Good Morning. It's Monday 10th March, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Leeds grip at the top loosens Leeds United’s grip on the Championship summit loosened at the weekend as they suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Portsmouth. Colby Bishop’s 61st-minute strike, capitalising on a mix-up between Rodon and Meslier, proved to be the decisive moment at Fratton Park. This loss, only Leeds’ fourth of the season and their first since November, sees their lead at the top of the table slashed to goal difference. While defeat is always a bitter pill to swallow, for Leeds, it perhaps felt like a setback that had been brewing. Recent weeks have seen them clinging on to victories, often by the skin of their teeth. A last-gasp winner against Sunderland, a hard-fought comeback against Sheffield United, and riding their luck against the Baggies – these performances hinted at a team perhaps not firing on all cylinders. In truth, the Whites have been navigating games with a degree of fortune lately, and a defeat was arguably overdue. Portsmouth’s game plan, while perhaps not aesthetically pleasing to the neutral, was undeniably effective. Their direct, long-ball approach may have been as monotonous as the droning from the home terraces, but it disrupted Leeds' usual rhythm. The Whites, committed to building play from the back, frequently found themselves frustrated. Meslier’s short pass often meant a long build-up, and a lot of time wasted. Leeds lacked the cutting edge, that spark of creativity, to carve open opportunities. Despite the tactical frustrations, Leeds did carve out opportunities. Junior Firpo’s header rattled the woodwork, while Piroe will rue missing two gilt-edged chances that on another day he might have buried. Portsmouth’s goalkeeper, Nicolas Schmid, proved a formidable obstacle, producing a stunning double save in the first half to thwart Solomon and then Piroe in quick succession. Adding to the frustration for the travelling Leeds faithful, appeals for a penalty after Dan James appeared to be brought down in the box were waved away by the referee. Ultimately, while Leeds could justifiably point to missed chances and an unfavourable penalty decision, they couldn’t escape the conclusion that they simply weren't at their best. On another day, perhaps the woodwork wouldn’t have intervened, or Piroe’s shots would have found the net. However, the reality is that Leeds were not good enough to win at Fratton Park, and a reset might be needed. please log in to view this image Farke pleads - Remain focused and stay calm Leeds remain at the top of the Championship table, now level on points with second-placed Sheffield United, with third-placed Burnley just two points behind. After the game Daniel Farke called for calm. He emphasized the importance of consistency and resilience; qualities that will be crucial in the remainder of the season. "If you want to finish in the top positions in this league, you have to show consistency. The title is not won in February or March; it always goes to the wire," "You have to prove yourselves every single game. We have some difficult matches coming up, and we don’t take anything for granted." "I know we can be better and much more effective. It’s a long road and it’s tough. Overall, this season we have been impressive, and we just have to make sure we are a bit more effective in our upcoming games," "In terms of expected goals we were by far the better side," "We had one-on-ones with the keeper, missed chances, hit the bar - you have to take your chances. "Sometimes you have a day when everything comes together, on others not. We have to accept it. It was not our day. We had enough chances to win the game." please log in to view this image
Morning all. When ampedu returned after his first injury Farke hailed his return and boasted about how vital He was to the team. We then go on a huge unbeaten run with his return and since his new injury our form has dipped. Hope it’s not related but seems too much of a coincidence to me
Morning all Feel it’s a bit harsh and not giving the team enough credit Ell- Riding luck, clinging on, overdue defeat, riding our fortune. I can’t say I agree with any of this, different ball game if the ref actually gave some of the blatant decisions that would be game changers
Amps is out most important player in my view...but its a position(s) we have good quality cover in so it should be manageable. Many demand we play Tanaka and Rothwell because they look good on the ball, but truth is away from home when sides have a bit more ambition than they do at elland road, our record with that pairing is poor. Maybe when Farke implies that Rothwell and Tanaka are ballers but the team loses something defensively with them people should take note of the guy who watches them every day. Yesterday it was Gruev starting for that very reason. He had a shocker himself against the blunts, but was easily the better of our midfielders yesterday. Not saying much. IF we do get promoted, we won't play many Portsmouths but yesterday gives some idea of what to expect from this set of players when they can't control a game.. Basically, it's one thing looking great when you dominate the ball against sides with no ambition... but it's an eye opener to see Josh murphy give bogle the runaround, to see tanaka looking lost. To see the chaos in our defence when sides start whipping crosses in. Not doom and gloom. It's just one game but as others have mentioned we've not hit our straps performance-wise for a while. We have a few more tough games and then on paper, as easy a run in as you copuld hope for. On paper.
It can't be ruled out that he is being missed. It's a big week ahead of us and although we have no control over it, I would love the atmosphere to be top notch. I feel sadly, that inadvertently Leeds themselves have played a big part in desecrating what we had built over many years. Since they changed the ticket policy it has been on a downward slide for many games. I do realise that if things aren't happening on the pitch it does have an impact, but when I look back at the 80s in particular, if the opposition scored we'd be immediately getting behind the team. Not so much now.
Witnesses that in the Kop the other week where a lot of the younger fans spent more of their time yapping about work or nights out or their new cars than watching the game. Was surprised at season ticket holders. You’d imagine give it their all for the 90 minutes and they’ve a week to talk about other stuff. Suppose in the 80’s there wasn’t as many distractions for us
As many distractions in the 80s, it is just that. Probably all on their mobile phones and social media accounts now, just a different generation
