While it’s reassuring as a Leeds fan to be regularly
reminded of the hatred we continue to generate amongst Yorkshire’s lesser
lights, regardless of our status; it has become a real problem on match days.
While Simon Grayson achieved much during his tenure, motivating his starting XI
against the likes of Huddersfield, Hull City and Sheffield United wasn’t
really his forte...then there’s Barnsley.
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| Becchio scores, Leeds lead, Hill flips... |
On the basis of the last couple of seasons, I’ve come to
look forward to a clash with Barnsley with the same sort of relish I’d expect
ahead of an encounter with a proctologist; consecutive hidings at Oakwell and
surrendered home points – the default sensation come the full-time whistle in
such clashes has been “utterly p***ed off”.
Then there’s Keith Hill, a man not so much sporting a
chip on his shoulder, rather a full sack of King Edwards; again in the build-up
to the game, he was sniping away, warning of gamesmanship on Saturday, calling
for strong refereeing and the like. It must still eat away at the balding, Bolton
born cockalorum that he was never considered for the Leeds post ahead of
Warnock, having made a play for it back in December when he suggested how much
better the club would’ve been faring had he been in charge. Hill didn’t get the
job though (thank God!) and with Warnock now at the helm, the suspicion prior
to kick-off was that the halcyon days of regular triumphs for the Matalan
Mourinho and his contemporaries would finally be at an end.
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| Self-appointed football martyr |
That was the
theory, albeit the logic looked worryingly flawed during the opening 20 minutes
as Barnsley started strongly and the established derby pattern bedded in. Leeds
struggled to cope; Austin and Tonge seemed unsure about their roles, neither of
them pushing forward to support the strikers with any real conviction, but both
abdicating defensive responsibilities. Having twice failed to prevent Kevin
Davies from scoring at the Reebok, Austin now stood motionless as Jacob Mellis broke into the box after only 4 minutes, only to steer wide when it
seemed easier to score.
Stephen Dawson and David Perkins (again) were running the show
as the visitors stroked the ball around as they pleased; on 7 minutes Barnsley
were almost through again, only a clumsy challenge-cum-air shot from Jason
Pearce was sufficient to halt progress – it was ugly, it was desperate, and
matters had to be addressed.
Hope is currently a fragile concept at Leeds and the
sparsely populated East Stand – a monument to the consequences placing greed
above ambition – served as a reminder of the underlying unrest that lurks
around the club. Yet, as productive as the self-imposed exiles of the masses
may be in nudging Bates towards the exit, it is also a shame that the players
currently wearing the shirt are denied this support, as if nothing else, they
are unequivocally committed to the cause, and will ultimately give any side a
game...and today all it took was a change of system.
Leeds adapted to a 3-5-2 formation; Peltier moved towards
the middle to become the left-sided centre back of three, while Aidy White
dropped back from the midfield to play at wing-back. Suddenly the home side had
much more of a solid look about them; Leeds had more bodies in the middle of
the pitch, where previously they had been overrun and the problems caused by
Tonge’s tendency to repeatedly drift infield from the left, exposing Peltier in
the process, were addressed. As such, the game became a far more even affair,
albeit with the exception of one superb Diouf cross headed over by Becchio, the
threat offered by Leeds was relatively minor.
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| 9th of the season |
That Leeds took the lead was quite a surprise then, even
if the source was rather less so; while Stephen Foster’s decision to end Lee
Petier’s run from deep with a body check that bordered on an assault was
undeniably a foul, whether it took place inside the 18 yard box was another
issue entirely. Becchio appeared duly unconcerned about the validity of the
decision as he dinked in from 12 yards. By his own admittance, Neil Warnock
didn’t watch the penalty being taken, which seemed a shame, as doubtless the
sight of our Argentine forward getting bollocked by our manager for trying to
be “flash” while still celebrating the goal, would’ve made for a priceless spectacle.
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| "Costs less than Berbatov..." |
It was a bitter pill for Barnsley to swallow and things
got a little too much for Keith Hill shortly afterwards. Today’s dismal referee
of choice, Darren Deadman, having harshly booked Becchio on the back of cries
from Barnsley fans, then immediately found himself also playing up to the home
fans who demanded retribution following a nondescript Craig Davies challenge –
Hill responded by attempting to start a stand-up row with an entire section of
the West Stand.
Come the second half, Leeds began to look a little more
comfortable, helped by increasing familiarity with the new system and the early
introduction of David Norris for a sluggish Tonge. Chances were few however,
and the majority went to Barnsley; the best of the half went to Marlon
Harewood, who with the goal at his mercy, side-footed back in the direction of
Paddy Kenny, who was able to fling himself at the ball and save at full
stretch.
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| Diouf: staging his one-man forward's show |
As Barnsley became more desperate and Michael Brown (not
for the first time) was christened a w**ker by the away support, Jason Pearce
(not for the first time) found using his body as the last line of defence to be
a wholly effective tactic. As time ticked by, Leeds found themselves
increasingly reliant on Diouf as a sole attacking outlet who obliged
magnificently; the Senegalese striker’s use of the ball, his ability to retain
it and where possible, bring others into play was an object lesson to all those
around him and a reminder of what it’s like to have a top class experienced
player at Elland Road...and it’s been a while! As Diouf jogged over to take a
corner he’d just won in the dying minutes, those in the Kop and the North East
Corner rose as one to acclaim him and he responded in kind – the unlikeliest of
love affairs is in full bloom!
Barnsley were still afforded one more gilt-edged
opportunity, but could only muster a weak header after Austin again lost his man at a set piece; this
time though, mercifully, it wasn’t costly. So come the final whistle, the
players and Warnock were able to celebrate and reflect upon a terrific
fortnight for the club that has brought a cup victory over Everton and 10
points from 12, all in the midst of an injury crisis! Warnock left the pitch
all smiles; in contrast a sulking Keith Hill made for the tunnel stony faced,
left to curse a combination of bad fortune and the referee. If looks could
kill, Darren would be a dead man.
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| Default clenched fist mode... |
In the post-match interviews, Warnock claimed not to have
a clear view of the penalty incident, stating that he would need to see a
replay before passing judgement; Hill was in no mood to play the diplomat
however, openly lamenting the decision…while skirting over the inability of his
forwards. He did try to remain measured and typically noble in his criticism though, saying: “I better be careful, I’m not a
rich man…I’m rich in values, but not with cash”.
Barnsley fans surely shouldn’t fear a relegation battle
while under the stewardship of such a self-important, righteous leader and will doubtless take comfort from his unrepentant parting shot: "I don't hide. I'm Keith Hill; 6 foot 1, 16 stone, was 13 stone. I don't hide! - Kevin Blackwell, you may just have a soul mate!
Maybe derbies are gonna be a whole lot more fun this season...?
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