forestfan wrote: ↑17 Jul 2020, 20:10
Congratulations Leeds! Been a long time, and I know they’re a team a lot of people love to hate, but they and Bielsa will be great for the Premier League.
Nothing against West Brom but I’d like to see Brentford join them, a club really on the up with a new ground on the way and who’ve never been there before (certainly in PL era, not sure if ever?)
Will Leeds be great until Xmas then fade?
I've only watched Champ post lockdown and Brentford seem loads better - serious Austin as CF, but I do like Slaven.....
forestfan wrote: ↑17 Jul 2020, 20:32
Well, the Blunts have done OK with McGoaldrought, whereas Pukey couldn’t save Norwich... a prolific striker helps, but it isn’t everything.
Depends if you think Leeds are more Narwich than blunts?
forestfan wrote: ↑17 Jul 2020, 20:10
Congratulations Leeds! Been a long time, and I know they’re a team a lot of people love to hate, but they and Bielsa will be great for the Premier League.
Nothing against West Brom but I’d like to see Brentford join them, a club really on the up with a new ground on the way and who’ve never been there before (certainly in PL era, not sure if ever?)
Will Leeds be great until Xmas then fade?
I've only watched Champ post lockdown and Brentford seem loads better - serious Austin as CF, but I do like Slaven.....
forestfan wrote: ↑17 Jul 2020, 20:10
Congratulations Leeds! Been a long time, and I know they’re a team a lot of people love to hate, but they and Bielsa will be great for the Premier League.
Nothing against West Brom but I’d like to see Brentford join them, a club really on the up with a new ground on the way and who’ve never been there before (certainly in PL era, not sure if ever?)
Will Leeds be great until Xmas then fade?
I've only watched Champ post lockdown and Brentford seem loads better - serious Austin as CF, but I do like Slaven.....
forestfan wrote: ↑17 Jul 2020, 20:10
Congratulations Leeds! Been a long time, and I know they’re a team a lot of people love to hate, but they and Bielsa will be great for the Premier League.
Nothing against West Brom but I’d like to see Brentford join them, a club really on the up with a new ground on the way and who’ve never been there before (certainly in PL era, not sure if ever?)
Will Leeds be great until Xmas then fade?
I've only watched Champ post lockdown and Brentford seem loads better - serious Austin as CF, but I do like Slaven.....
They made the CL semis in 2001, of course, shortly before their decline hit full speed... that O’Leary team were widely seen as Man Utd’s successors at the top of the English game at the turn of the millennium.
And of course their 1992 triumph, still the last time an English manager won the English title (and now the only one still alive to have done so) as well as setting the benchmark for Leicester and Chelsea in terms of worst defence of the title
Yeah, I remember John Lukic punching it into his own net. And that after they edged past Stuttgart who were penalised because, as the joke went, the German side had more foreign reserves than the Bank of England...
forestfan wrote: ↑18 Jul 2020, 13:19
So, now Brentford have the pressure of having it in their own hands, they falter?
Brentford 1:0 down vs Stoke after an hour.
Wigan leading 1:2 after 55 minutes, at the moment they above the relegation zone even after a 12 points deduction.
yes the JC contributions have been the highlight of this thread right through the 2 part season. Leeds are at Pride Park tomorrow. Shades of last years play-offs. This time the Rams just about manage the top half, maybe !
More or less everything had been settled before Leeds arrived to play their penultimate match. What better place could there be to receive a guard of honour for becoming champions. It was nice that Wayne Rooney gave a warm round of applause which is no surprise from an Everton bred man who understands the rivalry of football. What we really wanted was bitter Frank. Mr Morris had the same grace as Rooney presenting the Leeds directors with a bottle of a 2004 Dom Perignon. The animosity between these two clubs has evaporated since Frank’s Derby no longer exists.
