After the shocking defeat at the hands of Nottingham Forest you might have expected Neil Warnock to swing the axe as he selects his team for the trip to Millwall, but the manager has indicated that he is going to resist the temptation to make wholesale changes.

He told the Yorkshire Post “I don’t think you learn much about your players when you’re winning games. I think you learn things when things go against you, who stands up and who you want in the trenches with you”. But he continued “Good teams don’t get beaten by seven. Something somewhere is wrong in our make-up”. (No shit, Sherlock!)

“If we play like we did against Forest, we won’t get enough points to be anywhere near the play-offs. It’s down to us – have we got enough goals, enough midfield bodies, enough good defenders to make it happen? There are so many questions you need to ask and every week there are more. I’m not getting too many answers if I’m being honest.”

For now the manager is going to stick with the same players who started the last couple of games, partly because he thinks there is a lack of options in the squad as to who else he could select. But he is concerned that some of the players are running out of energy, especially Clayton, Becchio and White, so he will make a late decision about which of this trio will start tomorrow. Alex Bruce and Andy O'Brien could come into the squad after playing for the reserves as they build up fitness after recent injuries.

And he isn’t far short of giving up on reaching the play-offs and starting to plan for next season. “There are players who I’d like to have a look at before the end of the season. We can’t keep saying ‘we’re six points away’. If the results don’t go for us in the next couple of games then I’ve got to look at some of the players who are under contract next season – to give me with what I’m looking at.”

His opposite number Kenny Jackett is expecting an attacking approach from Leeds, on the basis that we urgently need all three points to make up for lost ground in the play-off race. “Leeds at home is a great fixture. It will be a passionate atmosphere and a great game with both sides going for the win.” Attacking play or not, we will need to improve on our results at the New Den in the last couple of seasons after losing the last four games in this south-east London venue, including the first play-off game in 2008/9.

We will be in the unusual position of playing against one of our own players, as Neil Warnock has allowed Maik Taylor to turn out, even though we’re still his ‘parent club’. Taylor is on loan at Millwall after being out by Warnock, who prefers not to have a keeper on the bench now that we’re only allowed five substitutes. Our boss said he let him go so he could start a career as a goalkeeping coach and "he’ll be leaving here on a free transfer at the end of the season anyway."

And we could see another old boy in the shape of former loan player Shane Lowry, who has been out for the last four matches but is likely to be fit again after injury. Other team news is that midfielder Nick Montgomery could make his full debut after joining the Lions on loan from Sheffield United.

What should I predict this time? On Tuesday I jinxed us by saying we’d be too for Forest (ha, ha) so this time I’ll really go for it and say that Leeds will suffer yet another defeat in the very pleasant atmosphere of the New Den.

Photo: Action Images

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