Leeds United under Simon Grayson rose from a League One side to a promotion contender into the hallowed Premier League. Grayson took over and steadied a rocking ship and has to be given credit for this.

Despite starting strongly in Grayson’s first full season in charge, Leeds stumbled near the finishing line but still managed to clinch promotion back to the Championship. Therefore when Grayson guided the team to 7th place the following term in the Championship it was a massive achievement. This was clearly an over achievement and may have spelled the beginning of his downfall as he could not realistically hope to equal or better this placing without money available for reinforcements, without once again performing minor miracles. This season they are once again knocking on the door of the play-offs in spite of a run of dreadful December results.

The attacking prowess of the Leeds front line has papered over the fissure that is the defence. They have conceded 42 goals already this season which is vastly greater than the teams in and around the play-offs. The reasons for this goals conceded tally could be numerable. On a tactics front Grayson may have been a little naïve in thinking that he can play the same attacking football in the Championship as he could in League One. Others would say that he has been unlucky in that basic errors from his playing staff have cost him dearly. Any one reason would in truth be far too simplistic.

The fact of the matter is that Bates has seen fit to terminate Grayson’s contract. He is however in no rush to bring in a new face to the helm. Neil Redfearn has taken over as caretaker and eased the pressure on bates with a comprehensive victory over Bristol City. Bates has publically given Redfearn time to impress, and whilst he goes about doing that the applications will be clogging up the mail room, and there will be no shortage of competent candidates for what is still a very big club.

Bates needs a manager that he can trust to bring more out of the current players than Grayson did, to weld together the defensive frailties whilst retaining the attacking flair which has made Leeds a joy to watch. The transfer window has already slammed shut and I was surprised to see Sven Goran Eriksson apply for a role which would not see a huge transfer kitty which he so likes the work with such as he had at Leicester. The Leeds faithful should be happy to see that Bates is not drawn blindly to a big name. This is definitely not saying that a big name would not fit the bill, but it has to be the right one – for example Neil Warnock. It has taken a while to mention him in this article but I find that I cannot fail to.

The Championship Houdini would bring confidence to fans and players alike at Elland Road simply because of his track record. The timing of the sacking of Grayson just after Warnock has become available is dubious and suggests something behind the scenes from Bates, although I would have expected movement earlier if that was the case, but it would most certainly be a coup for Leeds if they manage to convince him to return to Yorkshire. The Leeds fans would have to change their song list slightly but football is a fickle world and such folly would soon be forgotten – a lot worse has been brushed under the footballing carpet.

The lack of confidence shown by Tony Fernandes must have been a real kick in the teeth for Warnock. As it stands I think that Warnock has gone back to the country and is sitting on his tractor an unhappy man, cursing his luck. I am not so sure that he would be willing to take a pay cut so soon to do, once again, what everyone knows and expects him to do in the Championship.

If the money given to Hughes fell into Warnock’s hands then I am sure that QPR would be safe this season, and he would be on his way to bigger and better things – either at QPR or elsewhere. As it stands I am doubtful for the safety of QPR, despite at the start of the season being confident that all three promoted sides would stay up. I stuck my neck out there and I am tempted to do so once again and say that Warnock will wait for another Premier League job to prove he can do it.

There have been some odd decisions lately at Elland Road, one of the most recent being the sale of Jonny Howson for the paltry sum of £2m. Leeds still has to be very careful with their finances but the sale of the club captain without a replacement is very worrying. This highlights the constraints in which a new manager would have to work under and not many would be prepared to face the expectations – which are clearly above mid-table otherwise Grayson would not have been sacked – unless they could see something in the Leeds squad that others have missed. Grayson made some great signings such as the now Ivory Coast International Max Gradel and you would think that the new man would have to be equally astute, especially if Leeds fail to go up this season. This is something that Eriksson for one is not especially known for.

One thing is for sure, Bates is evaluating all options available to him. His backing of Redfearn has told the fans that that they must wait another two games at least for more news which is good for all parties. His dismissal of Eriksson shows that he will not make a rash decision.

“Too Big for This League,”

“Too Big for This League,”

“We’re the Barcelona,”

“Of the Lower Leagues,”

Fan Ownership at Barcelona is well known throughout the world but not many know about the Fan Ownership at West London’s very own Barcelona….

Brentford

Recently we have all seen the invasion of foreign owners into the English game with a lot bringing positive changes to the club, although I doubt Blackburn will think the same about the Venkys.

