Mighty Leeds Weblog

 

Just as the seventh book Super Leeds: The Second Title  comes out, here's a video about Leeds, Money and Misery Me , still one of my favourites. Come on Leeds!

As 2021 comes to a close, Raphinha can reflect on a year where he enjoyed a Brazil breakthrough to remember. By Joe Urquhart Leeds United’s star wide man has seen his stock rise to world levels since making the move to Elland Road from Stade Rennes around 18 months ago. Raphinha has played 46 Premier League games for the Whites, scoring a total of 14 goals while notching nine assists. His form in England’s top tier saw him earn a call up into the Seleção national squad in September though he was forced to wait an extra month amid Covid travel restrictions. The 25-year-old made up for lost time in quick fashion, providing two assists on debut before bagging two goals in his third appearance in five days to round off a stunning opening week as an international player. Raphinha has notched five caps under Tite’s watch so far and could yet be called up in late January for his nation’s final World Cup qualifiers despite Brazil having already secured a spot in Qatar. A childhoo...

Bamford made his first ever senior England appearance back in September By Danny Bloomer Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford has labelled 2021 as the best year of his football career after he was handed his first England cap in September. Bamford started the Three Lions’ 4-0 win over Andorra and his first senior call-up was a just reward for the fine season he had enjoyed in Leeds’ first campaign back in the Premier League. The 28-year-old has netted nine goals and provided seven assists for the Whites over the course of the calendar year, a tally which will have undoubtedly been higher but for injury. Just two weeks after his England debut, Bamford suffered a serious ankle problem against Newcastle United that saw him miss nine league matches in a row. Bamford then made a scoring return from injury, netting a stoppage time equaliser to salvage a 2-2 draw with Brentford. That joy did not last long, though, as in the jubilant celebrations that followed, he suffered a hams...

Marcelo Bielsa has regularly stated that any new Leeds United additions must be better than the players they already have. By Lee Sobot Sounds straightforward, yet in reality it is anything but. Bielsa highlighted earlier this month that three criteria needed to be met in order to complete a signing. The player needed to be better than what Leeds had, competitive at their clubs but attainable and also an economically viable option. “For those three conditions to be met, it is not simple,” said United’s head coach. Yet there is now a fourth factor to be considered in the shape of United’s injury problems which further complicate the Whites picture when it comes to the January transfer window. United will be able to sign players again from this Saturday as the winter window opens on New Year’s Day. The window is not one in which Leeds have been particularly busy in over recent years – as is the case for many clubs – although Newcastle United are likely to be a huge exceptio...

Patrick Bamford is closing in on a return to action for Leeds United. By Joe Urquhart The Whites striker has been limited to just six Premier League appearances this term due to injury but is hopeful of featuring this weekend against Burnley. Last season's Elland Road top goalscorer made a stunning comeback from a lengthy layoff earlier this month, shaking off an ankle issue picked up in September to score a vital injury-time equaliser against Brentford from the bench. However, a hamstring problem picked up against the Bees amid the wild celebrations has sidelined United's No 9 ever since. Bamford, though, is stepping up his return to training in the next few days and has his fingers firmly crossed that he could feature against the Clarets on Sunday afternoon. "The injury is coming along good," Bamford told the Yorkshire Evening Post. "I think it was almost a blessing in disguise that the two games over Christmas got postponed, but yeah, it's co...

Liam Cooper may be captaining players half his age at Leeds United but the job is a simple one. By Graham Smyth Substitute for the recent Arsenal game Archie Gray was born in March 2006, by which time a 14-year-old Cooper was already on the books at Hull City. Gray, 15, is the most extreme case of the young blood in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad and a dressing room led by Cooper but the youthful element is sizeable. Joe Gelhardt, 19, has made his senior breakthrough this season and already provided memorable moments for Whites supporters, winning a crucial penalty against Wolves and scoring a fine goal away at Chelsea. He led the line from the start at home to Arsenal, racking up his sixth Premier League appearance, and earned another penalty when he drew ex-Whites loanee Ben White into a rash challenge. Gelhardt is the most spoken about of Mark Jackson’s Under-23s at present but his fellow 19-year-olds Charlie Cresswell, Sam Greenwood and Stuart McKinstry have all seen Premier Le...

