Leeds banter 6

30 May 2026 19:42:08
Following on from the over-saturated market, I can see players attempting to install clauses in their contracts where they make it possible they don't play certain competitions.

If a top six side is in League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League, Champions League, a player will install a 'I don't feature in League Cup til semis earliest unless I decide I say so'.

Or I don't play FA Cup before quarters unless it's a Premier League team.

They'll frame it as protecting against overuse and fatigue. Now this sort of thing happens already logically - City rested Haaland through most of the FA Cup apart from the Liverpool game and most of the League Cup until the final. But the players will want the call.



Top players might also resist featuring in pre-season tours as prominently. I.e. a three game tour in the Far East, they might say I'll play one and I don't care about the sponsor money. Players will hire personal doctors who will attest that the player is injured in contrast to a club.

These are just theories but I think this World Cup might see an influx of post tournament ACLs etc. There was anger after Rodri, there could well be again. I'm trying to predict what the Players Association might try and do.

And I should say, against FIFA and UEFA I'm firmly in their favour, but traditional competitions like League and FA Cup are likely to be targeted first.

30 May 2026 22:39:48
Disagree with what you are saying, but that's on the clubs to decide if they want to sign a player who doesn't want to feature as and when they choose. But, I think it's only the "elite" clubs and players that would suffer with this problem if it was to ever happen.

31 May 2026 11:57:59
Always a possibility, Ealing! They're running the game a lot more, as well as ruining it!

30 May 2026 13:23:44
Does anyone else thinking Liverpool sacking Slot was incredibly harsh?

I think the protracted summer chase for Isak, the heartbreaking death of Jota, ego outbursts and form drop off from Salah, and disproportionate injuries make it hard.

Yes they spent about £450m but recouped about £250m so a net summer spend of £200mish isn't exactly outrageously outlandish. That's a 'busy' window for a top club.

Salah forced Slot's hand and any other player you'd back the manager but Salah's status saw people turn on Slot even with a title under his belt. Salah also clearly was not the player of previous years.

I guess his biggest criticisms are the style of football and not integrating Wirtz that well.

It's not to suggest 2025/ 26 was a good year for Liverpool far from it, just that with all the mitigation, he achieved the minimum of CL qualification which other fancied teams with far less hardship utterly failed to secure.

Considering that the Van Dijk heir Leoni suffered ACL on his debut, and that the Liverpool board will basically fail to recoup almost anything from the departures of Van Dijk, Salah, Robertson, Trent and Konate is financially irresonsible too. There'll be a lot of pressure on Jeremy Jacquet and Leoni next season.

{Ed001's Note - no, he should have gone months ago. He refused to integrate himself into the club or the city, living near Manchester Airport so it was easier to get a flight back to the Netherlands every few days. Absolutely 100% had to go.}

30 May 2026 13:44:56
I think Salah has to be given some credit. A top player for Pool over the years, and although getting on, he still needs respect.
Slot came and went, doing nothing really in comparison.
Bit like, was it 10c, bringing Ronaldo on in the 89th minute.

Players rarely get sacked; they continue to earn their wages.
When players have earnt that respect, and the manager hasn't, the door opens sooner or later.

30 May 2026 13:55:15
Fair enough ed, as fans of other clubs we don't always know what goes on. Just thought the injuries summer and especially Jota would have made doing any better this year tough on any manager.

{Ed001's Note - the injuries were his doing, he reduced the intensity and number of training sessions and so the players were unfit.}

30 May 2026 14:46:46
I would've been more surprised had they kept him. Iraola is a much better fit.

30 May 2026 16:35:18
If they get Iraola in, I believe Liverpool will immediately jump to serious top three title contenders, and their players will be ten times fitter (nobody pressed harder or recovered the ball more than Bournemouth) , and it will be a far more entertaining brand of football.

Honestly, cannot believe it's taken this long.

Not certain it's a done deal, though; he's a stubborn individual, and his family comes first.

30 May 2026 19:23:27
Interestingly, Leeds United approached Arne Slot in Feb 2023 to replace Jesse Marsch, but he rejected the approach, stating he wanted to finish the season with Feyenoord.

We then tried to get Andoni Iraola, and he was interested in the job, but Rayo Vallecano refused to release him mid-season without his EUR10m buyout clause being met, so we went instead for Javi Gracia, and that ended well, didn't it?

