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Howson: My steep Leeds United learning curve
THE cliche of the learning curve was invented for the type of season that Jonathan Howson is a handful of games from completing.
Present on the first day against Tranmere at Prenton Park and stepping ever closer to a conclusion which could conceivably occur at Wembley, Howson has been exposed to football's entire emotional range in the space of eight months.
Leeds United's season began in a fashion which was worthy of national acclaim before giving way to a period of listless results, the fall-out from which touched every one of their players.
Howson was a fresh-faced midfielder when he made his league debut at the end of 2006 and rightly immune from criticism, but though two months short of his 20th birthday, his prominence in United's first team since August has required the development of thick and resilient skin.
A second season, like a second album, is always open to less-forgiving scrutiny.
When abuse rained down on Gary McAllister's squad after their defeat to Cheltenham Town last month, Howson was willing to take his share of the blame for a collective performance about which their manager was scathing.
It mattered less to Howson that the crowd had complained bitterly about McAllister's decision to substitute him in the second half and more that the fear that United were losing their nerve seemed to be spreading amongst their supporters.
But the reassurance provided by United's faultless victory over Walsall last Saturday caused a palpable mood swing in a direction which Howson believes is pointing Leeds towards League One's play-offs.
His season and that of his club still has time for one more defiant effort.
"I think most people had written us off," Howson said. "It wasn't just the other teams in the league.
"Some of our fans maybe thought we were dropping off and that we weren't going to make the play-offs. A little bit of criticism came at us.
"The lads knew that after the good start we had we wouldn't be able to keep it up all season.
"There was going to be a stage when the results didn't go for us and it's been disappointing to drop points to teams that we should be getting three against – at home to the likes of Cheltenham.
"It's been a learning curve for me and results like that make you realise that you can't take anything for granted. But we proved against Walsall that we won't let our heads drop.
"I think the momentum is with us. We did have a blip, but that was always going to happen at some stage of the season.
"We're performing well again and teams will be worrying about us again."
It has surprised Howson to discover that Brighton – tomorrow's visitors to Elland Road – are one of the clubs with a vested interest in United's league position with eight games of the season remaining.Albion had the look of a mid-table club at the beginning of January and Howson did not consider them a threat to League One's top-six places when Ian Westlake – his team-mate at Elland Road –- moved to the Withdean Stadium on loan at the start of this month.
Westlake joined a team in 12th position, but Albion's form has been such that they will come to Elland Road holding one of the play-off positions that Leeds are so desperate to acquire.
Their standing is made more impressive by the realisation that tomorrow's match is their ninth since the beginning of March, during which time they will have crossed swords with six of the leading eight clubs, bar Southend United and Swansea City.
Howson said: "I remember when Westlake went down to Brighton, I looked at where they were in the league and thought they were quite a way off the play-offs.
"I assumed he was just going there to play a few games, but Brighton are up near us now.
"It's surprising how quickly teams can climb the league and how quickly teams can start dropping when they don't pick up the points.
"Look at Swansea – they were about 14 points clear at one point and now it's only five. The title isn't theirs.
"A few weeks ago you were thinking that Swansea were definitely promoted, but Carlisle have gone on winning so it's all to play for up there.
"I still think we can get promoted and we're starting to keep that belief up now."
Brighton's apparent fixture exhaustion led their manager, Dean Wilkins, to ban his players from the training ground for a couple of days this week, but their unrelenting sequence of games did not prevent them from holding out for a goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Easter Monday.
A repeat of that scoreline at Elland Road would doubtless suit Wilkins, not least because Albion already hold a two-point advantage over Leeds.
But Walsall's attempt to stifle Leeds by operating with a lone striker last weekend only succeeded in producing a ruthless display from a home side who are slowly reforming in McAllister's image.
Howson said: "That's the best we've played and you can see Gary McAllister's tactics coming into place. It was a great performance.
"We've started to prove that we can play – and prove to people that Leeds are on the up again."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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