By Craig Scott Raphinha is open to signing a new and improved contract with Leeds United, according to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay. Writing on The Athletic website in an update today (Wednesday), the ex-Yorkshire Evening Post journalist reported that Leeds are in discussions to offer Raphinha, 25, a pay rise and lengthen his deal amid speculation linking him with a move to Bayern Munich. Leeds are reportedly “nonplussed” by a claim from TNT Sports Brazil, which says that Raphinha is set to join the German giants in January. Instead, Hay reports that Raphinha has been “receptive” to talks over a new deal and while Leeds “have heard Deco talk previously about Raphinha’s lofty ambitions”, the Brazil winger is happy at Elland Road. Leeds fans are begging for Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta to make new signings in the January transfer window. But the biggest signing the club could make is to get Raphinha tied down to a new deal. EXCLUSIVO! Segundo apuração de @brunoformiga , ...

Leeds United were handed a festive boost without even playing as part of Tuesday afternoon's Premier League action. By Lee Sobot United's scheduled Elland Road fixture against Aston Villa was postponed due to a recent small outbreak of Covid-19 within the Whites camp. The coronavirus cases together with injuries meant that Leeds did not have enough recognised first-team players to meet the Premier League requirements for the fixture. Arsenal's Tuesday hosting of Wolves was also postponed due to Covid cases in the Molineux camp but three fixtures went ahead on Tuesday afternoon and both Watford and Norwich City blew the chance to close in on the Whites. Bottom of the table Norwich were brushed aside 3-0 at Crystal Palace and remain six points behind Leeds but having played a game more, and with a minus 16 worse goal difference. Fourth-bottom Watford were also blitzed 4-1 by visiting West Ham United and the Hornets stay three points behind fifth-bottom United but ...

With  Super Leeds: The Second Title - Stokoe, Clough and a Paradise Lost  published on Christmas Eve, it's a good time to look back on the development of the  mightyleeds.co.uk  website and the books that it has spawned over the last six years. mightyleeds.co.uk  is the life's work of Dave Tomlinson and is intended to provide the definitive history of the club and capture all the stories, scandal and gossip of the last 120 years. Over the last five decades, Dave has developed an encyclopaedic knowledge about the club and its history. He has written five books about Leeds United and contributed to a sixth, with more on the way. Favourite Player? 'Norman Hunter.' Most memorable game? '2019 Play-off against Derby at Elland Road - the atmosphere was electric.' Best moments? 'The FA Cup final in 1972 - Clarke One-Nil! The championships in 1974 and 1992. Getting back to the Premier League.' What excites you about Leeds United? 'It's the passion, ...

Raphinha says Leeds United still have time on their side. By Joe Urquhart The Whites have seen Premier League relegation fears grow in recent months amid the backdrop of an injury crisis at Elland Road. Marcelo Bielsa's side have picked up just 16 points from 18 games, a tally which sees Leeds sit five points ahead of Sunday's opponents Burnley who currently head up the top flight drop zone. United were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal last time out ahead of an enforced hiatus from match action over Christmas owing to a small Covid outbreak in LS11. Boxing Day's visit to Anfield to face Liverpool fell foul to a rearrangement as did last night's originally scheduled hosting of Aston Villa in West Yorkshire with Bielsa unable to field a competitive line-up. Leeds will return to the pitch against the Clarets this weekend in the hope that the brief stoppage can help towards rejuvenating their campaign heading into the new year. Bielsa saw 10 senior players miss out again...

