The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Tuesday 11th November)

Good Morning. It's Tuesday 11th November, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road

Odds plummit on Farke departure

Speculation over Daniel Farke’s future at Leeds United intensified yesterday as betting markets reacted sharply to rumours that his days are numbered. Odds on Farke being the next Premier League manager to be sacked plummeted from 2/1 in the morning; a price that would have tripled a punter’s stake, to just 1/2 by the afternoon, following a surge in wagers.

Such a dramatic shift suggests mounting expectations that the 49ers will act sooner rather than later. On the pitch, the situation is precarious: Leeds sit only one point above the relegation zone, and recent performances have lacked both consistency and cutting edge. Concerns over defensive frailty, an inability to turn possession into goals, and a worrying run of results against relegation rivals have added to the pressure on the German coach.

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Sutton leaps to defence of Farke

Former player, now pundit Chris Sutton has stepped in to defend Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, as calls for the German’s dismissal grow louder. Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606 phone-in show on Sunday, Sutton challenged the narrative that Farke should be sacked, asking listeners whether Leeds’ struggles are truly down to him, or poor recruitment during the summer.

Sutton’s comments highlight a key issue facing Leeds this season - the quality of their summer transfer activity. By most accounts, recruitment was underwhelming, leaving Farke with limited options and arguably a weaker squad than needed for top flight survival. Given Farke’s track record in the Championship, Sutton believes the German could yet prove his worth, particularly if Leeds find themselves back in the second tier next season.

Yet supporters and critics remain divided. Whilst Farke is operating under challenging circumstances, he is failing to get the most out of the players at his disposal. Questions linger over tactical decisions, team motivation, and the ability to adapt to the demands of the Premier League. Even if Sutton’s defence of Farke carries weight, it does not erase concerns over Farke's shortcomings.

The 49ers face a tough decision. Relegation - but be well prepared to bounce back up again, or make changes NOW in the hope a new Manager will be able to get more out of the players, survive the season, and continue the rebuild project next summer!

“No, I don’t agree [Farke needs to go]. I like a long-term strategy. If Daniel Farke isn’t responsible for the recruitment and Leeds aren’t performing at the level, difficult enough to come out of the Championship.”

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Poor useage of substitutions is a regular pattern

talkSPORT’s resident provocateur, Adrian Durham, has waded into the ongoing debate over Daniel Farke’s tenure at Elland Road, questioning whether the German has what it takes to keep the club in the Premier League. Known for his unapologetic and often divisive takes, Durham echoed concerns that have been voiced by large sections of the ER faithful since Farke’s arrival in July 2023 - particularly regarding his in-game management and substitutions.

Speaking on the station yesterday, Durham acknowledged that Farke could point to squad limitations as a mitigating factor in Leeds’ recent struggles. However, he argued that the real issue lies in the manager’s reactive approach during matches. According to Durham, Farke’s tendency to delay tactical changes until the situation becomes critical is a recurring flaw, one that contrasts sharply with the proactive strategies employed by top Premier League bosses. “The better managers,” Durham noted, “stem the problem before it gets out of hand,” suggesting Farke’s inability to anticipate trouble is costing Leeds valuable points.

While Durham was careful to add that he likes Farke personally and respects his character, his overarching message was clear: sentiment cannot outweigh results. Leeds’ priority is survival, and if performances do not improve, Durham believes a managerial change is likely in January. His comments tap into growing frustration among supporters who feel the club’s ambitions are being undermined by tactical hesitancy.

Whether Durham’s prediction comes to pass remains to be seen, but his remarks have once again stirred the pot, placing more pressure on Farke to deliver results - and to start making bolder, swifter decisions from the dugout. In a season where every point matters, hesitation might just prove costly.

“You are right about the squad, so Daniel Farke can point to that, but I’d look at in game as well, he did not make changes until it was too late, and that is on him. “That is a regular pattern, he is too reactionary, he can’t see things happening before they happen, and the better Premier League managers can do that, therefore, they stem the problem before it gets out of hand. “I think that is one issue counting against him, listen, I’ve interviewed him, I like him as a bloke, but Leeds need to stay in the Premier League, and I can see a change coming in January.”

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Morning all. Sutton is right. Back to work today after a cracking weekend with some great Scottish pals

 

Farke to be next Norwich Manager 4/1 with Bet Victor. If you make a £10 bet, Bet Victor will give you £30 as an introduction.

He is seen as a legend at Carrow Road, plus his assistant manager Riemer, GK coach Wooton and fitness coach (Damagalla) all originated from Norwich City.