30 May 2026 19:20:19
Champions in his 1st year, 5th place and Champions league qualification in his 2nd, most clubs would be ecstatic at that, but clubs like Liverpool have such an exaggerated idea of their own status and entitlement to regular successes that even that is deemed inadequate. And then of course everything that goes wrong is laid at the door of the coach.

Sorry Ed, but I think he is more than a tad unlucky, and won't be surprised if his successor does no better. In any case, Iraola was already in discussion with Bayer Leverkusen about taking their coaching post, and may fancy that more than a poisoned chalice at Liverpool.

{Ed001's Note - no need to be sorry, you have no idea what you are talking about. You are pontificating out of ignorance and then trying to claim things that are absolute nonsense and lies. Did Klopp win the league every season? He was backed because he knew what he was doing. Slot was sacked because the club knew he had destroyed the fitness levels of the players with his incompetent ideas of periodisation and constantly giving days off to the players. He was lucky to survive this long. Poisoned chalice? Omg you are deluded. You sound like an Everton fan, so bitter.}

30 May 2026 19:58:05
Oh boy, I really rattled your cage there Ed didn't I.
We'll both see who takes the job, and how well he does.
FYI, I probably hate Everton almost as much Pas you do, only surpassed by Man United and Chelski.

30 May 2026 20:20:28
Toffees are ok.. well below my disdain / dislike of.

Man U, Chelski, Bayern, AC Milan, Barca, Gooners, Sunderland, West Brom, Villa, Spuds, Southampton, and so on.

30 May 2026 21:45:06
I also don't think Liverpool are as 'poisoned a chalice' as jobs in Chelsea or Manchester United, for example!

30 May 2026 21:43:46
Sorry Ed i didn't mean to start this!

Irrespective of the Slot discussion, I think the Liverpool hierachy haven't planned all that well for end of this Klopp team.

Allowing the likes of Trent, Salah, Van Dijk (possibly soon) , Robertson, and to a lesser degree Konate all leave for a combined pittance seems hard to take. Again I don't know the full ins and outs, reading that Konate was demanding huge sums to stay. Jota's tragedy could not have been predicted obviously.

It does mean that there is enormous pressure on Van Dijk to lead a hopefully well recovered from ACL Leoni and Jacquet before leaving or signing a new deal and transitioning to a veteran rather than everyday. Not that Van Dijk isn't up to it.

Not a dig at Liverpool Ed, just on a interesting day for the club some observations from a neutral-ish (we all hate Manchester after all) .

{Ed001's Note - personally I don't think Virgil is up to it, he is not a good captain at all. Fine when things are going well but awful when they go wrong. He was a big part of the problem this season by running away when the team tried to press.}

30 May 2026 23:44:04
All those you mention (and more) are on my dislike list too Baz, but Everton are higher up because of their repeated financial jiggery pokery for which they somehow managed to avoid the punishment deserved. Ed was upset at my choice of the phrase "poisoned chalice" which is just a standard term to describe someone taking over a failing organisation.

For the next head coach at Liverpool anything outside the top 4 of the PL will be a failure, and doing it 2 seasons in a row will inevitably mean dismissal. Ealing you're right that the chalices at Man United and Chelsea are much more heavily poisoned - hence the much higher levels of managerial turnover.

31 May 2026 07:15:18
Slot's time was up after the Salah fiasco. One of their best players was treated badly. I like Iraola, I think he could do very well as Liverpool will back him in the market.

30 May 2026 09:14:01
It’s all business now.
Farke has now proven he can operate as a Prem manager. Kept Leeds up. So his stock is very high. That’s the reason for the ambition rant. He knows he can walk into another Prem team now. Not Championship manager anymore.
At the same time as was proven by owners looking elsewhere for a manager.

They clearly don’t think he has the ability to improve. Bit strange considering they happy to just survive for next couple seasons.
As before. It boils down who they can persuade to replace him and how much money that manager has to improve us.
Clearly a rift here.

30 May 2026 14:08:17
Don't agree that Farke walks into another Premier League job.

30 May 2026 14:14:16
I agree, Dave - nobody queuing up for Farke's signature.

30 May 2026 14:38:27
You wait until the first sacking. Whoever it is. Experienced Farke, fairly cheap. Number 1 on their list. Guarantee.

30 May 2026 14:48:43
Feel that Coventry and Ipswich will certainly ask the question, should either of their respective gaffers end up at Palace. The merry go round has started early!

30 May 2026 15:12:07
I'm with Aus on this one.

30 May 2026 20:42:51
At this moment in time, no Premiership club will want to prise away Daniel Farke from Leeds.
Although he's avoided relegation with us, and it was a very impressive campaign in my point of view, his stock will still be on hold for some time yet.


