Barnes took another step towards redeeming himself when he saved from Lewis, but Rangers were killed off when centre-back Butler stormed into the visitors’ box to meet a Lewis cross with an unstoppable header.. Barnes took responsibility for dealing with an Eddie Lewis free kick but came out embarrassingly second best against Cresswell, the Leeds striker looping a header into the unguarded net. Leeds were lucky when a close-range header from Lowe bounced kindly for Neil Sullivan early in the second half, but they countered immediately. And given that three of those new faces (Marcin Kus, Keith Lowe and Andy Taylor) were in the back four, endeavouring to protect the goalkeeper Phil Barnes, signed from Sheffield United as emergency cover for the injured Simon Royce and Jake Cole, it looked a recipe for defensive misunderstandings.Their manager Ian Holloway dubbed them “Queen’s Park Strangers.” But in fact, with the experienced Steve Lomas overseeing everything from midfield and Danny Shittu authoritative at the back, they were surprisingly well organised.When Leeds went ahead it was through an error that was individual rather than collective. “I know Neil Warnock says that all the pressure is on the chasing pack but we are going to put as much pressure on Sheffield United as we can because we still feel we can catch them.”Rangers had five players – four of them on loan – making their debuts. They did not look comfortable yesterday until captain Paul Butler added to Richard Cresswell’s first-half header with a second goal six minutes from the end, but should their Sheffield rivals slip against Watford tomorrow night, it might look a highly valuable victory.
“We’ll be watching that one with a lot of interest,” said Blackwell’s head coach, John Carver.

Having already shipped out 17 players since his arrival, Burley accepted that even more changes are now needed.. Such is the relentless pace at which Reading and Sheffield United have been charging towards the Premiership that Leeds lost ground after a hard-fought draw at Ipswich in midweek. But manager Kevin Blackwell is adamant that, despite the 11-point gap his side must close to rise above third place, automatic promotion is not yet out of range. Action! What a relief.For the bulk of the second half, the home side remained penned in their own half, further annoying supporters who continued their insults against chairman Lowe.Derby were unfortunate not to secure the win when Smith’s shot rammed into Claus Lundekvam, but, as far as the future of both clubs was concerned, nothing here hinted at real optimism. The keeper then pushed Moore’s header on to the underside of the crossbar and the rebound was screwed wide by Tommy Smith. A teasing free-kick from Inigo Idiakez was headed a shade round the post by Darren Moore. Lacking an alternative, the home crowd amused themselves by chanting: “We want Rupert [Lowe] out.”Keeping the ball out of their net was the more immediate priority for Southampton when, shortly before half-time, a corner from Idiakez beat Bartosz Bialkowski’s grasp and almost went in.

The Rams acted quickly by sacking their manager, Phil Brown, while on the south coast, a rumoured takeover by a consortium led by Andrew Strode-Gibbons has been the talk of the town.
George Burley, Southampton’s manager, decided that big changes were needed yesterday, so he brought in Danish striker Peter Madsen and defender Alexander Ostlund from Feyenoord. But new faces quickly brought together rarely make for smiling football and, here, the unfamiliarity caused Southampton to begin like strangers.Derby were not much better; passing badly and defending on the verge of generosity – but at least they had a shot somewhere near the target in a lamentable first half. It has been a turbulent week for both clubs, with Southampton losing to Plymouth after an irritatingly dubious penalty decision, while Derby’s defensive frailties gifted Sheffield United the points in the wake of last weekend’s shock defeat against Colchester in the FA Cup. It was difficult to imagine that you would ever see him in management again.

Of course, professional football being the perverse activity that it is, not only is he currently thriving, but is also among the possible contenders for the vacant Newcastle seat.. There were some excuses for this desperate muddle of a match. Disruptive influences seemed to have seeped into the minds of the players even before they began but Southampton fans, in particular, were appalled by an inept display. It recalled a moment at Swindon’s County Ground a decade ago when Steve Coppell, then Manchester City’s manager, and as ashen-faced in reality as Private Eye’s supremo Ron Knee is habitually, looked similarly overcome by events. “I just remember the great times I have had here, and I will have the strongest of feelings for Chelsea for the rest of my life.”. It was three weeks ago, but even then, one glance at Graeme Souness after Newcastle’s defeat by Fulham, in which his team had performed guilessly and uninspiredly, was enough to convince you that it was time to summon the priest. He was suffering a slow death, but, presumably for financial reasons, opted against euthanasia.