However with the serious financial trouble seen at Portsmouth, Crystal Palace and Plymouth recently it seems that there is more of a reason for clubs to start being more sustainable and self-sufficient not relying on ‘Sugar Daddies’ for the future of the club.  Through the help of Supporters Direct, who have actually recently had their funding cut, a few clubs, albeit more in non-league have turned to fan ownership. In the Football League though the club owned mostly by the fans is Brentford FC of West London.

In 2006 the club were taken over by supporters group Bees United who had raised money through the fans and through supporters direct. At the time some fans even went on a mammoth bike ride fundraising. Brentford are my second team and going with a friend to see them play I’ll always remember on the wall that there was a scale showing how much they had risen to date.

They got the majority shareholding of the club, 60% in January 2006 and currently own 60.3% of the club. Recently the club have received some more financial clout with professional gambler Matthew Bentham, who according to a trusted source of mine, well a friend, “knows what he’s doing.”  He committed to investing £1 million a year in the club for five years in 2010 and bought 35 per cent of the club with the option of buying up to 75 per cent of the shares in 2014.

But is fan ownership a positive move not only for Brentford and could we see it more in English Football in the near future?  It says on the official Bees United site:

“Through Bees United the influence of ordinary supporters in the future of the Football Club has increased significantly, and with it democracy and accountability.”

And this is really the whole premise behind fan ownership. At Brentford they have stabilised since the takeover and despite a relegation to League Two they are now back in League One sitting just one point outside the play off places but behind 3 former Premier League clubs in Charlton, Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday which means the chance of promotion is still fairly low. Performances on the pitch are not now overshadowed by financial woes. It has worked so far at Brentford. So will we see a rise in fan ownership in clubs soon?

In the Football League currently there are only 3 clubs; Brentford, Exeter and AFC Wimbledon that are really supporter run along with some big non-league sides such as the newly reformed AFC Rushden and Diamonds and Chester City F.C.

In Germany clubs, apart from those that have historical ties with businesses such as Wolfsburg are required to have 51% fan ownership. The Bundesliga has the highest average attendance of any football league across the whole world with an average of just under 42,000 last year. However the one thing that really separates the Bundesliga from English football is that last season the average ticket price was only €21,89 whereas in the Premier League only 6 clubs’ cheapest matchday ticket is less than this.

This is probably how it could work in England, part ownership for medium sized clubs. It can work with wholly fan ownership in non-league and the lower leagues where running cost are lower .Also with the huge clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool you can see it working due to their huge fan bases and stadiums such as at Barcelona and Real Madrid, more so when you consider the anger vented at the Glazers at Manchester United and the previous Hicks and Gillett regime on Merseyside.  The thing is though for clubs like Wigan, who have the same yearly matchday income than Chelsea gain in one home game, according to ESPN in their recent match, who have high running costs and a small fanbase it will be hard for them to be self-sufficient without some form of external investment.

Attendances at some Football League clubs such as Leeds are down almost 15% which together with the current financial climate is leading to a huge amount of financial worries in English Football. Debts are soaring at big and smaller clubs and many fans are becoming disgruntled with the way some owners treat their clubs.

True supporters of teams would really rather secure the long-term future of their clubs through fan ownership than see a detached investor bring some short term success that could potentially lead to the extinction of the club, as nearly seen at Portsmouth. It gets rid of short termism which has become all too commonplace in English football and brings about added transparency that a lot of supporters want and crave. Now, of course it could mean an eventual lack of funds and a compromise in spending but this is the case with single investors anyway.

Full blown fan ownership may not work as effectively in England as it has for Barcelona, Real Madrid, Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao. The German model of 51% ownership by supporters will probably be the way forward for a lot of English clubs in the future with a want to secure the long term future and for supporters to make a positive and big impact on their club.

Cardiff City and Crystal Palace will go head-to-head over two legs in the Carling Cup semi finals in early 2012, and both sides will know that a Wembley outing is only 180 successful minutes away. With Manchester City or Liverpool lying in wait for the victors, both sides will put everything on the line to progress.

To attend what should be a tightly contested semi final you can buy football tickets online, with TicketBis a safe and affordable way of experiencing the game close up.

Cardiff vs Crystal Palace

Both Cardiff and Crystal Palace have been good value for their place in the semi finals of the competition, and have claimed the scalps of a number of Premier League sides on route to this stage. The first leg will take place at Selhurst Park on January 9th, with the decider at Cardiff City Stadium on January 24th.

