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Leeds United: Errors force Grayson's hand
On becoming Leeds United's manager, it was Simon Grayson's prerogative – and no doubt his professional instinct – to give the players he inherited from Gary McAllister a period of grace.
His willingness to make a patient and informed decision about which members of his squad are of value to him, which occupy a borderline position and who would be better served by transferring elsewhere spoke positively of his character, but the time for change would seem to be upon him.
Initial matches against Leicester City and Stockport County were inconclusive stages on which to categorise United's players, coming so soon after Grayson's appointment, and it seemed sensible on his part to take a further opportunity to consider their positions. His mind should be clearer today.
Grayson did not say as much, but Saturday's game against Carlisle United at Elland Road may have been the day of decision for several individuals, and Leeds' 2-0 defeat is not a result on which faith or longevity are built.
As he made clear afterwards, Grayson has heard numerous comments about United's most debilitating problem this season – their prone and ever-fragile defence – and Carlisle's victory on a freezing afternoon in West Yorkshire made the price of that weakness plain.
Leeds conceded cheaply against Leicester City and Stockport County and recovered from a goal down on both occasions to take four points from Grayson's first two matches as manager.
On Saturday, they were taught that fightbacks are scenarios to avoid as often as possible, or at least on a game-by-game basis. United's position was verging on hopeless once Michael Bridges gave Carlisle a 2-0 lead in the 35th-minute, and the first defeat of Grayson's tenure duly unfolded.
The time available to him for detailed work with his squad has so far been limited – tomorrow begins only his third week as United's manager – and the thought of him hastily ironing out failings which have been long-standing at Elland Road was scarcely realistic.
Remarks made by a long line of players point to a vastly improved atmosphere inside the dressing room at Leeds and Grayson has apparently succeeded quickly in quelling the doubts and scepticism which were said to have grown as McAllister neared the end of the line.
But galvanising his squad is only part of the battle on his hands.
Saturday's match was United's 12th without a clean sheet, a record which began on the first day of November and spans fully 10 weeks.Nurturing confidence among Grayson's players is a crucial job, but he will not find himself in possession of a truly assured squad while United's defence leaves the club so vulnerable to defeat.
According to their Angolan centre-back, Rui Marques, Grayson's arrival has resolved a mental blockage in the concentration and attitude of the defensive corp at Leeds, but that improvement was not evident on Saturday.
Grayson's backline was carved open easily by Carlisle during the passages of play which led to their goals, and his defence from right to left displayed short-comings in their positional sense, their resilience and the accuracy of their passing.
The malady was not of Grayson's making but it is his to sort out – it was ever thus with new managers. After three games in charge – and presumably having been informed of the ins and outs of the crisis at Elland Road before he arrived – he may conclude that certain individuals have had their opportunity and conclusively failed to grasp it.
Saturday was not the first occasion this season when Leeds have performed as capably as their opposition but dug a hole too deep to escape by foregoing the lead.
Carlisle could barely have described themselves as dominant in the first half, but the scoreline at the interval mattered more than the balance of territory and possession.
The visitors struck clinically after wasting a seventh-minute chance which Bridges should have converted, and the protection provided by their two-goal lead was enough for Greg Abbott's team to close ranks and invite Leeds to attack after half-time.
United did so and should have scored at least once in the second 45 minutes. As is always the case at Elland Road, one home goal often leads to another but having seen his defence go missing, Grayson found his team grasping for a slice of fortune which refused to come their way either.
Bridges' effort on seven minutes was parried by the large frame of Casper Ankergren but the impressive save simply delayed Carlisle's opening goal.
In between, Luciano Becchio's shot from a wide angle slid into the side-netting of Tim Krul's goal, but United's defence was irrevocably stretched by a Carlisle attack in the 27th minute.
The ageing but wily Graham Kavanagh lifted a pass towards the right wing where Cleveland Taylor broke away from Alan Sheehan and cut the ball into United's area.
Danny Graham's run was chosen perfectly and the striker met Taylor's pass on the penalty spot with a low shot which forced its way under Ankergren's body.
The reaction from Leeds was a swift move forward and a cross from Robert Snodgrass which Becchio met with his head, drawing Krul into a desperate save on his goalline.
Carlisle's goalkeeper – on loan from Newcastle United – beat the ball away from goal but may have felt obliged to Becchio for giving him the chance to do so. From close range, the free header was one which Becchio should have scored.
On 35 minutes, Bridges – once a 5m signing of United's – exchanged passes with Graham and burst into United's area, side-stepping away from Ankergren and Lubomir Michalik who collided with each other and were prostrate on the grass as Bridges slipped the ball into an empty net.
United could sense the urgency of the situation and responded quickly again with a shot from Andrew Hughes which clipped the heels of Danny Livesey and bounced beyond Krul's right-hand post, but Grayson's players were unable to cut into their deficit before half-time. A hamstring injury had precluded Jermaine Beckford's involvement and, with United's strikeforce of Becchio and Malcolm Christie beginning to run short of ideas, Grayson played his cards before the end of the 62nd minute, calling upon Bradley Johnson, Andy Robinson and new loan signing Lee Trundle from the substitutes' bench and reverting to a three-man defence.
The alterations so nearly came together when Becchio drove a powerful shot against the woodwork and then crossed the rebound to Robinson, who was unmarked six yards from goal with an empty net to aim at. The winger threw himself into an acrobatic volley but scuffed his finish into the grateful hands of Krul.
It seemed then, with 22 minutes to play, that Carlisle's clean sheet would survive and although United controlled the vast part of the second half the clearest chance of the final stages fell to Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, who contrived to stab a shot to one side of Ankergren's goal with only the Danish keeper to beat.
Grayson's reaction to the defeat was to comment that a fine line exists between victory and defeat and the second half at Elland Road bore that out.
It will not have been lost on him, however, that the factor which dragged Leeds to the wrong side of that line, just as it did so many times under McAllister, was their delicate defence. The answer to that complaint must lie in the transfer window.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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