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Leeds United: Whites pass a Premier test
The official line from Leeds United's manager was that nothing should be assumed, inferred or predicted on the basis of the team he named against Blackburn Rovers.
With sound intentions, Simon Grayson stated that the 11 players selected on Saturday were not to be seen as a replica of the line-up he will pin to the wall before Leeds play Exeter City next month, but even he must be questioning that.
If the individuals in question are still uncertain of Grayson's intentions for August 8 then there is now a valid argument that they ought not to be.
Were Leeds to reproduce the performance with which they bewildered Blackburn when Exeter come calling, their coaching staff and their manager in particular would have few grounds for complaint.
Blackburn were second best by a surprisingly wide margin at Elland Road, rescued only by a penalty from Paul Gallagher which was scored at a time when they had little right to be pressing for a draw.
Without the excellent Paul Robinson, who looked every bit the England international he professes to be, the Premier League club would have been slaughtered inside an hour.
In Rovers' defence – and their manager, Sam Allardyce, might demand one having missed Saturday's game to examine a possible signing in Russia – their schedule for pre-season is a week behind United's, but their problem at Elland Road was not so much natural summer rust as opposition who were intent on trampling them into the ground.
United ran riot in the first half, repelled by the same post twice and given no assistance by a fine last line of defence in Robinson, and Blackburn had no answer to the physical strength of Grayson's players or their slick interplay.
Robinson may in fact have been the only Blackburn player who genuinely enjoyed his time inside the stadium.
Leeds' former goalkeeper was welcomed back to the club he left in 2004 with warm affection, particularly at the start of the second half when he stood in front of the Kop and engaged in playful banter with the crowd behind him.
Though Jermaine Beckford beat him early in the second half, the moral victory belonged to Robinson who was gracious enough to launch his gloves towards the Revie Stand as he prepared to leave the field as a substitute in the 61st minute.
The 29-year-old's involvement was an entertaining sideshow for many of United's supporters but the impression made by his opposite number, Shane Higgs, was worthy of more serious reflection.
Higgs, Grayson's close-season signing from Cheltenham Town, appeared for the first time in front of an Elland Road crowd and left the ground with his reputation enhanced.
Blackburn's examination of him was never searching but he was pleasingly comfortable under hanging balls and produced two outstanding saves at the start of the second half, one which rivalled any of Robinson's.
Grayson has several key decisions to make, and choosing his regular goalkeeper is not the least of them.
Up until Saturday, Casper Ankergren's hold on a starting position looked tight but the Dane carried a shoulder injury into the weekend and was unable to take his place in the squad against Blackburn.
Like the players around him, Higgs made as much as he could of that opportunity, protected by two bullish centre-backs in Rui Marques and debutant Patrick Kisnorbo.
As for Rovers, their start was poor and proceeded downhill until the club finally applied themselves effectively in the last 20 minutes.
Robinson might have guessed at the day he was in for when Luciano Becchio slipped free of his marker and whipped a powerful volley over Blackburn's crossbar, forcing their keeper to dive backwards urgently in fear of the ball dipping into his net.
Becchio, as he does so well, provided the muscle in attack, leaving Beckford to hassle Blackburn with his incessant movement and quick feet.
When the pair combined in the eighth minute, Fabian Delph predicted Becchio's through-ball and sprinted past Rovers' defence, stopping only to drive a shot against the outside of a post. Delph, to be frank, has been a little subdued throughout pre-season but his confident swagger returned on Saturday, and he and Jonathan Howson squeezed the creative life out of Blackburn.
There has never been any attempt on Grayson's part to deny that Delph's forte is found in the centre of midfield and he looked thoroughly at ease in that position against the high-profile players opposite him.
That, however, is a problem for United's manager who cannot be confident that his most valuable player will be on United's books when the season starts.
While a performance like Saturday's highlighted the value that Delph can bring to his squad, it is no less of an incentive for Premier League clubs to part with a fee big enough to sign the England under-21 international.
Within six minutes of him hitting the post, Gael Givet struck the same upright as he made a botched attempt to clear Robert Snodgrass' corner, and the flow of chances was relentless before half-time, ending in Beckford's close-range shot which Robinson forced away from his goal.
The save he produced four minutes in the second half was more special, clawing Snodgrass' low effort wide with one hand, but it was a brief reprieve.
When Snodgrass drilled the corner into the box, Becchio's touch left Beckford in the space he needed to guide the ball into the net.
The goal seemed to shake Blackburn, and within seconds Higgs was palming Jason Roberts' strike clear before jumping off his feet to tip a shot from El-Hadji Diouf, Elland Road's pantomime villain, over his bar with spectacular reactions.
But there was little respite for Robinson as Bradley Johnson's free-kick stung his palms, and it took a substitution to remove him from the firing line.
The changes made by Grayson gradually eroded United's fluency but they were still deserving of victory when Gallagher thrashed his penalty past Higgs on 90 minutes.
Alan Sheehan, who had been extremely fortunate not to concede a spot-kick with an earlier tackle on Martin Olsson, was duly punished for a near identical challenge on the same player, by referee Michael Oliver.
Grayson, meanwhile, may have a problem when he next insists that places in his team are still to be won.
United's manager was coy about future selections when he spoke afterwards, but on the question of whether the line-up selected on Saturday should have the measure of League One, his only reply can be a resounding yes.
Leeds United: Higgs, Crowe (Hughes 56), Marques (Huntington 74), Kisnorbo (Michalik 56), Parker (Sheehan 69), Snodgrass, Howson, Delph (Robinson 69), Johnson (Prutton 74), Becchio (Grella 79), Beckford (Showunmi 79). Subs (not used): Martin.
Blackburn Rovers: Robinson (Brown 61), Jacobsen, Givet (Van Heerden 72), Nelsen (Khizanishvili 68), Warnock, Diouf (Hoilett 72), Andrews, Nzonzi (Dunn 68), Pedersen (Olsson 66), McCarthy, Roberts (Gallagher 66). Subs (not used): Doran, Judge.
Referee: M Oliver (Northumberland).
Attendance: 11,885.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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