Leeds United are able to sign new players from Saturday - and this is what Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa has recently said about the January transfer window. By Lee Sobot The January window opens on New Year's Day and closes on January 31. Speaking at his pre-match press conference before United's most recent game - the 4-1 defeat at home to Arsenal - Bielsa was asked if he had looked at bringing back any loan players due to the sheer amount of injuries and said: "In relation to the incomings and outgoings in the summer, I would like to be precise so you can see my position clear. “First of all I don’t want to use an excuse with the players that I have. "I never said I don’t want players to come in January, as you guys informed I am opposed to it. "The only thing I said and I reiterate is that to bring in players they should be better than the ones we already have. “The club has invested £130m in this squad, I don’t know if they can or can’t inve...

Alfie Burns Raphinha has once again been linked with a move away from Leeds United in 2022. Leeds’ Brazilian ace was said to be on Bayern Munich’s wish list heading into January – a rumour that has since been put to bed by the Yorkshire Evening Post. Still, though, speculation surrounds the future of the 25-year-old, with Chelsea also linked in recent days. Heading into January, there’s no chance Leeds can afford to sell the scorer of eight goals so far this season and the only attacking player playing to his full potential. It would be a case of the club making Marcelo Bielsa’s task of keeping Leeds in the Premier League much more difficult. Beyond this season there are decisions to make, though, with interest in Raphinha refusing to go away. A move in a summer transfer window would make a lot of sense: Leeds would get a better price and give themselves a stronger chance of replacing Raphinha. The decision that’s made in the summer of 2022 will, of course, rest on Leeds’...

It was on this day (21 January) in 2005 that Ken Bates took over at Elland Road ELLIOTT BRETLAND Perhaps we should have expected madness all the way when, 16 years ago today, Ken Bates brought the brash personality and big promises for which he had become known at Chelsea, and bought another of English football’s historic clubs, Leeds United. Considering what has followed since under both Bates and his successor Massimo Cellino, it’s little wonder it took The Whites so long to return to the Premier League. Having bought the Yorkshire giants six months after their 2004 relegation, Bates promised “a lorra, lorra laughs”, but supporters weren’t smiling when they dropped down to the third tier under his stewardship, and it took some time for them to compete again. Here we look at the maddest things that happened at Elland Road whilst Bates was in the building... Admin error After a vast array of incomings and outgoings - Leeds loaned 70 players during Bates’ eight-year spell with...

Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani has been linked with bids to purchase three different Italian clubs over the past six months Leeds United's majority shareholder Andrea Radrizzani is not hoping to buy Italian clubs Pescara, Grosseto or Salernitana, despite reports to the contrary in the Milanese businessman's homeland. That is according to Leeds United director Sandro Mencucci, who has addressed the rumours with Italian outlet FirenzeViola.it. The former Fiorentina CEO was announced as a new board member at Elland Road towards the end of last season, but retains close links with the Florence-based club. "[Are] We interested? No, not anymore, things must be done in due time," he said of Radrizzani's interest in Salernitana. The Italian revealed this month that the Serie A side were at the forefront of his plans this summer, but that he never received a response to his proposal to buy the club. "In July we would have had time to save her [Sal...

It has been an up and down year for Leeds United’s academy in 2021. By Joe Urquhart Mark Jackson toasted huge success in the summer after guiding the club’s development side into the top tier of England’s elite academy structure. Leeds, at the first time of asking as a category one training facility, romped to the Division Two title in the Premier League 2. The Whites were no match for any of their rivals, claiming the league by a margin of 11 points – earning 18 victories, two draws and losing four times. Jackson saw his side concede just 29 goals in 24 league games last term but a summer of change has meant a mixed end to 2021. Football doesn’t stand still at whatever level you ply your trade – be it in the Premier League or in the ranks below. Fast forward six months and United sit 13th in the top tier of the PL2 following promotion, holding one of the bottom two relegation places heading into the new year. The transition has been tough due to a number of reasons – f...