Cardiff have beaten Oxford, Huddersfield, Leicester, Burnley and Blackburn to make the semis, and will go into the tie as favourites. Malky Mackay’s men thoroughly outplayed their Premier League opposition in the last round, beating Blackburn comfortably 2-0 through goals from Kenny Miller and Anthony Gerrard.

In the Championship the Welsh side currently sit in third place, five points behind leaders Southampton. The powers that be at the club are determined to get to the English top flight this campaign, after suffering the agonising heartache of missing out due to playoff elimination last term. The key man for the Bluebirds is attacking midfielder Peter Whittingham, who has been in excellent form this season, scoring and creating goals.

Crystal Palace have been victorious against Crawley Town, Wigan, Middlesbrough, Southampton and Manchester United to set up the game against Cardiff, and have arguably had a more difficult passage to this stage. Dougie Freedman’s man showed incredible grit and determination to beat the Premier League champions at Old Trafford in the last round, with a Darren Ambrose wondergoal and an extra time Glenn Murray strike giving them a hard-fought win.

The London side currently sit in mid-table in The Championship, but despite holding 11th place are only eight points behind Cardiff in third. Palace have been much more consistent this season after a disappointing campaign fighting relegation last term, and have the ability to make the playoffs this year. Attacker Wilfred Zaha has be given rave reviews for excellent performances this term, and is attracting interest from a number of Premier League clubs.

Manchester City vs Liverpool

The winners of Cardiff and Crystal Palace will face one of the Premier League’s top teams in the form of Manchester City or Liverpool in the League Cup final. Both teams are likely to prioritise the league, but even the fringe players at each club are of high standard.

Over two legs either side could win, with the first leg at the Etihad Stadium; City are motivated to win all honours possible this season after their investment on the playing staff. Liverpool however have had a revival under Kenny Dalglish, and beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the last round.

And if you’re keen on attending either semifinal or the Carling Cup final, you can get your tickets from TicketBis.

Leeds United have long enjoyed the support of boisterous fans with Elland Road considered as one of the most intimidating and hostile environments for visiting teams. Despite the financial crisis which resulted in the fall of Leeds into the third tier of English football for the first time, the Whites were able to earn promotion to the Championship last season. Leeds came close to fighting for a return to the EPL but barely missed on the play-offs after finishing in 7th place.

Various figures provided by Hitwise show Leeds United’s website as the 6th most visited football website for weeks in the last few years. The same source, Hitwise, showed the Whites having a very popular website in the UK with a ranking as high as 5th overall. A few years ago, and despite Leeds languishing in the lowly third tier of English football known as League One, the club not only broke all attendance records for that division but was also considered as the most popular and best supported club outside the EPL and the Scottish Premiership (according to http://www.roymorgan.com/news/press-releases/2006/490/ in a report published by Roy Morgan Research).

Leeds ranked as the 9th most popular club in the UK. The Whites are clearly not lacking in terms of fans, many of whom are renowned for their loyalty and boisterous support. Based on popular support alone, Leeds deserve to be in the EPL despite the fact the club is also considered as one of the least liked outside Leeds and it vicinity. None other than Sir Alex Ferguson has singled out Elland Road as one of the most intimidating places to visit in Europe.

The challenge mounted by Leeds last season was effectively undone by the team’s weak defensive line which conceded a disastrous total of 70 goals in 46 matches. Once again it appears the club’s weak defensive unit will serve as a major hindrance in the face of achieving promotion back to the promised land. The Whites have already conceded 26 goals this season with the Championship’s worst defensive team leaking 30 goals, a clear sign of how poor the Leeds back-line has been.

To blame the defenders alone would be unfair since football is a team sport. The successive managers of Leeds during the last decade have failed to replace one of the club’s most dedicated players in former midfield anchorman David Batty. Since Batty’s retirement, Leeds have not had a reliable and omnipresent holding midfielder who can help shield the back four. There are a number of reasons behind the staggering tally of goals conceded by Leeds during the last couple of seasons; below is a list of some of the important ones:

1) The Failure to replace Batty as mentioned above has become a massive disadvantage and has left the club’s back-line exposed. It must be noted that none of the midfielders and wingers present on the current Leeds squad are intimidating and aggressive enough to strike fear into the hearts of opposing players.

2) The lack of consistency in goal has had a negative influence on the club’s fortunes as well. In the 2010-11 season, Leeds conceded 70 goals and at the end of the campaign Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was allowed to leave despite some solid performances in a number of matches. Prior to the financial collapse of the club, Leeds used to boast some of the better goalkeepers in England such as Nigel Martyn. The Whites have yet to find a goalkeeper who can provide both the consistency and confidence in protecting the net.

