Brian McDermott is under increasing pressure and could have done with an easier fixture than Leicester City as he tries to turn our season around, but at least new captain Ross McCormack is raring to go.
The manager spoke of going back to basics when he spoke to the official site as he spoke about the big improvement he needs after last week’s debacle at Hillsborough. "It took me three days to get my head around what happened, but we have to move forward, it’s the only thing you can do. We know we need a strong reaction from what has happened. Our form leading up to Christmas was good, and we’ve got to get back to that and do what we’ve got to do."
And although he desperately needs a good result tomorrow, he’s still looking forward to the visit of the league leaders. "In my mind, this is a great game for us to come back to. We’ll have a good crowd, they’ll be with us, and we couldn’t have a better game.” Yet he knows that despite the dreaded vote of confidence from David Haigh, the incoming owners must at least be considering a change, so he is asking for a little more time to turn things round.
"When I first came here I was told that this was a long-term project. The club wanted me to build the infrastructure, the academy, the training ground and build up numbers at Elland Road. That can’t be forgotten and I have to focus on that. In the medium term and long term, given time I’m sure, absolutely sure, we’ll get it right.” He also pointed out that when he took over at Reading they were 23rd in the league, yet two and a half years later he had won this division.
One change he has made this is to replace Austin as club captain, apparently at the player’s own request, as Rudy felt the extra responsibility was affecting his game. But one man’s difficulty is another’s opportunity, and Ross McCormack said "It’s a massive club and to take on that role...it’s a proud moment for me. Over the last 18 months I think that I have changed as a person for the better. I look after myself a lot better off the pitch now. Hopefully I can rub off on other players with the things that I do on the pitch and in training. I’ll be looking to set a good example.”
And the new skipper promised a vastly improved performance and although Leicester are flying in the league he thinks we’ve got a good chance of getting a result "We’ve been working hard on the training ground and we’ve been looking at videos of where it went wrong. We’re all professionals and we’re paid good money to put on a better show than that. We tend to do well against the teams we’re not supposed to. We can beat Leicester, no doubt about it.”
Leeds have no new injuries, but McDermott will have to decide how to cope without the suspended Matt Smith. I would like to see Luke Varney get the chance to use his ability in the air while the two wingers supply him with crosses, but I reckon it’s more likely that we’ll be seeing Noel Hunt. The manager has promised changes and having admitted that last week’s formation didn’t work, it’s likely that he’ll move to a 4-4-2. As far as individuals are concerned, he’s spoilt for choice as to which underperforming players he could drop.
As far as Leicester are concerned, defender Paul Konchesky has recovered from the knee injury he suffered last week against Derby, and striker Chris Wood is also available despite a hamstring problem earlier in the week, but defenders Sean St Ledger and Ignasi Miquel will need a little longer to recover from groin and thigh injuries respectively. The Foxes have signed vastly experienced striker Kevin Phillips for the rest of the season, but at the age of 40 he’s likely to be restricted to ‘impact substitute’ appearances.
Don't forget that the game is a 12.15 kick-off, and that there is a special offer with tickets available for all the stands at £26 each. Perhaps they want to make sure the East Stand doesn't look embarrassingly empty on Sky TV.
Now for that all-important prediction. The way things have gone over the last few weeks we might see a draw as being a significant progress, and that’s what I’m going to go for.