David Bentley, like Leeds, is on his way back
Published 23:15 03/02/10 By Simon Bird
David Bentley walked off the pitch last night and showed that perhaps the penny has finally dropped. “I want to play every game and I won’t take it for granted.”
Two assists, a sparkling display of wing play, and the £15 million flop uttered the words that hopefully mean he will rise to the challenge of resurrecting his stalled career.
Boss Harry Redknapp’s praise was spiked with a hint at what’s gone wrong with Bentley: “When his attitude is right we have a good player,” he said.
“He showed that tonight. Bentley has come back in and played well. He is outstanding. When Aaron Lennon is fit, it is a nice problem. You need that competition.”
Bentley has played just 13 games in a year. But he’s started the last three, despite Redknapp being keen to sell him in January. The asking price and wage packet put suitors off. But Redknapp said: “Keep playing like that and it is like the Bentley who was at Blackburn.”
Bentley added: “My time at Tottenham has been hard, but I have enjoyed the last few games. So few games in a year has been difficult. I just want to get back playing and stay there.”
It was a professional show by Spurs in the face of a fanatical crowd. The queues stretched around Elland Road for 20 minutes after kick off. Inside, the creaking old ground, complete with that modern football novelty, a view obstructing stanchion, was a steaming mass of Yorkshire passion.
For 90 minutes it was like the big time had never left Leeds United. It was the Champions’ League run of eight years ago revisited. Raucous and belligerent on and off the pitch. Spurs, like Manchester United, were rattled. We Are Leeds.
If a club ever deserved to climb back to the summit of the English game on the back of atmosphere, Leeds would be waved through to the top flight with its 37,704 crowd.
This FA Cup run has proved, after years of financial turmoil, controversy and decline, that this sleeping giant can be awoken.
Only a couple of seasons of continued league success will determine whether Leeds are back on an upward curved. But last night it felt they were clawing back their lost status.