It won’t be long before the fixture list for next season comes out. The usual first scan of it is to see when we play Man Utd but I get the feeling a lot will now be looking for the games against privileged Frank’s Chelsea. Bielsa is man enough to stick around and finish off what he started, more so than those that jump ship when things don’t work out. Everybody in football knows Bielsa is leagues above Mr Lampard when it comes to building a football philosophy. Some people earn their place in history through hard work and determination, others just get molly cuddled there.
With the job already done Marcelo had rewarded the normal starters with a well deserved rest. Klich who has started every single game since Bielsa arrived was left out, with Bamford, Costa, Meslier, Ayling and others joining him. This was an U23 line up. This is the Bielsa system. He has replacement parts. Poveda did what Costa does, Struijk settled in to Phillips position producing the same results. Douglas was getting a longer run out. All of them settled in to produce a carbon copy system. It must be said though it’s much easier to do in a dead rubber game.
Many things have been settled in the Championship but we are still waiting to see if Mitrovic or Watkins will be top scorer. Another score was more or less settled when Lawrence went off injured after 6 minutes thereby ruining his chances of finishing top of the disciplinary table. It looks like he’ll finish 2nd to Mr Williams of Wigan.
Douglas tried from distance just after Shackleton had his shot blocked, the Whites were settling in. Hernandez even tried a lob from the half way line. It was starting to look like a training game. Berardi was carried off on a stretcher after awkward fall, he was replaced by Ayling. They went in at half time at 0-0.
In the 2nd half, Derby came out flying. They were rewarded when Martin drove home the ball off Aylings back.1-0, Derby.
It was a shot in the arm that the game needed. Not wanting to be left smarting, Pablo was curving the ball around Clarke and Roos at his second attempt, just 2 minutes later. 1-1.
Leeds were controlling the game and it was no surprise when Jamie Shacks swept home after a delightful lay off from Roberts with 15 minutes to go. Cue the Baby Shacks song. 2-1 Leeds.
Five minutes from time another Allioski cross was sliced in to the net, to make OG, own goal, one of the consistent scorers through out the season. It’s the Bielsa style of causing uncertainty and doubt in the defenders minds. 3-1 Leeds.
As a side note, if I could choose a Derby player for Leeds, it would not be Rooney, I might be tempted by Martin but the one that shone above the rest was Bogle. He looks very promising.
With the game over the Whites went in to celebratory mode. Casilla was setting off flares, Berardi was dancing with his crutches and Poveda was joining in with ice bags strapped around both knees.
Casey, Miazek and Bogusz were joining in with the rest of the staff. People might see this as strange but it underlines the team ethos, side before self. Marcelo makes sure they all understand the worth of all those who contribute and of course including the fans.
Thank you Marcelo for bringing love back in to the game.
New news. Corberan, Bielsa's assistant has been approached by the Huddersfield board for their vacant post. Apparently they've been talking for a month or so. It looks like they want a taste of the elixir.
Big match tonight in Spains Segunda Division. Deportivo La Coruna will be relegated if they don't win. This is BIG crisis time for some in Galicia. The good news for them a draw is not enough for Fuenlabrada as their goal difference on goals scored would not be enough for them to qualify for the play offs.
As reference to the Italian second division I have found my Italian side Spezia. Considering I live in Spezet, I had no choice but to choose them. They finished third so we wait for the play offs.
My German side St Pauli escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth, so the Hamburg derby is still on the fixture list for next season.
Overall a mixed bag for me this season.
It was good to see Lorient make it to Ligue 1 again and I might just be tempted to catch a game or two.
My local team, Spezet are staying in the same division but this was supposed to be a special year. Big things were planned as just like my team Leeds we were supposed to celebrate our centenary year. The Covid crisis has put paid to that. Hopefully we can squeeze something in before the year is out.
It's been a crazy season.
jimmy ching wrote: ↑21 Jul 2020, 14:44
Deportivo have been relegated unless they win by 13 goals. They are going nuts in La Coruna.
So they’re actually going down to Liga One, in English terms? That would match Forest and Leeds for the biggest fall from grace of a former European power. Presumably they will be below the B teams of some of their one-time direct rivals, and maybe meeting their own B team if that’s allowed...