May 11

May 11, 2002 (Saturday) from Yahoo!

Leeds go out with a whimper

LONDON (Reuters) - Between a court case that cast a shadow over the club and a season of disappointment on the pitch, it is small wonder Leeds United cannot wait for the season to end on Saturday.

The vicious beating which left student Sarfraz Najeib unconscious in Leeds city centre in January 2000 led to a trial that captured the attention of millions and made the Yorkshire club an object of hate.

The verdict by Hull Crown Court in December left defender Jonathan Woodgate with a conviction for affray and a friend of his, Paul Clifford, jailed for six years. Leeds midfielder Lee Bowyer was cleared of all charges.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale was the target of hate mail while another Leeds player, Michael Duberry, who had been Woodgate's best friend before testifying in the trial, said he had received death threats.

The wife of manager David O'Leary also received threatening letters.

Woodgate's conviction ruled him out of contention for England's World Cup squad while Bowyer now faces a civil action from Najeib over the attack.

Yet in the months building up to the verdict, the trial did little or nothing to affect Leeds' success in domestic and UEFA Cup competition, spurred by the arrival in November of England striker Robbie Fowler from Liverpool.

On New Year's Day, O'Leary's expensively-assembled side were top of the table and seemingly assured of one of the four slots available for next season's Champions League -- if not of the league title itself.

The team which had reached the Champions League semifinals the previous season, when they lost to Valencia, were also through to the fourth round of the UEFA Cup.

COLLAPSING FORM

At which point, Leeds' form began to collapse.

After beginning the year with a 3-0 drubbing of West Ham United, Leeds did not win another match for two months -- until March 6, against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town.

A rash of injuries, lengthy suspensions for the likes of Bowyer, Danny Mills and striker Alan Smith, plus a general dip in form which O'Leary was unable to arrest, led to Leeds slipping down the table and out of all cup competitions.

This included the FA Cup in which they were humbled by second division Cardiff City.

Currently sixth in the table, they can take little credit either for their UEFA Cup place next season -- which has been guaranteed only because Chelsea will take the FA Cup finalists' slot, thus opening up another qualifying place in the league.

"To be honest, I will be delighted when this season is over," O'Leary said last month.

"I felt we had an outside chance of reaching the Champions League and I was hoping we would take it right to the wire.

"We haven't been able to do that, but the fact we do have the UEFA Cup place is good and I am pleased for the players."

However, team captain Rio Ferdinand was more forthright in his assessment.

'PLAYED WELL'

"We've been saying all season that we need to get a good run going. But, looking back, I don't think we've had two back-to-back games where we've played really well," said the England defender.

"So it has been disappointing.

"Even the football we're playing now is still not good enough, compared to last season, not when you think of the ability we know we have in this team."

Ridsdale clearly still believes in that ability, and has a warning for the club's rivals next term.

"We will be back next year stronger than ever," he said.

"Some people are saying we have had a disappointing season but I'd like to point out that this is the fifth year in a row we have qualified for Europe, and that has only happened once before in the club's history."

The Yorkshire club's record may indeed be an achievement. But the fact remains they have fallen short of their Champions League target this season, and need to make amends next term.

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