For the fans who want him gone, you'll just have to learn to live with it, and suck it up.

Count ourselves lucky that bad boy Slot isn't our manager.
Up the Arsenal. 🤣

31 May 2026 08:53:03
Agree with the above post. Only time will tell. 49s need to back him, and he's made that very clear. All cards on the table. I like that.

29 May 2026
New image uploaded to the
Leeds Player Sightings page entitled,

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29 May 2026 22:15:24
That's incredible, Feath.

I mean, everyone thinks their team is hard done by, but this is remarkable!

29 May 2026 23:21:01
What's the odds we also received zero favourable Ref and VAR errors in 20/ 21, 21/22 and 22/23?

I can't recall there being any.. even one.

30 May 2026 00:13:07
That's absolutely crazy stuff.
All those idiots who say it evens itself out over a season.
I always hated that particular phrase as it's b*******!

30 May 2026 02:27:51
Unbelievable. We've been proved right. Refs are biased and have a Leeds vendetta.

30 May 2026 14:15:28
Anyone who wants to see how VARsenal became champions can just read this table!

30 May 2026 14:39:27
Be goal difference wouldn't it, Alf?

31 May 2026 11:19:00
Would like someone from the FA to voice an opinion on this, and make it public with action that this will not happen again. 🤦‍♂️

31 May 2026 14:09:35
Unsurprisingly, the two most regular exponents of the "dark arts" are at the top of the table.

31 May 2026 14:45:50
Wouldn't it be interesting to see what the table might've looked like without these errors. We'd probably have got 3 more points for the O'Nien armlock on Struijk at Sunderland, and maybe more than just 1 at Palace if GG hadn't been given an undeserved red card.

29 May 2026 16:18:23
BBC article highlights we've officially been the club to be hit worst by refereeing mistakes (a combo of those going for the opponent, missed when we should have had them) .

We were also the only club who never had a mistake in our favour.

I don't mind that. I never want to win unjustly. By the same token it rankles more when we lose or are least significantly disadvantaged by decisions that could have affected the outcome.

29 May 2026 17:16:20
No surprises there, Ealing. I believe we had the most wrong ref decisions and apologies from the EFL last season.

29 May 2026 18:08:18
I have seen the article. It's worth a look.

29 May 2026 15:56:04
Interesting article on BBC about VAR and on-field refereeing errors.
Backs up what we already know has been happening for years!

29 May 2026 14:39:33
Does anyone else think there might be a reckoning coming in football?

This World Cup with FIFA's greed, lack of transparency with ticketing and the inflated scheduling?

I think players could look to force a strike. FIFA are damage-controlling the CWC, but that won't survive, and crucially it showed the pinnacle of TV rights battles. The first product that truly flopped and FIFA were floundering for a deal they were lucky to get with DAZN. Similarly, this World Cup, they're not getting the revenue they expected from massive markets like India and China.



This World Cup could finally prove what I've felt for years, that the professional football market is over-saturated. Crucially, against what FIFA claims, more is not always more.

Broadcasters might realise this and play hardball more often. This has already been seen in Spain, Italy and especially France. Is English football immune or just delayed in the TV rights recession?

Clubs are losing their ability to use the lucrative betting company as primary shirt sponsors (which Leeds smartly mitigated with Red Bull - which isn't itself perfect) .

29 May 2026 15:20:07
Another good post, Ealing.

Thanks to FIFA and UEFA.. Football is wayyyyy over saturated.. The X Factor has lessened as a consequence.

How many countries in this WC finals?? 48 or summat.. too many, whatever it is.

Up to and including 1990, I used to be excited by the World Cup.

1966, 1970, 1986, 1990 were peak years of excitement.

29 May 2026 16:25:07
Good posts, gents. Totally agree with you both. The build-up to this WC has been way over the top, culminating with the ridiculous FIFA Peace Prize. For me, too many teams have lessened the interest, and there could be some blow-out scores. I pal about with plenty of football fans, and the WC has hardly had a mention.

The fans will be ripped off at the tournament, I am sure. Anyway, let's see how it pans out when it starts. Pubs and clubs will be desperate for England to be successful, so the pints will keep flowing, but an early exit will be a damp squib. Despite my reservations about it, I will be in my local boozer for the group games.

29 May 2026 16:47:46
It's a great post, Ealing!
What I would add to that from a fan perspective is the style of football we are being served! Far less flair football, more focus on chess moves, fitness, sideways probing, possession, soft fouls, toenails offside, diving, etc. etc.
The early years of the PL and the old First Division were far more entertaining in my book.

