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Ipswich Town 3 Leeds United 0: Travels of a Leeds fan

31/3/2013

8 Comments

 

By Andrew Butterwick

This is an image from weallloveleeds.co.uk, the leading fans site for Leeds United
The bright sunshine that dazzled my eyes belied the bitter cold as I gunned the car southwards towards East Anglia for the clash with Mick McCarthy's Tractor Boys. The Happy Chocker, Quiet One were joined by the Wakey Warriors for the latest Leeds United awayday. The mood was remarkably positive in the car considering we had only sampled the sweet taste of success three times away from  Elland Road this term. Could Ipswich be the fourth? Well judging by the atmosphere inside the Station Hotel Ipswich there was nothing that could stop the mighty whites from taking three points back up north as the full back catalogue of the Leeds United songbook was given a healthy airing by the hardy Leeds fans packed into the Suffolk hostelry. Once again that wonderful pre match anticipation drug was working it's magic on the gathered LUFC family and like a  boxer who keeps coming back for more we were all drinking it in with naive abandon.

Warnock had made three changes from the last game against Huddersfield with Austin, Habibou and Diouf making way for Norris, Morison and Michael Brown. Ross Mac was left on the bench with Varney partnering Morison up front.  Not for the first time this season there were some puzzled faces amongst  the away fans as they tried to understand our leader's selection logic? Still Ipswich were teetering on the relegation precipice so they should be there for the taking shouldn't they?

The match kicked of with a Siberian wind whipping through the Cobbold stand and flurries of snow blowing across the pitch. All this on a day when the clocks are adjusted to British Summer Time! The opening exchanges were lively to say the least as both sides came out fighting. Cresswell swung two early crosses into the Leeds box that had Lees and Peltier scrambling to get the ball away whilst at the other end the Ipswich defence were at sixes and sevens as a Warnock corner clattered a post and Green's follow up was gratefully cleared by Stearman. Leeds fed on their early superiority and soon Loach in the Blues goal was called upon to keep out shots from Norris, Green and Varney before punching a Morison header to safety. This was good early pressure from Leeds........................all we needed was somebody to finish one of the chances. Even Michael Brown ghosted onto a cross and fizzed the ball inches over the bar.  For once we were creating good chances up front whilst at the back Tom Lees was winning everything in the air despite taking a nasty knock to the face in the opening 5 minutes. This was good and if  I'm honest a little too good. there had to be a twist...........this was Leeds  playing away.  The twist came on 31 minutes.

Tom Lees' mistimed attempt to stub a Tabb attack out resulted in a straight red card for the Leeds  youngster much to the rankle of the massed Leeds hordes.  It was a harsh decision but not surprising.  Lees caught the Ipswich player in the chest with his knee although Tabb is only 4ft 2" high it was still a reckless challenge. So for the third game running a Leeds player had taken an early bath on a visit to Portman Road with Lees following in the footsteps of White and Bruce in the last two years. Mmmm 60 minutes to go with only ten men. Not good.

Byram  went to centre half and Green dropped to full back as Leeds reshuffled. Green  so nearly compounded a bad situation as he appeared to bring Tabb down from behind in the penalty area just minutes later.  The ref waved play on. It's safe to say that Mr Tabb was not the most popular player with
the away fans at  this time. Leeds recovered their composure and even opened Ipswich up with a  lovely move that Morison wastefully fired high and wide under no pressure from 12 yards. Bollox. Then just when it seemed Leeds would get into half time level  they conceded a desperately disappointing goal right on the stroke of half time.  Edwards found space on the right and floated a teasing cross into the box where  Hyam headed against the bar and McGoldrick snaffled up the rebound to put  Ipswich 1.0 up. Half Time.

