Getting better all the time (Danny Mills)

Member Name: Welshlad

Product:	Danny Mills
Date:	14/08/01 (35 review reads)
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Danny Mills


One of David O'Leary's few questioned signings, Danny Mills joined the club in June 1999 at a time when Leeds needed some new blood and after a long hard chase, O'Leary got his man. The job that Mills was being asked to do was very tough. An out and out right-wing back, Danny Mills plays in exactly the same position as one Gary Kelly - a life long Leeds player, and a firm fans favourite, so anyone coming in to seemingly take Gary out of he team would require some convincing to the fans.

The start he made to his Leeds career did not help either. His early performances were shaky to say the least. Early games were fine, but the more he played and the bigger the footballing stage became, the more nervous Mills appeared to get, and began to look like a fish out of water, ultimately resulting in him losing his place in the first team squad to a now fully fit Kelly.

Throughout this time, Mills maintained his place in the England under-21 squad, where he continues to impress and remain a pivotal role, even if his club progress was on something of a downward slope.

As the new season approached, things were looking up for Mills, who appeared to be playing some of the best football of his life, and what a season it would turn out to be. Dependable when called upon, this out and out right-back often showed his value to the team during times of need by playing at centre-half, especially during the big European nights, and almost unlike the player we had seen previously, it now looked like the bigger the stage, the bigger the performance, giving some truly heroic showings for the team.

Danny Mills was fast becoming a star. His dependability and versatility made him one of the first names on the team sheet, and when Radebe, Ferdinand and co regained full fitness, a shift back to right-back came, which saw him give some commanding performances and make the right-back position his own!

Happily perfor
ming on the biggest domestic stage - the Champions league, Danny mills was immense for Leeds, excelling against some of the worlds top strikers and this was reflected with a shock international progression - a call up to the full England squad, resulting in his senior England debut against Mexico this year.

With the new season approaching, there is little doubt that if Mills can maintain the progress he made last season, he will sustain his first tem place, and the relationship with the fans is growing all the time. Now firmly a fans favourite, Mills promises to be a big, big layer for Leeds, and the £4M spent by David O'Leary looked to have been shrewd business. I must admit that this was one of the few signings I questioned, and initially I thought I had been proved right. But last season Mills proved me and may other wrong, yet proved O'Leary spot on with what has been a fabulous singing.

At times Mills does look a little unorthodox, and runs rather like a headless chicken. However, his great engine and MUCH improved footballing awareness has seen him develop dramatically as a player, and his fabulous crossing ability (remember THAT cross for he equaliser against Manchester United?) coupled with his darting progressive runs make him an attacking force that Leeds United fans like to see. Add this to the defensively solid foundation on which he has built his career, and it is clear that Mills can go all the way.

He is by no means the finished article, and a few aspects of his game need to be touched up on, but Mills is a far cry from the player we first thought we had, and if this progress continues, Leeds and England have some right back on their hands!

One thing is for sure - there are few better English Right-backs in the league at the present time, and he is by far and away a better player than Gary Neville, so England caps could flood in for him soon!

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