Good Morning. It's Friday 3rd May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Farke gets his excuses in early
Daniel Farke has blamed injuries and busy schedule for Leeds sudden decline in form since the International break. Two wins, two draws and four losses have seen Leeds chances of automatic promotion almost diminish. They must beat Southampton and pray that somehow Huddersfield Town can overcome Ipswich, or pin all their hopes on the play-offs!
This isn't Farke's first gig in the Championship. He is well aware of the draining and debilitating challenges it brings; and if truth be known we have actually been quite fortunate this season with injuries! The Summer transfer window was hurried. Leeds had the chance to complete the rebuild in January but decided not to. Last season Radrizzani failed to prepare for life in the Championship. This campaign, the club still refuse to learn by their mistakes!
If you want to bring it over the line you also need a bit of luck. There were a few things we couldn’t influence. Key players like Gnonto, Gruev, Roberts came back injured from international duty, Georgi Rutter needed surgery. Couldn’t influence the schedule. The run-in, normally you think why do you have to play Monday and Friday. You need a bit of luck in these terms. Sadly in these games we didn’t have the experience of Connor Roberts, didn’t have Dan James who has been fantastic, best goals and assists season in his life.
Bamford not available for QPR. Struijk, we’re playing without our cornerstone in defence. For a team like Ipswich, when the schedule came out it’s also not great for them, two weeks without a game then play three times in a week. Credit to them. Two weeks without a game does them a favour. All their key players are back. Sometimes you need a bit of luck with the run-in that the schedule does you a favour and that your key players are available and in the best chance.
Farke excited by play-off hopes
Speaking at a packed out Elland Road press conference, Leeds gaffer Daniel Farke revealed that when he took the ER gig, he didn't think the Whites had a chance of even reaching the play offs. The club's failure to prepare for life in the Championship, was further compounded by relegation clauses in many of the players contracts, allowing them to leave en masse on loan (for free), making Farke's mission all the harder. The 49ers must take some of the responsibility for this. When buying into a club, who wouldn't scrutinise the paperwork relating to your biggest asset (the players)? This could damage the club for many years to come.
We still have a chance of the top two. If second doesn’t happen, then I’m excited by the play-offs. If you told me in September we’d have a chance of the Premier League in the first year of asking. I didn’t say this in public but internally I would have said no chance, because of the situation we were in [last summer]. It’s a great situation.