29 May 2026 17:50:39
To support your point, Bright, 4 out of the top 5 players for number of passes this season were defenders [7 out of the top 10], showing that half the game is played passing sideways in your own half.

Whilst technically "good," it is so dull and pointless most of the time. 20 passes between the defence and the keeper until the keeper then hoofs it upfield or out of touch - which he could have done with the goal kick in the first place.

Why did they change the penalty area rule at a goal kick? It only encourages even more of this rubbish.

I'm old school; when I played I was "Right Wing" and sometimes "Inside Right." I was coached to try and create an overlap on the wing to get the winger in a 1 on 1 situation as quickly and as often as possible.

These days it takes 30 passes to get there, and then the winger turns back and recycles it again - they never take the man on.

EPL football, in the main, is very dull. VAR has really spoilt the spectacle and the way teams play and set up. No one risked a high line before VAR because you couldn't trust the linesman to be right all the time. Now, there's no need to worry; just stand your ground and let VAR protect the defence.

Whilst I enjoy seeing Leeds as often as possible and exploit the fact, when I can't be there in person, there is far too much football on the TV.

I saw a Sky advert the other night, saying they will have 1500 live games next season and that's without European and FA Cup football!

29 May 2026 18:11:44
Don't get carried away, Ani, with the 1500 games. They have just done a deal with the Wakefield League. 🤣

29 May 2026 20:48:04
Great post, Ealing, but I expect that from you lately!
Good responses as well, lads.

I used to be an avid follower of football, but this last season, especially, I only watch a Leeds game in its entirety and occasionally other matches.


I never really thought about it until now, but there definitely is way too much football on TV, which has taken away any anticipation.
I can't see the EPL hitting hard times anytime soon though?

29 May 2026 22:07:24
The problem also is with the CWC and World Cup size, as Viduka pointed out. This World Cup is too big. FIFA found one of the few regions (dominated by one country) that could logistically host the expanded format. When the 2034 bidding went out, there was only one applicant in Saudi Arabia. Imagine if no one had bid.

They also 'cheated' South America out of a hosting cycle by having a couple of games in Uruguay and Argentina next year to celebrate the centenary.

For 2034, FIFA would have had to go cap in hand to Saudi Arabia, who could have dictated the terms and taken control of marketing, beer sales, etc.

Countries will be paying very close attention to actual profit margins in the North American World Cup.

And, aside from one or two logical reasons (Japan and South Korea) , I detest joint hosting. I feel like it should be a celebration of a country's footballing heritage and future, which seems diluted among multiple hosts. More than two especially seems ridiculous to me. This one should have been Canada and USA, after Mexico has already had it twice.

29 May 2026 22:17:44
Great post, Ealing, and spot on, Baz.

30 May 2026 07:16:51
I'm against it also, but isn't this all what is called progress and supply and demand.
I think we notice the difference so much because of our general age. I think if you ask young people, they would probably want more football, if that were even possible.
The prices constantly go up, but individuals and corporates still pay out, and will continue to.

To respond to your first sentence in this thread, I don't think there will be a correction in football or the pure greed involved in it.


The only thing that will stop it will be a global economic disaster.

Nobody can stop the juggernaut of power and greed, especially when politicians and presidents endorse and demand it. Football is no different, and the power and greed of FIFA are far greater than you and I could ever possibly imagine.

30 May 2026 08:25:48
"The power and greed of FIFA." Spot on, OP!

30 May 2026 19:32:24
I don't think my issue would necessarily be more televised matches - if all 38 Leeds games were televised live in the league I'd be happy. Keep the 3pm slot but, sure, televise them.

Clubs are pivoting away from loyal locals and season tickets to one-off tourists who will pay the premium. If locals can't get tickets, let them watch the games on TV.

The original issue with the Premier League was, if every 3pm was televised, people wouldn't go to games. That has long been proven unfounded.

I wouldn't mind having the whole season televised. But I still like having a block every summer or every second summer where I don't watch any football. I get a break, the players get a break, everyone resets.

29 May 2026
New image uploaded to the
Leeds Player Sightings page entitled,

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29 May 2026 09:52:45
See the bookies have the three promoted teams as strong favourites to go down, they have Sunderland in 17th place and ourselves and Palace in 16/17th place at 11/2
Not a betting man but any article that says we stay up again is a positive.

