Out thought by Redfearn?

It was clear from the start that Leeds were up for this game. Neil Redfearn had warned before the match that AFCB were due a defeat and that is what duly happened. Leeds had already got a win down at Dean Court and they know how to make a battle for everything when they meet the Cherries.

Neil Redfearn set Leeds up with a strong midfield that often left three against two we were told by Kris Temple and Willo at BBC Radio Solent. It was a night when AFCB needed to be right at it and it sounded like Matt Ritchie, for one, was off his game and hardly got a touch in the first half.

The Cherries were confident going into the Leeds match
but lost the battle in the first half hour according to Eddie Howe.

Tactics were certainly not going well for AFCB in the first half, but Eddie Howe dismissed thoughts of the Cherries not having the right system on the night. It was more of a physical and passing weakness that he was disappointed with in the first half. Leeds organised themselves well though and got back into their shape quickly, and that did not allow Pugh and Ritchie to have as much influence as usual, while Francis and Daniels did not seem to have the freedom to get in as many crosses as AFCB teams are used to feeding off. 

We have to remember that Leeds needed those points really badly and by getting a win against the league leaders they can then see a brighter future. It was a big ambition for them to win that match and their desire helped them cling on to the goal lead. It took a lot of effort on their part and it is a shame that they seem to keep some of their best performances for AFCB.

To see Harry Arter also come off is perhaps more a sign of things not going quite right. Harry is the engine room and for him to need a breather is unusual even though I expect he would have preferred to stay on. But Eddie was pleased when Dan Golsing, Yann Kermorgant and Junior Stanislas came on as it did lift the team, sadly just not enough for them to get a goal.

Leeds are scrapping for every point

When you find a team like Leeds Utd scrapping away at the wrong end of the table for every point it is clear that the Championship is no lover of tradition or reputation. Leeds are in 20th place for a reason and it is down to their players, management and fans to try and dig themselves out of the situation they are in. They need to scrap too as their fans turn out every week in huge numbers to see their team struggle for consistency.

The Cherries will not take Leeds Utd lightly though. Leeds' comeback against Birmingham in their last match is proof that Leeds Utd are still fighting for everything, even if they have not found the kind of form that brought them three points at Dean Court earlier in the season. Gary Rowett was not so praising of Leeds' style of football claiming that Leeds just sought to play direct and hit Steve Morison on the diagonal at every opportunity. I saw a lot more promise from them than that when they played AFCB earlier in the season.

The transfer window is unlikely to offer much comfort for Leeds in terms of players coming in as they have a transfer embargo after failing to meet the Fair Play Rules and captain Stephen Warnock has just signed for Derby County. In such circumstances it would have been a real blow if they had lost to Birmingham and now they will be up for the challenge of taking on the league leaders.

Leeds  Utd and AFCB at Dean Court in the reverse fixture.

Neil Redfearn pointed out in his last post match interview that Luke Murphy had been getting some stick for his lack of goals of late, but he netted against Birmingham in front of the home fans and AFCB have to try and keep him quiet tonight. Mirco Antenucci, their top scorer, was also back into the starting line up and he'll be desperate to show that he is worth that place against AFCB.

If AFCB can win they can go four points clear and build the pressure on the chasing teams.

Leeds Home Form
WWLLD

AFCB Away Form
DWWWW

If you did not see this morning's post you can catch up with our chat with The Scratching Shed on the Rival Lines tab.

The Scratching Shed talks to Cherry Chimes

Rival Lines

Leeds Utd v AFCB

Blogger Interview: The Scratching Shed
(Interview was made last week)

I was pleased to be able to have another word with David at The Scratching Shed last week and catch up with how Leeds fans were feeling ahead of the match with AFCB. Leeds Utd's precarious position is likely to get plenty of media coverage unless Neil Redfearn can turn things around soon.

CC: Why do you think Leeds' home form has slipped so much since picking up 7 points out of 9 in November, 1 point in December is not good enough is it?

TSS: There's myriad reasons for that decline. Sometimes it just feels like we're not getting the rub of the green, other times our team make careless and costly mistakes, which is always a double-blow because it effects confidence. There's also a certain imbalance to the squad (loads of central players, no width) which leaves our options limited when it comes to changing things around, but the last couple of games (Sunderland and Bolton) we've been trying something new and things have looked much better for us.

CC: Do Leeds need a complete rebuilding job now or over the summer?

TSS: On the contrary, Leeds' off-field problems have resulted in major squad upheaval every summer for some years now and that lack of stability is our biggest issue. It's an issue compounded by our latest batch of recruits having little to no Championship experience, or indeed, experience in English football, so the whole season has been a learning process.

Leeds have talent in the squad, they're just young and/or inexperienced, but come summer, they'll have a year under their belts and be able to build on what will undoubtedly end as a poor and forgettable season. I'm not saying we shouldn't add to the squad at all, there's always room for improvement and we need a couple of experienced heads to aid the learning process of others, but we desperately need to find some stability on and off the pitch so instead of a total overhaul, I think we'd be better off making a small number of carefully considered signings to build on what we have and strengthen where we're lacking.

