Mighty Leeds Weblog

SIT DOWN Written by: David Guile Listen up, because I don’t say this lightly. As much as it pains me to admit it, I think I actually agree with Jake Humphrey on something. If you missed the passionate dismantling on a recent edition of the TSB Podcast’s Propaganda, let me bring you up to speed. On a previous edition of his High Performance Podcast, Jake attributed the success of his broadcasting career to a piece of advice given by a former boss, who told him to “never sit in the comfy chair”. Roughly translated, this means that the only way to maximise your potential is to accept that comfort is not a good thing. I’m not really on board with this, which is why I’m writing this blog rather than putting the finishing touches to my fifteenth bestseller. It feels like corporate guff crafted to make you feel inadequate, so that you’ll turn to Jake’s podcast in pursuit of this idealised version of yourself. I’m writing this from north Leeds rather than Monaco, but I’m happy with lif...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch has outlined his plan for exciting teen striker Joe Gelhardt, fresh from a "great" display in a Whites "test match". By Lee Sobot England youth international Gelhardt joined Leeds as an 18-year-old from Wigan Athletic in August 2020 and the teen immediately began impressing for the club's under-23s. The striker was then handed his first team debut by former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa in the EFL Cup tie at Fulham of September last year and the forward has continually impressed when handed further chances in the side. Just over six months on from making his debut, Gelhardt has still only had two league starts but new boss Marsch has provided a strong hint that the 19-year-old young star is about to play a much more prominent role. The striker known as 'Joffy' stepped off the bench to score a 94th-minute winner in last month's hosting of Norwich City which presented Marsch's third game in charge and the White...

PULLED BACK IN Written by: David Guile I’m conscious the tone of my posts has shifted considerably since I began in August with a light-hearted piece about fantasy football. It’s got steadily darker and grittier, like a succession of Batman reboots, culminating in my last offering, a Bielsa tribute as cheerful as a night trapped in a lift with Kasper Schmeichel. That’s the Leeds United effect, I suppose. This doesn’t sit comfortably with me, because at my core I’m an optimist. Contrary to popular wisdom, I think all Leeds fans are optimists on some level, even you. In fact, especially you. What rational reason was there for sticking around through all those years of decline and humiliation unless you believed, deep down, things were one day going to be better? Things did get better, thanks to Marcelo Bielsa. And then, in time-honoured fashion, they started going wrong again. Nothing opens up divisions within a fanbase like six straight defeats and the sacking of a popular manag...

In his latest column for leedsunited.com, lifelong supporter Jon Howe reflects on the scenes following last Sunday's winner against Norwich City. Howe is the author of two books on the club, ‘The Only Place For Us: An A-Z History of Elland Road’ - which has been updated as a new version for 2021 - and ‘All White: Leeds United’s 100 Greatest Players’ in 2012. If anyone expected Leeds United to quietly roll over and die, they were in for a disappointment. Although, let’s face it, we were beginning to have grave doubts ourselves. But Leeds United’s historic ability to slide seamlessly between the sublime and the ridiculous should not be a surprise to anybody and hence, there was always a chance that, between Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, they would transform from dogs of despair into doves of beauty. Such is life and so it has always been. The doubts come when you witness the manner of the defeats, and the body language and you see a hollow distance in the eyes, where th...

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch is facing the media this morning ahead of Friday night's Premier League clash at Wolves, and you can follow everything that is said here. By Lee Sobot The Whites will be looking to build on Sunday's epic 2-1 victory at home to Norwich City in which Joe Gelhardt struck a 94th-minute winner, just three minutes after Kenny McLean's strike had cancelled out Rodrigo's opener. The triumph ended a run of six-straight defeats and put 16th-placed Leeds four points clear of the drop zone but with second-bottom Burnley who are five points adrift having two games in hand. Wolves, meanwhile, will be seeking to land a third win on the bounce on Friday evening having followed last Thursday's 4-0 victory at home to Watford with Sunday's 1-0 success at Everton. Bruno Lage's side have now won seven of their last 11 league games. On Phillips being local and the heartbeat of the team “You are absolutely correct about that. The ...

Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford made his first start in 25 weeks against Norwich City at Elland Road on Sunday. By Flora Snelson The Whites forward, who scored 17 Premier League goals last season, has mostly had to watch from the sidelines as United have limped through their second top-flight campaign. The cavalry looked to have well and truly arrived when Bamford made a show-stopping return from a nine-game injury lay-off against Brentford in December as the number nine scored a late equaliser to rescue a point for his side. But the striker's impact was short-lived, as the celebration that followed his equaliser prompted another lengthy spell off the pitch. Jesse Marsch was anxious, therefore, about the pace of Bamford's return - too much too soon, and the American risked losing the forward to injury again. Following a successful second-half introduction against Aston Villa, Bamford returned to the starting line-up for Leeds' crucial bottom-of-the-table cl...

