12 Feb 2025 11:30:59
Another very professional performance from everyone, much credit to our manager who is nailing his rotations just now.

Nice to get four predictions right last night, I posted earlier it would be a tight game and we would win by one goal!

Big shout out to the first decent ref we’ve had in an age, nearly every decision including the potential pen shout against Amps went in our favour, but we were long overdue a decent ref.

Appreciate subs change the tempo in games and it’s tricky to get up to speed but our B+ forwards are currently a good step below our current A+ starters. in James, Piroe and Solly.

Finally, have a theory on young Joseph, he’s packed some muscle on preseason and almost redefined himself in the Watkins, type of striker, but in doing so it’s taken away from his previous skills, agility, to spin and turn where he was more a quick, lithe Ian Wright type striker in the U21s hopefully, he will grow into his body more as he ages but it has (for me) taken away a previous strength as he develops.

1.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 12:02:48
Yes. Me and you class got our predictions of a close game. Just Leeds scoring 4 that ruined it. Friends eh ?
Not sure about Matt’s. Apart from willingness and endeavour and speed. Not seen anything that says prem or champ striker. 10 mill was silly not to accept. But prob cause we been inactive before the bid. Hey ho.

2.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 13:17:31
Class, not sure about Farke only now getting his rotations right? Yet again at the beginning of this season, like the one before, he had to adapt to a lot of challenges within the squad ranks. That doesn’t happen overnight but adapt he has and the rotations are no different when he had to deal with a whole host of injuries and bedding in new players.
These are the elements that a lot seem to not take into consideration and have undeservedly to him have given Mr. Farke a lot of mal aligned criticism which I think was very much undeserved.

Also think it’s understandable our reserves are not making a big impact as they are not having to same amount of game time but nevertheless their impact is far from negative.

I do agree on your points about Joseph and it would be a wise decision to hold onto him.

3.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 13:47:53
Wasn’t a criticism OP it was the bravery, and nous to drop a flying Rothwell and bring in Gruev and leave Pascal on the bench, but totally get the point about returning players, but it’s the fact that Farkey has got all of these decisions spot on of late.

4.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 13:58:43
Farke hasn’t put a foot wrong since he took over. The way he has improved players, dealt with the likes of gnoto wanting out etc… he is a class act and we are lucky to have him.

5.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 14:07:38
Farkey on a roll BUT maybe prudent to wait till Leeds actually confimed as promoted first

Leeds were 1st with 6 matches to play last season.

6.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 14:27:47
No worries Class ? There has been a fair amount of criticism of Farke on this forum and it does touch my sensitivity buttons sometimes.
But you do make the comment, his decision making of late, which would presume his decision making was not good before?

I thought Pascal was effective during the period Amps was injured and his hands were tied on making alternative replacements, but he had the insight to take out Amps from midfield since his return and reinstate him back to that CB role replacing Struijk where he has excelled.
The same goes with Rothwell and Gruev, no choice because Gruev’s long term injury.
Gruev does have more of a fighting spirit with grit about him compared to Rothwell and I think he prefers that element in this tough run in to the end of the season.
Plus Rothwell’s passing accuracy has been flailing of late.
Just my opinions all the same.

7.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 14:28:41
Baz, stop living in the past.

8.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 14:46:50
The past OP?

You mean a mere 8 months ago ?. hardly a long time ago. precedent set
And this season
same manager, same owners mostly same players.

9.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 15:40:21
I like many others thought Joseph would flourish this season, but he has been dissapointing. Good points above made by Class. Maybe, if the Club aren't already doing it, he would benefit from some one on one coaching from an ex striker who did the business in his career.

10.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 16:26:51
Have to agree with Baz on this one.
Many games to play and nothing achieved yet.

11.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 16:28:15
1st and utterly exhausted from the mammoth chase. I think we have a much more rested squad this year.

12.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 16:36:18
I said same thing further down op, great minds clearly do think alike

Few things to consider

1st season

1. Farke took over after relegation…and we were awful, moral on the flaw and team was shocking
2. Loan clauses in players going was unprecedented, plus players like gnoto wanting out
3. Ffp looming over due to huge spend

Yet he still got us enough points to get promoted in every other season but that one.

