Gloomy Luke Ayling after defeat at Forest in 2020 Sometimes, it pays to look back a few years, if only to remind yourself that – however bad a current Leeds United blip may be – it’s all happened before, and arguably worse. Looking at Luke Ayling’s face as he stepped up bravely for an interview after a dismal defeat at Notts Forest, you’d never guess that a few short months later, we’d be crowned Championship Champions by an impressive margin of ten points. But that’s tier two football, totally unpredictable and endlessly surprising. Right now, after the euphoria of hammering Ipswich, we’ve ju ..read more

I sit down to write this, my first blog post in literally yonks, in the sure knowledge that virtually nobody will believe a word of it. But, you know, what the hell. So here goes. I’ve been stressed for a fair while now. As a Leeds fan, that’s hardly novel, but in my case it’s been a question of various circumstances conspiring with each other, against me, to raise my blood pressure and produce frequent attacks of the conniptions. Two years of dodgy health, together with trying to sort out my care home-bound mum’s affairs so that the bills can be paid more or less on time – that would be enoug ..read more

(Image via https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano) Gone are the days when following Leeds United was fairly straightforward, as heroes on the pitch would converse with the fans in the stands and a number of successful campaigns resulted in some trophy wins for the club. Now, it’s fair to say that supporting Leeds United is all about Premier League survival and a desperation to avoid dropping down into the Championship once again. Over to you, Javi Gracia.  The recently-appointed manager has been given a “flexible contract” that has certainly divided opinion ..read more

Leeds United are officially the filthiest team in Premier League history. That’s a matter of record – we’re the first EPL club to record a century of combined yellow and red cards over a season, with still two games to go. However, it’s a statistic that may well surprise some observers of the game – well, at any rate, those who aren’t inclined to parrot “dirty Leeds, dirty Leeds” at every opportunity. After all, for most of this season, Leeds have had Marcelo Bielsa, of blessed memory, in charge – and he’s hardly an advocate of clogging. Something stinks here – and it’s not the away dressing r ..read more

Jesse – retain, or dismiss? In the wake of an inept, abject home defeat to Chelsea, it’s looking ever more likely that United will be back in the Championship next time around, and whatever your opinion on the late-season replacement of Marcelo Bielsa by Jesse Marsch, in this blog’s opinion it is far more important at this juncture to look forward than back. This is not about blame or recrimination. It’s not even about whether, in the end, Leeds actually do end up relegated. It’s simply a matter of stick or twist – given the nature of the performances, would we be better off sticking with the ..read more

Tyler Roberts – frequent target of fakes, bullies and cowards Let’s start by stating the obvious, an undeniable fact that makes everything else I shall say utterly undeniable. Football support is about getting behind your club, your team and the players who wear the shirt. It’s about encouragement, not destructive abuse. It’s about stoking the confidence of those young men who wear our badge with pride and passion – it’s not about demoralising them to the point where their confidence is shattered, and they would rather wear s different badge. Support is backing, not bullying. It’s about love ..read more

Super Leeds. The other day, still reeling from the loss of my latest and probably last Leeds United hero, Marcelo Bielsa, I was indulging in some gastronomic therapy in a cafe in Horbury, as I waited for Mrs. Rob to have her hair appropriately marcelled at the local salon. As I tucked into my sausage butties, I noticed a copy of Rupert Murdoch’s withered and flaccid organ on the next table, saw that it had a story about new United manager Jesse Marsch, and thought I’d have a quick and free read – as, obviously, nobody actually buys this degraded gutter rag. I really should have known better, s ..read more

1995-96 was the last full season of Sergeant Wilko’s eventful reign at Elland Road. His influence over Leeds United was crumbling amid rumours of money problems, takeovers and dressing-room discontent, a tale that would doubtless strike a chord with Messrs. Grayson, Warnock and even Evans of more recent vintage. This was a season that had started off with a flurry of Tony Yeboah thunderbolts and some impressive results and performances which appeared to promise much. Sadly though, it petered out in a shocking late-season run following a League Cup Final humiliation at Wembley, courtesy o ..read more

A less than likely story… The silly season is a year-round event these days, so it seems. That doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, with so much competition for online news hits that writers and editors have taken to publishing any old rubbishy speculation as news, feasibility apparently no longer featuring as a desirable attribute for some of these desperate punts. Still, there should be a limit. One spectacularly dim Leeds-centric web source has seen a bookmaker’s price for Marcelo Bielsa’s successor in the hot seat at Elland Road, and has got all excited, publishing an extended burble th ..read more

Leeds United – Team and Genuine fans indivisible Rarely if ever has the distinction between Leeds United’s genuine, fanatical supporters and their increasing number of bogus, social media trolling fake followers been more starkly apparent than in the past season and a half, since the club’s elevation to the Premier League. The Arsenal game was a case in point. At 4-1 down, with a team still shell-shocked by the Etihad mauling and ravaged by injuries, suspensions and everybody’s pet virus, the genuine lads and lasses in the stands sang their hearts out in support of the shirts, proving once aga ..read more