Leeds Banter 3

16 Jul 2026 18:50:55
It's the hope that kills every time, what was Tuchel thinking.

16 Jul 2026 19:18:02
Extremely disappointed. 😞

16 Jul 2026 20:49:32
Bad decisions made by Tuchel, but for me the best team won.

17 Jul 2026 08:07:48
Not that I think it affected the eventual result, but the American referee was out of his depth in dealing with (or rather, not dealing with) the Argentines' calculated thuggery and histrionics in the first half hour. I've said it before, but FIFA's policy of allocating high-profile games to inexperienced refs from 'minor league' nations on a "Buggins turn" basis cannot go on.


And, just when we thought they couldn't get any worse, they've announced that the ref for the final will be the idiot who was told by VAR to watch the foul on Mbappe in the France v Senegal game on the pitchside monitor, and still decided it wasn't a pen!

17 Jul 2026 14:53:47
The disappointment of that game is befitting of this World Cup in general.
Far too many political agendas, overpriced, ridiculous hydration breaks in air conditioned stadiums, unbelievable match times for European games, woeful refereeing and VAR, FIFA nonsense and got to pick a pocket or two Gianni Infantino. I also hate American razzmatazz, I hope to God they never host the World Cup there again in a country that calls football soccer and is no more than their forth most favorite sport.


On the football itself there was nothing to really write home about, the only outstanding game for me was Spain v France.

A very disappointing tournament, one that definitely will not stick in my memory banks.

Tuchel has got a lot of learning to do about International football I feel.

In a nutshell very tiresome and also very forgettable.

17 Jul 2026 16:08:20
OP, there's been some good and very good matches this WC.

The stars of the WC, imo, have been Cape Verde. They held their own vs both WC finalists, with their 3-2 game vs Argentina being a very enjoyable match with sensational goals.

Aside from SF, I enjoyed England's games, esp the very memorable Mexico v England game in the Azteca.

The atmospheres in the magnificent stadiums of WC2026 have been immense, esp the after-match on-pitch celebrations between players and fans, most memorable and special.



This WC2026 has had far more goals, and compares very favourably to WC1990, which generated a record low goals-per-game average.

In the knockout stage of WC1990, many teams played defensively for 120 minutes, with the intention of trying their luck in the penalty shoot-out, rather than risking going forward.

Without England's involvement, the WC1990 tournament would have been meh and very forgettable, and it had a very mediocre final, one of the worst ever.


.

17 Jul 2026 15:30:03
I'll second most of that OP. There were a few good matches, but not many. After seeing all the hordes of jocks waving the flags of every country England were playing, I was glad to see Scotland get what they deserved, (ie ### all) and after all the non football nonsense from the Argies I'll be hoping for a Spain win on Sunday, but having seen which useless ref will be in charge, I'm fearing the worst.

17 Jul 2026 16:35:52
I'm not talking about WC90, Baz. Qatar had better entertainment, football-wise, and everything else, even Russia.

You can praise and wave your little American flag if you wish, Baz, but for me it was nothing less than a disappointment, and I'm not succumbing to any of the American hype and bull crap.


The majority of the football games were only average, with no Italians in the tournament, and Germany and Brazil miles off it. How could it be a really competitive World Cup?
Too many easy run-ins for most of the elite nations.
You can't polish a turd, Baz, and this was a very big turd of a competition.

17 Jul 2026 17:07:57
It's a big American flag, OP.. and don't forget my MAGA hat. lol

But, joshing aside and back to being serious.. 'twas you who was eulogising about WC1990 a day or two ago.

Anyways.. enjoyable debate.

17 Jul 2026 20:15:22
As you said, Baz, that was a day or two ago, not today!
Appreciate the banter.

17 Jul 2026 22:45:50
I think the go at Tuchel is somewhat missing the point.

We took the lead, and then the players, for whatever reason, couldn't cope, and if you listen to the early interviews following the game, they were instructed to keep pushing for a second. They were just incapable? For the next 20 minutes we were utterly dominated, and, save for a post or two and some bad misses, we were lucky to still be ahead. After we scored, we had 3 successful passes to the point they equalised - is this really on the manager or on elite world class footballers?

Tuchel made the changes, and they were very defensive, but by the time of the subs, we were being completely overwhelmed.



The real issue was, aside from Spence, the rest of the team completely lost their heads. I have never seen a team wilt under the expectation like this one.

And the irony that somehow we are incapable of keeping the ball or passing, when every weekend in the EPL the vast majority are bored witless with incessant pass pass pass BS.

Tuchel's mistake was his instructions were lost in translation - he wanted 'EPL intensity' and they gave him EFL League Two, 'f*** we've taken the lead' against a big team mentality!

