Mighty Leeds Weblog

Leeds United caretaker Michael Skubala can look no further than the end of his nose, but his singular focus cannot be shared by those above him. By Graham Smyth Manchester United, away, was all he could think about when handed the role, alongside Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo on Monday, 24 hours after a game and 48 hours prior to another. That situation afforded him just 20 minutes of shape work and though three days have sat between his first and second matches in charge, this week's hectic fixture scheduling has made recovery a priority and ruled out lengthy, extensive work on the training ground. The message from upstairs that he will definitely lead the team into the game at Elland Road was greeted with the same mindset as Monday's conversation with the board. "I'm not planning for anything other than a day-to-day communication with Victor [Orta, director of football] and communication with the board on a day-to-day basis," he said on Friday. ...

TRANSITION Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman What were Leeds United close to at Old Trafford, and how close were they? Playing a game of football involves taking on the day’s opponent but also history, so here’s what Leeds were up to, leading 2-0 at the start of the second half. 28th February 1981 was the last time Leeds won a league game at Old Trafford, 1-0 thanks to Brian Flynn’s goal. You have to go back to 9th February 1974 for the last time the Peacocks led there by two, Joe Jordan and Mick Jones scoring in a 2-0 win. The present situation didn’t give Leeds much hope. The home team had won thirteen in a row at Old Trafford. The away team had just sacked their manager, let their owner tweet about a replacement being sorted, and let themselves be owned on Twitter by West Bromwich Albion. And yet, adversity suits Leeds United. That win in 1974 was the last of a 29 game unbeaten sequence from the start of the season that ultimately sealed a second league title, Leeds Unit...

Leeds United left Old Trafford with a hard-fought point, having prevented Manchester United from completing their comeback job. By Graham Smyth The Whites, under Michael Skubala’s caretaker charge, went 2-0 up against the side in third place in the Premier League, but conceded twice in the second half and came under heavy pressure as Erik Ten Hag’s men looked for a winner that never came. Skubala spoke of his pride at the determination shown by the players to dig out a point in such difficult circumstances, at such a difficult place, visiting Old Trafford just two days after the sacking of Jesse Marsch and in the midst of a long winless run. Here’s the YEP take on a dramatic night on the other side of the Pennines. Good day Willy Gnonto Every day is a good day to be Willy Gnonto. So often the main man in attack of late, he struck brilliantly to give the Whites the lead, boosting his already remarkable popularity with the fans. Turning it on against Manchester United, away...

Leeds United and Michael Skubala sent a message to prospective candidates in the race to replace Jesse Marsch with their 2-2 draw at Manchester United, reports YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth. By Graham Smyth Who would be a manager, at Leeds United? Not so much taking a job as climbing willingly into a pressure cooker, whoever replaces Jesse Marsch will need to be made of stern stuff. Even if the Whites were not perched above the relegation zone on a cushion made only of one place and the magnificent point gained at Manchester United on Wednesday, this would not be a job for the faint hearted. Ask anyone who has walked through the doors of Elland Road and spent any time at all around the place, particularly on matchdays, and they will all trot out the same description. Massive club. As with all clubs boasting size, stature and history, those things breed expectations and thanks to their rise from the Championship back into the Premier League where they belong, Leeds quit...

It was a measure of Leeds Unied's performance at Old Trafford that caretaker manager Michael Skubala said he was "disappointed" not to come away with victory. By Stuart Rayner This despite the fact he had only 20 minutes to prepare the team's shape after being handed temporary control of the team after Monday's training session. The Whites took a 2-0 lead through Willy Gnonto and a Rafael Varane own goal, and although the hosts responded with goals from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, Leeds hit the post with a Brenden Aaronson free-kick in between time. In the end, the points were shared in a 2-2 draw. "I'm really proud of the players, I thought they did really well," said under-21 coach Skubala, asked to take the team as the search for Jesse Marsch's permanent successor goes on. "It's a tough place to come. "We did a good job. I was a little bit disappointed because I thought we did enough to win the game. I tried to ...

After all the criticism Jesse Marsch took for desperately trying to put positive spins on points dropped, it would be churlish not to acknowledge that Leeds United failed to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday night. By Stuart Rayner But as 2-2 draws go, it was a massively encouraging one. "We're Leeds and we're proud of it," the away end sang at full-time, a refreshing change from Sunday's calls for a change in the dugout. Yes, Leeds took a 2-0 lead and were unable to keep it but the history books and form books both tell what a treat a point was. And it could easily have been three, with Brenden Aaronson hitting the base of the post from a free-kick at 2-1. It is 13 years since Leeds last won at Old Trafford, 21 since they beat the Red Devils in a Premier League match and 42 since their previous league victory at the home of their bitterest rivals. Whereas Leeds had won two of their last 17 matches, Manchester United had not lost at h...

