Gary McSheffry Booed by Leeds Fans

Gary McSheffrey responds to the booing he received from Leeds fans in last weekends Leeds vs Coventry league fixture;

"I didn't really say anything to offend anyone. I was asked the question 'why didn't you stay?' and I said I didn't really know because I hadn't been told. It was misinterpreted and I've never said anything bad about Leeds. Little things can become a silly headline.

"I was expecting (the reception) but this is a decent club with good fans, and when it's going good they're great fans. I've always said that, so I don't really know why they were booing me."

http://www.coventrycity-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/i_dont_know_why_i_was_booed__mcsheffrey_643802/index.shtml

Simon Grayson on Paul Connolly's Injury Against Coventry 07/02/2011

"Conns could have come off a bit earlier,"


"He tweaked his hamstring and we'll assess him over the next few days and see how he is."

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110207/connolly-injury-being-assessed_2247585_2287337

Simon Grayson. More Post Match Comments Leeds vs Coventry 07/02/2011

"We started well, we were nice and bright and on another day we could have had three or four by half-time


"You wonder if it's going to be one of those days. But we said at half-time they had to be patient and stick at it which we did. Then we saw it out well which was good because you're only one ball into the box away from that."


"They were outstanding," (Robert Snodgrass & Max Gradell)


"Eventually Coventry had to double up on them. They have quality and know how but they have a great work ethic and they have good relationships with the full backs.


"They can be unplayable sometimes because defenders don't know if they are going inside or outside. They were great but full praise for the whole team."


"Davide scores goals, Luciano could have had a couple so could Max, but you have to give credit to Dave for the goals he scored."


"The players have worked hard for that (clean sheet) and I don't just mean on Saturday,. They've worked hard on the training pitch. All of them.


"They fully deserved the clean sheet. Hopefully now we can carry that forward and keep scoring the goals as well."


"You're at home and you want to win, There's no easy games. To pick up a draw is pleasing, but we wanted to win. It keeps us in touch."

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110207/it-could-have-been-three-or-four-boss_2247585_2287319 

Davide Somma Post Match Comments Leeds vs Coventry 07/02/2011

 Davide Somma  following Leeds 1-0 league victory over Coventry City

"This season has been like a dream come true.

"I set myself a target of double figures (in terms of goals) this season. Now, I have got 11 then maybe there are enough games left to get to 20.

"I am also hoping to play against Kenya this week in Rustenburg. It is a great feeling."

"The manager just told me to relax (when I was out of the team) and the chance would come. I have been trying hard in training, and I probably can't do any more than score four in four (league games)."

"Back-to-back promotions would be a great achievement, and you never know what can happen in football."

"That's what we're fighting for. Why not try to go for it and get back-to-back promotions? You never know what can happen.

"We've been drawing a lot recently and it's a relief to win a game and come away with the points. We needed that."

"We want to maintain our push for the play-offs and we knew that teams around us were getting results on a regular basis,"

"A dozen teams probably feel they've got a chance of going into the Premier League automatically and if you don't do that, you want a play-off place.

"But there are still too many games left to be talking about what we might achieve."

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Leeds-United-v-Coventry-City.6712831.jp

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/leeds/Grayson-delighted-as-Howson39s-labours.6712882.jp

Simon Grayson on Jonny Howson's England U21 Call Up. leedsunited.com. 06/02/2011

"I'm delighted for Jonny (Howson). He's been terrific for us this season and this is a great reward for him.

"People forget he's still a young player when you look at the games he's played and the fact he's been captaining the side, but he's a great professional, a real hard worker, and he's a real talent.

"He fully deserves his call and it will be a great experience for him."

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110206/jonny-gets-england-call-up_2247585_2287048

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

Neil Kilkenny. YEP, 04/02/2011

"I knew when I went away (to the 2011 Asia Cup) that the club might sign other players,"
Kilkenny said. "They wanted cover for me and it sounded like a new midfielder had been on the manager's mind for a while anyway.

"Whatever happened, I wanted to come back and do what I've been doing for three years – play regularly and play well.

"I'm not a new signing but if I can lift the squad in any way then I will. I said before I left that we had a great chance of getting into the play-offs and that hasn't changed too much. We'll need a good run of results to do it, but we're more than capable and thought so at the start of the season – even if I wasn't prepared to say it in public."

"You never know where football will take you so I'm not assuming anything," he said, "but the experience (in Qatar) was fantastic.

"Everything around it was new to me – the pressure of a major international tournament and the pressure building up to the final. We were one of the top sides there, so people expected us to do well.

