After today it really feels like we're starting to come together as a team and maybe there's a little bit of luck with that but also credit to Farke for putting the right players in the right positions. Ampedu at centre half Gruev in midfield Rutter as the 10 Bamford up top Firpo at left back Gray at right back All easy decisions with hindsight but not so easy when we'd lost 2 consecutive games over xmas.
His finishing was abysmal, Farke should have put Piroe on for 30 mins and seen if he could finish because Bamford needs six chances to score one.
I said a few weeks ago that playing with Piroe on the team is like having only 10 men, especially in away games. He's like a ghost, non existent. Since he's been dropped we look like a new team. Pity we keep missing penalties, at least this one didn't cost us.
Got to say I’ve always felt the team plays its best, when he’s fit and in the team. I’ve never rated him as a top goal scorer from the time before he joined us, but for those with short memories the hat trick at Villa was sublime. Just think it’s good to have him back as an option up front.
Hopefully even the most vehement of Firpo’s critics can see he brings something to the team and was again hugely instrumental in us getting the all important first goal. Yes he not the worlds best defender but he still diligently does his defensive work and perhaps more importantly gives it 100% getting up and down the field all day long.
He gets up the field fine but let's not pretend he's Mo Farah on his way back. His defending is woeful and we might get away with it against Birmingham, Peterborough and a lacklustre Cardiff but if we end up in the playoffs and teams actually attack us then he will quickly become a liability.
As for Bamford. He's scored 3 in 3. Great stuff. However, he probably should have had a couple more yesterday and it's now 2024 and we are still debating wether Bamfords workrate and movement alone is good enough to play 9 even if he doesn't exactly fill anyone with confidence in his first touch or finishing ability. Again, when it matters in the play offs against better teams I fear that those chances will be much fewer and his misses will cost us promotion. Let's not forget his tendency to go in to his shell when the pressures on. Hopefully it doesn't resurface but history usually gives us an indication on how things will work out if you do the same thing over and over.
Even taking into account a defeat away to WBA and the Preston defeat Ipswich, Preston, WBA, Birmingham, Cardiff - We’ve limited the opposition to 8 shots on target. That’s pretty strong defensively
Ipswich have lost half as many games as we have and that cannot carry on. If we are to go on a winning run we have to stop the losses to teams we should blow away. Let’s hope that Mr Stubborn accepts Rutter is a 10 and Piroe and Bamford are 9s. I believe Bamford does some great work up top but not able to get up and down the pitch to defend and he is always going to miss some great chances. Can Piroe do the Bamford role and he will score some of the chances Bamford misses. Lets be honest Piroe has scored over 20 goals in the last 2 seasons as a 9
The good people of Leeds will be so relieved to know that, there's enough idiots in the city, without importing another
Well given that we missed a penalty and had a total xG of 3.69 (2.83 not including the penalty), that would suggest that all the saves he made, he was expected to make, and that we scored exactly the number of goals that we were expected to score. He was less accurate with his passing, he made less clearances and less tackles, and yet those additional 3 saves he made was worth a total of 0.06 in preventable goals, so obviously sofa score weren't too impressed in those shots/saves to give him a higher score Maybe you should write to Sofascore to complain about their rating system, if you feel the Cardiff keeper was hard done by. Good job you didn't look at WhoScored as they only gave Alnwick a rating 6.2 compared to 7.2 to Meslier.
We need to stop worrying what other teams are doing, we’re having a good season, if anyone is having better, then they deserve to be ahead. What about the previous 5 games for Ipswich, they never blew anyone away, they were winless in 5. We lost tricky away games to WBA and Preston, ideally we’d have done better but it happens. We got a tricky away game out the way, Ipswich won at home now they face Leicester we have a home game
Not avoiding you fellas after that drubbing. Had some technical issues with the laptop - had to put some more coal in. You were class yesterday and showed us just how far we are behind the front runners. On that performance (mind you, you were only playing us), it's the three relegated Prem side to go back up. The only question will be which one has to do it through the playoffs.
Good lad Sparkey. Yesterday's game was just an illustration on how PL money really does make this league an unfair playing field. Saying that, it's nice to be on the right side of it for once (for now).
