Mighty Leeds Weblog

By Stuart Rayner Asking Daniel Farke to pick out the most important matches of Leeds United's 2025-26 is a bit like asking him to name his favourite child. But it is clear that a lot of what was so good about the Whites' first season back in the Premier League came out of defeats and setbacks. It speaks volumes for the resilience of Farke and players like Brenden Aaronson that they were able to use them in the right way. Learning from mistakes is an important part of life, never mind football, but not all managers get the chance, with some chairman prone to panic at the first sign of trouble and reach for the P45. Leeds must be mightily relieved they gave Farke the opportunity. For many of us, the 3-2 defeat at Manchester City felt like a turning point for Leeds, but in trying not to answer the question, it was perhaps telling that Farke reached for September's 1-0 reverse at Craven Cottage first. "It was a long season, a marathon, and in a marathon each ...

Daniel Farke has won supporters over with his exploits at Leeds United this season Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Daniel Farke proved critics wrong this season, shrugging off the doubts about his ability to keep Leeds United in the Premier League. The manager appeared to be on the brink in November before a dramatic U-turn amid a switch to a back three formation changed the club’s fortunes and ultimately his own reputation. Reports that broke last year suggested those in the 49ers hierarchy had concerns about Farke’s chances of securing safety for Leeds and pondered over replacing him, despite having just won the Championship title by a club record points. Whether accurate speculation or not, Farke had a point to prove back in England’s top flight, to the wider football community but also to some Leeds supporters themselves with angst in the fanbase over Farke’s Premier League acumen following relegation and then dismissal in his two Premier League campaigns at cash-stri...

By Stuart Rayner Daniel Farke used the pulling power of Elland Road in last summer's transfer window and plans to do the same again as Leeds United look to upgrade their squad for a second season in the Premier League. The historic ground has a reputation as something of a bear pit, and it served Leeds well last season. Only bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers won a higher percentage of their points at home in 2025-26. Work is now underway on expanding capacity from the current 37,645 capacity to what will ultimately be 53,000, and it is vital the matchday atmosphere is not diluted by it. Manager Farke, inset, will certainly be unafraid to trade off the fanbase with his next batch of transfer targets. “In my first conversations with Anton Stach and Seb Bornauw, I told them, 'Listen, if you want to have a feeling how Elland Road is, go on YouTube and all the channels, and have a look.’ “I think this impressed them a lot. “Of course there are many more poi...

Balaclava Man Written by: Rob Conlon David Ekin can still remember the exact moment his friend Andy Metcalfe fashioned the makeshift balaclava that became one of the defining images in Leeds United’s history. “It was February 1975,” Ekin says over a cup of tea in the living room of his home in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. “Middlesbrough away. We won 1-0, Allan Clarke scored. A load of us went up on a train from York and we stopped at Darlington. It was early in the morning. I think the pubs opened at half ten, so we got into this boozer and we could see Andy on his own in the corner up to something. He had his woolly hat and he was smoking. He came up with the idea of burning two holes in it so he could see, and then burned a hole for his mouth so he could keep smoking.” Ekin was friendlier with Metcalfe’s younger brother, Rob. “Andy wasn’t really a big mixer with the lads,” he says. “He was a bit of a lone wolf. You had to keep an eye on him because he was always up to some...

By Graham Smyth Morrie Eisenberg contributed to the Elland Road expansion plans while at Leeds United. Leeds United have confirmed the summer departure of one of the top Elland Road executives. Morrie Eisenberg is to leave the club this summer to take up the CEO role at San Diego Wave in the National Women's Soccer League. Eisenberg arrived at Elland Road in October 2023 and has held the role of chief business officer. He was tasked with input into the Elland Road redevelopment plan, commercial revenue streams and business operations. Managing director Robbie Evans said: "While I am disappointed to see Morrie leave, I am grateful for his effort and impact over the last three years. Much as with players, when you employ excellent people who produce excellent results, sometimes the unfortunate effect is that they will attract interest elsewhere. "Morrie and I first met three years ago in discussing if we should leave our old lives behind to try and help Leeds Unit...

