By Bairdy
August 17 2007

OK, so it wasn't like beating Man Utd or Deportivo but that is the past and the future means Leeds must beat the likes of Tranmere and Macclesfield and that is exactly what has happened this past week. Suddenly Leeds players and supporters have a smile on our fcaes so long may this continue. Leeds played Southend for the first time in 2006 so this is like an old pals act. Until 3pm Saturday!

What the XXXX is going on?
"And I think to myself, what a wonderful world!"
Isn't it amazing what two away wins can do for the soul? Even the most optimistic Whites fan would have been nervous going into this season but professional performances from Dennis Wise's team have seen Leeds United win potentially tricky encounters against Tranmere in the league and Macclesfield in the cup and faces are smiling again, especially after the summer we have had.
OK, one swallow never made a spring but to hell with it - let's enjoy folk talking about our club winning for once, even those vultures who gathered for another chance to laugh at the Leeds United carcass.
Well guess what? There may be life in this old dog yet!
Dennis Wise has picked 17 players to start in the two games thus far so who says we haven't got depth? Bad news is that new signing Leon Constantine has picked up an injury and will be out for three months but Gylfi and Derry look set to return soon after they returned to training this week. Expect Wisey to pick roughly the same side that beat Rovers last weekend in The Wirral for the home game with Southend.
It will be interesting to see what sort of crowd turn out on Saturday and what the motivation will be. The masses are now focused on supporting Leeds and leaving the past summer behind, although some still bear grudges against Bates and his cronies.
Regardless, it is time to support the team and forget the Board (for now). Come on Leeds - three in a row please!

Who are ya?
Southend United are from the Essex town of Southend-on-Sea, that very quintessential seaside town infamous for cockles and jellied eels. The unimaginative among us would refer to the stereotype image of Essex girls and chav's, but my mum was an Essex girl so be careful!
Southend have enjoyed a very mixed history having spent the majority of their time in the lower Divisions but able to boast playing Fiorentina away in the old Anglo-Italian cup in 1995 when about 300 die-hards made the same trip that Leeds fans made to play Hapoel Tel Aviv on neutral ground in 2003.
Southend can boast the very large Alison Moyet as a celebrity fan.
Southend were rocked with the departure of leading scorer Freddy Eastwood this summer to Wolves. Eastwood is making an impact on his new club scoring against Bradford on Tuesday in the cup.
Lee Bradbury plays for Southend having played for Man City and Portsmouth having started at Oxford and Exeter. Bradbury was the subject of a £2.75 million bid from then Leeds Manager George Graham in 1996, a move that shocked Leeds fans, the press and even Bradbury himself no doubt.
Even more shocked was Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale who informed Graham he could have got him for £6 million!

To me, to you!
Loads of players have played for both clubs. In recent times Michael Ricketts played for both and here was a man who confused fans all over the country. When they saw 'Ricketts' on his back they didn't know if this was his name or the medical reason why he couldn't run!
Jamie Forrester and Mark Tinkler were two of Howard Wilkinson's youth cup conquerors of 1993 and beat an all-star Man Utd youth team in the youth cup. The red side of Manchester boasted several players who went on to become major names - Beckham, Scholes, Neville, Giggs, Butt, Gillespie, Savage - I may have missed someone. However Leeds won 4-1 over two legs and in front of a combined 60,000 audience.
Leeds legend Lee Chapman played one game for Southend, scoring in his only appearance and Richard Jobson also turned out at Roots Hall too. Eddie Gray's best mate and bit part player at Leeds in the '60's Jimmy Lumsden played four games for Southend and was Gray's assistant at Leeds when players like Sheridan, Sellars, Wright, Irwin, Phelan and Linighan were being groomed for greatness.
The appropriately named Albert Wakefield was West Yorkshire stock and played 50 games for Leeds between 1942 to 1949 with only the war interfering a progressive career. Wakefield scored 23 goals in those games before joining the Shrimpers where he also bagged 58 goals in 109 appearances. His career boasting one goal in under every two games!
Southend born Frank Dudley played 88 games for his hometown team scoring 32 goals before joining Leeds in 1949. He was top scorer in his first season and scored 27 goals in 71 appearances for the Elland Road club.

Will you come to Leeds?
Games against Southend are like buses. You don't get one ever and then three come along in no time! When The Shrimpers rolled into Elland Road on 24th October 2006 the home team were being caretaker managed by Dave Geddis and watched in the stands by incoming Manager Dennis Wise after the sackings of Kevin Blackwell and John Carver. Wise's presence didn't stop the away team taking a two goal lead before Ian Moore pulled one back but a third goal condemned Leeds to a fifth straight defeat.
Four days later Southend returned for Wisey's first official game in charge but goals from Moore (again) and a curling free kick from Robbie Blake saw Leeds run out 2-0 winners in front of 19,528 fans at Elland Road! Was this the turning point in our season?
Well not quite! When Leeds went to Roots Hall in March this year relegation to the third tier was a very real possibility as Freddy Eastwood put the Shrimpers ahead. A late Dave Healy goal, now setting the Premier League alight for Fulham, seemed to save the day and season for Leeds.
Alas not to be and here we are in the third tier.

Bairdy's Prediction
I got both results right but incorrect scores last week so this week I get it spot on! I can't see anything other than a Leeds win especially if Leeds fans support the team like we can. No-one hates Bates like me but keep the protests to these web pages and show the world we are Leeds and proud and let's get together to beat the jeering masses than ourselves!
For me it will be 2-0 to Leeds and I expect Tres and Becks to deliver! Come on Leeds!