Possession: Leeds 40 Hartlepool 60 (second half 10-90)
Chances: Leeds 2 Hartlepool 400
Goals (kind of important this one): Leeds 2 Hartlepool 0

Leeds had two chances and took them both, its been said before that the main difference between Div 3 & 4 and I assume div 2 & 3, is that you get punished for mistakes. The first goal seen the Leeds man have hours in which to pick out his cross and for their second,Beckford was allowed several unchallenged touches before he very nicely put it away.

Still, we played very very well apart from the forward line which to be brutal is simply not up to the job.

I was talking to your kid yesterday near the end of the match, he was shaking his head in disbelief like me, but like you said it's all about sticking the chances away. I wonder what the score would have been if the two up front for them had been playing for us, and vice versa.
I'm willing to bet neither of our forwards would have scored that second goal, maybe Barker would have put the header away for the first, given a chance like that.
Or then again maybe not, seeing as how he missed an easy one at the start of the 2nd half when it was still 1-0!!!!
I think their two forwards would have relished the number of opportunities our players had to score!!!!

And the seven in the previous two games??

Sorry, but he didn't actually beat ANY challenges except for the defender closest to him who suddenly woke up to the fact (as indeed we were in the crowd) that Beckford isn't your 'typical ten touches and a back passs to the keeper type forward'. He never got close to him before the chip was on the way.

This may inadvertently prove your point but in a different way.

We're saying the same thing; I'm saying that Beckford was allowed several touches without a challenge and you're saying that he wasn't challenged. Great chip either way.

He had two touches. One to control the long ball, and one for the chip. I think you're a bit harsh on your defender there

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuSFd5-VxiU

Aye, maybe you're right, sometimes a great goal is unstoppable and that was a great goal.

Edit: the space your player had for the cross was obscene.

Explain, please

Just nipped out for a cig and was going to point out, to make you feel better of course, that the defending for the first goal was indeed pants.

The space down the right was quite well worked if you see the whole picture, but the centre half needs to get the glue off his boots

We scored 3 against Chesterfield & 4 against Oldham which were our previous 2 games.

As a stats man John, surely the figures tell their own story. Two from open play this season says a lot.

Perhaps it's because I love Porter, but I've never questioned his work rate. He works really hard I tell ya. Remember his first full season; he hardly finished a game because he'd worked himself into the ground! Perhaps you missed it as it was all intelligent running!

Here's a stat for you.
There are always going to be games where the ball just won't go in. There's been ONE like that out of eight games so far.
There's also only ONE game where we haven't conceded.

What those stats tell me is our priority should be the defence, and I'd be happy to see last season's restored with the only change being Jamie instead of Mick who visibly has no designs on regaining his place.

Yeah I know.

But the team scored seven so where's the fire?? Does it really matter where the goals come from as long as we get some?? Saturday was the first time this season that we HAVEN'T scored. It sounded like we did everything but. Moore and Barker might not be filling their boots but they seem to create enough diversion so someone else does.

The season, Boyd and Porter were on fire,
didn't Sweeney chip in with double figures, from midfield.

I haven't checked the stats, but I'm sure we had other
significant contributions.

The point I'm trying to make is, the 'strikers' are supposed
to score, backed up by goals from midfield, not vice versa.

Sure, it's in the job description I expect but my point is that as long as someone is scoring, is it crucial who it is?? Nine in five will do for the time being I would have thought.

He sure did. I remember over 60 goals from these 3 alone!

The only way you'll cave my head in, is if it implodes with all the drivel you spout!

Aye but of the 15 we've scored they've got 5 between them albeit Barkers are penalties, you've still got to score them. Browns weighed in with 4 and Foley 3 so if you look at it from the angle of 'are the strikers scoring?' yes they are. Brown might be on the right wing but he's still a striker.

He's scored as many as Boyd has this season so far an' all.

I think it might be as simple as that. The lad tries hard but so did I in Art at school, trouble was I was shite with a paintbox. I could throw paint around all day long earning the teachers praise for effort but nobody had any idea what I had painted.