A letter to supporters. Dear Leeds United supporters, With the season now finished, following an extraordinary effort by everybody connected to this great football club, I am immensely proud to have achieved our goal of securing another season in the Premier League. While this year brought memorable highs and difficult moments, Daniel and the squad delivered a special campaign. In a league where promoted clubs usually struggle, survival in our first season back is a significant accomplishment. We are also especially proud to have recorded our first league win at Old Trafford since 1981 and to have reached our first FA Cup semi-final since 1987. This season, clearly one of the determining factors for the squad was your energy at Elland Road - we collected 32 points on home soil. We will need that energy next season to ensure it remains a fortress. I said last year that the road ahead would not be easy - that is still true. History shows that the second season in the Premier Le...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United's fine Premier League campaign ended with a whimper at relegated West Ham United. Daniel Farke described the 3-0 defeat at London Stadium as a 'game too far' without key players, despite welcoming back Pascal Struijk and Jayden Bogle from their respective injuries. The Whites wilted in the intense heat and though the Hammers ran out victorious, time ran out on their stint in the top flight.Here's the YEP take. Good day Jaka Bijol. The Slovenian was the best of the bunch against West Ham and defended his box with the usual gusto. Few others matched his reliability all afternoon. It was only 1-0 when he went off. Travelling fans. The mood was relaxed en route to the capital and it was largely a party atmosphere in the away section throughout. They poked fun at their soon-to-be-relegated rivals all afternoon and enjoyed themselves in the sun. The relentless chants listing West Ham’s 2026/27 opposition were as merciless as they were am...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United finished an impressive 2025/26 Premier League season in uncharacteristic style in a game that signposted the way forward. Enjoying a final game of the season in the sun is a reward only afforded to some. Leeds fans were sweating simply because it was the hottest day of the year for their team who left the relegation conversation a long time ago. West Ham were sweating the result and a potential return to the Championship. And on the pitch Daniel Farke's players sweated, toiled and ultimately did not enjoy a game that went very differently to so many that preceded it. Any team that loses 3-0 having been marked safe from the drop before the finale is going to face accusations of being on the beach. Leeds' own social media account poked a little fun in that direction with a pre-match graphic showing captain Ethan Ampadu with a beach bag travelling up an underground escalator, with a gloved figure bearing a resemblance to Hammers man Crysencio Sum...

Progress must continue as Leeds have been shown the Premier League dangers that await Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter In a season of such highs, such fight and such vigour, Leeds United put in a final day performance that lacked any of that, with some away fans leaving the London Stadium believing players were thinking more about the beach than the ball. If there was any thought that these survival heroes had earned the right to go down 3-0 to a Championship-bound West Ham United, the reaction at full time from those online quickly shot it down. Fans pay good money to watch Leeds and at times on Sunday they produced some sore sights. There are mitigating circumstances, though. United had five senior players out including three midfielders. West Ham needed to win to have any chance of survival. Nothing was on the line for them. Leeds were playing away, with 60,000 home fans urging their own team to get the result needed - though this dissipated after Tottenham Hotspur took...

By Graham Smyth Reaction from Leeds United boss Daniel Farke to the final day 3-0 defeat at West Ham. Leeds United's season finished in uncharacteristic fashion as a sloppy performance was punished by West Ham United, who were relegated regardless. On the hottest day of the year Leeds' second half performance was sleepy and errors in and out of possession cost them at London Stadium. The Hammers' 3-0 win was not enough to keep them in the Premier League due to Spurs' victory over Everton, while Leeds finished 14th. Farke went into the game without the likes of Anton Stach and Noah Okafor, but was able to welcome back Pascal Struijk and Jayden Bogle from injury. And even if it was largely meaningless contest for an already-safe Leeds, Farke was disappointed in particular with the second half. "We wanted to finish a fantastic season with a better result," he said. "It was probably one game too many without too many key players. In recent weeks w...

By Stuart Rayner In the heat of the final day of a wonderful Premier League season for them, Leeds United could not find the extra reserves to sign off with a win and 50 points. In the end, it did not matter too much. Leeds have been safe from relegation for a while, and Tottenham Hotspur's 1-0 victory at home to Everton meant their 3-0 win could not save West Ham United. Leeds were not at full throttle on a tough day to be running around, but as with the other two games since Premier League safety was secured, neither were they lying down. West Ham applied more pressure, Leeds created better chances. They had the first good one, in the eighth minute. Whether James Justin was shooting or passing does not matter a great deal but Lukas Nmecha, deputising for Anton Stach, shinned his shot well wide. Pablo's volley into the ground could have been goalbound but Tomas Souceck chose to gave it a helping hand – or head – and flicked over after 16 minutes during a spell of pre...

By Lee Sobot Leeds United travelled to relegation-battling West Ham on Sunday’s final day of the Premier League season. Leeds United's eight game unbeaten league run was ended in abrupt fashion by a final day 3-0 defeat at a West Ham United side heading for next season's Championship. Leeds went into Sunday's final day clash with their top flight status already secured but with West Ham needing a victory and also a win for Everton at Tottenham in order to avoid the drop. After Leeds squandered several good chances to go in front, West Ham completed their end of the bargain as goals from Taty Castellanos, Jarrod Bowen and Callum Wilson sealed a comfortable win against a disappointing Whites. Tottenham, though, who only needed a draw, recorded a final day 1-0 win at home to Everton to send West Ham down along with already relegated pair Burnley and Wolves. With Everton and Newcastle United both losing, a victory for Leeds would have sealed a 12th-placed finish but...

By Graham Smyth Daniel Farke with an update on talks with the Leeds United board about the club’s future. Leeds United manager Daniel Farke says that he and the board are in talks over their immediate and mid-term future plans. The German's press conference to preview last Sunday's win over Brighton included a lengthy discussion on the need to sit down and find alignment on how the club plans to proceed having secured safety. Farke spoke of achieving all the goals that were set when he signed his four-year contract in 2023 and how that project was ending so a new one had to be laid out. He also made it clear that there needed to be ambition and a desire to develop, and he would only lead a project if he remained in charge of the sporting decisions. This week, ahead of the Premier League finale at West Ham United, Farke said that there are talks going on behind the scenes. And he senses ambition. "I'm not addicted too much to a three-year vision," he sa...