16 Jul 2026 16:43:51
Where are today's Jermaine Beckfords to be found?

16 Jul 2026 20:50:40
They are out there, it's up to the recruitment team and scouts to find them.

17 Jul 2026 22:46:56
League One is full of them, Cjs!

15 Jul 2026 18:00:15
My only problem with our new defender is how to pronounce his surname!

15 Jul 2026 18:55:23
Moo - Harr - E - Mo - Vitch

I shall get my garment on the coat stand. 🤣

15 Jul 2026 19:33:54
Just call him Tarik. 👍

15 Jul 2026 19:56:42
Wasn't that the Only Fools and Horses when they called him Gary?
I suggest that we call him Gary.

15 Jul 2026 20:50:23
Gary, it is!

15 Jul 2026 21:01:50
Genius!! Gary it is.

16 Jul 2026 01:36:16
Shegf Wed once had a Belgian striker called Gilles de Bilde, and, as the last part of his name was pronounced builder, his teammates christened him Bob.

15 Jul 2026 07:12:46
So it’s been given the Here we go from Fabrizio and all the other big lads.
Muharemovic is going to be signing number 2.
I’m happy with that as all you read is that he’s of high pedigree.

My question is, we are always Tod that the club are planning transfers months in advance.

Like January/ Feb for summer transfers!
So have we signed him because we scouted him back then or is it an opportunity signing after his World Cup performances?

15 Jul 2026 11:43:42
Something that we will never know.
Does it matter?
They must be confident about him or they wouldn't splash out that kind of money for him.

15 Jul 2026 12:25:06
Everything I've read about him is high praise! Pacy, great positional awareness, very good in the air defensively and offensively, and excellent with the ball at his feet, whether naturally keeping the ball flowing left, or pinging crossfield balls on his natural left peg. At 22, his potential could be huge, if all of that is true!

15 Jul 2026 13:04:44
We will have had a shortlist prepared a long time ago, based on data, as previously communicated by the club, for when Pascal left - the club have known he was likely to go for 18 months. We will have then looked again at it and made decisions based on progress and availability etc, nearer the time - don't forget the club speak to hundreds of clubs, agents and players each window before bringing in the 4 or 5 we usually get over the line.

15 Jul 2026 13:47:31
This gut has been offered, apparently, £105k a week (5 year deal) , so quite a lot for a defender for Leeds to potentially pay.

I think that would make him defo in the top 3 earners with DCL and HW.



And, with an eye on crucial signings such as a striker, etc., Leeds have friendlies soon enough, so I do hope the pressing issues of signing, in particular one/two gk (s) , happen soon.

15 Jul 2026 14:28:30
I read he was slow, Brightwhite.
And, that data nonsense and shortlist doesn't add up, as we sign and scout many with poor stats.
Feel free to add rumours, but don't try and make out we are an experienced recruitment team. Cause we ain't. Yet.

15 Jul 2026 15:21:44
Blimey, Aus, you must be a hoot at parties. At least you are consistent, dude. 😁

15 Jul 2026 16:58:33
Aus, don't try and make out that you understand football because it's very clear from the majority of your posts that you have a very limited understanding

16 Jul 2026 02:50:23
Did you copy and paste that, Alf? Getting a bit boring now. It was on Futmob. He is slow, and we do scout players with poor recent stats. Dcl, for one. Don't know why some of you take exception to my post. It's fact.

16 Jul 2026 06:24:24
Stats are not facts in the sense of what actually defines any footballer. You could say, for example, Erling Haaland barely touches the ball in a game, and his running stat must be one of the lowest in the Premiership; a goalkeeper probably runs more distance than he does, yet he is one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world.
So stats are often very misleading.

I rarely pay any attention to them at all.
Seeing what a player does in a game on the pitch tells you everything you need to know about a footballer.

I find football stats are for the geeks, and can make someone look like they know what they are talking about, billowing out a load of technical data. Perhaps instead watch a game he's played more recently.

16 Jul 2026 08:09:53
Well said Alf & Opti!
He ain't got a clue!

16 Jul 2026 10:17:12
Aren't we a stat based buying ownership, Opti.
And saying Haaland is slow and hardly touches the ball is mostly true. So it's a fact, right?

16 Jul 2026 12:41:43
We have bought some dead wood in the past, so I am convinced that Leeds never look at stats. He's young, hopefully a decent player, and if he is excellent, he will be off by the end of the season to a top 6 club, no doubt.

16 Jul 2026 13:53:02
We use a data-based model - that's not the same as stats.

You can belittle it all you like, but it's been working pretty well for the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth, who have been enjoying some great transfers over the last few years. It's also been effective for the 49ers NFL team, who rose from the ashes to reach a few Super Bowl finals with relatively modest investment in recent times.



That's the issue, Aus - you ignore useful info that is freely available and use your own baseless theories as a foundation for your comments.

16 Jul 2026 14:02:38
I don't have baseless theories, Alf. Name one?
Whiteman agrees with me.
What's your take, Alf? Are we data-based or not? Or maybe sometimes others not? Depends on player and cost?

16 Jul 2026 18:12:57
Aus, but I know nothing. 🤣🤣🤣🤣

14 Jul 2026 20:43:51
There are rumours that some of our players are off. Schmidt back to Switzerland and JH back to the States, but that might mean we take a bit of a hit.
Wober is back. As a player I didn't mind him but he's always been too injury prone and I'm not sure he can resolve that issue.
I'd like to keep Large. As a squad player I think he can offer something off the bench. What I don't want is another loan with an option to buy. If he stays then Willie G might be going but that would boost our budget.


