Mighty Leeds Weblog

By Stuart Rayner When a team is on a roll, like Leeds United are right now, it is just about doing all you can to keep it going. The Whites did that with a 3-0 Championship win over Plymouth Argyle wrapped up in the space of eight minutes, their third in four games since October's international break. They battered Bristol City in the other, but had to settle for 0-0. Plymouth's defeatism but more especially Leeds' incisive football allowed three debuts from the bench – for 34-year-old Josuha Guilavogui and academy products Sam Chambers and Charlie Crew, whose combined age is only a year older. Football fans love seeing one of their own come through the academy, so two is even better. Winger Chambers' first meaningful contribution was a dangerous cross, midfielder Crew's last forced Daniel Grimshaw's most spectacular save, a stoppage-time tip-over. Judging by their ole-ing his every simple touch for the first few minutes, they love Guilavogui too. Hi

By Lee Sobot Josuha Guilavogui made his Leeds United debut in Saturday’s win against Plymouth. Whites new boy Josuha Guilavogui has made an iconic Leeds United vow with a glowing first Elland Road take. Former France international midfielder Guilavogui joined Leeds as a free agent signing towards the end of last month and the 34-year-old was handed his Whites debut as a late substitute in Saturday’s 3-0 win against Championship visitors Plymouth Argyle. Despite only being brought on in the 75th minute, the Whites new boy almost scored, Guilavogui seeing a header from a Junior Firpo corner saved in the closing stages as Daniel Farke’s dominant side looked for a fourth goal against Wayne Rooney’s Pilgrims. The victory took Leeds second and Guilavogui was quick to issue a glowing verdict of his first outing as a Leeds player as he also vowed to learn all of the words to iconic club anthem Marching On Together. Taking to his Instagram page, Guilavogui wrote: “What a day to star

By Graham Smyth The YEP’s take and off-camera moments from Saturday’s easy win against Plymouth. Leeds United were as comfortable as they ever will be in their victory over Plymouth Argyle. The Whites had the game won by the 38th minute and could easily have sent Wayne Rooney and co home on the wrong end of a truly humbling scoreline. Here's the YEP take on another Elland Road victory. Good day Ao Tanaka The midfielder has oozed class so far since making his first start for the Whites. He makes football look easy. And fun. Once again it was very difficult to pick fault in his game. There was maybe a misplaced pass but not much else. Argyle sitting so deep allowed him to roam forward and join in the creativity around the area. Joel Piroe Yes, we know he can score, but this performance was much more like it too. He battled, gave defenders a difficult time, linked up with team-mates, created a chance for Sam Chambers and caused mayhem ahead of Brenden Aaronson's goal

By Graham Smyth With new weapons and the same old control Leeds United are quickly becoming a nightmare at Elland Road. What Plymouth Argyle needed as they became the latest LS11 victims was a player who could shoot from halfway. Alas, Wayne Rooney was on the touchline, 'not hearing' the mockery of the crowd, not controlling a stray ball that came his way and not laying a glove on his opposite number. No shots, no corners, no xG [expected goals] and no chance of a result. But for all the Elland Road masses enjoyed poking fun at the former Manchester United man, what else could he do? Setting up with a six-man defence when Leeds had the ball, Plymouth tried to protect themselves and were still beaten inside 38 minutes by which time it was 3-0. Daniel Farke says it shows the respect that teams are giving Leeds. "To be honest, more than 50 per cent of all the teams we've faced have chosen against us a different line-up than they normally do," he said. "I

By Graham Smyth Leeds United boss Daniel Farke is unsure if a Championship game has ever delivered statistics as dominant as his side’s in the 3-0 rout of Plymouth Argyle. Leeds had the game won at the break thanks to goals from Daniel James, Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson. They made light work of an Argyle side sitting deep after James’ spectacular opener from outside the area. Piroe was in the right place to tuck away number two after pinball in the Plymouth penalty area and then Aaronson did the same to make it three inside 38 minutes. The second half was somewhat of a procession and Leeds did take the foot off the gas, but there were chances to add a fourth. Willy Gnonto was played in by Aaronson and pulled his shot wide, while Charlie Crew was denied by keeper Daniel Grimshaw when he struck from distance. Crew was one of three debutants in the second half as Farke gave minutes to free agent signing Josuha Guilavogui and academy teenager Sam Chambers. Wayne Rooney’s men we

