'Sorry but even the journalists' — Leeds United surprise statement revisited after absolute proof — YEP 22/4/25

By Graham Smyth

With Leeds United's Premier League status confirmed Daniel Farke has revealed the thinking behind his most uncharacteristic statement of the season.

Farke and his players celebrated long after their 6-0 win over Stoke City at Elland Road and Burnley's win over Sheffield United that sent both the Whites and the Clarets into the top flight automatically. The Blades face the daunting prospect of the play-offs having fallen eight points behind the joint leaders with two games to go. Leeds players, staff and Farke gathered on the stadium's East Stand steps to celebrate with thousands of supporters before a party inside the stadium and then an after-party at the DoubleTree by Hilton's Sky Lounge.

Daniel Farke consistency

Farke has been the picture of consistency ever since he was appointed by Leeds to try and get them back up into the Premier League. His press conferences verge on the predictable most weeks, regardless of the result, thanks to his personal mantra of never getting too high after wins or too low after defeats. Speaking after wins he will almost inevitably recognise a 'priceless three points' and deliver 'only compliments to my lads.' When Leeds draw, especially away from home, he normally highlights the result's importance because he doesn't like to 'underestimate a priceless point on the road.' And when they lose, if they played well, he will be 'far away from criticising my lads.'

But when Leeds drew at Luton, their third consecutive stalemate, having won just one of their last six, the reaction that Farke saw and heard from the away end and the response that he knew would come from the outside world prompted him to state, on the record, his '100 per cent belief' that Leeds would earn promotion. Whether by finishing in the top two or winning the play-offs, he was adamant the Whites would go up. It raised eyebrows in the press room at Kenilworth Road as he said it and it was a big part of the discussion following the game as Leeds fans made their way home. At the time there was an air of bombast to it but hindsight has shown it to be entirely spot on.

Farke’s eyebrow-raising statement

Farke says experience has taught him that there is a time to not only deliver a message to the players and fans but to the media and commentators around your club.

"When you are a bit longer in this business and sadly a bit older you need to feel what the players need sometimes," he said. "We like to stay humble and never lose the ground under our feet but when you work for such an emotional club, the world goes down and everyone panics after each and every draw. As manager of Leeds United you don't just have to lead the players, you have to lead the fans, sorry but sometimes even the journalists if I'm honest, especially the pundits. We have more pundits than any other team in the Premier League and they also have sometimes great ideas and thoughts. And everyone who works for this club is a die-hard supporter. Everyone is a supporter and this club is panicking so much, it's one of the reasons why this club is promoted just once in 35 years and this was during Corona with no supporters in the stadium. You have to calm the nerves down."

Farke is adamant that he believed every word, too. And what he and his team have delivered since have shown why. They beat Middlesbrough, Preston North End and Oxford United by single-goal margins and then blew Stoke away with a six-goal salvo at Elland Road when the pressure was at its peak. Easter Monday's events proved beyond doubt that what Farke said he knew on April 5 was the absolute truth.

"I was really convinced," said Farke. "When you have an away draw at Luton it's a good result. Sometimes even a home draw against West Brom after a pretty busy period is important. I was 100 per cent convinced we would get promoted. Normally I don't like to speak about this in public but sometimes you sense it's the time to show some steel and it was the reason I spoke publicly about it. But I would never lie. If this wouldn't be my deep believing I wouldn't say this after an away draw when everyone was panicking a bit. I meant it."