CC: Stephen Warnock has completed his move to Derby, so are you disappointed he did not seem to be offered a contract to stay at Leeds or is he not a big loss?

TSS: He doesn't have the best relationship with Cellino and is probably our highest earner so the writing was on the wall, but yeah, this is just a crazy decision by the club, he's a huge loss. He's probably been our most consistent performer this season and is one of a very small number of players who has the experience we're lacking. A lot of fans always think the grass is greener when a player leaves, that they're easily replaced, and that seems to be the owner's mentality too but it's done Leeds no good over the past few years and I fear we'll come to regret the decision.

CC: Are you hopeful that Neil Redfearn is making progress after the point away at Bolton?

TSS: I have absolute faith in Neil Redfearn, I think he made several gutsy (and largely unpopular) decisions before the Bolton game, has really grown into the job and is starting to turn the corner. Like a lot of our players, he's learning the ropes too but there's only so much he can do when player recruitment is handled by those above him and I doubt there's another manager/head coach out there who'd be performing any better in this situation. Get him a wide left player and bring Luciano Becchio home and I think the remainder of the season will be much smoother. Instead, we'll probably sign 12 Serie B rejects who play centrally and have no experience of the division.

CC: Do you think Massimo Cellino is Leeds' best hope to move forward or do you fear it will all end in tears? (Cellino lost his appeal to the Football league yesterday)

TSS: Probably the latter, but that's how I expect everything to end at Leeds...

CC: How important is it that Alex Mowatt stays at the club?

TSS: I've always liked Alex and he's been in great form this season but I'd argue 17-year-old Lewis Cook has quickly become our most important player along with the rejuvenated Sam Byram. All three came through the academy and should be considered crucial to our plans going forward.

CC: What's happened to Billy Sharp - 2 goals all season?

TSS: Service and he hasn't really been a regular. Like our abundance of central midfielders and total lack of width, this is another area of imbalance. Sharp, like Antenucci, is more of a second-striker and would benefit from someone who leads the line - like Luciano Becchio for example - alongside him which we don't really have (unless you count Steve Morison, but he's never really produced for us).

CC: Mirco Antenucci started well but he is also not getting starts now, so is Redfearn messing about with the starting line up too much?

TSS: Some games he seems to spend most of the 90 minutes offside but when he does manage to time his runs properly, he can be deadly. Redfearn changed system to find a better balance and that's cost Antenucci his place simply because he doesn't suit the lone striker role. No fault of his own so he'd be entitled to feel somewhat frustrated by it, but that's just how it goes sometimes.

CC: Leeds have not been in the bottom three all season so there is no need to panic is there?

TSS: I'm saying nothing. I insisted we'd be OK the last two times we got relegated...

CC: Are there any players who you know are definitely out for the Bournemouth match because they are injured?

TSS: Warnock would have been the only major doubt I think, but he'll be elsewhere by then by the looks of things.

CC: Does an evening game give you more confidence of beating Bournemouth at home with the atmosphere Leeds fans can create?

TSS: Ha. For the longest time our fanbase spoke of 'the Tuesday night curse' as if it was just accepted we'd play badly and lose midweek fixtures but I don't think our midweek record is too bad this season - no worse than our overall record anyway...

As for the atmosphere - a cold Tuesday night at a half empty Elland Road isn't generally conducive a great atmosphere so I wouldn't expect too much. Due to a combination of several poor seasons, a huge stadium for this level and crazy ticket pricing (not as bad as it was, but still not reflective of the level we're playing at in my opinion), the fans have very little to get excited about and the place is usually half empty - especially midweek. The situation isn't helped by the small number of away fans we get at Elland Road since they were moved to a different section and charged ludicrously high prices.

CC: I agree about the ticket pricing - it's absurd for a mid-week Championship match in January (five quid extra buying on the night as well - adult £39)! Some great answers from Dave there. I really like hearing what true fans feel about their club and when there are difficult times there are a lot good clubs who actually listen to what the fans are saying because often they have good things to say. 

Looking at results you might just wonder if the players are not up to the task, but there is a lot of faith in Neil Redfrean there. From what David says you have to wonder if the recruitment policy at the club is as good as it should be and the calls for Luciano Becchio's return are getting stronger.

Please check up on what The Scratching Shed has been reporting in the run up to the match against AFCB. I particularly like the article they haven entitled 'Are Leeds Utd worse than 12 months ago?' I'll let you answer that one. You can also check out the Scrathing Shed on twitter @TSSLUFC

Rantie Watch
Those who did not watch the Algeria v south Africa match in the Africa Cup of Nations it was quite a match for TK. While he helped in the build up for Bafana Bafana's goal with a fabulous back heel, he sadly then smashed the ball against the bar from the penalty spot that would have given South Africa a 2-0 lead at the time, but the score ended up 3-1 to Algeria. Rantie was taken off after 78 minutes and the commentator on Eurosport simply said: "You just feel sorry for him. He has had one of those days in front of goal, hasn't he?"