29 May 2026 11:28:24
A few ( of the 9) clubs involved in Europe may struggle with their squads not able to cope with the increased number of matches in their season.

Sunderland finished 7th on just a mere 54 points with a negative goal difference in a lower standard EPL. For me, they were never a good side last season and smash and grabbed a fair few points.



I am going for them likely struggling in the league this season.

Bottom 3 relegation battle, imo, likely to involve 6 clubs: Hull, Ipswich, Coventry, Sunderland, Leeds and Palace.

29 May 2026 12:03:59
I'm glad some on here are grounded enough to realise progression doesn't mean finishing higher than last season in the short term. I honestly feel that 11-18 are pretty volatile. Brentford finished 16th or 17th a year or two ago.

There'll always be a team or two that can't compete. Hopefully that'll be Coventry. I hope Kieran Mckenna leaves Ipswich, Palace or some team.

Then Ipswich is likely doomed too.

I still look at the tables and my first thought is - which three or four teams are genuinely going to be worse than Leeds. The promoted sides, maybe Forest, Palace and Bournemouth, face a big season of upheaval again. They all managed it last time; can they again.

29 May 2026 12:18:06
Think you're right about the impacts of Europe on smaller teams/squads. Palace had a fantastic season with European glory, but it significantly stretched them, and, without keeping Guehi as long as they did, may have dropped them into the relegation scrap.



Of course, fans want Europe and all it brings, but it's potentially a poisoned chalice if your squad isn't sufficient for the number of games it entails.

29 May 2026 12:54:24
The crazy thing about the EPL this year is how similar teams performed overall, e.g. had we beaten Sunderland at home as we should have, we would have finished 12th and Sunderland 11th if every other result remained the same. Both teams are nowhere near relegation and nowhere near Europe [by position].

It is hard to imagine the league being the same again next year.

The bigger teams who struggled this year, e.g. Spurs & Chelsea, have new, better quality managers with money, and no European football; they have to do better?

I tend to agree with Baz's "relegation 6," though I hope ours is only a fleeting risk! I think Hull still have a transfer embargo for one more window?

29 May 2026 13:30:23
What does progression mean for a football team, Ealing?
What does stagnating mean for a football team, Ealing?
What does regression mean, Ealing, for a football team?

29 May 2026 14:18:39
I think progression right now for Leeds is simply maintaining Premier League status, using the sustained financial benefits to fill the gaps in the squad. Getting the stadium infrastructure improvements underway that are only sustainable with Premier League survival. Overextending or risking the health of the club is what got Leeds into trouble in the past.

If we stayed up by the skin of our teeth, having made no work on the squad at all, that would be stagnation. We won't have gotten better, but have the chance to redeem it.
That's very different from investing in the future and finishing 16th with a young but promising squad that's been invested in.

No question, relegation would be regression.



Too often, a decent position in the league can paper over cracks, or a good team can have a very unlucky year. Brentford finishing 16th that one year, for example. A solid team that believed in the project and didn't let 16th get to them. They bought two of their current best players ahead of that season, Nathan Collins and Kevin Schade. They also weathered Ivan Toney's betting absence that year. That's a great example where short-termism might look like a failure or stagnation, but the bigger picture that they believed in was committed to, and worked out.

No matter what clubs do, luck (good or bad) will feature to some degree, but I think you're not unlucky to get relegated (that's leaving too much to chance) .

29 May 2026 14:25:16
Good post Ealing. 👍

29 May 2026 14:45:47
Surely, if we'd done Sunderland both games, we would have finished above them?

29 May 2026 15:20:44
Indeed, Corkey.

We should have beaten Sunderland both games.

And Leeds would have 52 points (Sunderland 50) . ..And Leeds would have finished 10th.

Sunderland are not all that!

29 May 2026 18:20:59
With all this stagnation, don't think DF will be happy about that after this season.

29 May 2026 18:28:55
Does stagnation mean Summerfield and Bamford are coming back. 😂

29 May 2026 23:25:40
I think there has been too much focus on what Sunderland have achieved this season.
It has happened before in recent years with Sheffield United and ourselves finishing in an unexpected elevated position in the first season after promotion.

A lot of Leeds fans do compare our first season up against that of Sunderland’s, which I feel is a false sense of comparison.


For me, I feel reasonably safe in our prospects of continuation in the Premiership, although I would be happy if we had qualified for European football like Sunderland have. I think, at the same time, I would be thinking it’s possibly too much too soon.
I’m happy with our season, and I really couldn’t care less where Sunderland are or where they are potentially going.