thunderball

You’re right, and it is levelled at us that we are not nasty enough, we generally aren’t and Leeds seem to drilled to press hard and harass, hence the accusation that all Bielsa’s teams burn out before the seasons end. I’d prefer to be more cultured, but not sure we have the personnel. I think Davis if fit would have fared better than Kodjia (in hindsight, as I thought Kodjia would give them something to think about but didn’t), I think Jedi probably wouldn’t have the legs and pace to compete for 90 minutes. On paper we should have prevailed, we suit a high tempo game and we generally function highly with triangles and movement, but it just didn’t happen. Maybe we were burn out with the effort of ten in a row? A rest for Norwich May suit us, and Derby have enough to give Leeds plenty to think about.

I think Grealish is a bit theatrical and can see it winds up the fans, but when you are fouled as many times as he is he is entitled to make the most of it because he must be sick of it. And they are fouls, or is the suggestion that referees have made over 150 mistakes just observing Grealish this season? It’s binary, it’s a foul or it isn’t so everything else is noise however much of a wind up it is. Grealish certainly plays for fouls as it’s gamesmanship, his style of close control also encourages players to foul him. I remember Michael Owen having a nailed on penalty shout when fouled in an international match (World Cup, not sure what game). Despite being fouled he sportingly continued and tried to score but didn’t, nor did he get the penalty. The ref was none other than Pierluigi Collina, some would say the worlds best ref. When Owen disputed the call, Collina unashamedly told him “You’ve got to help me by going down to show the world you really were fouled, it would then have been an easy decision”.

Whats the news on his injury at Leeds? Was it serious? Seems to have been overlooked in all the hullabaloo, but we at leat need him on the bench...

Maybe Dean will acknowledge that the game needed Whelan and not Hourihane away at a side that presses. Green I thought did well, he found his own space. El Ghazi and Jack were targeted successfully. McGinn was under a compromising yellow card cloud and Kodj was just an unfamiliar maverick and he didn’t really take his chances. On a positive note, we didn’t really look under too much threat away from home and did enough to win away from home. Defensively we looked solid. Leeds were better over 97 minutes on balance but not sufficiently to deserve a win, nor one where it matters. We looked like we weathered a storm and took it in our stride, we almost had another gear but didn’t need it.

I would be happy with Mike Dean. We have nothing to fear from top drawer refs, we have suffered from poor decisions this season, and from memory rarely benefitted if ever.

Yes, i still rate them and Sheff Utd the best two sides we have played this season, you can understand their frustration at third place after their first half to the season. They raised their game today, were really up for it but you can also see they have lost their goal touch which won’t persist forever. They mostly nullified Grealish and doubled up on El Ghazi, preventing him from cutting inside. The quandary is in games like this, free kicks around the box look likely due to Jack being fouled, but Hourihane is most effective at those but Whelan gives Grealish more license. Intriguing....

Maybe it is, but he has said something happened that didn’t, fine margins with big consequences. A competent professional assistant can only advise what he sees - if he is behind the Leeds player or the group he sees nothing other than the fall out, because he is obscured. He has to say something happened but was unsighted and can’t be sure not he elbowed him in the face as he gestured. This isn’t the first time a player has feigned an injury to incriminate an opponent.

In fairness, we struggled to get any rhythm due to Leeds man-marking and pressing tactics, but Leeds looked a bit toothless and we defended well. I feel Grealish plays better with Whelan at the moment, and Kodjia hasn’t seemed to have adjusted to our system and looks a misfit, Davis would have fared better, but I expected Kodj to offer a lot more threat today than he did (which was none). if we face them at Wembley it will be very tough unless we bring our A-game, unlike last May. I also want Grealish to step up and prove his doubters wrong, one thing for certain, he is now Leeds pantomime villain. Incidentally, what’s all the fuss about Hernandez, he looked ordinary, he also looks like my cousin who is serving 6 concurrent life sentences.

I hope we sign Mings. I think he accepts spiritually he is now ours, I expect him to push his transfer request through in June

But it’s not about “concluding”, it’s about what he has actually seen and as he didn’t elbow him in the nose as he gestured to the ref he has had a player sent off for something that didn’t happen and could not therefore be seen

Lol, the ref looks really pissed off he has to send off El Ghazi

It might happen. We have to beat West Brom too.

Years?

Steer looks ok

Nothing to play for against Norwich. Winning streak ended and we will finish 5th

Lol

Urgh. Get McGinn off

Led the Leeds players have at least calmed down a bit

Yeah, he should stick to judging Strictly, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about

My thoughts exactly. I fancy us at Wembley with a decent ref

No Davis on the subs bench. I would have Whelan and Albert on now.

These bloody commentators - best chance, what about the two stretches finger tip saves from our headers/?

Kodjia not making the most of his opportunity to shine

Ref needs to get a grip, a Leeds player needs to go, they are a cynical bunch of whingers who are going to break a leg at this rate

Love the way mings always intervened against anyone fouling