3) The injury to Patrick “Paddy” Kisnorbo deprived Leeds of their best defender for an extended period of time and despite his return this season, Paddy has yet to return to his best. The lack of quality defenders on the squad means Kisnorbo’s return is a welcome relief but the Australian defender still needs time to improve his sharpness and to return to his best.

4) The club’s defenders tend to lack certain characteristics with the likes of Aiden White relying on pace yet lacking consistency and experience. However, many of the club’s defenders are either slow or prone to making the occasional yet costly mistake. Red cards, own goals and various errors have epitomized the Leeds defensive line in recent years.

5) The club’s ownership has not pumped enough money into the club’s coffers and having a limited spending policy has cost Leeds in terms of the ability to sign quality defenders who can help shore up the porous defensive line. In the last couple of years, Leeds have often relied on loan signings, older players in the twilight of their career and in some cases veterans who are way past their best. These recruits are often temporary and at best they are below the needed standards at a club of the stature of Leeds.

In conclusion, Leeds can not only challenge for promotion but also win the division if the proper funding is made available to fix some persistent problems in recent years which are related to the defensive options available at the club. At least two quality centre-backs must be signed while a full-back is also needed. Adding those three defenders alone will not completely solve the problems because there is a need for a capable holding midfielder who can provide cover for the defenders.

If Leeds do not address these issues, then the club will likely be headed to the playoffs at the end of the season provided the attacking options continue to compensate for the defensive weaknesses.

Southampton and West Ham United brought their solid early season form into the first month of winter as fans got to grips with the battle that lies ahead for each of their clubs.

While the race for the play-off places will take countless twists and turns this season, the stragglers can immediately be identified as fans of Millwall, Burnley, Bristol City, Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers brace themselves for a year of anxiety and worry. The Championship statistics tell the story as each club realise how their expectations are being matched after 11 games so far.

Nigel Adkins is delighted with how his team

Nigel Adkins table-topping Saints sit prettily clear of the rest of the league after wins over Peterborough, Coventry and Brighton saw them move onto 39 points with a vastly superior goal difference to the rest of the division. Sam Allardyce’s Hammers remain behind them in second place.

After a disappointing draw with Bristol City, they strung together back-to-back wins against Hull City and Coventry to leave themselves on 34 points. Although they have a tight grip on the automatic promotions places for the Premier League, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City occupy third and fourth places respectively in hot pursuit of the top two duo.

Further down the table are where things get more complicated as the chase for play-off berths is congested and highly competitive. Leeds City and Hull City accompany Boro and Cardiff in the play-off region, four other clubs are within a victory of catapulting themselves into at least sixth place. These teams are Blackpool, Leicester, Crystal Palace and Derby County as a majority of other clubs are still finding their feet in the dog-eat-dog division.

As previously mentioned Bristol City, Coventry and Doncaster are stuck in an almighty battle for survival in England’s second tier, with the latter two rooted firmly at the bottom with 12 points each. However many other teams also hover dangerously above the drop-zone in what will prove to be a fascinatingly tense season-long battle to retain Champions status. Portsmouth, Watford, Millwall and Burnley are all within a single loss of falling into the bottom three of the table as their form has totally deserted them so far in the season.

A long season is in store for Doncaster Rovers

Although the league table begins to take shape and seem to make sense with familiar teams doing well, November has proved to be an unpredictable and bizarre month at times. Blackpool walloped Leeds 5-0 at Elland Road as the Whites capitulated in what could be a pivotal game if the race for a play-off place goes down to the wire come May.

Despite the position each team is in now, everything is still to play for as the season is just 11 games old. With another 35 games to go, anything is possible as a highly-intriguing season awaits us to be unfolded fully yet.

Check out WhoScored.com for more detail monthly reviews and football statistics!

One of the fiercest derbies in English football is not Liverpool against Manchester United or the North London derby. Instead it’s in the Steel City where Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United clash against each other. And the first time these two clubs will meet this season happens this Sunday at Bramall Lane.

This season it’ll be quite different as both Sheffield clubs are seeking promotion from League One back into the Championship. Despite being a league lower than where you’d expect each club (at least, historically), this should be an exciting match. It’s the first time the two clubs have faced each other in the third tier of English football since 1980. Both clubs will be hopeful to pick up vital points to mount a serious promotion challenge.

