Mighty Leeds Weblog

By Graham Smyth A former Leeds United manager's National Football Museum Hall of Fame induction will take place at Elland Road early in December. Howard Wilkinson's contribution to English football has earned him a place in the hall of fame and he will be presented with an award by Museum CEO Tim Desmond during one of December's Leeds United home games. The award will also be marked by a 'tribute lunch' at the Hisense Leeds Lounge, hosted by the WILKO92 campaign on Friday December 5. The campaign was set up to fundraise for a statue of Wilkinson in honour of his Leeds United legacy as a First Division title-winning manager and mastermind of the Thorp Arch academy. Desmond said: "Howard Wilkinson’s impact on English football extends far beyond his historic title win with Leeds United. He has been instrumental in raising standards in coaching, education and leadership across the game. His work has shaped the modern football landscape, and we are delighted...

The 49ers have been clear in their long term aim for Leeds United Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United sporting director Adam Underwood has reiterated that the club’s hierarchy believes the Whites can become a top-half Premier League club once again in due course. Owners the 49ers Enterprises have always been clear on their aim of making United a top-flight regular, with chairman Paraag Marathe stating during April’s promotion bus parade that he wants Leeds to become “one of the best in all of Europe”. Underwood has spent more than a decade at Leeds, first arriving as academy manager in 2014 before being named head of football operations in July 2023 following the full takeover of the 49ers. This spring, he was named as the new sporting director. Alongside managing director Robbie Evans, Underwood’s role consists of joining short-term aims with long-term goals to help Leeds towards their Premier League objective. “Having competitive success is always going to be...

by Kris Sanyal Leeds United manager Daniel Farke wants reinforcements in the winter transfer window. He is worried about a couple of gaps in his squad that could get exposed in the Premier League later in the season. However, there are concerns about whether the club have the budget to spend in January. The German coach wanted to add at least two more attackers towards the end of the summer transfer window. However, Leeds failed to bring in even one attacker once Fulham decided against selling Harry Wilson on deadline day, with just minutes left on the clock. Daniel James and Wilfried Gnonto’s injuries this season have further limited Farke’s options in the front line, and he has resorted to playing Brenden Aaronson as a right-winger in the starting eleven. The Leeds manager wants a winger and an attacking midfielder, and the club are tracking Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood. However, the PSR noises coming out of Leeds are not encouraging for the fans. Leeds United PSR f...

Will Butcher The final season of Andrea Radrizzani’s tenure as Leeds United was a mess. The Italian had publicly spoken of his dreams to reach Europe, but in February 2021, he decided to sack Marcelo Bielsa. From that point on, he could not have got much more wrong. The hiring of Jesse Marsch proved to be a catastrophically bad decision and by the time Leeds plucked up the courage to sack him, it was too late. A three-game interim period under Michael Skubala did not help proceedings either, and that was not because of Skubala. Any incoming manager felt there was not enough time to turn the tide at Leeds. Eventually, Leeds had to settle with the hiring of Javi Gracia, and after a good start the inevitable became reality. A 5-1 loss at Elland Road against Crystal Palace led Leeds to Sam Allardyce, and then relegation. Andrea Radrizzani claims Leeds could have hired Unai Emery After Marsch’s sacking, Leeds pushed hard for now-Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola and Liverpool bo...

Robert McHugh Former Leeds United manager Javi Gracia has opened up on his departure from Leeds United after accepting his first job since leaving the club. Javi Gracia was parachuted in to attempt to save Leeds from relegation in the 2022/23 season after Jesse Marsch left his role as head coach. Despite a promising start to life with Leeds in the Premier League, the wheels came off spectacularly under Gracia, culminating in a 4-1 defeat away at Bournemouth, which saw him leave the club before the end of the season. Leeds sent an SOS to Sam Allardyce, who oversaw the Whites’ eventual relegation, but it remains a mystery as to why things came apart so quickly under Gracia. Now, the former Leeds boss has revealed the moment that he believes cost him his job with the club, three years on from his departure. Javi Gracia opens up on his Leeds United exit Gracia is now back in management, after accepting an offer to return to Watford in the Championship, having guided them to a...

by Stuart Rayner English football's first regulator, David Kogan, says his new powers are being accelerated to allow him to deal with the "absolutely critical topic" of Dejphon Chansiri’s mismanagement of Sheffield Wednesday. That Kogan chose The Yorkshire Post for his first print interview in the job perhaps highlights the importance he places on resolving the mess at Hillsborough, an issue he says goes way beyond the boundaries of the Championship club's home city. And although he cannot take a public stance on the Thai businessman before an investigation has taken place and will not put timescales on the process, the newly-formed Independent Football Regulator (IFR) he was only confirmed as chairman of on Monday is trying to speed it up as much as possible. "I am really aware Sheffield Wednesday isn't just a problem in terms of Sheffield," said Kogan, whose appointment was endorsed by a select committee in May despite concerns in some quarters a...