 

Thought Gary O'Neil was heavily linked to that job

 

He is, but I reckon Norwich are holding out for Farke to be sacked.

 

palace game moved so that's a bunch of empty seats on a Ryanair flight> Thats me done flying to games, been caught far too often. Might still do the ferry ones

 

Wonder if UEFA move the conference one? Hopefully Palace still need something to get top 8 or something.

 

Mind you suppose all games will have to kick off same time last fixtures of the league phase, so 2 games in 48 hours for them

 

Leeds game moved to Dec 20th 8pm ko

 

Absolute joke is prem football just give it a miss ffs.

 

There was a bigger gap between the league game on the Sunday afternoon and the League Cup game with Arsenal on the Tuesday night than there now is between their Conference fixture and the revised league game. Player welfare

 

Sutton is a Leeds hating clown ... he is defending Farke because he wants Leeds to be relegated

To say this squad is weak is a nonsense ... Leeds have good players, they are just not being used properly ... the cautious approach Farke is taking is frustrating players, and is a big change from last season

Just because it's the Prem it doesn't mean you have to change the approach that got you 100 points ... there are at least 10 teams in the Prem who are top six Championship at best, so just fkn go for it and play to win ... go and get stuck in to get three points rather than protecting one point

Farke is definitely being clobbered by good Prem managers, Iraola's tactical shift in the Bmouth game being a prime example of either tactical blindness or just dumb stubborn management

The sooner Leeds can get a new manager in, the better ... even if it is a tough run of games coming, it gives the new boss more time to get his ideas across and to bed in a system that works ... Forest could have waited until January with Ange because he only had 39 days, but they went for it when it was clear Ange was failing

Farke is failing, badly ... in a relegation fight Burnley and Forest were must wins, and definitely not lose ... instead of going at these teams with fury, Leeds coughed up 6 valuable points ... the Brighton game was extremely worrying, the team looked like they had lost interest in what Farke was asking them to do

The fact that Farke hasn't been sacked yet tells me the club will back him into January, potentially signing some more players for him

If Leeds are still on 11 points come January, the Board will point to "a difficult run of games" as an excuse for keeping him on ... that's rubbish, just look at how Brentford and Sunderland have gone into their "difficult games" and got results ... this "only need 9 wins" and "a point a game one average" mentality is fkn awful ... by Farke's calculations Leeds will need to be unbeaten in 20 games, a task that looks improbable right now

The only way Farke fixes this is to go all out to win EVERY game, regardless of opponent ... he needs to stop living in fear of the 5-0 hammerings and just play to win ... losing 1-0 or 5-0 makes no difference, it's still zero points ... staying in games but being stuck at the bottom makes no difference, it's still failure ... being a plucky loser means fk all, only points matter

I am one of the most positive Leeds supporters, I very rarely call for a manager to ne sacked or a player to be sold ... in this case I am struggling to back Farke, because his own performance as a leader has been very poor ... it also looks like he can't improve, that he lacks the intelligence of an Emery, Pep or Iraola

The time for him to be replaced is now, because keeping him on changes nothing, and by delaying it just costs Leeds opportunities to get something out of games ... no time to waste

Of course, Farke may suddenly shift gear and go on an unexpected run ... be bloody great if he did, but my instinct says there's very little chance that Farke makes a seismic shift in his approach

 

He might bring on Harrison on 69 minutes instead of 70 ...but that's being over optimistic

 

Sutton talks about bad recruitment and misses the fact that FARKE himself says he has the final say on who comes and goes,mso sorry Chris Sutton your fat German mate is to blame for that too. Yes we can blame the recruitment team for not giving him the forwards he needs but he did decide it was a good move to bring in 2 injury prone strikers because they were free. It could have been a brilliant gamble if it had paid off but ……..

 

Danny on the rise

 

They’ve remained fit, I wonder if they hadn’t and Piroe had started instead whether we’d have any extra goals

 

Most of Piroes goals last season came not as a 9 up there on his own, most came because we had runners in the box from Solomon, Aaronson, Bogle, Firpo, James or Gnonto even Ramazani. We broke at speed and got bodies into the box waiting for delivery from either flank or the odd defence splitting pass. Piroe cannot play up top on his own and he’s crap as a 10 so usually ends up in a 4-4-2. Hes a great finisher but just like Gelhardt he cant play up top on his own. At least Joffy can play at 10 or either wing and still score goals in the championship. DF needs to adapt or we die