After all the anti-Bates vitriol this in the wake of Howson’s departure there is the small matter of a football match taking place tomorrow against Ipswich Town, but no doubt most of us will be taking the opportunity to make our feelings known to our beloved chairman.
The official site has been desperate to crow about the loan signing of Fabian Delph, with no fewer than three articles about him today, as if a temporary move for the next five weeks could possibly compensate for the permanent loss of our captain. For the record, he told them "I'd spoken with the manager at Villa about getting out and playing some games, and finding some form, and that's how it's come about. This was the only place I really wanted to come to and as soon as I knew Leeds were interested I was 100 per cent coming here."
Delph goes straight into the squad for tomorrow’s game, and apart from the departed Howson Leeds have no new selection problems. Snodgrass is likely to start as he continues to work back towards full fitness after his appendix op a few weeks ago. But US international Robbie Rogers isn’t yet eligible even though he’s been granted a work permit, as we still have to get international clearance for him, but he is expected to be available for our next game against Birmingham.
Ipswich will have a couple of players returning to their squad after injury in the shape of striker Jason Scotland and captain Grant Leadbitter , while Jimmy Bullard has fully recovered from a recent illness. But none of these players a guaranteed a start, as Town boss Paul Jewell was impressed by the younger players who stood in for them against Blackpool last week, so the likes ofTommy Smith, Luke Hyam, Josh Carson and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas might keep their places after all.
Whatever selection Jewell decides to make, the Ipswich side will definitely be short of a couple of experienced players. Defender Damien Delaney is still out with a foot injury, and we will be denied the pleasure of seeing Lee Bowyer at Elland Road, as he has yet to recover from a groin injury. Jewell has been given a lot of money by Championship standards, so it’s no surprise that a lot of Town fans have been calling for his head after a very disappointing season has seen them slump to 19th in the table, only four points above the relegation places.
This is the 60th league meeting between the two clubs, and overall Leeds have had the better of these games, with 25 wins to Ipswich’s 18. But it’s been a different story in recent years, as we haven’t beaten them on any of the nine occasions we’ve played them since we dropped out of the Premiership in 2004.
The game at Portman Road earlier in the season was especially galling, as we dominated the first half but then had Aidan White unfairly sent off, before Ipswich won the game with a late deflected goal. So I reckon we owe them one for that, and even though the anti-Bates chanting will be a distraction I think that with Ipswich continuing to struggle we will be able to end the sequence and record a victory against the tractor boys.