SHAKE A HAND MAKE A FRIEND Written by: Rob Conlon Dean Smith, with his face like a processed fart, once kept Aston Villa in the Premier League thanks to a one in nine thousand error with goal line technology. But if you were to believe anything he’ll tell you, he just can’t catch a break. I’ve seen enough of Smith having his teams’ mediocrity — and cheating — rewarded at Elland Road, and watching him celebrating Kenny McLean’s equaliser for Norwich on Sunday added to my conviction that good things aren’t allowed to happen to Leeds United, and if they do, we have to pay for them with interest. But Norwich didn’t win on Sunday. They lost, and Leeds won. And just when I thought it couldn’t be any funnier, Smith went into his post-match press conference and told the media: “First of all, I have to go and pick myself up and put a brave face on. It is my daughter’s birthday, so I will go and see her and have a bite to eat. Then I will get round to lifting the players.” You might not ...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch got his first taste of Elland Road magic in a dramatic late win over Norwich City. By Graham Smyth Good day Joe Gelhardt Winning a header like that is a big moment in itself for one of Gelhardt's stature, but the goal will live with him forever. The first of many no doubt but a hugely important one for his club. Perfect centre-forward play, winning the ball in midfield and being in the box to convert seconds later. Rodrigo Much more like it. Night and day contrast between the Villa performance and this one. The goal clearly meant a lot to him, as did the celebration with his team-mates and the staff. Beyond the goal, he was bright, aggressive and infinitely better than the last time he played at Elland Road. Repaid Jesse Marsch's faith in full. The only shame was the quad tightness that forced him off on 60 minutes. Patrick Bamford There was no goal - and there should have been - but 177 days after his last start it must have meant...

GELHARDT VS GRAVITY Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman I’ll never think it had to be this way this season, or these last two weeks. But maybe this game had to be this way. Jesse Marsch says he came to work in Europe to experience the real history and culture of football, but he still had never, because he only worked for Red Bull who destroy it when they see it. At Elland Road, Sunday 13th March 2022 was the first day of the rest of Jesse Marsch’s life. “I think on my deathbed I will remember this,” he said. Budge up, Leeds fans, make some room on the mattress. Stoppage time, when Norwich City shattered Leeds’ hopes with an equaliser, then Joe Gelhardt rebuilt a dream, was a once in Jesse’s lifetime experience. But at Leeds we don’t have to go back very far. Mark Viduka against Arsenal in 2003? Jonny Howson against Carlisle, Jermaine Beckford against Bristol Rovers in League One? The Christmas one-two from Kemar Roofe against Aston Villa and Blackburn? Pablo Hernandez at Swa...

Stuart Dallas hailed the importance of Illan Meslier's injury-time stop as Leeds United beat relegation rivals Norwich City 2-1 at Elland Road on Sunday. By Flora Snelson Joe Gelhardt stepped off the bench to score a late winner for Leeds and boost the Whites' hopes of avoiding relegation from the Premier League. After Gelhardt restored United's lead, Meslier's opposite number, Tim Krul, joined the Norwich attack for a corner at the other end of the field in the game's dying minutes. The Yellows 'keeper volleyed the ball in behind the Whites' back line where it fell to Norwich's top scorer Teemu Pukki, but Meslier was on hand to stop the striker's effort. The save kept the scoreline at 2-1 and ensured Leeds claimed all three points from a crucial bottom-of-the-table battle. The win, sealed in front of a raucous crowd of 36,321, puts United four points clear of the drop zone and prevents bottom-placed Norwich from gaining ground on them. ...

It took an afternoon of wild drama and barely in-check emotions, but Leeds United have finally snapped their losing streak with a huge win in a relegation battle with Norwich City. By Graham Smyth Football, to borrow from the lexicon of Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch, is ‘awesome’ again. When it delivers moments like the one that turned Elland Road into a sea of bodies in the 94th minute, there are few words more apt. Raw emotion exploded forth in all four stands. There was drama as far as the eye could see. From the boyish glee of match winner Joe Gelhardt, verging on disbelief at what he had just done, to the pure relief of Raphinha and Jesse Marsch, Leeds was United in feeling once more. A good first step against Leicester City had given way to a backwards leap against Aston Villa, cranking up the pressure, tension and uncertainty about the club’s precarious Premier League position and the suitability of this new man in the technical area. None of that mattered as ...

