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Gordon Strachan brings his beleagured troops to Elland Road on Wednesday evening, with the dreaded managerial axe poised just above his head...
If ever a team needed a result, then Coventry are it! Trouble is that we need three points almost as desparately, with another home defeat unthinkable, after being dumped out of the FA Cup on Saturday.
Woodgate and Bowyer are unlikely to feature due to the dreaded court case. DOL has said he'll continue to pick them but, with the day in court not finishing until 5.00pm, there won't be time to get them prepared (probably!) in time for mid-week games. They might be on the bench, though.
Kelly will also be unexpectedly absent, having picked up a groin injury that will require an immediate op. this will mean he'll be out for up to six weeks.
Dacourt and Radebe will replace Bowyer and Woodgate, with Bakke moving to right midfield. Mills will replace Kelly at right back. There is a slight possibility Kewell might be involved at some stage: if so, from the bench.
DOL will choose from Matteo or Wilcox in left midfield. I would expect the latter, following Matteo's poor show on Saturday.
Likely line up:
Martyn
Mills Ferdinand Radebe Harte
Bakke Batty Dacourt Wilcox
Keane Viduka
Our popular new AWAY FANS feature continues for the visit of Gordon's Sky Blues. The Webmasters of two brillaint unofficial Coventry sites - 'The Sky Blue Superplex' and 'Let's all Sing Together' - have their say on their trip to Elland Road this week...
AWAY FANS: Site 1:
*Site: The Sky Blue Superplex
*URL: www.depro.co.uk/page4.html
* Do you think you're having a good season?
Absolutely not. We're as close to relegation as we've been since our last day escape in 1997, and the football is disappointing compared to last season's entertainment. We can't score goals, can't keep clean sheets, and when we do play well we don't get the breaks. It's 22 months since we last came from behind to win a game - there's no fighting spirit.
* Who do you think is your best player(s) ?
This season, new boy David Thompson has impressed greatly, as has Gary Breen. Also, I think that the seriously underrated Marcus Hall - just backfrom injury once more - is fantastic.
* Your worst player(s) ?
Lots of people not pulling their weight this season but still playing in the first team - Williams, Telfer, Palmer and Chippo are the prime examples.
*Your players to watch (youngsters or underrated players) ?
As I said, Marcus Hall is probably the best left-back in England if only he could remain fit for a full season. I also think Bellamy will come good in the long term.
*Your preferred formation for Wednesday's game?
We've stuck to 4-4-2 for much of the season, but 5-3-2 worked well at Man City on Saturday, so I can see us sticking to it. The line-up will depend on Gordon Strachan's whim, and also on whether Hadji and Chippo have recovered from their return from International duty. At a rough guess:
G: Hedman
D(5): Edworthy, Shaw, Breen, Williams, Hall
M (3): Thompson, Carsley, Hadji
F (2): Bellamy, Aloisi
SUBS: Kirkland, Telfer, Eustace, Chippo, Bothroyd.
*Your best chant ?
We'll come up with summat witty on the night, don't worry about that. On Saturday at Maine Road, we had 'down with each other, we're going down with each other'.
*Where do you think Coventry will finish in the Premiership this season ?
Err... 17th? Actually I really think we could turn it around sooner rather than later, and maybe finish 13th.
*Prediction for Wednesday and City scorers (if applicable)?
I'll be optimistic and go for:
Leeds 1 Coventry 2
Keane 80 Bellamy 34
Aloisi 45
AWAY FANS: Site 2:
*Site: Lets All Sing Together
*URL: www.letsallsingtogether.com
* Do you think you're having a good season?
You are taking the piss! We are having one of the worst seasons I can remeber in 25 years and as you can imagine thats up against some stiff competition! The 3-1 home defeat is generally regarded as our worst home performance EVER!
* Who do you think is your best player(s) ?
At the moment Gary Breen and David Thompson are head and shoulders above the rest of the club. God knows where we would be without them!
* Your worst player(s) ?
Paul Telfer is er, not very good. The moroccans have been hugely disappointing this season, Paul Williams is useless, Craig Bellamy hasn't looked like being worth £6.5 million. I could go on but its depressing!
*Your players to watch (youngsters or underrated players) ?
John Eustace and Barry Quinn in midfield look good. Our best young player is Chris Kirkland the goalie, future England star.
*Your preferred formation for Wednesday's game?
Normally its 442 every week but after the Everton game we went to 532 and it seemed to work so we may stick with that. As for the line up - no idea! 6 changes were made last week and they did well but Hadji, Chippo and Thompson are back so they may all get back in.
*Your best chant ?
"We all dream of a team of Gary Breens" to the tune of Yellow Submarine!
*Where do you think Coventry will finish in the Premiership this season ?
1 place above the relegation zone - hopefully!
*Prediction for Wednesday and City scorers (if applicable)?
1-0 to Cov, Keane own goal - he's still a Cov fan!