Warnock changed the team at half time bringing Pearce on for Green. The next goal was now crucial.  If Ipswich got it then I feared for Leeds and my fears were well founded as they opened up the Leeds back line with almost their first attack of the half giving McGoldrick the simplest of chances that he accepted with ease. Ipswich 2.0 and game over against the ten men of Leeds. Morison had a chance to pull one back for Leeds but his wayward shot struck Varney instead of the back of the net. Sort of summed Leeds up. The away fans were now resigned to yet another fruitless away trip and gallows humour became the order of the day. Songs advising Mr Warnock to take a trip to Cornwall and ironic cheers when we had a shot or strung more than three passes together spilled down from the frustration of the Cobbold Stand.  On the pitch Paddy Kenny was now working overtime to give the scoreline some respectability. Byram had a terrific shot blocked on the line but Ipswich added an inevitable third on 70 minutes as the game drifted away from Leeds accompanied by defiant chants of "We're shite but we still Love Leeds" and "you're not so special we lose every week" from the remaining Leeds fans. With the exception of Byram, Kenny and Warnock there were too many  players in Leeds shirts just not showing the passion required when you go down to ten men. The game finished 3.0 but I was already back in the car. Ipswich is a long way to come to watch your team give in without putting up much of  a fight.

This was the 5th game without a win for Leeds a statistic that had us nervously scanning the league table as  we headed back north. After the bright opening the capitulation after Lees' red  card was so annoyingly frustrating and so similar to last year's trip to Portman  Road when we failed spectacularly in the 2nd period. If anyone had any doubt that we are nowhere near good enough to get out of this league then this game must have eliminated any last spark of forlorn hope. It's time the players  shouldered the blame aswell as the Manager. This season can't end quick enough for me but with uncertainty over who will own and manage the club next season I  can't see the summer being anything other than drenched in rumours, speculation and too little action on Planet Leeds.

Derby up next on Easter Monday.  Can Leeds resurrect some semblance of form and beat the East Midlanders..................something we've failed to do in the last 87 games against the Rams? I'm not overly optimistic on this one. Life on Planet Leeds gets more difficult as each week goes by.

Difficult to take much more.

MOT
8 Comments
Keith
30/3/2013 08:11:59 pm

Warnock should fuck off and do it now
He's ruined our club

Reply
Steve
30/3/2013 08:19:17 pm

Great report - thanks mate. Something has to happen this next week if GFH want to retain the last crumbs of credibility. Warnock out - now!

Reply
Andrew Butterwick
31/3/2013 02:47:27 am

Thanks Steve.

Reply
Mark link
30/3/2013 08:33:53 pm

Thanks Andrew. I was there with my son. The quality of the football was terrible and only really resembled passing when McCormack and White came on (much too late as usual). As you say very little passion and not for the first time this season I thought again about the legions of us who had travelled to the midldle of nowhere to support the team. Warnock and many of the players did not deserve us yesterday.

Reply
Andrew Butterwick
31/3/2013 02:49:31 am

Mark,
Warnock doesn't deserve us and now Ive heard him slagging Lees off in his press conference he's gone even further down in my estimations..........if that's possible.

Reply
Buck
30/3/2013 08:39:49 pm

lets face facts colins lads are all has beens and we dont seem to have money to invest so here we go. First thing get the young lads who want to play for the club and the future signed on at least 3 year deals and look at putting them in between Now and the end of the season (at least 4 of em) Second look to bring a couple of good players in with age not against them who can help our youngsters on the field Third even if it costs money get rid of the journey men Fourth bring in a manager who likes to bring youngsters through Five let the fans know what your intensions are GFH as we dont know what the hell is going on. Six put the away fans back in the south stand (much better than it is now) Seven dont bother putting colin on the radio or tv to slag our home grown lads off as much as i hate him you would never see pond lifes manager do that at scumchester.
With only a set amount of money this must be the way forward.
MOT.

Reply
Andrew Butterwick
31/3/2013 02:51:20 am

Buck,
all good points. I'd put Naylor in charge for rest of the season at least.

Reply
walt kelly
30/3/2013 08:56:55 pm

i totaly agree lets 1st sack that a.../hole warnock 2get a good manager in that will use our acadamy players 3 bring back in young polion and take a good hard look at what we can achieve in 1or2 seasons with our youngsters revie built from within 4 approch martin o,neil now he is a free agent again i think he could just be the man for us so don,t miss out again grab him now and then lets begin again we will never give up till we are back where we belong in the promist land then will the sun shine on the mighty LEEDSl

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