By Stuart Rayner Leeds United had a party at Wayne Rooney's expense at Elland Road on Saturday. The last time the former England captain brought a team to the home of the Whites, Birmingham City lost 3-0 and he was sacked the next day. The scoreline was the same when Plymouth Argyle's visited, but mainly because Leeds took pity on them in the second half, prioritising handing out debuts over plumping up their goal difference. Leeds showed patience, ruthlessness then benevolence, keeping something in the tank with a trip to Millwall on Wednesday. They have gone up a gear or two since the October international break when injuries might have suggested the opposite – and they were decent before it. Even the Plymouth manager's touch deserted him when he went to control a ball kicked out of play in his direction in the second half. It was hardly Leeds' fault that Plymouth parked the bus but left the keys in the ignition. The Whites might have battered Bristol City

By Lee Sobot Leeds United stormed into the Championship's automatic promotion places with a 3-0 blitz of old rival Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle side which featured a sideshow Whites ‘treble’. Dan James, Joel Piroe and Brenden Aaronson all bagged a goal apiece as part of an afternoon that featured a hat-trick of debuts for youngsters Sam Chambers and Charlie Crew plus recent free agent signing Josuha Guilavogui. The win sent Leeds second, three points clear of Burnley who visit Millwall on Sunday and just three points behind leaders Sunderland who were held to a goalless draw at QPR. Leeds squandered a good chance to go ahead in just the third minute as a neat cross from Ao Tanaka picked out Joel Piroe who could only send his first-time attempt over the bar from inside the box. United's second attempt at goal arrived five minutes later from Dan James who fired well over from the edge of the area after a short corner. A couple of minutes later, a soft header from Ju

By Joe Donnohue Leeds United manager Daniel Farke hosts his pre-match press conference this afternoon before Plymouth Argyle's visit to Elland Road. Wayne Rooney's last trip to Elland Road ended in defeat and the veteran striker being given his marching orders by previous employer Birmingham City back at the beginning of 2024. The ex-Manchester United forward will be hoping for a different outcome this time around, but three points will be hard to come by based on Leeds' recent form having gone unbeaten in their last seven. Equally, Plymouth's away performances this season have not been indicative of a side likely to cause an upset in LS11, failing to score in six of their seven outings on the road in all competitions. Farke welcomes Junior Firpo back into the fold after his one-match suspension for the accrual of five yellow cards, however full-back on the opposite side Jayden Bogle will sit out the Pilgrims' visit for the same reason. The Leeds boss is l

By Tom Coates Pascal Struijk has opened up on his growth from an introvert into a vocal leader for Leeds United. The Belgium-born defender arrived in England as a teenager, linking up with Leeds as his future with Dutch giants Ajax looked uncertain. After initially linking up with the club’s under-23 side, Struijk developed into a first-team figure under the tutelage of Marcelo Bielsa. Now a senior player at just 25, Struijk has been wearing the captain armband with regular skipper Ethan Ampadu sidelined by injury. Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Struijk said: "When I was younger, I always said no to being captain. I never saw myself as the talking type but the longer I have stayed here and the more I have played, the more I enjoy seeing what I can do to influence other people. "It is an honour to wear it. It gives me good responsibility. I'm up for the challenge. "I was more of an introvert when I came to the club but that has gone a little bit out of the

By Tom Coates Middlesbrough defender Luke Ayling has conceded it “hurt” to end his lengthy association with Leeds United. A firm favourite among fans at Elland Road, Ayling made 268 appearances for the club over the course of seven-and-a-half years. He had been a regular fixture for the Whites in the Premier League but the emergence of Archie Gray pushed him down the pecking order after relegation to the Championship. A loan move to Middlesbrough was sanctioned in January, effectively ending his Leeds career with his contract due to expire later in the year. When his Leeds deal came to an end, he joined Middlesbrough on a permanent basis. Speaking on the ‘My Mate’s A Footballer’ podcast, Ayling said: "I found it tough to leave at the time that I did. I still felt like I could help the team and get them to where they wanted to go. "Leaving Leeds hurt then, and to leave the boys I'd spent five, six, seven years with certainly hurt. But it all came down to myself