Mighty Leeds Weblog

DOWN Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman In the end we only got as far as the beginning, and Leeds United going down the way they’ve been going all season: waiting and hoping for someone else to save them at the last moment. Sam Allardyce started with six defenders and an unfamiliar back five, hoping a clean sheet and friendly scorelines at Everton and Bournemouth would help a nicked goal make the difference or set up a late push for safety. Leeds would make the last ninety minutes of the season last as long as they could, hoping for a chance. After the World Cup, Leeds had chances, but instead of taking them, they were always waiting and hoping for the next one until the season had no chances left to give. Maybe at home to West Ham, or at home to Brentford, then surely away to Nottingham Forest, but none of those chances were taken to be wins. So it had to be away to Everton, but wasn’t. There was a brief, stumbling revival but losing to Crystal Palace put Leeds back on the ...

Negotiations are ongoing for a Leeds United takeover with 49ers Enterprises still keen to become full owners despite relegation. By Graham Smyth The Whites' three-year Premier League stay came to an end on Sunday with a 4-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur. Sam Allardyce required a win from his fourth game in charge and a pair of results elsewhere to go Leeds' way, but none of those things came to pass. Instead, the Elland Road outfit head into the summer with no head coach, no director of football and no certainty over who will own the club when the Championship season begins on Saturday 5 August. An agreement had been reached between majority owner Andrea Radrizzani and the financial backers of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers so that, in the event of Leeds staying in the Premier League, a takeover would be complete. Relegation has voided that agreement, not least because of the difference in price between a top flight outfit and one in the second tier. Th...

Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani has seen a joint bid to rescue Italian club Sampdoria rejected by the Genovese club’s hierarchy. By Joe Donnohue Radrizzani’s Aser Group, in conjunction with Matteo Manfredi of Gestio Capital Partners, submitted an offer to purchase relegated Serie A side Sampdoria last week but have since been rebuffed by the club’s current ownership. In a statement released on Monday, Radrizzani urged all parties to act with expediency in order to secure the club’s future. "It is essential to act quickly," Radrizzani said, as quoted by Di Marzio. "Because every day of waiting means delays and the consequent danger of penalties against the club, also in view of the next championship. "In fact, Sampdoria risks suffering a loss of points or even not being entered in the competitions, which would have devastating consequences for the club and all its splendid and extraordinary fans. "Therefore, it is imperative that all parties ...

Premier League survival proved beyond Leeds United on a strange and bitterly disappointing final day of the season at Elland Road. By Graham Smyth There was still hope in the air as Sam Allardyce pulled up outside the West Stand and it was there in abundance as the game kicked off. But the manner in which Leeds conceded the opener told a tale about how things were going to go, long before results elsewhere rendered the Elland Road fixture meaningless. Here’s the YEP take on what went down as Leeds went down. Good day Georginio Rutter No one in Leeds colours had a good day, of course they didn’t, but at the very least the young man who was made the club’s record signing in January was given a chance to do something on the pitch. It has been a largely rotten time for Rutter since that transfer move from Hoffenheim and Allardyce declaring him one for next season had to hurt as much as the ‘we didn’t have a centre forward to replace Rodrigo’ comment after West Ham United. When ...

No one sets out to get relegated but collective failure at Leeds United has delivered the outcome Andrea Radizzani said was impossible. By Graham Smyth After three seasons in the Premier League, the Whites will once again return to the EFL and though this relegation is not the 2004 version, it can be described as nothing more than deserved. An error-strewn, hapless 4-1 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on the final day confirmed what was already all-but inevitable. The final nail, perhaps, but in truth the coffin had been sealed by a raft of decisions over the course of 15 months or so. The succession plan following Marcelo Bielsa's sacking, the identification as Jesse Marsch as the best fit to follow the Argentine, the quality and depth of the recruitment targeted so specifically to the wrong man and his style of football, the opportunity missed to change the manager ahead of a World Cup break and transfer window, the January transfer window, the lateness of Marsch's s...

Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League with a 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur By Ben McKenna Junior Firpo was met with boos as he made his way off the Elland Road pitch following Sunday’s 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. The Whites’ relegation to the Championship was confirmed with their heavy defeat, but even a victory would not have been enough to move them out of 19th as Leicester City and Everton, with the latter clinching survival, both picked up final day wins. It was the third defeat in four games under Sam Allardyce, with the Whites managing just one point from their last four outings as they prepare to join Southampton and Leicester in the Championship. At full-time, YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth revealed how Firpo was booed as he followed behind Adam Forsahw, who was clapping the fans. He reported: “Adam Forshaw walking around applauding Elland Road and being applauded in return. Firpo is being booed as he follows.” The £13m signing from Barcelon...

Sam Allardyce wants to sit down and talk about the future with relegated Leeds United but will not yet commit to staying on as manager. By Graham Smyth The Whites went out with a whimper rather than a bang, the 4-1 Elland Road defeat by Spurs on the final day removing all possibility of survival regardless of how results elsewhere went. Everton and Leicester City also went into the final day under the threat of relegation and it was the Toffees who claimed 17th place. Allardyce was brought in with four games remaining but failed to record a victory, ending his short tenure with a single point from a draw against Newcastle United. He has refused to categorically state that he wants to remain in post and lead the promotion charge in the Championship but will happily sit down to exchange thoughts on the future with the board. Prior to that, however, he says the ownership picture must be resolved. 49ers Enterprises are believed to remain keen on becoming full owners but the sale ...

Leeds United will pour over their unsuccessful battle against relegation from the Premier League over the coming days. By Mark Carruthers, Graham Smyth Sam Allardyce’s side made their way into the final 90 minutes of a long and testing season knowing only a win against Tottenham Hotspur would give them any chance of extending their top flight stay into a third season. But there seemed little doubt over the eventual outcome from the moment Harry Kane fired the visitors in front with just two minutes on the clock at Elland Road. Pedro Porro doubled Spurs advantage in the early stages of the second-half and although Jack Harrison briefly reduced the arrears for Leeds, Kane’s second of the day and a late goal from Lucas Moura condemned the Whites to a return to the second tier that many suspected had been coming throughout a lacklustre second half to the Premier League season. But YEP writer Graham Smyth believes the roots of the Whites’ relegation into the Championship were not so...

Leeds United have apologised to supporters but offered no update on the ownership picture following relegation from the Premier League. By Graham Smyth The Whites went down with a whimper rather than a bang in a 4-1 Elland Road defeat on the final day of the season. They required a win and results of two other fixtures to go their way in order to survive but failed to do their own bit, conceding goals within two minutes of the start of each half. Although Jack Harrison hit back to make it 2-1, Spurs scored almost immediately through Harry Kane to restore their two-goal lead. Lucas Moura’s stoppage time goal was salt in the wound and with Everton beating Bournemouth to clinch 17th place, Leicester City joined Leeds in the Championship. Fans made their feelings known throughout the game, singing the name of ex boss Marcelo Bielsa, protesting Andrea Radrizzani’s ownership and chanting ‘sack the board.’ A statement released by the club after the game said: “Everyone connected with ...

The Leeds United Supporters' Trust (LUST) released a strongly-worded statement against club chairman Andrea Radrizzani and the board of directors following the team’s relegation from the Premier League. By Joe Donnohue “At the start of the season, Andrea Radrizzani brazenly dismissed the risk of a survival battle for Leeds United, claiming relegation was "impossible". “Well Andrea, it all feels very possible right now. “The responsibility for our relegation lies with the people in charge. In another long, frustrating, and depressing season, the club has either made the wrong decisions or taken too long to make the right ones, leading to poor and forced choices. “We won't list the failures and shortcomings here - it's plain to see what has gone wrong. It feels like a lifetime ago since the standards of Marcelo Bielsa turned this club into something Leeds United fans could be proud of, and we are now, quite literally, back in the same place we were 5 years...

