Daily Telegraph match report;
‘The boos that rang out at half-time and at the final whistle yesterday — as well as sustained chanting in favour of David Batty, the deposed midfield player — are testament to that. The next ten days, when Leeds play Sheffield United in the Worthington Cup, are away to West Ham United in the Premiership and protect a 1-0 lead over Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the Uefa Cup could, in the short-term, be critical. "Obviously, people will look at the facts and the position in the league and they’re not very good," Venables conceded.
"In saying that, I’ve been fairly pleased with the players in recent games. The results have gone against and Everton are on a high as well, but I don’t think we’re a million miles away from where we want to be." It was difficult to agree with that assessment yesterday. [true – relegation is closer than it has been for over a decade]
"I’m not worried about what’s happening below us," Venables said, "although other people will be. There’s a long way to go. The players are low today — the first time I’ve seen them so bad — but I expect that. That’s how I want them to be, because they know we should be doing better. Everyone’s down."