How far can Leeds United go this season? The mid season review

Sitting in a play-off spot for the first time since our away victory at Ipswich, and sitting 3^rd in the form table, it’s all smiles at Elland Road this weekend.  With 3 straight wins and a striker who can’t stop scoring, the misery of September’s baron spell seems an awfully long time ago. As we approach the mid-season mark, and the all-important Christmas run in, we at @LUFC_Calypso thought we’d analyse just how far this Leeds United squad can go, and whether our push for promotion is as genuine as it may appear. In the spirit our friend @PositiveLufcFan, we think our promotion aspirations are far from dead.

Saturday’s result against Middlesbrough, albeit thanks to Boro ‘keeper Jason Steele , saw us continue in our rich vein of form, and if this momentum is continued into our run of slightly more challenging fixtures, Leeds United will see themselves approaching the dizzy heights of an established play-off spot. On top of this, some of the players seemed to have turned a corner. The once ‘pantomime villain’ Danny Pugh seems to be putting the performances in to warrant selection and challenge Stephen Warnock outright for the left back spot. Jason ‘50p head’  Pearce has finally scored a goal, something that even the most optimistic of Leeds fans didn’t seen happening,  and Ross McCormack can’t miss at the moment, scoring 7 in 3 games and soaring to the peak of the Sky Bet Championship top goalscorer’s list – happy days. Competition for places in the starting XI has never been better, with many considering gentle giant Matt Smith unlucky to be taking his place amongst the substitutes given the impact he’s made having been given his chance, and the arrival of Marius Zaliukas has proven to be both an excellent bit of business and a much required option in the centre back role.  Not only this, but it seems that those not willing to get stuck in and fight for their place are gradually being edged out. We can say with total conviction that the termination of Ryan Hall’s contract has not been met with any sadness, at least not from the large majority of the United faithful. Brian McDermott seems to have incorporated a system that works, with our best players being used in their correct positions, and the periphery players so relied upon by Neil Warnock seem to have taken their rightful place in the reserves.

Off the field, things seem to be as settled as is physically possible given the constant speculation around the future of the various owners in recent seasons. Off the back of a string of disappointing losses, however ridiculous a claim it was the ‘McDermott Out’ minority were just starting to creep onto social media and Ross McCormack was being written off just as often. On both accounts, no such delusional calls for either of their heads are being made any more. In addition, contract talks with Alex Mowatt have begun, and without being overly confident, it seems they are going well at this stage. Should this come to fruition, the consolidation of one of our most prized assets would only add to the positive vibe at the club. It certainly seems that in all areas Leeds United are on the up.

This all very well, but the job has barely started. The focus must now be shifted away from the good work we have achieved in recent weeks and towards sustaining it on a longer timescale. This purple patch has now boosted us into the realms of potential promotion candidates, but to slump back to the form displayed against Millwall and Derby in particular would see us retain our place as the middle-of-the-road, mediocre side that teams have no reason to fear. With some much needed improvements made on our away form, we really believe that this season may be a turning point. Let’s hope so, Marching On Together.

Hard Men or Hatchet Men? The toughest LUFC XI in history

As last week’s article discussed, the club has lost an element of its status as one of the biggest and most iconic outfits in England. There is, however, an unsavoury aspect of our reputation that seems to have become resurgent in recent seasons: the belief that Elland Road is filled with ‘vile animals’ and that the players who represent us are no better. Here at @LUFC_Calypso we took to twitter to discover your suggestions for the biggest thugs and hardest hitters ever to pull on the white shirt. As @JonL01 correctly points out, there is a distinction between tough tacklers and vicious enforcers however, so with your help we’ve compiled the toughest LUFC XI in an attempt to determine just how dirty we are!

Goalkeeper – Paddy Kenny

The trickiest position in the line-up to fill, our current keeper is the unlucky stopper that gets the nod. Off-field controversies including failed drugs tests, twitter rants and frequent tunnel bust-ups during his time at Sheffield United have left him with a tarnished reputation among football fans. We love him, others love to hate him.

Right Back – Danny Mills

Hot-headed and overly-aggressive at times, Mills’ demeanour as a MOTD pundit is in stark contrast to his temperament on the pitch. He was never afraid to stick his boot over the ball and his combative approach to ‘discussions’ with opposing players secures his position as one of LUFC’s dirtiest alumni.

Centre Back – Norman ‘Bite yer legs’ Hunter

Hunter is a legend of the club and rightly so. He was an ever-present fixture during the glory years under Don Revie, but his reputation as a belligerent and hard-hitting tackler precedes him and with good reason, a trait perfectly exemplified by his knock-out tackle (literally) against Everton in 1968.