"The difference with the Olympics was that I went there expecting to play. I was told that I'd play and it didn't happen. With the Asian Cup, I was surprised to be in the squad in the first place. I knew I'd have my work cut out to play at all and to appear in four games made it a big success. I liked the coaching staff and they seemed happy enough with me. I hope I made a decent impression on them.

"They had some really talented players over there – not all household names in England – but guys with good pedigrees.

"There's a defender called Sasa Ognenovski who plays in Korea and won the Asian version of the Champions League. People here might not have heard of him, but he's a quality player. A lot of the lads play in top leagues across the world. You don't walk into the Australian team.

"If going to the Asian Cup means that I'm considered for the World Cup qualifiers at the end of the year then that's all I'm looking for at the moment. I'm still at the stage where I need to think game by game and go from there."

"I've got four months left and if I do go at the end of the season then want I'd like to go out in the best possible way," he said. "All I want is to be involved as much as possible and to make the most of the position we're in.

"Getting ourselves promoted would be a huge achievement, but I'm sure we can do it. To be perfectly honest, at the start of the season I thought we had a massive chance of going up. I played things down, and so did everyone else, but that's what I was thinking.

"The squad is talented and the players are hungry. You can see the hunger week after week. Something special could happen here, which isn't to say that it definitely will. But the chance is there."

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/leedsunited/Leeds-United-Talent-and-hunger.6711232.jp

Neil Kilkenny, leedsunited.com, 04/02/2011

"I knew they (Austrailia Socceroos) had a settled team and I was a part of the squad," he explained.

"The manager (Holger Osieck) had a settled team and his substitutes, but he gave me a bit of chance. He'd said 'come along and we'll see how good you are' and I felt I did well.

"I was involved in four of the six games (at the 2011 Asia Cup) and I really, really enjoyed it.

"Obviously it was disappointing to lose in the final, (to Japan) but it's one of those things. We were happy we got there, but we wanted to win it.

"You have to move on, though, and I'm back here now and looking forward to the rest of the season."

"I've missed playing 90 minutes, but I had a decision to make," he said.

"I went away, enjoyed it, and now I'm back here and I'm looking forward to being involved on Saturday.

"My next step is to play as regularly as possible here and if I can do that, hopefully I'll be involved in the squads again.

"My main priority now is to get back in the team here and do well."

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110204/killas-sights-firmly-on-club-duty_2247585_2284984

Simon Grayson, leedsunited.com 04/02/2011

"We'll be trying to accumulate another three points on Saturday," said the boss. "We're in a good position, we've lost one in 16, and we're well placed.

"We'd have liked to have turned some of the draws into wins, but it's a tight division. We are where we are on merit, and we have an opportunity to kick on for the rest of the season.

"We'd have taken this at the start of the season, now we have to push on,"

"I watched them (Coventry) against QPR a couple of weeks ago when they played well, but came away with nothing," he said.

"They have players who are capable of winning games and Aidy (Boothroyd) plays a certain way which can make things difficult.

"I think they are playing better than their results have shown, so we certainly won't be underestimating them."

http://www.leedsunited.com/news/20110204/three-point-accumulator-is-the-target_2247585_2284960

Simon Grayson. YEP #2, 04/02/2011

"We brought people in to make us better and if you look at the players who were in the team on Tuesday night – Schmeichel, Connolly, O'Brien, Bruce and McCartney – most clubs in the Championship would take that back five.

"It's not just about what they do, but about what the whole team do as a rule. We've got a lot of attack-minded players and I could set out to get a nil-nil every week but then people would be asking why we're not scoring enough goals. There's a fine balance to be had.

"If you look at where our defenders have come from, it says it all. We've got good enough players, definitely."

"The one thing that does disappoint me is that we've been letting in goals from setpieces,

"That's something we can eradicate and it's something we looked at yesterday morning.

"I'd love us to be the top goalscorers and the team who concede the least but it doesn't always work like that. We're working hard on the training pitch and it's not like we're sending the team out and saying 'go and do what you want.'"

"Even though they've had a couple of poor results recently, they've actually been playing quite well,"

"They could have beaten the leaders but ended up losing. That's what the division's like.

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/Leeds-United-Grayson39s-case-for.6711023.jp

Simon Grayson. YEP #1, 04/02/2011

"The 93-day rule is something we have to consider. If we do bring any signings in too early and get to the (play-off) semi-finals or the final, then they would be ruled out. The other danger is if we leave it too late and don't get there.

"It is a fine balance and will be approached on a game-by-game basis. If the team are doing well, then we might not need to do something for a few weeks anyway."

"We asked the question of a few clubs last week and that hasn't stopped just because the transfer window has closed.

