LIFE LOOKING UP FOR BERA AND POTTERS
Evergreen boss Bielsa has seen it all but knows the Championship is a slog
Roofe Wells
IT hasn’t taken long for Marcelo Bielsa to comprehend what most regular observers have known for some time – the Championship is a madhouse.
“You are absolutely right the Championship is crazy,” he replied when asked for an honest appraisal of the season as it nears the halfway point.
Considering the 63-year-old has managed the likes of his native Argentina and Chile it’s no top-ofthe-head statement.
“Sometimes that is linked to not having any big team that dominates the others – and this season you don’t have any team that continually dominates their opponents,” he added, after hoisting Leeds into a second place automatic promotion spot with a fivepoint cushion.
A fourth successive win wasn’t though negotiated without a few bumps in front of another 30,000-plus Elland Road crowd.
But two goals from on-fire forward Kemar Roofe helped keep a spirited QPR at bay – a team that had led through a clinical finish from Nahki Wells.
Unlike Bielsa who only arrived in Yorkshire in the summer Loftus Road boss Steve McClaren has long been aware of the unrelenting demands of a 46-game Championship.
There are many obstacles to negotiate before the key to the Premier League can be grabbed. Leeds have now been trying for 14 years.
But McClaren (below) believes they have the right man in charge to bring back the good old days.
“Leeds are going to be up there. I think there will be four or five clubs over the Christmas period who will pull away,” he said. “This Championship is a tough league. You have got to win ugly at times and that is what Leeds did against us.
“There are going to be some very disappointed owners at the end of the season. “When you are relegated into the Championship you gamble to try and go back up.
“Leeds have taken that gamble this time around but there’s no one with more experience than Marcelo Bielsa to get a team promoted.
“But I bet he’s finding this Championship very tough.
“With 37,000 sell-outs there is big pressure, big expectations. It’s who can handle the pressure the best, not just in terms of management but in terms of the squad.
“Our aim after the first four games which we lost was to get out of the bottom. We’ve climbed the table well,” he added. “But it’s Middlesbrough up next so there’s no rest for the wicked.”
LEEDS UNITED: QPR: MOTM KEMAR ROOFE (LEEDS) REF: ATT: The only way is up, according to Stoke boss Gary Rowett.
And Potters winger Saido Berahino, who has seen the heartache side of football, agrees.
”The win puts us back in touch with the pack and we’re going to go for it,” said Berahino after the defeat of rock-bottom Ipswich, who have former Stoke boss Paul Lambert at the helm.
“Next week’s game at Aston Villa is massive for us. They’re two points above us and they’re putting in brilliant performances. But we’re convinced we can find their weaknesses.
“We’re aiming to keep our unbeaten run going. It’s now eight games without defeat. We just need to turn draws into victories and be more clinical.“
Berahino, who went 913 days without a goal, was unlucky when his best effort flashed just wide.
The 25-year-old, given asylum in Britain as a youngster after fleeing Burundi, had tough times after leaving West Brom, but is now playing a key part in Stoke’s push to get back to the top flight.
Tom Ince scored his third in three games and Joe Allen (above) grabbed Stoke’s second.
Rowett admitted his side “lacked energy and zip”, adding: “It was difficult to pick up the players after relegation. It took them a while to come to terms with having to play in the Championship and we are still in that process. But we’re getting things together now and I’m convinced the only way is up.”
Lambert was convinced Ipswich were “the better team”. He added: “I know this league well. If you put a little run together you can catapult upwards.”
STOKE CITY: IPSWICH: REF:
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