“We’re excited about it, it’s a massive game and the city is buzzing – it can’t come round quick enough,” says United’s former Wednesday forward Richard Cresswell. “Both teams are looking for one thing and that’s promotion. It’s a Steel City derby but the main thing is to get out of League One. Both clubs really should be at a higher level. That’s the ultimate aim.”

For those of you who want to walk down memory lane, here are a couple of golden-oldie videos:

First, the 2003 win by United:

And here’s a 1994 victory by Wednesday over United:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzPVJKLm2nU

Things could have been so different for Sheffield Wednesday. The Yorkshire club, currently in League One, were the first English club to give a trial to French legend Eric Cantona in 1992. As you’ll see from the video accompanying this article, Cantona even played one game for Wednesday, albeit an indoor game, but still, it’s quite an interesting chapter in the history of the temperamental Frenchman nicknamed King Eric.

After playing in the indoor game, Sheffield Wednesday manager Trevor Francis insisted that Cantona extend his trial by one week so he could see how Cantona played on grass. In hindsight, it was a ridiculous request by Francis when you consider that Cantona had already played almost 200 league games in France by that point. So, not surprisingly, Cantona refused to extend his trial and joined Yorkshire neighbors Leeds United instead.

The rest, as they say, is history. Under Cantona, Leeds United went on to win the league title and Charity Shield in 1992. Cantona was then sold later that year to Manchester United for £1.2 million. At Manchester United, Cantona won the player of the year award, four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and three Charity Shields.

Was this a massive mistake by Trevor Francis? Watch the video and you decide!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMcAtWOqnRY

Manchester United legend Nobby Stiles was, for at least one day, a Leeds United supporter. If you don’t believe me, watch the video below to see a clip of Stiles being interviewed during half-time of the Leeds United against Coventry City match from 1987.

The match, which was played at Hillsborough, featured a certain John Stiles, son of Nobby. John played for Leeds United and Doncaster Rovers. And now, according to Wikipedia, he’s a comedian.

Match commentary is by Martin Tyler. Half-time analysis featured Ian St. John and David Pleat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXPQs0rBnFU

Today is transfer deadline day which means despite having had over two months to procure new players, clubs will today be scurrying about frantically delving into the transfer market.

Clubs will be hoping to complete deals that will give them the players they need, often at the last minute.

All the while the media will be trying to hype up the forthcoming deadline, whilst seemingly ignoring the fiscal irresponsibility of a host of clubs that offers little entertainment value.

Therefore whilst others will be focusing on the thrills and spills of the coming hours, I will be hunkered down eagerly anticipating the end of the transfer silly season so we can all focus on the football once again.

Sensible managers/owners in a logical market would have already procured their targets well before this deadline however this is not a sane market and the frantic activity of the run up to the transfer deadline.

This artificial deadline creates a self fulfilling prophecy of panic buying and uncertainty that can unsettle even the most organised and forward thinking managers.

Some may like the unpredictability and unnecessary drama that today will create,  but I can’t shake the feeling that such important decisions should not be rushed and the current system is not a healthy or professional way of doing business.

I may be called a traditionalist, without a sense of occasion but the way our clubs conduct their transfer business has long needed reform and the transfer deadline system is a key part of this.

Agree/Disagree? – Tell Kristian on Twitter

Last season Brighton, Peterborough and Southampton were promoted to the Championship from League One and all three have carried over their good form into the Championship.

All three have strengthened over the summer and after five games all three teams are in the top half of the table with Southampton and Brighton in the automatic promotion places, with the latter topping the table.

Although it is early in the season the encouraging starts made suggest that these sides could have more than relegation on their minds come May.

Brighton

The Seagulls could not have hoped for a better start to their first season at Falmer Stadium. After winning four of their first five league games, they top the table.

New signings Ryan Harley, Craig Mackail-Smith and Will Buckley have all settled quickly and produced match winning performances as Gus Poyet continues to build and play attractive football.

The highlights so far have been winning the first game at Falmer stadium and beating Premier League Sunderland in the Carling Cup.

Southampton

The Saints won their first four games of the season scoring freely including a memorable 5-2 away victory at Ipswich.

Their last game did end in defeat against Leicester City but even in defeat they showed a fighting spirit that will leave them feeling that they deserved a draw.

Up front strikers David Connolly (4) and Rickie Lambert (3) are in great form with seven goals between them in just five games which could be the firepower they need to maintain their great start to the season.

Peterborough

Despite losses to Blackpool and Brighton the Posh have made a decent start to the season, with a 7-1 rout of Ipswich Town a highlight.

Posh have given their fans hope that they can have a season without the threat of relegation and possibly  push for something more than safety this season.