I'm wondering what's going to happen to Joffy? Hull don't seem to be making any early moves and no one else seems to be in the frame. After a bright start and interest from other clubs he lost his way. He's not suited to leading the line but he's capable of playing alongside someone else or in a pressing midfield.
It will be interesting to see who is given a chance in the pre season training and games and how they perform. If anyone does stand out then it may change Farke's view of them.

14 Jul 2026 15:50:05
Trossard off to Besiktas for 20 million.

I mentioned a few back he'd be a great signing for us. Never mind, I'm sure we have other top targets lined up?

14 Jul 2026 17:31:31
Methinks Arse would not have wanted to lose him to another PL club.

14 Jul 2026 19:02:10
Surprised Gooners let him go.

14 Jul 2026 19:21:51
Baz, mate, surprise is we did offer more.

14 Jul 2026 21:04:40
18 mil one out, one in for 34mil. We always seem to pay more than we get, just hope the defender is worth it.

14 Jul 2026 21:07:39
Also, Sher 24 mill done deal. Not sure that's true. How much is a keeper? How much do we have 🤷🏻‍♂️ left.

14 Jul 2026 22:20:57
Whiteman, I reckon this could be a quality signing. We may have lost Pascal for £20m, but it's all profit, and £34m over a 5 year contract, amortised, is only a £7m signing in this year, so plenty more for Trafford.

15 Jul 2026 12:33:47
Midfield, I hope so too. Don't know much about him, but at the price DF must reckon, so fingers crossed.

15 Jul 2026 13:47:22
Whiteman - Wouldn't paying more for your replacement indicate you're getting a better player [at least you should be!], an "upgrade" so to speak?

I am pretty sure, had it been the other way round, folks would have been complaining [again] about getting lesser players on the cheap! (Like the last two seasons, e.g.

selling our crown jewels [Rutter, Summerville etc] and buying cheap [Tanaka, Longstaff etc]) .

At this price, this would nearly be our record signing fee?

15 Jul 2026 15:32:10
We have a bad past, ani4ni, mate 🤣 but I am very happy to see we are looking to build for the future with young players coming in. Not sure who we will keep, but this one needs to be better than the last one, to be honest.

14 Jul 2026 13:22:20
Cardiff's head analyst Matthew Jenkins has left the club for Premier League side Leeds United.

14 Jul 2026 14:39:58
Probably because he can speak Welsh, Alf.

14 Jul 2026 14:46:29
Ha ha, Class.

14 Jul 2026 19:04:28
Said last week on here that Marathe and Co really needed to upgrade / reinforce / add to their recruitment department, with a Director of Football, etc.

Well, this is a start, I guess.

Hopefully, he improves matters.

16 Jul 2026 06:16:55
Yes, coz everyone signed last year was utter gash, weren't they? Not one was useful in keeping us up! The lad's a data analyst! He studies data more than you use Google for facts, dates, figures, and memories!
Biggest outcome? We have better data analysis to base our decisions on.

13 Jul 2026 08:04:35
It’s an oldie but a good un….
Two hikers out hiking in the Rockies when they walk into a clearing and are confronted by an angry brown bear ready to attack.

One of the guys says stand still and only move when I say.
Incredibly, the other guy takes off his rucksack, takes out a pair of trainers and starts undoing his hiking boots.

Incredulous, his mate whispers you won’t outrun that bear, they can run up to 25mph over rocky ground.
To which his mate replies….

I don’t have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!
This season will be tougher still imo with the likes of Forest and Spuds making significant changes, signings, but I’m very optimistic that we can finish above all three promoted sides, if we keep our most successful formation and make some additional signings at the level of Stach and DCL, we can continue to establish ourselves and continue to bridge the financial chasm to the top teams.

13 Jul 2026 12:17:05
The old ones are the best class!

14 Jul 2026 00:04:54
Hull have 200m to spend.
I agree, class. If we continue our best formation and upgrade a few areas, Wilson for Arrenson is a start. Add a good goalkeeper, central defender, midfielder and striker, all of which are replacement starters once they've earned the right.

14 Jul 2026 07:49:52
I think the Hull figure breaks down to £130m on transfers and £70m on salaries. It is larger than our transfer budget, but not as much as Sunderland spent last year, which was just above the £150m mark.

14 Jul 2026 08:20:08
Let's not forget that Hull pretty much needs an entire squad upgrade.
It also has to be done wisely.

14 Jul 2026 10:33:51
We thought the same about Sunderland squad last window, Dave.

14 Jul 2026 19:06:39
Hull can have a £150 million to spend.

They will still finish 19th or 20th.

The 3 promoted clubs, Leeds, Palace and Sunderland, will make up bottom six imo.

13 Jul 2026 06:01:18
When we back in training? We got friendly v Wrexham on 26th. Some prem teams already playing friendlies?

13 Jul 2026 09:43:48
Players are back for preseason today.