How Leeds United will be impacted financially after being relegated from the Premier League. By Georgia Goulding Leeds United are headed for the Championship after suffering a final Premier League defeat to Tottenham Hotspur. Fans’ hearts broke as Everton earned their safety, sending both the Whites and Leicester City into the bottom three with Southampton. Of course, facing relegation is any club’s nightmare but the impact it has is far beyond the players simply swallowing their pride and dropping into a lower league. Championship football is not an alien concept to Leeds but they will be disappointed to have lost their Premier League spot and will know all too well how a team is impacted financially as a result. Here’s a look at how the subject of money will change now that Leeds have lost their place in England’s top flight. Premier League prize money and endorsements Leeds will still scoop a decent amount of money for their efforts this season, despite the overall outco...

When things are going badly at Elland Road, Leeds United fans are usually nothing if not defiant. By Stuart Rayner In the last couple of seasons – never mind decades – there have been plenty of scarf-twirling, full-throated demonstrations of loyalty. When relegation from the Premier League was confirmed on Sunday, there was only anger left. A fanbase has been let down badly by owners who managed to stumble upon a special alchemy and turn it into something so feebly pathetic in two years. Staying up would not have avoided the need for a complete reset, but it would have given Leeds a lot more money to do it with. In their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds looked like the confidence that had been dripping out since collapsing at home to Crystal Palace had run completely dry. The only surprise about their seventh defeat in a nine-match winless streak to end their season was that they scored. Even that only underlined their mental weakness, conceding within two minutes o...

Sam Allardyce failed in mission to rescue Leeds from drop as they fell to a Harry Kane-inspired Tottenham at Elland Road By Luke Edwards, Leeds United spent 16 long, hard and divisive years trying to get back into the Premier League, but after just three in the top flight it is over. They have fallen apart again. For a long time the expression “doing a Leeds United” was shorthand for catastrophic failure as a Premier League club after they dropped down to League One against a backdrop of financial problems and boardroom upheaval. The worry – no, the fear – now is that Leeds are going to do it all over again. Just as it was 19 years ago, this could be the start of the pain rather than its peak. After a brief display of Yorkshire defiance; grit and fight, against Tottenham, Leeds surrendered and eventually crumbled to another heavy defeat. The pre-match show of unity was exposed as a lie, as supporters turned on their team and the people who own it. There was a lot of anger a...

Leeds United's abysmal third season back in the Premier League ended with a 4-1 defeat at home to Sunday's visitors Tottenham Hotspur and confirmed relegation to next season's Championship. By Lee Sobot Tottenham went ahead in just the second minute with their first real attack which ended with who else but Harry Kane applying a clinical finish from the middle of the box. Pedro Porro latched on to a looping pass from Emmerson Royal and cut in behind Pascal Struijk at left back and worked the ball to Son Heung-Min who then squared for Kane and the England captain applied a typically clean finish. Leeds, though, squandered a glorious chance to equalise just five minutes later as a peach of a cross from Rodrigo picked out Robin Koch who could only head wide despite being unmarked in the middle of the area. Another chance then went begging two minutes later as a Weston McKennie throw was only cleared to Pascal Struijk whose shot was deflected over the bar. Spurs then th...

By Craig Scott Not everyone at 49ers Enterprises is on board with the idea of buying Leeds United from Andrea Radrizzani, according to The Guardian. The newspaper reported on their website on Friday (26 May) that the 49ers’ takeover would be in “jeopardy” if the Whites were to be relegated from the Premier League this weekend. It is understood that not all of the investors at the San Francisco-based group would remain keen on buying Leeds if they become a Championship club. The Guardian claims that the 49ers see a deal for a Championship version of Leeds to be worth £150million, instead of the £400million that was agreed if they remain a Premier League club. However, “there are doubts as to whether a satisfactory compromise could be reached” with Radrizzani. Worrying Leeds need new owners. Or at the very least, there needs to be some kind of clarity about the situation at Elland Road because one of the reasons that Victor Orta and previous managers were perhaps unable t...

