Leeds are still learning

Simon Grayson's side have come under fire once more after an enthralling 3-3 draw with Barnsley last night. The message I will say is this. This is our first season back in the Championship, it is a relatively new group of players and although we are pushing for promotion we are a young side still learning our trait.

It was sloppy errors last night that cost us. But you have to look at the game as a whole. Credit to Barnsley they came of the traps like a racehorse and dictated the pace of the game. We were instantly on the back foot, even when we were leading the game we never once settled into our natural flow. Was this a result of backlash from the Norwich game? Maybe. This is a strong, competitive league and to contend at the top we need to be at our best in every match.

Max Gradel's performance is one of the few positives that can be taken. The Ivorian continues to wreak havoc on the left wing. Luciano Becchio reached 15 goals for the season when he headed home the equaliser. Despite scoring his performance lacked the quality he has provided in the vast majority of games this term.

The defence has been our Achilles heel so far in this campaign. It seems Leeds have to bag 4 goals to secure a victory. One could only think of what the damage would be without Kasper Schmeichel guarding the goal line.

Bradley Johnson is the next topic on my mind. I thought he put in an impressive performance before he was given his marching orders on 52 minutes. Johnson has got mixed press. Talking to some people after the game their view on his performance was split. He now misses the trip to Swansea on Saturday after getting dismissed for a soft red card.

Firmly focused on another six pointer. Swansea are now the team to catch as they occupy the second automatic promotion spot. Leeds will be aiming to cut the gap to 2 points on Saturday. Grayson will almost certainly opt for a 4-4-2 shape without Johnson. This raises the question of who will partner Becchio up top? The smart money would say Davide Somma however I think Saturday could be the perfect time to give Paynter or McCormack the chance to win the hearts of the United fans.

Finally Simon Grayson, he got us out of League 1 and now he is targeting back to back promotions to the Premiership. He has been superb for the club so far and will continue to do so for many years to come. In my mind the perfect man to guide this young, developing squad of players.