Leeds Banter

27 Apr 2024 11:03:22
There were some out there playing to their own agenda? There were some who clearly were struggling? There were even some who, after a long season, were clearly just off the boil. Last night showed that there are a number of issues which Farke needs to address in the summer, whichever league we are in. There are a few who will depart with a fond farewell and some who sadly it will be the best for all (just get top dollar) they just do not want to be here and some, who do not fall into either camp but stand with a mighty question mark above them. After last summer, this summer will be just as hard with a mini rebuild required but looming in the wings the shadow of our outstanding debts somewhat hampering our decisions. Still such is the life of a football manager for all it's woes we would all, too a man, kill for the job. In fact some of us think we are doing it already. Just (regretfully) nobody listens to our sage advice. I have no sympathy for myself (or any of you for that matter) we all knew when we started that, We Are Leeds and this is what we do! Give us a smooth straight path and somehow we will contrive to dig it up, divert it and cover it with broken glass. The football God watches us crawl along towards the end and to not make it too easy will give us a kicking every now and then in the sure knowledge that it doesn't matter what he does these fools will be back at the start of the path, every year full of hope and blind faith.
So, no matter what happens in the coming few weeks WE are the fans, with licence to criticise and praise, to threaten and cajole but above all else To Support our great team. As Saint Vivienne once said "Oh well, tomorrow is another day".

27 Apr 2024 09:07:12
Is the reality a bit more simple in respect of last night? We were playing a team fighting to avoid the drop at a known compact ground. They started the season badly but then brought in a new coach that has turned them round. They would be up for it. Why was Kamara on the bench and only brought on after 87 minutes? Is he injured? Rutter is big and skilful but everyone knows he's a big softie and easily dispossessed. Archie is still only 18. They ran through us in midfield all night. No wonder there was no link between defence and attack. And why wasn't Piroe hooked when it was clear he was having no impact on the game? We failed to do our homework. Perhaps also a lack of respect for the opposition?

27 Apr 2024 09:27:07
Indeed 56. Manager useless or on a payroll. That was the worst team performance I’ve seen all season inc Ipswich.

27 Apr 2024 11:33:10
Well thought through post Manston! Makes sense in many ways.

27 Apr 2024 08:55:46
Controversial opinion
Cooper needs to play last game
Think we need leadership on the pitch
Simple change
Move Ampadu to centre mid and gray back to rb and I'd also bring Kamara back to midfield
I'm not sure why he has been dropped but he gets time space and composure in midfield .
Piroe needs to never play in a Leeds shirt again.

27 Apr 2024 09:28:10
Too late mighty mate.
No diff team. Just a miracle needed b.

27 Apr 2024 09:44:07
No never… coppers played over 250 games for leeds and in that time been consistently inconsistent and always good for a mistake. Remember, in the derby play off game when he cost us a place in the final.

Sell cooper it’s the only way to make sure they don’t get tempted to play him.

27 Apr 2024 11:42:34
So Bermo, the current team sans Cooper has been immaculate and no one has made any mistakes costing us goals?

Cooper wouldn't have allowed the lethargic play out from the back and he wouldn't have let their heads drop. Likewise Ayling wouldn't have been so inert up our right hand side for the last half dozen games; still the fans got their wish.

27 Apr 2024 08:22:29
Been to every playoff game since 1987 but that's it for me till August after next week fed up of watching this club 99/ 100 fail ever since the Revie days only 1% of the time something goes for us you can write the script us older Leeds fans knew we'd be the club to collapse as much as I love Leeds United I also hate them for destroying my health.

27 Apr 2024 09:45:08
I get it mate and I’m with you. When we lost to derby in playoffs, I genuinely think I went into depression for about three months.

But deep down we are Leeds and would rather lose as Leeds than win as anyone else!

27 Apr 2024 11:34:14
Wot Bermo said!

27 Apr 2024 11:47:49
GA. these "near death" experiences is what keeps you alive!

Bielsa's collapse was far more distressing for me; we had been the front runners most of the season. This time, we have been chasing for the most part and we have seen how the miserable the actual prize is!

