Blackburn 1; Leeds United 2: When Eddie Gray became caretaker manager of Leeds United and began remodelling the team, he used Blackburn Rovers as his prototype. No, not Graeme Souness's sorry crew of 2004, but Kenny Dalglish's championship-winning class of 1995.
"They played the high-tempo way I believe the game should be played and we have to play if we are to stay in the Premiership," said Gray.
It explains why his side's triumph here on Saturday seemed studded with little ironies; why the team attacking with real width, using crosses as lethal weapons and ruthlessly squeezing midfield space looked strangely familiar.
Jermaine Pennant might have been Stuart Ripley rampaging down the right, Seth Johnson could have passed himself off as Tim Sherwood and, although Newcastle fans will regard this as heresy, Mark Viduka at times offered a realistic impersonation of Alan Shearer in his Ewood pomp.
Centre half Steven Caldwell used his forehead to score Leeds' second-minute opener, capitalising on slapdash home marking by rising to meet Gary Kelly's far-post cross and head beyond Brad Friedel. Tellingly, that goal originated with Pennant's strong run down the right which earned the corner, taken short, preceding Kelly's centre.
Blackburn's manager insisted that while his players' contribution "lacked quality" the requisite "effort was there", but Souness, whose side are now level on points with Leeds and deep in relegation danger, did not look entirely convinced by his words. "We were very, very nervous and it showed," he added. "We are outside the bottom three on goal-difference and there's no magic pill I can give people in training."
The surprise was that Leeds did not score again until the 89th minute when Pennant's run and low cross resulted in Viduka sidefooting home.
Significantly, Souness, for whom Craig Short headed what can hardly be termed a consolation goal in stoppage-time, insisted that Viduka and Smith represented "the big difference" between the teams.
The borrowing of that nine-year-old Blackburn blueprint may yet preface one of football's more unlikely escapes.
Guardian Service
