Opposition Viewpoint – Leeds – Tues 19th October 2010
Name: Phil Mason
Current Home Town: I live near Derby
Birthplace: Nottingham (Is there anything worse for you than a Leeds fan from Nottingham who lives in Derby!?!)
How long supported: I have supported Leeds since 1970 from the age of 5. Even though I grew up in Nottingham there were lots of Leeds fans around, however in the late seventies as Leeds success started to dwindle most of them were all too quick to change their allegiances to the more successful Brian Clough Forest team.
Favourite thing about ground: Although Elland Road looks old and tired when compared with all the new modern stadiums, I still love the fact that me and my two lads can still sit in the same seats that I first sat in as a kid when my Dad started taking to me Leeds in the seventies.
Favourite match: A number of games stick out for me. A Premiership game about ten years ago when we were losing 3-0 at home to Derby after 30 minutes. We came back to win 4-3 with a last minute goal from Lee Bowyer. Living in Derby this was fantastic!…
Also, and mainly for the incredible atmosphere inside Elland Road that night, a Champions League game against the mighty Barcelona. Because of injury and suspensions virtually a second string Leeds side led for most of the game only for Rivaldo to score an equalizer in the last minute
Last season provided its fair share of memorable games as we eventually got out of the dump that is Division One. The final match was memorable as we stumbled over the finishing line with a 2-1 victory v Bristol Rovers despite the antics of ex-fox Mad Max Gradel who managed to get sent off (when he eventually agreed to leave the pitch….. what a liability this chap is) and off course there was the incredible victory of Man Utd in the FA Cup.
Favourite Player: As a kid it was Peter Lorimer. Long before the days of replica kits and club shops I even managed to get hold of a pair of the sock tags made famous by the Revie team with his number 7 on.
More recently it has to be David Batty. A better player than most people gave him credit for.
Current Player: We are certainly more about the TEAM than any one star player at the moment but for me Robert Snodgrass is our one stand out player. Schmeichel junior has the potential to become a fave but has been out injured since a promising start. Another ex fox Patrick Kisnorbo is also up there but again has been out injured. We desperately need him back to shore up our aging defence.
Player to Fear (Leeds): Snodgrass is very creative and on his day has a hand in anything good we do.
Player to Fear (Leics): Any big, slow centre forward causes us loads of problems. This is based on the fact that Jon Parkin and Billy Paynter (before we bought him) have both scored hat tricks against us recently. So it has to be Stevie Howard. He also always seems to score against us.
Prospects: This is quite sad as Mr Grayson does not seem to give youth much of a chance and likes good old seasoned pros. We have a great player in Aidey White but Grayson does not trust him. Thinking about all the young players that have come through our Academy (Lennon, Milner, Kewell, Woodgate etc) it is disappointing that only Jonny Howson is a true Leeds player in the current side.
Where Will Leeds Finish: The early performances had everyone thinking that the play-offs were a good possibility. Recent results suggest that a mid table place is more likely. In all honesty I think we will be well clear of the relegation dog fight but will never be serious contenders for the play-offs unless cuddly Ken Bates gets his wallet out.
How will we (City) do? It will be interesting to see how things turn out under Sven but even more interesting to see if he is still your manager by May. I am not sure if Leicester have had more Managers than Sven has had clubs in the last few years!?!? I think your early season form will cost you and you will end up just below the play-offs. Hopefully we both finish above Derby and Forest!