Again just for comparison to Belisa who fans adore… Belisa had far more stable first season, spent more money and also didn’t get promoted, throwing away leauge in record breaking fashion. Farke had weaker hand but got more points

2nd season

1.lost 120 million pounds of players, that’s more than rest of leauge put together, top players who were best in leauge
2. Not replacing them due to ffp
3. Belisa spent 45 million year we went up not. 120 sales

Yet despite this we are top, scoring for fun and again to date beating every record set be Belisa in year we went up
So again despit having a weaker hand farke is doing better.

Yet he still doesn’t get credit by some who adore Belisa.

Now yes I never did and never will rate Belisa. I saw he had strengths but for me his weaknesses far outweighs them. And sadly my predictions on Belisa were 100% correct

But this is not about this, this is me simply asking why some fans don’t give farke credit when he is clearly doing a far better job

Long live farke.

13.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 16:47:28
Indeed Corky .

14.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 18:01:53
Not a problem OP fully appreciate your defence of our excellent coach that has done an incredible job, I’m not at Berms level of adulation yet, as it’s Leeds United and no supporter knows more, we ain’t up until it’s mathematically confirmed.

Think Farke has adapted brilliantly however, one man’s adaptation is another man’s correction of a mistake and the experiment of Piroe behind Matteo was not a success, but obtaining BA and Farkes definitive management in making Piroe, James, Solly first choice has been fully vindicated, and whilst I appreciate he needed reinforcements and he’s nailed on for coach of the year, I’m keeping the babycham on ice just for now.

I’ve never had the affinity with Farkey that I had for Bielsa, but again, just personal preferences and each to our own, and third world problems eh, how lucky were we to have them both Coach our team.

15.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 18:12:13
Well if you can’t see the difference between last season and this one then there’s no more to say.

16.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 18:43:48
OP

I expect Leeds United will finish 1st ( its by how many points that is thd question) .

Gettin promoted the very least expected of Farkey within his first 2 seasons.

17.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 19:18:33
Well said class each to there own.

As you know I put Belisa on top five worst and when Belisa didn’t go up I beg for farke and always admired from afar and now happy to admire a bit more up close. That was s also what got me banned from tescos.

18.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 19:42:04
We were 3rd with 6 games to go last season. Another incorrect fact reported by Baz,

This stage last season we were 2nd 12 points behind Leicester and level points with 3rd place Ipswich.

So all in all, different circumstances completely so as OP says, stop living in the past, a “mere 8 months” is still in the past.

19.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 19:47:24
Bermo, I think what you say to some extent is correct, for example farke is doing well, but then you come out with some ridiculous statement like he’s better than Bielsa.

Meslier is a good keeper (I agree) but then say he’s a world beater.

My point is you make a valid point then water it down with an absolute tosh claim.

20.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 19:58:25
Concur with your thoughts Class, being Leeds fans has never been an easy road. I also agree that even at Elland rd the fans haven’t fully embraced Farke yet and i'm sure he himself is also fully aware of that.

Adulation can only be merited by your success and if or as I believe, when Farke secures promotion for our club, the fans will begin to embrace him.

You are right in the fact that Farke is not Bielsa, their personalities are very different and Bielsa did have a common touch with the fans that probably will never happen again.

However if Farke does achieve promotion his achievements should be lamented, because winning promotion from the Championship, especially for a very emotional (Big) club like our own, is a great achievement.

He is a very successful Championship football coach, where his question lies is can he be a successful Premiership one?

I think it’s a disgrace that anyone should even consider the thought that he should be sacked if he wins us promotion.

21.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 20:13:56
LAD

Ok 1st with 8 games to go then. we were definitely top with single digit amounts of matches remaining in March 2024.

22.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 20:54:12
wrong AGAIN, Leeds didn’t once lead the league table that season. Sitting 2nd for only 5 game weeks.

I admit I’ve googled the stats and got this from Transfrstats so there is a possibility that Leeds were top for a brief few days if Leicester or Ipswich had games in hand. However we were not ever officially top when each team played the same amount of matches.