Leeds United 2-2 Manchester United: Sancho came off the bench to score his first goal since September and deny the visitors a famous win Richard Jolly If it is a one-game reign, then what a game. Michael Skubala may return to the shadows, to the world of Under-21 management, but only after a heady taste of the limelight. Under the unknown, Leeds ended Manchester United’s run of 13 successive home victories. For an hour, they were on course for a first league victory at Old Trafford in Skubala’s lifetime. But, with and without Jesse Marsch, Leeds have a tendency to lose leads and Manchester United have the resolve to mount a response. Leeds were marching on together without Marsch, contributing to a classic, playing with a verve and a dynamism that may have been a reaction to the manager’s sacking. But, by the end, they only have two wins in 18 league games. Yet it was about a newcomer, a returning hero and the great constant in every Manchester United storyline at the moment. Whe...

PRESSURE COOKER Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Until he started speaking in his press conference at just after noon this Tuesday, and finished about ten minutes later, I hadn’t known how much I needed Michael Skubala in my life. Any injury news? He didn’t want to give that information away at the moment. Will he make any changes from Jesse Marsch’s tactics? There isn’t a lot of time before going to Old Trafford, and the team has been doing a lot of good things, so we might see a few differences but he wouldn’t go into details. Did he speak to Jesse Marsch after he was sacked? Yes, but the conversation was private — Jesse was obviously disappointed. What did he think of Pat Bamford’s comments about tactics at Nottingham Forest? Patrick was just being open with his thoughts. Is there a chance Skubala could take the Leeds job full-time? No. There. Ten past twelve. Done. I felt, by full-time at Nottingham Forest, like I wanted to see anything else but Jesse Marsch’s football...

Leeds United have begun the interview process for Jesse Marsch’s replacement, with the leading candidates all currently in work. By Graham Smyth The Whites sacked Jesse Marsch on Monday following a run of 17 Premier League games that bore just two victories. A 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, with a toothless second half performance, led to an angry response from fans – not for the first time this season – and the board no longer felt they could back the head coach. Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo have been put in caretaker charge of training and will select and lead the team for the Wednesday night trip to Old Trafford, but the club’s efforts to bring in a permanent manager are already well underway. Interviews have started to take place and the frontrunners are all understood to be working managers. Leeds’ hope is that they can bring someone in prior to Sunday’s game against Manchester United at Elland Road, but potential negotiations over the candidate they op...

Leeds United’s Under-21 head coach Michael Skubala admits the striking options at his disposal are making his job difficult as Max Dean netted the side’s fifth hat-trick of the campaign By Joe Donnohue One of Leeds’ greatest ironies this season is that while a consistent, well-suited No. 9 at first-team level continues to elude Jesse Marsch, they’re bursting at the seams with them in the Under-21s. Teenage forward Max Dean took home the match ball following United’s 4-2 win over Newcastle in Premier League 2 Division 2 on Monday afternoon, netting three times during the second half to send Leeds six points clear at the top. In addition to Mateo Joseph’s three hat-tricks and Patrick Bamford’s triple for the junior side, Dean’s exploits mean the team have collectively scored five hat-tricks in nine PL2 fixtures this season. Mirroring the first-team’s high-scoring win over AFC Bournemouth at the weekend, Leeds went a goal in front early on, Kris Moore finding the net with a toweri...

Leeds United's Under-21 side defeated Middlesbrough’s youngsters at the North East club’s Rockliffe training base on Saturday lunchtime By Joe Donnohue Leeds’ unbeaten run in Premier League 2 Division 2 continued at the weekend as Michael Skubala’s youngsters came from behind to defeat Middlesbrough 4-2. A hat-trick from star striker Mateo Joseph, as well as a cultured effort from Sean McGurk, secured all three points for the young Whites who went in at the break a goal down. Italy international Willy Gnonto made another appearance for the junior side as he awaits a first-team bow and was substituted at half-time, along with Darko Gyabi and James Debayo as United trailed their hosts. Shortly after the restart, Joseph pounced on Sonny Perkins’ rebounded effort to level proceedings, before McGurk bent a second past Boro ‘keeper Nathan Fisher. It was a case of ‘right place, right time’ for the young Spaniard on Saturday lunchtime as substitute Joe Snowdon provided the opportun...