Football is essentially a simple game. Two teams of 11 try and get a ball in between rectangles at opposite sides of a pitch without using their hands (apart from 2 unfit, lazy fat blokes who are allowed to use their hands). Leeds have won 3 games out of the last 4 league games. That's top of the table form (unless there is a rare run-a-way leader) but we haven't really got out of 1st gear.
The best performance this year (2001) has been against Liverpool. We lost. You need a mainframe computer the size of Uranus to try and understand life. You need an even bigger computer - say the size of Viduka's arse - to understand football. The simple game is as complex as hell. Or should that be Hull ?
Coventry decided from the offset that they'd only allow their players one at a time into the Leeds half - like thieving schoolboys being rationed entry into a Newsagents. Leeds, in their infinite wisdom, decided that they should keep four defenders back at all times, just in case. This meant Coventry had eleven men behind the ball at most times and Leeds only had six players trying to get past this solid wall of shite.
Well it doesnt take a rocket scientist to realise that Leeds created very few chances. The Leeds back four got out their deckchairs and donned their knotted hankies. They looked out of place in the freezing fog.
Batty and Bowyer both ran about like a demented lab technichians who had acidentally attached an industrial sized crocodile clip onto their testicles. They wanted to win. Bakke moved with the grace and effectiveness of a Dalek in quicksand. He wasn't arsed. When the Kop sung his name he begrudgingly acknowledged us - his eyes fixed half way up the East Stand. Do one Eirik!
Keane and Viduka were tightly patrolled by the Coventry minders. Houdini would have struggled to break free from this grip. Wilcox auditioned for the part of Casper the ghost. Leeds simply had no ideas whatsoever. Oh for a Tony Currie to take the ball in the middle and do something with it. Oh for some overlapping full backs confident to push forward and add width to the game. Oh for a slimline attacker who likes salad.
Rio got bored and ventured forward. O'Leary waved him back for fear that the other three defenders may collectively get brain haemorrhages and allow Coventry free.
At half time the paying public informed the millionaire dream team that they were an overpaid shower of shite. We were bloody awful.
The second half continued in a similar pattern to the 1st. As dull as f@ck. O'Leary for once changed his tactics. His revised plan was to try and bore the opposition to death. "You are feeling sleepy" they repeated monotonously. Enter Danny Mills - stage right. The thinking man's Neil Aspin....
For a brief spell Mills got involved. The mood changed from pathos to slapstick. Whatever Midas touched it turned to gold. Whatever Mills touches turns to dog shit. The crowd awoke to the smell of fresh dog excrement. The Kop roared with laughter at the right back's parody of a top flight professional footballer. Lesser men would have wilted. However Millsey's skin is thicker than a Scooby Doo Viduka snack. He tried. His confidence not dented - he tried. Not many Leeds players appeared to do the same.
Viduka twisted in the box ("oh he is playing" said the Kop) and his shot was cleared from the line. Mills picked up the ball and majestically picked out an unmarked Keane, via 5 bobbles, a shin, 3 rebounds and a scuff. At this moment in time Robbie Keane keeled over backwards from sheer boredom. As he fell the ball struck his boot and flew inside a hypnotised Hedman's post. 1-0
Coventry who up to now had playacted at every 50-50 tackle and spent an age to take any throw-ins suddenly quickened up their act. It didn't matter though cos they are woeful and there would be more chance of Peter Beardsley scoring in convent than Coventry getting an equaliser.
Mills continued to entertain and his long range shot clipped a post. Viduka was set up superbly by Keane but he pulled his angle shot wide. Every time Mills got the ball the crowd shouted SHOOT ! Audience participation at its finest. I'm assuming the SHOOT referred to Danny having a shot on goal rather than a command to O'Leary to pull the trigger.
The game ended. It was easier to clap and keep your hands warm than simply stand there wondering what this silly game of our is all about. If football was meant to be enjoyed then I'd rather be watching the Krankies in a Blackpool pier special with a pin stuck in my leg.
Football is about 3 points however, and we got them all.
Post match, O'Leary said he can't wait for the season to end. How interesting.
Scoreboard of Justice
Martyn 6 Frozen spectator
Mills 9 Comic genius
Harte 5 Stood about like a lemon
Rio 7 tried to start a few attacks. Looks far too good for a central defender
Rads 6 A snowman could have done his job.
Bowyer 8 Inspirational
Batty 8 100% Leeds
Bakke 2 Go home and come back when you've stopped sulking
Wilcox 2 "Invisible, it feels like i'm invisible" - Alison Moyet....speaking of which - how about a Viduka-Moyet look-a-like ?
Viduka 4 Not really his fault that there was no room or penetration, but at times could have been mistaken for a giant fridge freezer.
Keane 10,000 Didn't do much but his sheer class won us 3 points and that deserves 10,000.
Subs used :
Why are you reading this line ?
Reporter: Stotty
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