Whatever happens, come the first week of August, all is forgotten and forgiven, and all that new season optimism comes rushing back. It is the cycle of a football fan. Would we really have it any other way?

27 Apr 2024 08:22:10
Well pick the bones out of that one. I certainly wasn't expecting a capitulation like that last night, not the leeds team i have watched all season. To a man they looked tired, disjointed and clueless, only Firpo who I have berated frequently was verbally trying to drive the team on.
So glass half full time, Ipswich lose 2, or draw one of the 2 it's down to last game, they win one draw one, still last game, but out of our hands. But in all honesty it's looking more like at least 2 more games on sky and hopfully a winning visit to Wembley.
Whatever happens curse or no curse i am Leeds till I die, and when i do leave this mortal coil i will come back down and have a full blown scrap in the middle of Elland Road with the naughty spirit that has been put there to cause so much stress on my fellow supporters . MOT.

27 Apr 2024 08:50:54
Love it mate and said the same.

I’m our awful summer of wed of bern offered 3rd 99% of us would of taken it. I expected mid table.

Monday night Friday night games are difficult and made no sense other than for poxy sky sports!

When we go up in the playoff final it will be best day of my life and better than the day my daughters were born. If not we got next year!

27 Apr 2024 09:29:58
You feritile berm?

27 Apr 2024 11:49:38
Thing is guys, Ipswich lose one of the next two, they have to win the next two to guarantee promotion. A draw and we win and they can't beat us because of GD.

27 Apr 2024 07:51:35
This is the only match of the season I haven’t seen. So have been sitting reading all the comments and reports for the last couple of hours. After getting down to the final comments of the first page, mighty says after 5 minutes knew we were going to lose. How could that be in such a massive game for the club? How could we not get ourselves up for such an important game? What’s happened to the team spirit? The bottle went? I read most of the reports saying meslier was poor again, piroe was terrible. As a team, we are far too nice. We can’t score from set pieces and always look like we will concede goals from set pieces. It doesn’t augur well for the last game of the season against saints, and more importantly the play offs. As always it’s easier to spout off once the horse has bolted, but lack of desire and fight is unacceptable
Maybe too many self before side players in our team right enough.

27 Apr 2024 09:36:15
Start with farkeless.

27 Apr 2024 10:24:32
Explain ausman. We won 13 and drew 2. How can we go from that form to the current debacle? I think Daniel is sometimes too nice and too loyal, but it always comes down to the players. Without doubt Joseph should have been brought in a while ago, but piroe has been a 20 goal a season player the last couple of seasons, and frankly the game against boro when he came on, he looked as though he’d just came on from running the London marathon, and also didn’t look like he was trying a leg. I also think, had we had a better keeper, would have won a few more games. He was better when he was 19-20 years old.
Good shot stopper maybe, but his positional sense and distribution are woeful.
And we essentially have 2 old style sweepers that sit in front of the defence. They never drive forward and pass the ball sideways or backwards.
And practically no goals from defenders or midfielders, compared to other teams in the championship, have cost us. When you are backs against the wall you sometimes need someone other than the forwards to come up with the goods. It never happens.

27 Apr 2024 07:47:39
Let's be realistic yes we lost were we totally outplayed the stats don't show that, we had more shots both had 5 on target their goalie made a couple of good saves ours didn't yes we have played better but it is not the end of the world.

27 Apr 2024 09:37:50
U b realistic. Hilarious. We got trounced, mate. Plate and simple. By relegation fodder.

27 Apr 2024 07:39:38
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Everton v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

27 Apr 2024 07:14:52
Out of interest, what difference does the league we are in genuinely make to your lives?

27 Apr 2024 07:51:06
Nothing in truth Alf…. I guess it’s human nature to want to be the best, play the best, watch the best etc.

My own personal feelings whilst I was watching last night. I kept asking myself the question why do we want to go up and why do we put ourselves through these emotions, and I kept thinking because I have empathy with this team and I know that if we don’t go up, it’s broken up and it’s no longer this team, but the truth up or down, the team would be different anyway, so it’s all irrational.

