Ross McCormack finding the net with his second goal. The assist for the goal this time went to youngster Simon Lenighan, he was making his full debut this afternoon and picked the ball up from a Sam Byram pass, after the number 25 kept the ball in, Lenighan then slotted the ball into the run of McCormack, and the number 44 fired in a low shot, which went under the hands of Seb Brown and into the net.

The next chance did not come until the 48th minute, but the home side made it 3-0 with the chance, with Ross McCormack wrapping up his hat-trick. The goal was this time created by Danny Pugh, left-back Adam Drury knocked the ball down the line to him, and he was found free out on the left to whip a ball in, which found McCormack, who then flicked the ball home into the roof of the net with his head.

With the game won at 3-0 on 61 minutes, manager Phil Walker handed young centre-back Monty Gimpel his professional debut, with the number 36 replacing Lee Peltier on the pitch, with Tom Lees moving to right-back, to allow Gimpel to play at centre-back alongside Patrick Kisnorbo, who took the captains armband off of Peltier.

The fourth goal of the match came six minutes after that change, with Ross McCormack finding the net again, for the fourth time in the match. The goal this time was created by Tom Lees, he was found by a Simon Lenighan pass out wide, before driving a ball across the floor into the box, for McCormack to slot home and make it 4-0, in the snowy conditions.

Full time here at Elland Road and Leeds United are into the fourth round draw, which will take place tomorrow evening, after this 4-0 romp over League Two side AFC Wimbledon, with Ross McCormack firing all four goals today. The home fans will be delighted with the way their side played, with the visitors being restricted to three shots in the match, with none of them on target.

Leeds United manager, Phil Walker, on progressing into round four. "It was a terrific victory for us this afternoon, which books our place in the fourth round draw, which will be made tomorrow evening.

"We were a much changed side from the draw against Peterborough United on Tuesday, but the lads were great out there, and even at 4-0 we did not switch off.

"I have to say a special mention though to Ross (McCormack), to get four goals against anyone is a great achievement, but it was made all the more harder with the conditions, with it snowing for the last 25 minutes."

AFC Wimbledon boss, Peter Reid, on the defeat to his old club. "That was hard to watch at times for me and I expect the fans will feel the same, we were second best all afternoon, and that shows on the match stats.

"Many people will argue that with the opposition being two leagues above us, we were not expected to win, that maybe so but we did not even give them a game this afternoon, which is highly disappointing."

Leeds United starting line-up (4-4-2). Ashdown, Peltier (c) (Gimpel 61), Lees, Kisnorbo (c), Drury, Byram, Lenighan, Green (Thompson 71), Pugh, McCormack, Poleon (Austin 82).
Subs not used. Kenny (gk), Pearce, Norris, Varney.
Goals. McCormack 13, 31, 48, 67.
Booked. Lenighan, Gimpel.

AFC Wimbledon starting line-up (4-2-3-1). Brown, Fenlon (Osano 45), Balkestein, McNaughton, Cummings, Mitchel-King, S. Moore (c), McKenna (Nightingale 64), Long (Harris 84), Yussuff, Midson.
Subs not used. Phillips (gk), MacDonald, L. Moore, Harrison.
Booked. Midson.

Attendance. 18,292.
Referee. Richard Townsend.
Man of the Match. Ross McCormack (Leeds United), rated at 9.8 over 90 minutes. The Scottish international striker was in fine form today, hitting four goals today past Seb Brown, to move joint top scorer at the club with Luciano Becchio.