Sam Allardyce might be the Premier League's most renowned firefighter, but even he is hoping for a bit of luck today. By Stuart Rayner Leeds United host Tottenham Hotspur knowing victory alone will not suffice to keep them in the top flight after three seasons back at this level. Home wins for Leicester City or Everton will makes Leeds's result irrelevant. If the Foxes drop points, a Whites win will spare them, if they win and Everton draw it will have to be by three clear goals. It leaves Allardyce, put in interim charge of Leeds with just four games remaining, needs help from a higher power. "I’ve saved other football clubs in dire and desperate situations, but that’s always been with a lot more games and a lot more opportunities than this to put into place what you need to save them," points out the former England manager. "There's tactics, there's players playing to their best and then there's good fortune, so our good fortune will hap...

A preliminary agreement for Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s Aser Holding and Gestio Capital to take over Sampdoria has been confirmed by the Italian side. By Lee Sobot Aser Holding and Gestio Capital will take control of the club pending a debt restructuring agreement and agreements with creditors. A statement released by Sampdoria read: “The Board of Directors of the U.C. Sampdoria S.p.A. announces that during the night a preliminary agreement was signed for the finalization of a capital increase in the company by Gestio Capital and Aser Holding. "The proposal presented by Gestio Capital and Aser Holding proved to be more in line with the interest of the company’s creditors and the recovery plan prepared by the club and, at the same time, adequate guarantees were given for the future of Sampdoria. “The completion of this transaction is conditional on the completion of the preliminary activities to the presentation of the application for the Debt Restructuring Ag...

French daily newspaper L’Equipe report Leeds United chairman Andrea Radrizzani is in ‘advanced talks’ with Paris Saint-Germain’s Qatari owners (QSI) regarding a stake in relegated Serie A club Sampdoria. By Joe Donnohue Leeds’ chairman and majority shareholder Radrizzani is close to a buyout of the historic Italian club who were relegated to the second tier earlier this season, according to reports on the continent. Now, L’Equipe claim Qatar Sports Investments are involved in ‘advanced talks’ to acquire a minority stake in the soon-to-be Serie B club, with Radrizzani taking majority control in a scenario similar to the deal struck by the Leeds chief and 49ers Enterprises. The report also states QSI could even be willing to invest in Leeds in due course, which adds another dimension to the uncertainty surrounding the club’s immediate future. The 49ers are understood to have an agreement with Radrizzani to complete a full buyout of Leeds United before January 2024, with this summ...

A three per cent chance is still a chance but most would look at Leeds United's predicament and consider it to be all over bar the screaming and shouting. By Graham Smyth This is not flagrant negativity or the local media's public vote of no confidence in its team, yet when you're required to have faith not only for one result but two others as well, it speaks volumes about the situation the Whites are in. There will be no going quietly, of course, for BT Sport have decided that, should it come to that, the relegation will be televised. All that can be asked, really, is that Leeds United at least go out with a bang, if they are to go. The plea to the players can only be to go out on their shields, fighting to the last. If, and it's the biggest if of all, the events in three fixtures conspire to keep Leeds in the Premier League then we can call them Big Sam and his three percenters. The summer, though still bringing big change, won't be quite as manic. If n...

Forget the bow bells, the relegation bell was tolling for Leeds United in the east of the capital on Sunday and unless the final weekend of the season brings forth some miracle, there will be no league visit to London Stadium next season. By Graham Smyth The Whites' performance was decidedly sub-par and hope of a great escape dwindled further, particularly after Everton's late, late comeback to take a point against Wolves. Leeds now need to beat Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on the final day and hope that Bournemouth can thwart Everton. It was once in Leeds’ own hands but now it is not. Here's the YEP take on another painful day for Leeds in London. Good day Joel Robles Had it not been for the stopper, things would have been even worse. He made some good saves and continued to show that his introduction to the side, in place of Illan Meslier, was the right call. Rodrigo A 13th Premier League goal of the season, a league tally he has only bettered once in ...