The Cherries away form is something special

I have been amazed at the level of performances that this AFCB team has been producing away from home. Another record has tumbled this season as eight away wins were totted up after Saturday's victory at the New York stadium. The way the Cherries are set up to counter attack has been most successful and the pace of the team is something that is not only pleasing on they eye, but devastating when it is a fluent attack style with precise passing. Against other Championship defences it has been enough to unlock most of them and to do that with the backing of just a few hundred AFCB fans on some occasions has shown other teams that you don't have to be a Nottingham Forest or a Leeds Utd to be at the top of the Championship.

The Cherries really do like playing away.

At the end of the day, it is what you have on the pitch that really counts, and while AFCB have not got the biggest of away fan bases, the team responds to the support it gets on the road and seems to enjoy playing at the big stadiums. Having been in the lower leagues for many years, many of AFCB's players experienced the Championship last season, but want more than that now. Take away the away form and the team would not be anywhere near as high in the table. AFCB have dropped just 12 points on the road but have seen 15 points escape their grasp at Dean Court from my calculations.

It is also now six clean sheets away from home in the league and that is more than impressive, it is the kind of form that is quite spectacular when you think that Cook and Elphick are only playing their second full season at this level and Elliott Ward is yet to play a game this season in the first team. AFCB have also changed goal keepers with Lee Camp coming in for Artur Boruc, but there is a winning mentality through the different squads at Bournemouth at the moment. This is not simply a successful team, it is becoming a successful club at all levels and it is hard to believe the progress that has been made at times.

The match against Leeds Utd could see AFCB record their fifth away win in a row and that is the kind of standard that they simply have to try and keep producing if they are to keep heading the division. Neil Redfearn said that 'AFCB are due a defeat', but the recent taste of the loss against Norwich is something that I expect the players will use to ensure they leave nothing on the pitch having faced Leeds Utd at Elland Road.

Tomorrow we will have an interview with:
 

What kind of Leeds team will turn up at Dean Court?

If you had to pick an accumulator this weekend it is unlikely that you would want to have Leeds Utd among your bankers not to concede a goal. That is nothing to do with the threat that AFCB might pose to the white shirts but more down to the fact that Leeds have not kept a clean sheet away from home so far this season. 

A sinking ship? I don't think so. While Massimo Cellino may regret his Hockaday experiment he is not rushing into selecting his next manager. There are no shortages for candidates that might want the Leeds' managers job either with Tony Mowbray, Robbie Fowler and Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink reputed to be among the interested parties. The sudden resignation of James Beattie from Accrington Stanley has put him in the frame as well. But under Neil Redfearn Leeds already managed to get a good win against Bolton before the international break and while striker Matt Smith has signed for Fulham on transfer deadline day there is a new look about the Leeds team. 

Players are still happy to join the Yorskshire club and we have seen their ranks swelled by Brazilian midfielder Adryan is a loan deal from Flamengo who has already played for the Development squad, Dario Del Fabro has signed on loan from Cagliari, while Danish midfielder Casper Sloth came in on a three-year deal over the summer from AGF Aarhus and Souleyman Doukara turned his loan move into a permanent transfer to Leeds. Another one to watch will be Brian Montenegro who has joined on loan from Nacional in Paraguay and is an international striker, while Billy sharp has already opened his goal scoring account for the Yorkshire club and is a likely starter against the Cherries. Ross McCormack might have moved on but there are plenty of other hot shots around and Neil Redfrean knows all about AFCB's game.

One imagines that it is Cellino who is making many of these signings with the connections with Cagliari certainly benifitial for the moves of Adrayan, who had been on loan there, and Del Fabro and Marco Silvestri who plays in goal, while there have been a few other signings from Italian clubs too. Whether it is a good thing that there are s many changes at the club will only be known after some time, but the managerial appointment is crucial as that person will have to get the players feeling that they are in a happy camp as well as winning games soon. I am sure that the individual skill of players like Adryan and Montenegro added to the grit of players like Jason Pearce can be moulded into team that is working to do its best for Cellino and the Leeds fans, AFCB are in for a difficult night. But I do see Leeds as work in progress.

For the Bournemouth match I can see Eddie Howe not worrying about what Leeds might do or how they might play but simply going for them like last season from the start, because there are too many variables in the Leeds squad to know who might play and what system they might play. It should be a cracking contest.

Finally, I also read that Yann Kermorgant is unlikely to play a part in the game as he has a shoulder injury following the Rotherham match. This would probably indicate that Brett Pitman or Tokelo Rantie might get a rare start.

If you fancy reading some more Championship thoughts please visit The-News Hub where I have posted a story that questions; 'Do Fulham need a change of guard?'