Are Leeds in danger of missing out - again?
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Just when matters were beginning to look up for the club, finally getting over the financial difficulties that got them into this mess - although we may not know who owns the club - this surely was Leeds' season to gain promotion back to the Championship.
Top of League One by some distance at Christmas, along came a third round FA Cup tie against old rivals Manchester United in the New Year, which they won 1-0 thanks to a fantastic goal from Jermaine Beckford. Since then it has been a downward spiral.
Leeds went on to get Tottenham in the next round and managed a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane to bring the replay to Elland Road before losing out. Subsequently the effects of that cup run have gone from lucrative to ludicrous.
In the past 16 games they have won on just four occasions, which is both a slow and painful self-destruction by anyone's standards. Now they are in danger of having to compete in the play-offs for the third consecutive season.
Going into Monday's game against Yeovil, Leeds lay eleven points adrift from league leaders Norwich, having lost four games on the trot and not hit the back of the net in 385 minutes - was this capitulation at its best from Leeds?
Well, I can't quite think of a surrender like this. Speaking to journalist and Leeds United fan, Matt Cooper, on Twitter he said this could be it for Leeds:
"If Leeds don't go up this year they may never recover. The problem is this team has blown up and even if [they] make the play-offs [they] don't have enough."
Of that famous victory against Manchester United in January he went on to say: "I'd swap it for 10 points straight off."
I would agree that this is the opinion of most Leeds fans at this stage. Cup runs are all well and good and are lucrative more than anything, certainly in the case of the FA Cup. But if you are not maintaining your form in the league also then there is a problem.
That changed yesterday as they managed to grab their first win in four games beating Yeovil 2-1 to boost their automatic promotion hopes. Captain, Richard Naylor, scored two first-half headed goals that secured the victory.
The victory momentarily put Leeds back in the automatic promotion places but Millwall's 2-1 victory over Colchester put them back in third, again only for a matter of time as Swindon won 3-0 to regain second place. Millwall dropped to third and Leeds to fourth.
Having now dropped out of the automatic promotion spaces for it is familiar territory for the fans. In 2008 they finished 5th, reaching the play-off finals only to fall at the final hurdle. The same was the case in 2009 where they went one better by finishing 4th but failed to reach the final
For me it is inconceivable to see Leeds not getting promoted, but the reality is if they don't get back to winning ways soon then the lottery of the play-offs once again awaits and as they know only too well from past failures there are no guarantees of promotion.
The form book goes right out the window with everybody vying to reach the Championship and the money that goes with getting promoted.
Big questions will be asked if Leeds miss out on returning to the Championship. Will the board keep the faith in Simon Grayson? Can Leeds hang on to key players such as Jermaine Beckford and Robert Snodgrass et al?
And probably the most important question of them all: will Leeds United ever return to the dizzying heights of the Premier League?
The answer to that, I will leave up to you.
(Pic via Brisbane Times)
3 comments:
As a Forest fan I remember thinking that if we didnt get out of League 1 at the 3rd time of asking, that all the players who are to good for League 1 would have left.
I feared that it would then inevitably become our level, and effectively we would become a League 1 club. I think that if Leeds don't get out of it this year, that will be the case for them.
To answer the title - no.
Agree with all you say, but you have missed the fundamental reason why Leeds have failed since 2004,.... unsatisfactory "ownership and club structure" ! We are in a situation in which Leeds supporters will find it hard to gain any satisfaction this season. If we get fully behind the club ( as we all want to do ) and do gain promotion, we will simply experience the same lack of investment, from the current regime, and a lengthy battle, in trying to get out of the "Championship". On the other hand, if the season ends in failure, and the supporters have not taken advantage of "match day" organised protests, we have missed our main opportunity to show the extent of discontent with Bates and Co, and this regime will definitely survive longterm............ What we are clearly in danger of is experiencing the same "ownership" issues as a result of the "success" of promotion, or, through the "lack of protest"............. So, we all want success, but lets remember this needs to be sustained and long term as a club such as Leeds is in reality competing for the Premier League not the Championship. Make your choices.
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