The Bank of England Club were rumoured to be ready to bust the bank to get the signature of John Charles from Leeds United, and Sunderland legend Raich Carter, the Peacocks’ manager, was ready to do business. by Kelvin.Beattie Argus had tracked and reported this story with some enthusiasm in the Sunderland Echo in the spring of 1955. It was not the first time he had committed to print to tell readers the club were chasing the signature of “this great player”. Sunderland were known as the Bank of England club in the 1950s. Under the stewardship of chairman Ted Ditchburn and his board, they spent unprecedented amounts of money to buy in the best individual players of the age in an attempt to recapture the glories of halcyon days. With Bill Murray as manager for all of this ‘Bank of England’ period, Sunderland had just enjoyed their best-ever season (1954/55) in this era. They finished fourth in the First Division and got to the semi-final of the FA Cup, where they were knocked ou...

The economic potential of Yorkshire is evidently not being fulfilled. The scale of the prize was clear from the real estate investment and infrastructure forum UKREiiF, taking place in Leeds. The Mayor of West Yorkshire announced plans for a Mayoral Development Zone in Leeds that could accelerate 20,000 new homes for the city and boost major infrastructure projects like the redevelopment of Elland Road is a glimpse of what could be possible if vision is paired with political will. The plans would see former industrial land being put to good use with housing greatly needed in the region. This needs to be accompanied by investment in transport infrastructure. Namely the need for a tram network across West Yorkshire. The importance of delivering the West Yorkshire mass transit network was underscored by Leeds United director Peter Lowy. Mr Lowy makes a convincing argument for the first phase of the West Yorkshire mass transit project to run trams to Elland Road. He says that it wo...

Daniel Farke has just over 12 months left on his contract and the 49ers will have to make a renewal call Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter If there was any doubt that the ball is in the 49ers' court when it comes to Daniel Farke’s contract, the Leeds United manager’s comments last week extinguished it. His daring decision to go strong on his demands of the board’s forward vision this summer, though hardly controversial, was pre-meditated and purposeful. It leads the observer to ponder why he decided to make such comments when he did. While the main contents - to be "ambitious" in the next three to five years and keep evolving - is exactly what fans want to hear, his suggestion of wanting to retain the "final say" on sporting matters and that he needed to be “convinced” of the next stage leaves supporters staring back at club chiefs. This is not the first time Farke has sent a message to hierarchy by the vessel of a press conference, having done so be...

Get the traffic cone Written by: Rob Conlon The beach balls were out and so was half of Leeds United’s team. In the last home game of the season, Sebastiaan Bornauw was playing his first ninety minutes in the Premier League at Elland Road. The bench was filled by kids yet to make their debuts. And by the end of the game, Leeds were operating with Wilf Gnonto at right-back and Joel Piroe at right midfield. There was no need for Leeds to win this game and that was as good a reason as any. The whole afternoon was a microcosm of the campaign, the weather oscillating between autumn, winter, spring and summer all in the space of a few hours, 93 minutes of patient resilience followed by the sweet release of jubilation and a chance to celebrate every member of this team for one last time. Hello, goodbye, United are back! Of those 93 preceding minutes, I can’t remember a great deal. The sparse notes I made on my phone reflect a care free afternoon that, in the case of Samu Saiz’s name b...

By Graham Smyth Leeds United proved against Brighton that you can have half an eye on the future and still do your job in the present. The Whites' smash and grab victory in their final home outing perfectly encapsulated their entire Premier League return. All season long they have remained competitive and therefore in with a chance of points. Against Brighton they came under serious pressure, defended for their lives and then won it by pouncing ruthlessly on a stoppage time error. Daniel Farke spent much of his pre-game presser talking about the future, both his and the club's. In his eyes the only possible way forward, together, is to be ambitious and not stand still. That was the backdrop to this encounter with a side who have firmly established themselves as a Premier League force and shown ambition that is close to being rewarded with European football. For Elland Road, some of which was bathed in sunshine, it was not a time for worrying too much about what is to co...

Leeds United never do things the easy way but under Daniel Farke, they make a way Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter This season has been one of grit, resilience and showing teeth. Daniel Farke has engineered a side that the Leeds United fans love to get behind - one that fights to the end and thereby represents the club in the best way. It might not always be pretty but it gets the job done. Leeds started the season with a grinding 1-0 win over Everton and ended it with an attritional 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion yesterday. The Seagulls were playing for something, needing a win to keep their outside Champions League hopes alive. That made the result all the more pleasing, and it showcased United’s mentality given they themselves had nothing to play for. This was best typified by Wilfried Gnonto - who has had limited game time this season with interest from Freiburg sure to be the first of many summer enquiries - heading away a vital header towards the end. ...