Centre Back – Jonathan Woodgate

The thuggery of former Galactico Woodgate remains an ever-present blot on the Leeds United copybook. Though he was a skilful and composed defender, a brutal off-the-field incident involving Lee Bowyer resulting in his conviction for affray has permanently tainted his standing among the fans.

Left Back – Wilf ‘The Ironman’ Copping

Copping, described as ‘the original hard man of football’, is an unsung hero from his time at the club before the Second World War. A bruising, uncompromising defender, he was renowned for his bone-shaking challenges and resilience in the toughest of matches.

Defensive Midfield – Billy Bremner

Our very own Captain Marvel, Bremner is famed for his desire, his commitment and his love for a crunching tackle, but our research sparked a debate as to whether Bremner was firm but fair or dirty and underhand in his tactics. His will to win sometimes boiled over, but his unrivalled talent and and violent inspired captaincy remains the defining element of his legacy at Leeds.

Central Midfield – Lee Bowyer

Bowyer is the most decorated player in Premier League history. Unfortunately for him, this accolade refers to cards not trophies. With 99 PL yellow cards to his name, Bowyer may have escaped conviction for his role in the Woodgate assault, but his infamy as the most malicious player ever to wear the white of Leeds is rivalled only by his midfield partner in this XI...

Central Midfield – Vinnie Jones

Vinnie’s inclusion in this line-up needs no explanation. A thug growing up, a thug on the pitch and a thug in the movies, Jones took pleasure in throwing himself into career threatening challenges. His most violent outbursts took place in Wimbledon colours, but nonetheless his performances were more befitting of a boxing ring than a football pitch.

Attacking Midfield – El Hadji Diouf

Diouf has become somewhat of a pantomime villain since he joined Leeds, but for the most part the fans have taken him under their wing and his behaviour has improved significantly as a result. Spitting in player’s faces and violent outbursts (even against those who have just had their leg broken) live long in the memory however and there is a fear that this ‘sewer rat’ will never change.

Striker – Ian Baird

@WACCOE’s comment during our conversations for this article on twitter sums up the outlook of this cult figure perfectly... ‘Bairdy’s gonna get ya’. Unfortunately, Bairdy’s time at Leeds was cut short by the arrival of Lee Chapman, but fans fondly remember him for his important goals... and ‘over-zealous’ approach to tackling.

Striker – Kenny Burns

Deployed as both a striker and a defender throughout his career, we felt we needed to make room for Burns in our toughest line-up largely thanks to an incriminating YouTube video. A different era though it may have been, a sly head-butt while the ref’s back is turned would make even the most vicious hatchet man take note. It seems Michael Brown did his homework before joining us.

There were many other credible candidates that could have made the line-up: Batty, Smith, Jordan, Hankin and Bobby Collins to name but a few. Does our history of hard hitters warrant our continued reputation as a violent and aggressive club? Perhaps the fact that many named here were fan favourites suggest that maybe it does! As always, we welcome your opinions and comments – tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso!

How can Leeds United rebuild a reputation?

Over the last few weeks, it has been clear to the majority of Leeds fans that the team is progressing towards the efficient style of play that McDermott teams are known for and, as this weekend proved, we are starting to get the results to match our improvement. Since our article on the 3-5-2 formation, debate has rumbled on about our tactical strengths and weaknesses but, with an international break to come and a pleasing away victory under our belts, we at @LUFC_Calypso thought that additional criticism of our tactical pitfalls should be saved until the formation has undergone further testing. Instead, this week’s article focuses on developments that we feel should be made OFF the pitch, alterations that should in turn contribute to continued on-field success.

Set up a scouting network

Brian McDermott’s television appearance last week revealed a worrying revelation about the infrastructure behind the scenes at Leeds United: fans watched on with disbelief as the boss revealed that the club does not currently have a chief scout. Before McDermott’s arrival, the ever-unpopular Neil Warnock had employed his long-time friend Kevin Randall as our chief scout, a position he had also held under Warnock at Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and QPR. One look at the average age of Warnock’s sides is enough to tell you that Randall did not have a keen-eye for young talent; it appears that the only player investigations that took place under Warnock were to discover how much longer he would have to wait before his old favourites (Michael Brown et al) were available for free transfers. It is pleasing, though long overdue we concede, that McDermott intends to fill this vacancy and build a scouting network around the new head of recruitment. LUFC have a huge catchment area and a world-renowned academy, and a scouting network will help to improve the level of gifted youngsters in our setup even further.

