Judging by the brevity of his press conference shortly afterwards, O’Leary was in no mood for questions of any kind, tough or otherwise.Yet, given that Leeds’s finishing position is their lowest since O’Leary took over from George Graham as manager in 1998, the reception for the Irishman appeared benign, even warm. While fifth place might be the envy of the majority in the Premiership, it would not have been considered a satisfactory outcome for Leeds when the season began. By all unbiased assessments, it is an underachievement.O’Leary, though, will hear no talk of that nature. His view, which always makes reference to the Woodgate-Bowyer court case, paints a picture more of triumph over adversity. “It has been difficult from start to finish with far too many headlines that weren’t about football,” he wrote in Saturday’s programme notes. “This season has tested us much more [than past years] and I think we have done well to get a place in the Uefa Cup.”It might have been more illuminating to learn how many of his squad he expects still to be at Elland Road next season.After spending £100m, O’Leary is under orders to sell before he buys again and one can suppose the income required is more than Michael Duberry or Stephen McPhail is likely to generate.Which leads naturally to speculation that Mark Viduka, Harry Kewell, Olivier Dacourt, Lee Bowyer and Robbie Keane must be ripe for plucking away. Only on Saturday, new reports linked Kewell with Internazionale, while another story suggested he was simultaneously learning Italian and Spanish, the clever lad.The only clues offered by O’Leary, however, are cryptic ones.

“I don’t want people living on reputations,” those programme notes revealed, in a reference to unnamed players whose performances lacked consistency. “If they are not going to do it, they will be out of the team.” Judge for yourself who he means.Alan Smith can be safely excluded. The England Under-21 striker was singled out for O’Leary’s praise before and afterwards and repaid the compliments by scoring the only goal, although the role of Keane, evidently eager to be noticed after the absence of Robbie Fowler allowed him only his fourth start this year, was also important. The Irishman flicked the ball over his head into his team-mate’s path, allowing Smith to control the ball on his chest and shoot past Mark Schwarzer.Boro ended the season as they began, with four straight defeats. “I’ve learned more about the team in the last four games than at any stage,” Steve McClaren, the manager, said. “They have highlighted our weaknesses and where we need to improve.”Leeds United 1 Middlesbrough 0Goal: Smith (63) 1-0.Leeds United (4-4-2): Martyn 7; Kelly 5, Ferdinand 7, Matteo 6, Harte 5; Bowyer 6, Bakke 7, Johnson 5, Kewell 6 (Wilcox, 90); Smith 8, Keane 7.

Substitutes not used: Crossley (gk), Johnston.Referee: U Rennie (Sheffield) 7.Bookings: Leeds: Matteo, Martyn.Man of the match: Smith.Attendance: 40,218.. The crowd cheered and cheered.To be fair to Fergie, he does not create the values of today’s football but simply has to live with them. Certainly it was much more reassuring to read in his programme notes how much he was hurting, and there was plenty for anyone who cared to read between the lines of his statement to the crowd that next season there would be players who would “try” to win back some of the old rewards.The need for such men, plus a central defender who, unlike the still beautifully elegant Laurent Blanc, is not undermined by the first burst of genuine opposition speed, was certainly evident in this soporific send-off to the season that just refused to happen for United. The emotion that came with the farewells to the departing Denis Irwin – “a magnificent servant to me and the club,” said Ferguson – Ronny Johnsen and Raimond van der Gouw no doubt also had much to do with memories of better days, when Irwin, particularly, represented some of the club’s best competitive values.But then after several days of intense inquest on United’s season, it was not so easy to drag back from the fascination of the Beckham business. You couldn’t help thinking what Wilf Mannion or Raich Carter or Peter Doherty would have made of this great arena coming to its feet to salute the awarding of the world’s first £100,000 a week football wage packet. Or George Eastham, who went to court and impressed on a high court judge the fact that indeed he had no more employment rights than a slave. Or Johnny Haynes, whose reward for authentic midfield genius was the first £100-a-week wage in English football.