Simon Grayson Post Match Comments Leeds vs Coventry 05/02/2011

Talking to the YEP about Davide Somma following Leeds 1-0 league win over Coventry

"He's (Davide Somma) done brilliant to be fair,"

"We sent him out on loan last season, he started this season with a bang and then he was out of the team because of the formation we were playing, but he's scored whenever he's come off the bench.

"He's still got a lot more work to do with his overall play, but he's certainly got that one thing that a striker lives off and that's knowing where the back of the net is."

footymad.net report Grayson saying

"He can shoot with both feet, he's strong, he works hard and he's got all the right ingredients. But to go from League Two to the Championship in half a season shows what the lad is capable of and I'm delighted we've got him."

With football 365.co.za adding

"His goal ratio to starts is quite ­phenomenal - he has a real eye for goal.

teamtalk.com continue

"It's easy to sit here and say I knew what he could do because that's why I signed him, but what we've seen in training is that he has a natural eye for the back of the net.

The following day The Daily Star have a further quote from Simon Grayson

“We are ­delighted. With Aidy’s (Boothroyd) teams, you know it’s going to be a physical game.

“The two wide men were exceptional. ­(Robert) Snodgrass and (Max) Gradel have fantastic ­quality and I was delighted with their performances.

And CoventryMad refer to Simon Grayson talking to the Press Association

"We knew we would be involved in a battle today and we had to scrap, and I thought that we did that.

"We couldn't get the goal we needed before half-time, but I thought there wasn't too much wrong with the first half. But when we got the goal, we saw the game out in a professional manner.

"We told the players at half-time that they had to be patient and keep doing the same things. We created some really good chances and the overall performance of the team was pleasing."

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Leeds-United-1-Coventry-City.6711979.jp

http://www.footymad.net/storytext.asp?article=3583177

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/175474/Leeds-1-Coventry-0/

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/overall_performance_was_pleasing__grayson_643410/index.shtml

http://www.football365.co.za/story/0,22162,14320_6732988,00.html

http://www.teamtalk.com/leeds-united/6726262/Somma-lovin-for-Grayson

Aidy Boothroyd (Coventry Manager). ccfc.co.uk. 05/02/2011

Following Leeds 1 - 0 League Victory Over Coventry

"It was an open, end-to-end game and in the end we come away disappointed but I think encouraged by some of the individual performances.

"individually I was very pleased with our midfield players and I think the front three worked well and gave Leeds a lot of problems but in the end Leeds have been very lucky in the side that we have had to throw together."

"We had another thunderbolt before the game when we found at that Marlon (King) would be unable to travel because he has flu and hasn't been able to get out of bed

"It is obviously a big blow to us because he is one of our better players but you carry on and that is just the way it seems to be at the moment.

"We are in a storm and we get over one little hurricane and along comes another one but that makes it that much better when the good times come along and you do have some glory."

 http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10269~2286320,00.html

George McCartney. YEP 05/02/2011

"I'm nowhere near the end of my career," he says, "but I don't exactly have years to waste either."

"Everyone comes to a point in their career where they've got big decisions to make," McCartney says. "For the first time I was in a position where I wanted to play football week in, week out and had no chance of doing that, not at Sunderland anyway.

"I reported back for pre-season and heard a lot of reports, a lot of rumours, saying the manager (Steve Bruce) knew which players he wanted to keep. I realised that I wasn't one of them and I'd probably known that through the second half of last season.

"I'd gone back to Sunderland from West Ham feeling that I had unfinished business at Sunderland but I have to be honest and say it hasn't worked out.

"I wasn't happy and I wasn't enjoying training. In a strange way, I'd lost my appetite for the game – and that's something I thought I'd never say.

"When you're knocking on towards 30, you want to play as many games as you can. You're past the midway point of your career and it's not a stage where you can afford waste time or throw months away.

"When that happens, you need a change of scene and a change of club – something to pick you up. Leeds gave me the opportunity at a time when
I really needed it."

"We beat Sheffield United on my debut and I thought 'Leeds are a team. I'm in with some good players here'," McCartney recalls.

"Then we had that shocking night against Preston. Strange doesn't really describe it. I don't think I'll ever play in the game like that again.

"As for Cardiff, they came here in form and turned us over. It was that simple. But it didn't have any effect on me wanting to stay. I'd already made up my mind about that.

"That night was hard, don't get me wrong, and you did start to wonder if we should forget about the play-offs and worry about staying up but I was still in a good frame of mind and very motivated.

"That all feels like a long time ago now.

"As soon as we got a settled team, things clicked into place. It wasn't just that we went 13 or 14 games without defeat, it was that we went on that run without riding our luck too much. The team played pretty well right the way through it.

"Getting games was my first aim but being in a team who are in form was my second. It's a bonus to end up with both.

"We're probably passed the point of saying 'don't talk about the play-offs.' At the very least, they're within our expectations. The top two's not out of the question either.

"But everyone here is quite happy to be in the background. This is one of those seasons where you'll only be certain about the league table when the last game's played."

"Before I left in December, I spoke with Simon and he told me that he wanted to get something sorted as quickly as possible," McCartney says.

"I really hoped we'd be done straight away but it all dragged on for a couple of weeks. I think Sunderland were probably holding out for a bit
more money and started to think it wasn't going to happen.

"It was quite a worrying time because I felt like I might be heading back to the position I'd been in before.

"I'm aware of what went on (at Leeds) in the past financially and I didn't expect them to be stupid with their money, but I was very relieved to see them come to an agreement."

"I hadn't been playing at club level and to miss out with Northern Ireland was a consequence of that," he says. "The two go hand in hand.

"I wasn't considered for two or three matches and it's another thing which makes you look at yourself closely and ask what's going wrong.

"There were a couple of others options when I first signed for Leeds,
Leicester and Derby or something like that. But I didn't mess about and I didn't give them much thought.

"I knew people here and I liked what they were telling me. To be honest, I'd have missed out on a great move if I hadn't come."

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Leeds-United-Whites-handed-me.6711418.jp

Simon Grayson. Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 05/02/2011

“If we sign people too early and we reach the promotion play-off semi-finals or the final, that rules them out.

“Yet if we leave loan signings until later we may not reach the play-offs, so it’s a fine balance.

“If the team is doing well we may not need to do anything for a few weeks, so I think the situation will be assessed on a game-by-game basis.

“If we find we need to strengthen the squad we will do it, even if it means someone going back to his club before the play-offs.”

http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/sport/football/footballleeds/8834612.Grayson_must_get_Leeds_United_loans_balance_spot_on/?ref=rss

Shaun Derry. mailonline Q&A. 05/02/2011

"I've got two. (Career highlights) One is helping Crystal Palace stay in the Championship last season after going into administration.

"The second is playing for Leeds United. Pulling on that white shirt and playing at Elland Road is something I can't put into words. Purely magical."

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1353855/Its-secret-Shaun-Derry.html