"The level we are looking at would be Premier League players who play for big teams. With all due respect, I am not looking to bring anyone in from Leagues One or Two."

"It is disappointing to concede the goals we do because we work hard on the training pitch. We don't send the team out and say, 'Do what you want'.

"Goals against are not necessarily all about what the back four do but the whole team and we do have a lot of attack-minded players.

"If I wanted to get a 0-0 every week, I could send out my team 4-5-1 and get the wide lads to double up as full-backs. But we wouldn't score many goals, either. Then people would be asking, 'Why aren't you scoring?' It is a fine balance."

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/football/Grayson-bides-time-over-loan.6710982.jp

Aidy Boothroyd (Coventry Manager) Pre Leeds vs Coventry, Coventry Telegraph 04/02/2011

“Elland Road – that’s a nice easy one on the back of the run we’ve been having,” he joked.

“It’s a fantastic football arena but it’s certainly no place for cowards or shirkers. Going to a place like that and facing that screaming mob takes some bottle – and I’m absolutely dying for it.

"At times like this you find out what you’re all about. It’s very easy to take the pats on the back and the plaudits when you’re on a roll, but when a bit of adversity comes your way you’ve got to be able to deal with that as well

“The signs are there that we’re not that far away.

"We’ve played well against the best sides in this league, entertained and scored goals, but we’ve been punished for making silly errors.

"We weren’t making those errors in the early part of the season, so we’ve got to get back to those basics.

“Against Leeds at the Ricoh we didn’t get started for 20 minutes but after that we laid siege to their goal for long periods.

"I thought Forest were there for the taking the other night and the pressure we put them under in the last 20 minutes shows how close we are.

“There’s certainly not a chasm of class. We’ve been done by one goal in so many games and they’ve been tight because we’re always in it, we’re always at it, we’re always likely to score. The important thing is how we learn from those experiences.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-city-fc/coventry-city-fc-news/2011/02/04/aidy-boothroyd-relishing-battle-in-front-of-leeds-united-s-screaming-mob-92746-28112986/

Simon Grayson. givemefootball.com. Commenting on Snodgrass FA CUp Penalty vs Arsenal 03/02/2011

 “I never watch penalties. I turn the other way, but I could tell from the reaction of our fans that Snod had scored.”

http://www.givemefootball.com/championship/leeds-ace-takes-january-crown

Carl Baker (Coventry City), Pre LUFC v CCFC Fixture, CCFC Official Website 03/02/2011

"To be honest the Leeds game will be the best kind of game to have because it will be a big crowd, big atmosphere and a chance for us all to pull together,"

"We're still scoring goals to win games but we're not getting the cleans sheets like we were earlier in the season so going to Leeds now is a great game for us.

"It was a good fixture with them at home earlier in the season and because of the way that game went we feel like we've got a point to prove."

http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10269~2283984,00.html

Simon Grayson, YEP, 03/02/2011

"I had many players offered to me and there are plenty who I'd be able to bring in on an emergency loan next week. It gives their clubs the option of taking them back after 28 days and I'll utilise that in a week's time or whenever I need to.

"The transfer window was difficult for us and for other teams because clubs are quite reluctant to let players out on loan until the end of the season unless they're sure that they're not going to need them.

"Sometimes the players who are on offer aren't right for you either. We weren't in the market for squad players – we were in it for top players.

"But I'd have thought that some of the players I was looking at will be available (on emergency loan).

"I've spoken to four or five managers about that, all of whom are in the Premier League. The players I'm looking at will definitely make us better as a team and I'd like to think they'll be available as and when I decide to get the business done."

Grayson said Sheffield United's offer (for Neil Collins) was "good for the club", 

"We did a little bit of business early on in the window with Andy O'Brien and George McCartney and we've brought a keeper (David González Giraldo) in from Manchester City.

"I was close to doing a couple of deals on Monday but at the last minute the clubs changed their minds.

"I could have brought in half a dozen other players quite easily they wouldn't have made us too much better. They'd only have been squad players and when I went into the market, I was going in for top-calibre players.

"Unfortunately it didn't quite happen for us but the level of player I was going at was very high. I said early on that people who come here have to be good enough to go straight into the team. We've already got good players here and it would be unfair to bring others in if they're
not going to have much chance of playing.

"I'd still like to have a few more players, and you can see what we've got. But Kilkenny's back now and one or two others have recovered from injury.

"We do have a good squad but I always want to add to it because that's what made us successful in the past and that's what'll make us successful in the future."

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/Leeds-United-Grayson-focusing-in.6710116.jp

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6720014,00.html