23.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 21:42:31
LAD I was right Leeds were top
Sunday 17 March 2024
1st Leeds Played 38 82 points
2nd Leicester Played 37 82 pts
3rd Ipswich Played 38 81 pts

Final eight games later

Leeds imploded just 8 points from 8 games
#bottle jobs

Leicster 97 points
Ipswich 96 poinrs
Leeds 90 points.

24.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 22:01:47
As I said, on a level playing field. Leicester had a game in hand there.

25.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 22:17:55
Bottom line we messed up.

26.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 22:32:56
We ran out of steam. We had just gone 21 games unbeaten on the day you mention above. It was never likely to carry on until the end of the season. And as Alf put above we had just chased Leicester down and that was a mammoth task.

The original point you keep making though is that we will fail like last season. This season is completely different from last and whether we do it or not you’ve spent the entire season being negative about Leeds.

27.) 12 Feb 2025
12 Feb 2025 22:47:59
Love away days days

Managers need two things time and money, Belisa had an abundance of both and at the end we were a joke of a team (as I said I would be three years before) the fans of leeds will always love him, fair enough

I see four years and hundreds of millions as a huge failure… most outside of leeds would have to agree with that statement

As for mes he has shown world class shot stopping ability on his day he makes saves not many can… if he becomes consistent which at 24 he might. he will be one of the best in the world… it’s an if but is possible.

28.) 13 Feb 2025
13 Feb 2025 15:12:54
I think Bermo, discussing the fact that Bielsa spent 45m to get us up and Farke lost 120m worth of players is a little misleading in one sense. Using transfermarkt Leeds net spend in the summer of Bielsa's arrival (18/ 19) was just under 4M (Bamford signing was more or less offset by selling Ronaldo Vieira) , and we bought Douglas. It may amount to a little more depending on loan fees and wages.

After failing to get up, we then sold Pontus 6M, Clarke 11m, Roofe 6m, Bailey P-F 2.75m, Saiz 2.5m ekuban 1m and a few others that all told probably brought in around 1m (Cibicki, Pearce, Halme) .

All in that's around 29m out.

We brought - Costa loan with the 15m obligation, Meslier loan with the 5m option that we exercised. Agustin in Jan with the 21m obligation on promotion.

so across two seasons to get promotion it was probably around 22m net spend on transfer fees which is pretty reasonable.

I also want to add that for Bielsa to get up / build that team, he was building it from a team that finished 13th the year before, and 15 pts off the play-offs. That is a far cry from working with a squad of players many of whom had been playing three years of prem football, that Farke got to work with, its no slight just the circumstances.

Farke's first season Leeds spent around 36m on Piroe 14m, Ampadu 8m, Gruev 6.5m, Kamara 6m, Spence loan 1.1m, Darlow 400k

Obviously, we sold around 56m in direct fees Tyler Adams 26m, Sinisterra 23m, Rodrigo 4m, Hjelde 2m, and Farke had to work with the obscene loan debacle. I don't blame him for the early games where we failed to get some points because of that. I do think he is more accountable for the end of season collapse when we were well placed, and the second chance to rectify it in the play-off final against a poor Southampton.

Leeds and Farke then had to pay the price of no promotion by selling around 130m worth of players in Rutter, Gray, Summerville and fees brought in from Cresswell, Roca, Llorente, Kamara profit.
Re-invested what we could into Rodon 12m, Largie 8m Bogle 6m, Tanaka 4m, schmidt 3m, and the rothwell and solomon loans.

I think Farke failed in not getting us up last season, he's done fantastically well so far this (I wasn't so sure 12-15 games ago but fair play since then absolutely) . I also think the recruitment since relegation has practically been spot on in the context (maybe GK aside) . Tanaka what a player! Keep it up I'll be very happy I just wanted to dive into the context between Bielsa and Farke, both have had trials and issues.

The numbers so far are great for Farke this season, I definitely enjoyed the football more under Bielsa (that's just me) , Farke is more exciting than most other Leeds managers in my time. Get us up and I'd be very excited to see what you could do with a net backing of 70-80m+ in the summer, that you never got at Norwich.

29.) 13 Feb 2025
13 Feb 2025 17:33:13
Impressive post Ealing.