It’s not the same, but the situation, for me anyway, was the same in my professional life. I ran a European arm of an international business for the last 20 years. The “quarter” was the be all and end all. Those quarterly results were the only focus and at times we were riding on the brink (of closure) if we didn’t make the quarterly numbers. Our reward for scraping together those numbers, was the privilege of being able to try again for the next quarter, all the same stress, anxiety, risk of failing again. I often pondered how much “better” life would have been, had we missed one of those quarters.

Being pragmatic, the EPL means for most teams and fans, more exposure, more money, more TV games etc…. for Leeds, aside from the money (which is irrelevant to the fans) , our ground is full every week, we’re never off the tele.

Personally, I despise what football is in the EPL, I despise VAR, have no empathy with the “star” players. The only thing the EPL offers me, if we were there, is a higher probability of European football. Before I push the daises, I would like to follow Leeds around Europe one more time.

The EPL probably means an expanded and refurb of Elland Road…. that would also be nice before I pop my clogs!

27 Apr 2024 08:10:38
Very good post Ani
Following your favourite team is all consuming!
I suppose it’s like a drug!
The highs are what we strive and enjoy but on days like today we are really down!

27 Apr 2024 08:51:55
I prefer championship and don’t like the premiership so I’m a perverse way I prefer not being in prem… that said I want us to go up!

27 Apr 2024 10:18:59
Spot on Bermo.

27 Apr 2024 11:43:53
You know what Alf? Zero, zip, zilch.
I think Ani has caught the mood well.
It will be very sad to lose some of the great players we have, with great attitudes, and characters; that is my biggest concern. But we have lost them before, and will do again. We move on, as a club, team, and fans.
As you say, the EPL is pretty much everything we can despise in the game, apart from the financial bonus and expanded euro comps. Plus VAR! No biggie if we don’t get there this season, but will be an immediate disappointment which will also pass.

27 Apr 2024 03:05:50
Wow, tough watch and frustrating that we are in a terrible slump, has been like this since international break, really affected us.
Last 7 games since break and only 8 points out of 21, with 3 losses.
Very unfortunate as others around faulted but not as bad as us and now looks like extended season and dreaded playoffs.
Think DF done very well to get us soooo close but start of season hurt us, first 10 games and only 16 points out of poss 30, have been playing catch up all season.
We were fantastic from start of new year and need that form over next couple weeks.
Have a few issues with DF but on a whole would want him to stay for next season, which ever league we in, think he will bring good times.
We deserved to get tonked today, QPR were on it from start and too many of our players off it big time.
Our forwards today were poor, not holding ball and as a result, put pressure on MF and defense. Even gruev and Roden were off and they have been class.
Piroe is terrible and next season need 2 new strikers ( get rid piroe/ bamford) , still feel Joseph decent and he should start remaining games imo?
Can we step up and get up via playoffs, maybe we'll score winning promotion final goal from a CORNER!
If in championship, we'll lose Meslier, Roberts, Roden, summerville, Gnoto and rutter and a rebuild needed.
Trying to stay positive, maybe Ipswich will lose next 2 then onto final day.
How long is James and Roberts out for, back for playoffs?
MoT.

27 Apr 2024 08:07:35
Good post MW…Ipswich only have to fail to win both their next games and it will go down to the last game…so still a small chance of autos.

…. maybe we can do it via the playoffs. What a way to do it, that would be!

I also want DF to stay as well as many of the players as possible. If we don’t make it, he deserves the chance to try again and I think, aside from getting over the obvious “hangover, ” hopefully we can get a better start next time and the “49’s” put their hand in their pockets; they never really had a chance to do it last summer with all the turmoil of who was in the “loan” fiasco.

Bielsa’s failure was more painful for me; we had led the way most of the season before crumbling and we hadn’t been in the EPL for a generation …he got the chance and did it next time.

27 Apr 2024 08:52:48
Agree with both I said mid table promotion or not frake has done amazing!