Good Morning. It's Tuesday 17th October, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road Ayling set to be rewarded with contract extension Luke Ayling is set to be rewarded with a new twelve month contract extension, on his current deal. The 32yo has made no secret of the fact that he loves Leeds, and wants to finish his career with them, but many see the news as an emotional decision, due to his longevity at the club. 'Bill' has been at Elland Road since 2016, and has made 247 appearances during that time (three short off Cooper). His current deal runs until the end of the season, but with the extension, would finish in the Summer of 2025, just shy of his 34th birthday. Daniel Farke see's Ayling as a leader, both on and off the pitch, and whilst approaching maturity, see's value in offering him a longer contract. Should he do the same with Cooper? “Luke’s influence is massive, you can’t overrate it because it’s so important. He’s a good player but he leads in the dressing room. He calms the lads down, sometimes an arm around the shoulder, sometimes a kick. We need this, we have young players but we need experienced players. I love his mentality and he brings it into the dressing room.” please log in to view this image Ampadu thriving off the pressure During a recent interview with Sky Bet, Ethan Ampadu has opened up on the whirlwind start of his Elland Road career, which has already seen top European clubs sit up, and take notice. Ampadu, a £7m Summer signing from Chelsea, has made a dream start for the Whites; bossing the midfield, whilst still taking his defensive duties seriously. It's the first time that the 23yo (just) has nailed down a position for a sustained amount of time, and has set his mind on improving further, whilst working on his frailties. For someone so young, the Welsh International exhibits qualities far beyond his years. He spoke of thriving off the pressure, and is all to aware of what is expected from the team this season, and is focused on delivering:- “I've been fortunate enough to play in many big games and a couple of big tournaments, which I think helps with that added pressure [of playing for Leeds],” “It's a pressure I thrive off, but also us as a whole team, we thrive of it, and we know what the fans want. We know what they expect from us. We're happy that we can just try and go out there and deliver.” “There's still a long way to go, a lot of football to be played between now and then,” “Come the end of the season we'll see where we end up but for now, we can be happy with our start. We know we've still got some things to work on and some things to improve. “The way we can dominate games and really put our stamp on things, we can be pleased with the performances and the results as of late. But there's still things we know we can improve on.” “The project and the whole idea of getting Leeds back to where they belong,” “I could sit here and talk to you about what Leeds have done in the past, but everyone is aware of that. The size of the Club, the project, and after speaking with the boss [Daniel Farke] for the first time and his ideas around me and how I can play – all of this put together helped me decide.” “As each game goes by, you can start to see more and more in a better picture of the way he wants us to play, the way he puts us out. He says things how it is and doesn't cut across any lines which as a player makes it easy - you go out onto the pitch, and you know what you have to do" “That expectation of what he wants you to do is there and it's been good. He gets everyone on the same page, and everyone on board with the message.” “I've enjoyed it [playing in midfield]. It's probably been the first time I've really nailed down and played in one position and I think that can help with the finer details in trying to become the best in that position, which I think will end up helping the team. “The first time I spoke to him [Daniel Farke], he didn't just tell me things he liked about my game and things I can help with, he also told me things I can improve on. Whether that's getting on the ball and trying to dictate the game a little bit more or having a little bit of freedom to get on it and pick the ball up in space – these are the sort of things I can improve on, and we’ve spoken about that.” please log in to view this image Leeds ranked 140th in the World The latest Opta Power Rankings are out, with Leeds placed a lowly 140th in the World's ratings, 74 places below fellow Championship outfit Leicester City. More than 13,000 domestic football clubs across the world get a mention, with Manchester City, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Arsenal leading the top five. Leeds are above the likes of Ipswich, West Brom, Swansea City, CSKA Moscow and Werder Bremen but fare marginally worse than Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Coventry City and Rangers.
What a strange looking table. Wonder what the criteria was it’s so random it looks like they rolled Aski’s dice to compile it
Afternoon all The title of todays breakfast thread should have been STUPID Love Luke Ayling but he’s done now and is a 3rd choice starter so won’t see him starting much. He’s also going to be injured or suspended because that’s the way he rolls plus he will be 33 when his new contract ends, if he gets one. And as far as the dodgy STUPID league table is concerned, what a joke. You would think part of the criteria is things like money in the bank, money owed……. If you believe this Imwill show you a table on best Left Backs in the world and Emu’s mate is rocking at No1
Kind of agree with you, it could be easily argued that for what we paid for him Luke Ayling is one of the best signings we’ve made considering he helped get us promoted. He made the best of what he had but there’s really no room for sentimentality in football. If he’s that good in the dressing room, take him on as part of the coaching staff.
This great Scotland team are on the verge of 3 straight defeats. That's their best team in decades. Lol.
Difficult to beat France when they're at home. england managed it in 1997, but failed to win in the 5 matches in France since.