Mr Moore is a grafter but doesn't put the ball in the net very often you could say the same about Darren Knowles.

Moore's career goal per game ratio is 0.17,
which just about sums it up I think
A goal every 6 games

Barker's is 0.26 and Joel's is 0.25 i.e 1 in 4

and yes I know he's played at a higher level,
but he's hardly ripping League 1 defences apart.

So we're scoring more goals a game than last season, conceding more, therefore the biggest concern is the attack.

Fookin' 'ell I sure even Martin Scott could see the anomaly there.
Way to go.

Whereas he who should not be named has averaged 0.4 goals per game including substitute appearances.

Well then, there's your problem.

Goals are scored in whole numbers

At this stage of the season I do have concerns over the pairing of Barker and Moore. Whilst I appreciate their workrate and the chances they may create for others, I feel it would be nice to have that workrate and a couple of goals extra as well from them. Moore strikes me as a slightly more refined Proctor type of player and to be honest the similarities are quite uncanny.... Barker....and I my get some stick here and I hope I'm proved wrong, appears to be a bit out of his depth. so far this season. He was the sort of player we needed to lead the line last season and get us out of the 2nd division, but that was then and this now.

See?? We're doing it again.

They've scored a third of our total goals to date. By whatever means, and we're amongst the divisions highest scorers so far.

The Bunker way is to invent a crisis and then scratch around for evidence to support it. Then when the stark truth is presented, to say 'but I'm entitled to my opinion,' the mark of the man without supporting facts.

From Leeds line living a charmed life, we're already, in 72 hours, desperate to sign new strikers or break up a team that played that well against opposition of that class.

You're all mental.

Just while we're arsing around with stats as well, Joel, though I love to watch him play, started 17 games last season and subbed in 9. He got 5 goals. This in a team that scored for fun after November.

Joel looks totally uninterested this season.

C'mon kev admit it ... the seasons over.

Oooh...... slightly selective there Kevin. now tell us in how many of those games was he 100% fit ?

69.731%

It gets better, we lost in three of the games he scored in as well........

Tart.

Ah well, if no-one ever invented anything we'd all be sat in a cave naked and very very cold wouldn't we??

So we think that 15 goals in 8 games is a bad return do we then??

Just so we poor unknowing distant observers know, like??

Ermmmm..........no, I skipped dinner on Saturday.

Well there's only one paw left on the dog and we're saving it for a special occasion.

I refer the right honourable gentleman to a statement I made before the Oldham game where I suggested that the tactic seemed to be for Barker and Moore to knacker the opposition defence in readiness for others to cash in towards the end of games.

I suspect your move to China was secretly to gain a really dispassionate view of Pools Matches?


Hope you're not still available for jury service, Kev......you'll probably arrange to take part in your absence!

Tschah, Mr Fireball. I believe you are setting your sights too low.

After Brazil's ordinary showing in the last World Cup, I think you should throw your hat in that particular ring.

If you need any advice on South American rings I believe our own moist padrone has expertise in those particular circles.

However, you could start at Gillingham, I think they have a vacancy.

do you play any of the over 40s teams from wingate or thornley in that league chip, if so tell me your shirt number

my mate has played for thornley he plays for wingate now, bit of a piss take calling it over 40s like when most are in there mid-late 30s

Chip Fireball quoted:
and that is why he is a successful football manager and we arent, although i believe if i was given the chance i would do just as well as he has and probably better.

[/quote]

[/quote]

I said after the Luton game that I could see that being a typical performance from us this season as we have a masterful midfield but no natural goalscorer in the box. Teams are going to struggle to handle our midfield and we're going to control games in the same way we did against Luton and supposedly on Saturday but still come away with a clean sheet.

The only playing I feel who gives you that goalscorers instinct in the box is James Brown but I can't see Wilson playing him there.

i also think i could do a better job of running the country than gordon brown, but i havent got the time to do it at the moment as im decorating the front room. its all a question of priorities.[/quote]



aah sometimes you are funny