To Ell-and back

Last updated : 03 November 2004 By Tony Scholes
David Healy
It is somewhat difficult to believe. Back in 1992 as the Clarets were finally climbing out of the old Fourth Division our hosts tonight were being crowned Champions of England.

Only recently they were playing Champions League football under David O’Leary as we were establishing ourselves at our new First Division level. The two clubs were, to put it bluntly, miles apart.

Then, it all hit the fan at Elland Road, and it all started with the shock departure of David O’Leary after he had spoken out of turn. After almost four years of reasonable success O’Leary was on his way in the summer of 2002 and since then the drama around Elland Road has been constant and still is right now with a takeover on the cards.

Basically they had been overspending, not like the Clarets who went overboard by a few million, but overspending to the tune of running up debts estimated at around £90 million.

As managers came and went, they initially replaced O’Leary with the Cockney Spiv Terry Venables, you know him, the manager with the empty trophy cabinet. He was followed by Peter Reid before Eddie Gray took the reigns up until the end of last season and the inevitable relegation leading to tonight’s game.

The board room antics have been even more fun. Ridsdale had to go, and did, incredibly he’s now running another club. He was replaced by the comic figure of Professor McKenzie.

It was all change again during last season and in came a new consortium including Mr. Pompous who had all but destroyed Bradford City. You know what they say about bad pennies. He lasted five minutes which must have been good news for them.

Gerald Krasner is currently in the chair although they could be taken over again this week by one of the Sainsbury family. Interesting in a City that houses the headquarters of Asda that a Sainsbury suddenly shows interest.

The football side has been by the by but since relegation it is fair to say there have been considerable changes in the playing staff. Kevin Blackwell, he of fights with Stan Ternent, took over and appointed Sam Ellis as his number two.

The departures since the end of last season include Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, Michael Bridges, James Milner, Jason Wilcox, Stephen McPhail, Dominic Matteo, Nick Barmby, Mark Viduka and Danny Mills. And that is nowhere near the full list.

Needless to say there have been new signings aplenty. Some of them have been and gone such as Craig Hignett, Steve Guppy and Danny Cadamarteri.

Other new signings since relegation are: Danny Pugh, Michael Ricketts, Jermaine Wright, Julian Joachim, Paul Butler, Matthew Spring, Clarke Carlisle, Brian Deane, Neil Sullivan, Stephen Crainey, Sean Gregan and just last week they added David Healy in a cut price deal from Preston. The three most recent signings have cost them in excess of a million.

On the playing side they were considered one of the favourites for promotion, relegated teams always are, but it hasn’t quite worked out like that and they are currently sat right above the Clarets on goal difference although they do have a game in hand.

Their four wins is just one more than us, three of them have come at Elland Road and one away from home a Plymouth. They have twice been beaten at home, by Sunderland and Wigan.

That second defeat came on Sunday in front of the television cameras when goals from midfielders Alan Mahon and Jimmy Bullard gave leaders Wigan a 2-0 win in the first ever league meeting between the two sides.

Click HERE to see all Leeds United’s results this season.

There have been suggestions that Leeds have players suspended for tonight’s game but that is not the case and Paul Butler, recently sent off at Gillingham, returns to the squad after completing his two match ban.

Sean Gregan is rated doubtful with a groin injury he picked up against Wigan although Jermaine Wright is available after playing the last half hour of that match on his return from an achilles injury.

Leeds have three players with long term injuries. Seth Johnson and Eirik Bakke are both out with cruciate ligament injuries whilst central defender Lucas Radebe snapped his achilles tendon at Wolves in August.

Manager Kevin Blackwell is considering leaving out youngster Simon Walton to give him a rest and he could be on the bench.

Leeds will select from: Neil Sullivan, Gary Kelly, Clarke Carlisle, Paul Butler, Matthew Kilgallon, Danny Pugh, Frazer Richardson, Sean Gregan, Simon Walton, Simon Johnson, David Healy, Brian Deane, Scott Carson, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Wright, Julian Joachim, Michael Ricketts.

As for the Clarets the crisis we all feared could be right with us. Our incredibly small squad could be reduced by six tonight with Danny Coyne, John McGreal, Richard Chaplow, Jean-Louis Valois and Graham Branch all rated doubtful whilst Ian Moore is ruled out following his knee operation.

To say that would leave us down to the bare bones is an understatement and would just about allow us to get a team out onto the field with the square pegs definitely trying to fit into the round holes.

I suspect of all the doubtful players Chappy is the one most likely to play. Despite his injury he did come on last Saturday during the defeat at QPR. The talk around the Turf yesterday though was that the rest of them could all be ruled out.

If that’s the case then I would expect the Clarets to line up:

Brian Jensen, Lee Roche, Michael Duff, Frank Sinclair, Mo Camara, Richard Duffy, James O’Connor, Tony Grant, Micah Hyde, Richard Chaplow, Robbie Blake. Subs: Michael Hale, Paul Scott, Amadou Sanokho, Joel Pilkington, Matt O’Neill.

Yes, it is just over twenty-two years since we were last at Elland Road when we played Leeds in a Second Division fixture.

We left out Steve Taylor, preferring new loan signing Ian Muir. He scored in what was his only start for the Clarets before returning to QPR. He later had a long and successful career with Tranmere.

Muir’s goal was not enough though and we went down to our sixth defeat in seven league games, we lost the next three as well.

Leeds won it 3-1 and their scorers were Frank Worthington, Aiden Butterworth and Burnley fan Kevin Hird.

The teams that night were:

Leeds: John Lukic, Trevor Cherry, Frank Gray, Kenny Burns, Paul Hart, Gwyn Thomas, Kevin Hird, Aiden Butterworth, Frank Worthington, Eddie Gray, Arthur Graham.

Burnley: Alan Stevenson, Brian Laws, Andy Wharton, Derek Scott, Micky Phelan, David Holt, Martin Dobson, Phil Cavener, Billy Hamilton, Ian Muir, Kevin Young.

Referee: Peter Willis (County Durham) - yet another police officer.

Attendance: 13,827.

Click HERE to see all our results against Leeds going back 80 years to a 1-1 draw at home in September 1924.