STILL HUNGRY Written by: Rob Conlon Leeds United’s Under-21s have been the richest source of fun at the club this season, and those of us living vicariously through the kids know the Papa John’s Trophy is where it’s at. Shellacking Tranmere’s grown-ups 5-3 in the opening match of the tournament — fun! Joffy Gelhardt teasing the opposition goalie about the swerve of his shots — what a laugh! A tournament named after pizza — I love pizza! But Tranmere are dossing around in League Two, and Leeds’ trip to Bolton for their second group fixture quickly felt like it might not be an equivalent extravaganza. Bolton are seventh in the division above Tranmere, one point off fourth in League One. Without Joffy, Sam Greenwood, Willy Gnonto, or Leo Hjelde, the gremlins who ran rings around Tranmere were made to look like schoolkids playing against the big lads a couple of years above. In those scenarios, even the smaller ones seem more intimidating by association, just by standing next to the ...

SUNDERLAND SHUT-OUT Written by: Rob Conlon The bad news is that Sonny Perkins isn’t going to score in every game he ever plays in a Leeds shirt. The good news is he doesn’t have to. For the first time since leaving West Ham to choke on their bubbles, Perkins played a game of football and didn’t score a goal. At Sunderland on Monday night, Leeds Under-21s scored the fewest goals they have scored in a match all season, but keeping only their second clean sheet of the campaign meant Willy Gnonto’s first in a Leeds shirt was enough for a 1-0 win. It keeps them top of the Premier League 2’s second tier, too. From second bottom of the division, Sunderland weren’t supposed to provide one of Leeds’ toughest tests of the season so far. Their line-up showed how football as an industry has become obsessed with the developing and trading of teenagers, and that the spontaneity of a player’s progression can never be predicted by a formula of data, scouting, and logic. Sunderland’s team feature...

Leeds United U21s boss Michael Skubala has revealed the thinking behind tactical tinkering aimed at getting more out of Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood. By Graham Smyth Both youngsters started in Monday night's 1-0 Premier League 2 win at Sunderland, a game won thanks to Willy Gnonto's first goal for the Whites. The 18-year-old might already have experienced goalscoring at senior international level for Italy, but he was still delighted to hit the net for the 21s. Skubala felt Gnonto could have added a second and even a third, too. "He's got his first, he's really happy," said the 21s head coach. "I think he was lively, I think he got a couple more [chances] so he could have had a couple more [goals] as the game went on, but I think he's happy to get a goal." If Gnonto's first was the highlight, the biggest downside to the evening was the sight of Harvey Sutcliffe hobbling off injured in the second half. "We're going t...

Leeds United Under 21s coach Michael Skubala replaced Willy Gnonto to 'calm' the situation in Tuesday night's Papa John's Trophy win. By Graham Smyth The transfer deadline day signing was enjoying himself on and off the ball, showing his ability to retain possession under pressure and flashing a grin to Tranmere players and fans in a second half that threatened to boil over at times. Leeds had gone down to 10 men after Sam Greenwood's straight red card and Gnonto was booked three minutes from time for preventing the hosts from taking a throw-in. He then engaged in some dialogue with Tranmere skipper Lee O'Connor at a number of stoppages in play and Skubala thought it sensible to withdraw the winger, who could be involved in the matchday squad for the first team trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday. "I thought Willy was really good on the ball," said the 21s head coach after the 5-3 victory. "In the end I took him off just to calm it you kn...

Leeds United Under-21s head coach Michael Skubala held a press conference on Thursday morning ahead of his side’s PL2 encounter with Southampton this weekend By Joe Donnohue Leeds United’s Premier League calendar has been thrown into disarray with the postponement of senior fixtures versus Nottingham Forest and Manchester United in consecutive weeks. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II and her subsequent state funeral mean United face a 29-day break between first-team games, however during that time the club’s youngsters will continue to feature, a total of three times in all. Ahead of this weekend’s Premier League 2 encounter with Southampton at Elland Road, Under-21s coach Michael Skubala has been speaking to the media. He revealed that deadline day signing Wilfried Gnonto will be ‘in contention’ to feature against the Saints’ youngsters in front of what could end up being 10,000 Leeds fans eager to get their first glimpse of the Italy international. "I'm really lo...

Leeds United’s Under-21 side defeated Nottingham Forest’s development squad 5-1 on Monday afternoon By Joe Donnohue Goals from Charlie Allen, Darko Gyabi, Sonny Perkins, Alfie McCalmont and Max Dean capped a five-star display from Michael Skubala’s young Leeds side on Monday as the Whites continued their unbeaten run in Premier League 2 this season. Despite going behind during the first half, Leeds battled well to break down Nottingham Forest’s deep defensive line and went in level at the break following a deserved Charlie Allen strike. Leeds returned for the second forty-five with the bit between their teeth, determined not to be thwarted as they had been in the first half. Spurred on by Skubala and his coaching staff who encouraged and applauded the high press, Leeds forced opportunities, leaving Forest players to bemoan a porous 25 minutes. Gyabi’s 30-yard effort at goal squirmed in under goalkeeper Ryan Hammond to give Leeds the advantage, and the Whites could smell blo...