  I've just had my seventh book published about the club which you can get via Amazon . 1972 was the year when it all came together for Don Revie and Leeds United, when the legend of Super Leeds was born and for a while blotted out the memory of Dirty Leeds. During the spring, Revie's Leeds played some truly remarkable football. It was fitting that they should commemorate the period by winning the FA Cup for the only time in the club's history. It was just as fitting that Leeds chose the Centenary Cup final to finally lift the trophy. It would have been even better if they could have got the draw they needed a couple of days later to have added the league title. But wasn't that just like Revie's Leeds, not being able to celebrate their Cup win as they sought in vain for the next peak. Sunderland nearly did for Revie a year later, but he returned to lead United to their second league title and more plaudits. Revie left for the England job in 1974 and Leeds would neve...

Leeds United's game against Aston Villa at Elland Road has been postponed due to the Whites' Covid-19 outbreak. By Graham Smyth Not enough time has passed for the cases in the Whites camp, which forced the closure of their Thorp Arch training ground and the postponement of the Boxing Day visit to Liverpool, to clear up and their injury situation also remains severe. Leeds confirmed last Thursday they had five positive results among first team members and backroom staff, which added to Marcelo Bielsa’s extensive injury list to leave him shy of a big enough squad to travel to Anfield. Although new government guidelines say that anyone testing positive can leave isolation after seven days if they test negative 24 hours apart on days six and seven, the Villa game has come too soon. There have been no further positive results in Leeds ’ playing squad but there are three new cases among the backroom staff. The YEP understands Thorp Arch is to reopen for the remaining players...

A January move to Bayern Munich is unlikely for Leeds United star Raphinha despite press reports in Brazil. By Graham Smyth TNT Sports Brasil broke a Christmas Eve story that the winger is due to join the German giants for a sum in the region of £40m, but the YEP understands Bayern Munich are yet to make any interest known to the Premier League outfit. Leeds have made little secret of their acceptance that player sales will be necessary if they are to follow the Leicester City model, but a January departure would make next to no sense for the man carrying their main attacking threat in a difficult first half of the season. Raphinha has followed up the six goals and nine assists from his debut season at Elland Road with a further eight goals in 16 top flight games this season. He's Marcelo Bielsa's leading goalscorer and few of his fellow attackers have been able to match his consistency. The 25-year-old's contract is due to run out on June 30 2024 but talks are ongo...

At last! The hardbacks are here … https://t.co/2OwPh9vu1T — Dave Mightyleeds (@DaveMightyLeeds) December 26, 2021

Steven Chicken Strachan. McAllister. Batty. Speed. If you were tasked with building the archetypal midfield quartet from scratch, Leeds United’s 1992 midfield would be your model. The 35-year-old savvy veteran and inspirational captain, slighted by his former mentor and with a point to prove. The tough-as-nails young local lad who would put himself on the line for the cause. The intrepid, spry and versatile left winger who came up through the youth academy. Strachan. McAllister. Batty. Speed. You can’t live in Leeds for very long without becoming very familiar with those four names, always presented in that exact order, always rolling off the tongue as easily as you could name members of your own family, always spoken with the utmost reverence. In 1990, Leeds won promotion back into the top flight in Howard Wilkinson’s first full season in charge after eight long and difficult years in the Second Division. Gordon Strachan, signed from Manchester United and installed as ...

LEEDS are in need of some changes with relegation a serious threat after struggling in the first half of the season. By STUART BALLARD Leeds sporting director Victor Orta will arguably face his most difficult transfer window next month with Marcelo Bielsa's side struggling for form this campaign. After impressing in their first season back in the top flight since 2004 last season, Leeds were expected to kick on and climb even further up the table. A respectable ninth-placed finish last season had some fans dreaming of European football once again. Little over £50million was spent in the summer with Daniel James becoming the club's second most expensive signing along with a few others to freshen things up. James has been unable to find consistent form though while Patrick Bamford's absence through injury hasn't helped Bielsa's cause. Heading into Christmas, Leeds sit just five points above the relegation zone having lost four games on the bounce. And it...