Following on from j’s last post as Leeds blogger, the semi final defeat to Millwall was a bitter disappointment. But maybe losing at the semi final stage was a blessing in disguise. Losing after a final can leave a bit of a hangover at times. But at the same time i think many were confident that we could come out of the Millwall defeat stronger than the last two play off defeats because of one man.

Simon Grayson has been a beacon of hope in what has been a dark period for Leeds. Taking us on a amazing run at the end of last season, his transformation of the team was simply amazing. Unable to lose at home, scoring for fun and getting better at the back. There was also a newly found determination, trying to get back a bit of passion for wearing the shirt.

But Grayson also knows what it takes to win promotion, he’s done it with Blackpool, and the mistake of thinking that having a big name as manager will get you out of League 1 is one is one we’ve been guilty of. But Grayson has an actual working experience of this division, and his astute summer signings shows he knows the league and what it takes to get out of it.

Paddy Kisnorbo has come in at the back and has been solid as a rock so far. A new Terry Butcher with his constant headband, he has shown a self belief in his performances, and of course some fantastic tackling. Throwing himself into everything and being part of a back four that has been very solid all season. For me he is the key signing.

Being so assured and confident in his performance is rubbing off on others. The defence has been worked on in the summer with the signings of Bromby and Crowe and has been a key part of our start to the season.

Another feature that grayson has brought in is the fluidity of the midfield. I confess i’ve only seen two games in the flesh plus the Liverpool game on sky, but the midfield is constantly moving and linking up well. Bradley Johnson has weighed in with 5 goals from midfield and is another player that has transformed since Grayson has come in, although he always has had the potential based on his loan spell with Brighton last season.

Snodgrass gets a call up for Scotland and unfortunately had to pull out but after a performance against Liverpool where he ‘had their left back on toast’ according to Grayson, his stock continues to rise.

Another key reason we have started well is the fact we only lost one major player in Delph. Beckford, Becchio and Snodgrass all stayed, plus players like Kisnorbo, Bromby, Crowe, Higgs and Doyle all joined to go with the likes of Howson, Johnson, Kilkenny, Naylor, Parker. It’s a strong squad.

I was going to say we have strength in depth and to a degree we do. But against Darlington (i lied earlier i’ve seen three games live) a lot of the fringe players were given a chance and some ‘played themselves out of the team’ according to Simon Grayson. The likes of Prutton, Robinson, Showunmi and Ankergren didn’t cover themselves in glory. And those are four names you expect to be solid players at this level. Robinson was in the League one team of the year before he joined, and at times has showed why, but he was decidely unfit when he joined and has never maintained a consistant level of performance.

For me this is a worry, against Charlton complaints rained in that with Snodgrass missing we lacked creativity. Something that Robinson could do, but maybe the fact he didn’t start is a sign of the managers faith in him.

But for me the most pleasing thing as i alluded to earlier is the work ethic and passion. The players really seem to be giving everything for the club and their gaffer. 1-0 down at Walsall with ten minutes to go and we went on to win 2-1. Normally our heads would drop and it would be game over. Not this season. It shows alot about Grayson to see the players give so much. Nothing is a lost cause.

With this, expectation soars and a 0-0 draw at home to a team in second was considered a disappointment. No way in a million years is it a disappointment in my eyes, but such are expectations after the start we’ve had. Maybe its a double edged sword. The fact that most seasons as of late a 0-0 draw at home against a second place team would’ve been a great result, but now its a disappointment, which shows that we have come on alot as of late.

The next thing is can we keep it going. As a Leeds fan you learn never to get optimistic…….but even i might start getting excited if we’re still in the top 2 by christmas.

I’m absolutely thrilled to be given the chance to write about a team that i’m so passionate about and i hope you enjoy reading everything i write to you all.

A bit about myself. I’m 23, i’m a trainee radio journalist, soon to be freelance in a couple of months. I’m from Keighley near Bradford and i’ve been a leeds supporter since i was 4 years old thanks to my dad. I had a season ticket for 5 years between 2002 and 2007 (Great years weren’t they!!) but had to give it up to pursue my dreams of journalism.

So throughout the ups and downs, i continue to be an ardent leeds fan and will always wear my heart on my sleeve when it comes to all things LUFC for this blog.

I follow in such great footsteps from the last Leeds blogger and i hope i carry on the fine tradition.

Marching On Together!

Tim

P.S Sods law my first week as a lufc blogger and our game is postponed. But tomorrow i shall give my first thoughts on the season so far.

The details themselves aren’t that interesting to non-Leeds fans: Leeds allege that they were compelled to enter a CVA that knew would invoke a legal challenge from HM Customs and Revenue, in order to retain their “Golden Share” in the Football League. Doing so, however, created a situation in which the League was able to deduct 15 points from the team, despite Leeds having no alternative path available.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens here – it could lead to the 15 point penalty being rescinded, in which case Leeds would be top of the league.

At the end of last season, Leeds were facing relegation from the Championship and were forced to declare bankruptcy. In the process of doing so, they allegedly violated Football League regulations on insolvency, and were docked 10 points in the Championship. The other teams in their new league, League One, then voted to dock Leeds an additional 15 points on August 3rd of last year.

Ken Bates and the rest of the United board have been trying to have the point penalty overturned for the last eight months. They first began an appeal through the Football League, which was an abysmal failure. This probably had something to do with the fact that appeal was decided upon by board members of rival teams in the League, all of whom have a vested interest in preventing Leeds from gaining promotion to the Championship at their expense. Considering the team’s current form, a points penalty might be the only way to do that.

Leeds then requested independent arbitration from the national FA, but it looks like Ken Bates has decided to abandon that route and to take the League to court instead.

Bizarrely, Leeds have a written agreement with the Football League prohibiting them from taking legal action against each other. Leeds (and their army of lawyers) apparently reckon that, “European Union laws permit them to ignore the agreement and fight the 15-point deduction, which the club believe was a “wrongful decision”.

This is Ken Bates in the Yorkshire Evening Post:

“We’re suing the Football League for our 15 points because we believe, as we always have, that there was no justification for the penalty. The agreement we had saying we wouldn’t take legal action was signed under duress. We were a couple of days from the start of the season and we wouldn’t have been able to fulfil our fixtures without regaining our share in the Football League. In that situation, we either signed the document or we let ourselves be booted out of the League. But EU law says Person A cannot prevent Person B from going to court if it’s to right a wrongful decision. We did ask the FA for independent arbitration but we’ve been waiting five months for them to do anything, and the whole thing is a shambles. We want an open and independent review of this decision, and the only way of ensuring that is by going to the High Court.”

I have to hand it to Ken Bates: the man might be a lunatic, but he’s managed to take a possibly corrupt and probably poorly-considered Football League decision and turn it into a national legal circus of epic proportions. There aren’t many people who would even consider that as a viable route, let alone actually do it. Has an English football team ever sued its own league before? I’m pretty sure the answer is no – Leeds United, once again making history!