'Could have ended him' — Graham Smyth on Leeds United's Daniel Farke — YEP 13/12/25

By Huzaifah Khan

Yorkshire Evening Post’s Chief Football Writer Graham Smyth has had his say on how Daniel Farke has turned Leeds United’s form around.

Things are looking a lot more promising at Elland Road at the moment after two big results in the space of a week quietened any discontent aimed at Leeds United boss Daniel Farke, who looked like he could be close to being on his way out of the door if results didn't start to improve at a rapid rate.

And they have, winning four points from two massively tricky home games against Chelsea and Liverpool, who boast an array of frightening players, but Farke found a way to push Leeds away from the relegation zone, and they currently sit in 16th.

Speaking on the Inside Elland Road podcast, Yorkshire Evening Post’s Chief Football Writer, Graham Smyth, has explained how much the last two results mean for the German manager and what he has seen from the team in those performances.

“This was a week that could have ended him, genuinely could have ended Daniel Farke,” Smyth said.

“For all that the 49ers will say, you know, we always have we've always had faith in our manager. We're backing our manager. We're backing the plan. They definitely went into these three games knowing that had he lost the crowd, had he lost all three, had they been battered in all three, then they go into this Brentford game and if he had not been sacked, then defeat against Brentford would surely have done it because of the length of the losing streak and because of what all those losses would have meant for public confidence in him.

“But instead, he's got this team that is fighting tooth and nail for him. He's just given Elland Road, he's given away end at Man City something to be proud of and something to cheer, which is in direct contrast to Forest for example, away at Forest.”

Smyth urged Leeds fans to enjoy the big results they have seen their side produce in the last couple of games because that is what football is all about.

“He’s given Elland Road two of the great nights,” Smyth said. “One of the great weeks in a manager's tenure, really certainly in his tenure. What a turnaround.

“You’ve got to enjoy moments, like we can definitely kind of talk about what comes next and how they have to follow it up and at Brentford will be really interesting because it's not a team that like a Man City, like a Chelsea, like a Liverpool. So there's a different expectation and what it means to play against an opposition in and around you, and how Farke approaches that. We can talk about all of that but at the same time you have to just applaud what you've seen in the last three games and you have to bask in it a little bit because if you can't enjoy this now without thinking well we're still not safe and we need this the we need these points for the matches coming up and I'm still not sure about Farke.

“If you can't enjoy these moments, you won't ever enjoy it because football is not perfect and you know great moments don't last very long. So I would say just keep watching, keep watching the highlights of these games as long as you possibly can, because to be there, it was a privilege.”