Mighty Leeds Weblog

By Stuart Rayner On what was shaping up to be FA Cup shocks Sunday, Leeds United professionally put themselves in their first quarter-final draw for 23 years, just not as comfortably as they had threatened to. With Southampton knocking out Fulham and Port Vale disposing of Sunderland in the earlier kick-offs, the potential for a Football League clean sweep over the Premier League was there, especially with nine Leeds personnel changes, plus a positional one for Ethan Ampadu, for the visit of Norwich City. It almost backfired for the Whites at Birmingham City in round four, but having overpowered the Canaries in the first half, they saw it out in the second for a 3-0 win. When Ao Tanaka put a simple square ball from deep out of play early on, the nerves started to twitch. But it only took 10 minutes or so for him and his team to find their feet and turn it into some very reminiscent of many of last season's home games in the Championship. Now, a club that does not really...

By Tom Coates Largie Ramazani will be a “different player” when he returns to Leeds United this summer, believes ex-Whites marksman Jermaine Beckford. Somewhat controversially, Ramazani was allowed to join La Liga outfit Valencia on a season-long loan deal in the last summer window. He had been part of Leeds’ pre-season preparations and even made the bench for the Premier League season opener against Everton. However, having struggled to nail down a spot in Daniel Farke’s starting XI last season, the 25-year-old was allowed to depart. He has had to be patient at the Mestalla, although has started Valencia’s last three league games and registered a goal in each one. There is no buy option in his loan deal and Beckford thinks there is a way back for Ramazani in West Yorkshire. Large Ramazani’s position assessed He told The Yorkshire Post: "There's always an opportunity, there's always a chance. He went out on loan because he needed game time. He wasn't be...

Stuart Dallas chats with Leeds Live about the opportunity Leeds United have been presented with this weekend Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United are two wins away from Wembley but one on Sunday will bring up a generational achievement in itself. Scores of fans have not seen their club reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in their lifetime, or living memory. Third-round goalscorer Wilfried Gnonto had not yet been born when they last made the final eight in March 2003. Leeds boss Daniel Farke was still operating as, by his own admission, “Europe’s slowest striker” for lower-league German outfit SV Lippstadt, a club he would take from sixth to fourth tier in his first management role. After impressing with Borussia Dortmund's second team, he attracted the attention of Norwich City, Leeds’ weekend opponents. Farke is not expected to be in the dugout against his former team on Sunday as he serves a one-match following his red card against Manchester City last we...

Farke was shown a red card following his side’s defeat to Manchester City before protesting the decision Rory Dollard Leeds boss Daniel Farke has been hit with a one-match touchline ban after confronting a referee following his side's defeat by Manchester City last weekend. Farke was shown a red card after jogging on to the pitch to remonstrate with match official Peter Bankes after the 1-0 loss. The German insists he did not swear or act aggressively towards Bankes but decided to accept the suspension, which came with an £8,000 fine, rather than contest it and risk a two-game ban. He will now sit out Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round tie against Norwich and be back in the dugout for the Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on 15 March. Farke had earlier placed his red card down to the manner that he took the field, concluding: "I'm not like a butterfly or unbelievably cute when I jog. I have learned my lesson - I will never jog again." A statement fro...

Leeds United will come under new financial rules this summer but must first continue to navigate the current PSR system Isaac Johnson Leeds United reporter Leeds United board member Peter Lowy is confident that the club will not fall foul of any PSR breaches this financial cycle. Leeds had maxed out spending limits by the end of the summer transfer window and any expenditure in January would have needed to be offset before June 30. As it played out, the only arrival was loanee Facundo Buonanotte. Therefore, Leeds are expected not to be at risk of any financial breach this summer, when new Premier League finance rules come in. If Leeds stay up, they will be under fresh ‘Squad Cost Ratio’ rules, allowing them to spend up to 85% of their revenue on players and the manager. United had voted against the implementation of this, having wanted to make a few amendments given they will be marginally worse off in the short term. However, the new structure was passed in November by 14 vo...

By Kyle Newbould The Leeds United boss was formally charged by the FA on Wednesday. Leeds United manager Daniel Farke is set to serve his one-game touchline ban during Sunday’s FA Cup meeting with Norwich City rather than risk further punishment through an appeal. Farke was formally charged with misconduct by the FA on Wednesday, having been sent off after full-time of last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Manchester City. The Leeds boss approached referee Peter Bankes but insisted he neither acted aggressively nor used abusive language. The FA confirmed the reason for the charge on Wednesday. A statement read: “It’s alleged that the manager entered the field of play at full-time to confront the match official/s, which is contrary to Law 12 of the Laws of the Game, and he has until Friday 6 March to respond.” As with all FA charges, Farke holds the right to appeal but despite suggesting he did nothing to deserve the red card, he is expected to begrudgingly accept his punishment. That ...

By Stuart Rayner Awful match, horrendous gamesmanship, poor refereeing, an inconsistent VAR, Leeds United's first back-to-back home defeats under Daniel Farke... for the second game running there were plenty of smokescreens but when it came to what the Whites could control, the issue was the same. As defeats go, the 1-0 loss to Sunderland was pretty brutal, but "brutality" was what manager Daniel Farke felt his side were lacking. Yes, if video assistant referee Paul Tierney had presumably not nipped out for a coffee when Luke O'Nien had Pascal Struijk by the neck and shoulders, hauling him to the ground in the penalty area, things could have been different. Yes, if Sunderland had not reeled out a whole gallery of dark arts - and Stuart Attwell had not let them - to turn the game into one only its mother could love, momentum might - only might - have pushed Leeds to victory. There were plenty of other people for Leeds to legitimately complain about but it rin...