Being defeatist will never help your cause
Andy Lonergan is, in my view, one of the Championship’s best goalkeepers, but even I thought when watching the highlights against Reading: “Would Alex of done any better?”
Simon Church’s lob, as any cheeky chip that goes ‘over and in’, will always ask questions of a goalkeeper - Especially when he is returning to action after two months on the sidelines, and unintentionally causing the on-field fiasco that was Paul Rachubka.
Alex McCarthy has undoubtedly impressed in Lonergan’s absence, and was obviously left out of the squad that played against his parent-club. But in the wake of it all, Grayson has an interesting choice to make in the goalkeeper he decides to start on Boxing Day.
It is clear that McCarthy wont be here to stay with us permanently in the near future, and as such it is inevitable that Lonergan will be put back in the frame. But his recent comments haven’t really inspired me with any great confidence:
Opinion was divided over whether the 28-year-old was entirely to blame for Reading’s winning goal, scored by Simon Church with a second-minute lob, and Lonergan defended himself in that instance but he was scathing about his influence on the Championship game as a whole. He described himself as “poor” while admitting he had no expectation of receiving the nod from Grayson at Derby on Boxing Day…
…“It’s been a frustrating time for me. I started well and I feel like I’ve got to get back to that level now.
“The only way I’m going to get there is by playing on a Saturday. It’s not something that just comes back to you quickly. I was happy with my form at the start of the season but that comes with the confidence of playing.”
Has anyone else picked up on the irony in these words? He admits he needs game time to get back the form he had pre-injury, but at the same time has given up any hope of being called to the squad for the Boxing Day clash against Derby?
This was the player Grayson held out for to wear the Number One jersey two weeks before the first game of the season and was automatically selected for that game, even without playing any matches with the senior squad beforehand. “In-Lonergan-We-Trust” was the mantra.
He admits it was “just a blip” against Reading, so I ask why is he being so hard against himself when he can potentially have a second bite at the cherry on Monday?
Either he is an incredibly modest character or incredibly cynical of the way football managers work; I don’t blame him after having his Preston career ended by Phil Brown the way it did. But even so, I find it hard to believe that Grayson shouldn’t trust him for the way Lonergan performed last Saturday
The problem Grayson has is if this “blip” becomes a recurring theme for Lonergan to get back to his best, whilst the young potential and, so far, reliability in Alex McCarthy is wasted.
If Grayson thought the way Lonergan currently feels his manager should, Rachubka wouldn’t have been given the chance to muck-up against Blackpool based on his past performances where mistakes were made.
As for what Grayson should do on Boxing Day: If he is indeed stuck in a rut between McCarthy and Lonergan, stick Maik Taylor on instead. He is a great keeper who still manages to get called up to his national squad without even having a club to play for - surely that says something.
This is a great post detailing every reason I like being a Leeds United fan.
Southampton 3-1 Leeds United
As far as season-openers go, that was definitely not the right way to go about it.
The penalty in extra-time did nothing to lighten my spirit after watching three very simple (albeit well taken) goals from The Saints fly into our net due to some horrendous defending and seeming lack of ability to pass to anyone from midfield.
Positives
New goalkeeper Andy Lonergan showed his worth today; brilliantly blocking a point-blank shot from Southampton midfielder Andy Lallana in the first half and pushing Richard Chaplow’s long-distance attempt on to the bar in the second. Those who still complain of Kasper Schmeichel’s departure from Leeds are now banging an old drum in my opinion. Lonergan was confident taking shots out of the air from set-pieces and was incredibly vocal when his defence were in the unfamiliar scenario of being in the correct position. He is a great replacement for Schmeichel and I can only hope seeing the ball in the back of the net three times today does not knock his confidence for our match next week.
The only other thing that can be praised from Leeds’ performance today was the way they came out after half-time. The first half showed little in terms of closing the opponent down and saw seven or eight players behind the halfway line when they did not have possession of the ball, leaving Southampton to pass freely away and not have to worry when the ill-fated long-balls from Leeds didn’t find McCormack. When the second half whistle blew Leeds looked to try and take a hold of the match and looked much more like the team we know and love. However that was soon quelled when the third goal was conceded. That ability to adapt to a games situation is a very important one if we plan on winning as many games as possible this season.
Negatives
The gaping holes left in the defensive line were amazing to see. Time after time, Kisnorbo or O’Brien could be seen to be drawn well out of position, the perfect example being the lead-up to the second Southampton goal that would not of come about if the defence were kept in line. Its all well and good for them to rush onto opposition to get a hold of the ball, but when the midfield seem to just stand there gazing around, wondering what they are having for tea, it doesn’t leave much back up in case defenders fail to get possession.
Loan signing O’Dea only looked reasonable when he was given opportunity to attack, but showed a lot of clumsiness in being able to hold on to possession when the pressure from Southampton came towards him.
The midfield? Put bluntly I couldn’t see it for most of the game. When Southampton attacked they either seemed to breeze through three ghosts or get floored by Michael Brown’s clumsy challenges - I know he has a reputation for being a psychical player, but he is going to do Leeds no favours whatsoever this season by giving away as many free-kicks as he did today.
Both Clayton and Howson (who had the best chance to score for us today) showed moments of skill at the same time as having no intention to pass to any other player around them. It was baffling to see how they could twist and turn around players, and then just push the ball into open ground for the opposition to snap up.
In attack similar problems showed up. Both Gradel and Snodgrass were left to their own devices when they received the ball, and when support came they just didn’t seem to have chemistry with the rest of the team and would either pass the ball backwards or simply give it away.
As mentioned earlier, McCormack’s part in this game was to run onto the long balls when the rest of the team ran out of ideas - A good plan if any of those long balls worked out (they were either misplaced or over-hit most of the time).
The substitutions that were carried out proved to be fruitless. Billy Paynter’s chance could of been much better and fuels more reason for the fans wanting him out of Elland Road. Ramon Nunez and Lloyd Sam were not given enough time to prove their worth, ten or so minutes more Nunez especially may of given the team the perfect setup or strike to claw a goal back.
Conclusions
Overall, a dismal day for Leeds United. Much more could of been done to prevent such a terrible result from happening. I hope this defeat is a shock to the system for the team (both players and management), where an easy pre-season (Newcastle the only game that could be truly deemed a challenge) did nothing to make the side improve on what was a terrific start back in the Championship last year.
Full BBC Coverage can be found (here)[http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14351913.stm].
On Leeds United A.F.C
It has been a while my dear readers. I think that with the penultimate pre-season friendly match out of the way (the match in question ending in a 1-1 draw) that I discuss my own thoughts and reflections on the latest developments at Leeds United A.F.C, my local football team who I have supported in varying degrees throughout my life.