Joe Gelhardt did his best to describe the crazy Elland Road atmosphere after his 94th-minute winner finally sunk Norwich City to earn a 'needed' three points in Leeds United's survival bid. By Lee Sobot Leeds looked on course to land a straightforward victory after Rodrigo fired the Whites into a 14th-minute lead but United then squandered a host of opportunities to pull further ahead. Norwich then had a second-half penalty chalked off after the intervention of VAR but the Canaries looked to have bagged a point when Kenny McLean tucked home Teemu Pukki's cross in the 91st minute. Yet Leeds ensured there was one final dramatic twist as Gelhardt got himself in the right position at the right time to convert Raphinha's pull back into the box. His strike ensured fifth-bottom United ended a run of six straight defeats with a precious victory and the site of the goal bulging created crazy scenes inside Elland Road. "It was an unbelievable feeling when I...

Leeds United head coach Jesse Marsch will take the memory of Joe Gelhardt's late Elland Road winner against Norwich City to his deathbed. By Graham Smyth Marsch watched his men produce a vastly-improved display than the one that led to a 3-0 defeat by Aston Villa on Thursday, at home to the league's bottom side, and Leeds were well worth the three points. But it took incredible drama to seal a first win in nine outings, one that snapped a six-game losing streak. Leeds led from the 14th minute, Rodrigo opening the scoring with a goal Norwich City disputed due to Patrick Bamford's offside position. VAR Mike Dean deduced that Bamford, who got his first start since September, was not interfering with play however and allowed it to stand. Dean was involved throughout, checking a Luke Ayling tackle that could easily have earned him a red card instead of the yellow he received, and then recommending referee Stuart Attwell take a look at his penalty decision for Ayling...

Leeds United won an incredible game against relegation rivals Norwich City. By Stuart Rayner Both sides hit the crossbar - Leeds twice, Norwich had a penalty awarded then overturned after a VAR intervention and each side scored in stoppage time. Illan Meslier – a crucial save right at the end as well as setting up the winner 8 Diego Llorente – enjoyed a game of that nature 7 Pascal Struijk – a solid performance 7 Stuart Dallas – looked comfortable at left-back 6 Mateusz Klich – put in the hard graft in midfield before moving up a line into the hole 6 Adam Forshaw – his tenacity midfield was a big part of the game 7 Dan James – all energy without the end product 7 Rodrigo – not always perfect in his tackling but his sheer hunger to make them set the tone for Leeds - and he showed quality on the ball too 8 Raphinha – good at many things except his finishing, it was just not looking like his day after he twice hit the crossbar but he refused to accept it, setting up ...

Marsch saw his team concede a 91st minute equaliser and sent Gelhardt on, seconds later the teenager scored a winner Mike McGrath   AT ELLAND ROAD In American sport they call it a "Hail Mary". Jesse Marsch had just seen his Leeds United team concede a 91st-minute equaliser so sent on Joe Gelhardt as a substitute. Seconds later the teenager had scored a winning goal and earned Marsch his first victory in English football. It sparked bedlam at Elland Road. Victor Orta, Leeds’ sporting director, broke down in tears in the directors’ box. Substitutes mobbed Gelhardt as he jumped into the crowd. This victory breathed life into their bid for Premier League survival, on an afternoon Marsch says he will remember until he dies. The Wisconsin-born coach has won titles in Austria but had not experienced the emotion of a last-gasp win in front of Leeds supporters. “I was asked if I’ll remember this in two weeks,” said Marsch. “I’ll remember this on my deathbed. The points are b...

There were plenty of things Leeds United did not quite get right against Norwich City but the result was not one of them. By Stuart Rayner For the first time since mid-January, the Whites won a game of football but only after causing cardiac arrests galore. The value of their 2-1 win over Norwich City was immeasurable, and if anyone was in any doubt, they could feel it from the sheer relief pouring from the terraces at full-time. The disgusted purists who would have lost interest long before the end missed out on a stunning conclusion as a Leeds team whose failure to kill the game off were punished for it in stoppage time, only to win it with a goal from a substitute who only came on after the equaliser. Add in three shots against the crossbar - two for Leeds's Raphinha - and a penalty overturned by an intervention by the video assistant referee and it was some finish. "I predict a riot" yelled the home fans after watching a game that just about fell short of ...