Redevelop the stadium

An iconic and traditional football stadium, Elland Road stands as a symbol of the rich heritage of the club since its inception in 1919. The ground has hosted some of the greatest teams to ever play football and, though we speak from a biased viewpoint, the atmosphere generated at home games is almost unrivalled in the UK. It is clear, however, that the stadium needs significant redevelopment if we are to harbor hopes of returning to the summit of the Premier League. Rumours circulated during England’s 2018 World Cup campaign that Elland Road would be drastically redeveloped to incorporate a two-tiered North Stand, bringing our total capacity closer to 50,000. While improvements to the East Stand were a significant step forward, we believe that a sustained period of enhancement is required to elevate the status of the club to that of a Premier League outfit. Bates’ proposals for a casino and hotel seem to have stalled indefinitely, a situation that fills us at @LUFC_Calypso with a feeling of relief. Developments should increase and improve fans’ ability to watch the team, not our ability to line owner’s pockets in the pre-match build-up.

Improve Leeds United as a brand

Without doubt, Leeds United is some way behind the times when it comes to promotion on a global scale as is the norm with modern day clubs. While initiatives such as Family Stand activities, ‘Paint It White’ ticket drives and player visits to stores and local communities are great for building a connection with existing fans, we believe that the club should also make a concerted effort to increase the marketability of the club to untapped national and global fanbases. We took a look at the number of followers for some mid to lower table Premier League clubs (a minimum position that most Leeds fans feel the club ought to be) to prove that we are lacking. Some of the statistics included Newcastle at 306,000, Sunderland at 178,000, Stoke at 150,000 and Norwich at 157,000. Leeds has just 52,000 followers on twitter, a statistic that does not demonstrate our lack of support, but more our outdated approach to marketing. Greater global exposure brings in greater levels of investment and, ultimately, greater success on the pitch.

As fans, we all want to see the club play well and achieve long-overdue promotion. Of course, our ability to galvanize the squad and deliver consistent performances is an essential element in the process if we are to achieve our goals. Off the field matters so often dictate the rise and falls of football clubs however, and we feel that more could be done in the boardroom to get us heading in the right direction. As ever, we would love to know your thoughts on our article, please tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso. Do you think there are other ways we can improve? Do you think stadium redevelopment is essential? Let us know!

Can Leeds United claim to be the best supported club in the country?

It is undisputed that the biggest weapon that Leeds United Football Club has in its arsenal is its massive support. Through thick and thin, the Leeds faithful have been the ever present in the merry-go-round of players, managers and owners and, with this in mind, @LUFC_Calypso felt it was time to highlight the superiority held by Leeds United and our outstanding fans over the rest of the division. In addition, we took a look and our impressive attendance statistics in comparison to some of the so called ‘big boys’ of the top flight in an attempt to justify our belief as fans that we are the best supported club in the UK.

The attendance statistics this season alone really highlight the dominance that Leeds United has at Elland Rd over many of the other Championship clubs and stadiums. Currently with the 2^nd highest average attendance for home fixtures only to Brighton and Hove Albion, we have regularly experienced large crowds in the majority of matches so far this term. With our average attendance at 25,057, United have for the most part been able to resist the dramatically declining attendances that have been registered up and down the country in recent seasons. With several fixtures being selected to be televised, attendances would probably be even higher had this not been the case. Our lowest attendance of the 2013/14 season to date was Chesterfield in the Carling Cup, yet despite this fixture attracting no headlines, 17,466 still turned up in force. Other than this incident, we have only dropped below the 23,000 benchmark just twice, Bournemouth on a Tuesday night (21,749) and Birmingham on a Sunday lunchtime, televised kick off (21,301). This clearly shows that the support is still strong, and despite ticket prices and drops in form, the Leeds faithful still flood in.

Despite the impressive nature of home attendances, perhaps more impressive is the attendance we seem to generate away from fortress Elland Rd. Almost without fail this season, Leeds have regularly topped the list of away attendances in the league, and many clubs have experienced their highest attendances for their ‘Home to Leeds’ fixture this season. 3 of the 9 away fixtures have seen the hosts clock their largest attendance of the season, (Bolton, Huddersfield and Reading), and the travelling fans have played a large part in this being the case. Furthermore, ticket sales for the Charlton game showed the extent of the support. Selling out our initial 3,000 seat allocation in under an hour, and the extended 200 extra seats in 2 minutes (literally), this is yet more evidence that away allocations could be filled twice or three times over. This is quite staggering.

The comparison against the top division clubs only further covers the United fans in glory. Statistics show that our average attendance would place us above 5 Premier League clubs (West Brom, Fulham, Hull, Crystal Palace and Swansea), and within 5,000 of a further 4 (Norwich, Stoke, Cardiff and Southampton). This is remarkable given Leeds’ status as a second tier club - with a vast choice of other teams in the local area, it is a testament to the history and ethos at the club that we pull in considerably more fans than any other Yorkshire side. Should we get promoted, and with the stadium expansion that has been promised for years, we truly believe that we could be in touching distance of the top 5 most supported teams in the country.

Although we may not officially be the best supported club in the country, we still stand by our claim that our fans remain amongst the elite in this country. By outnumbering the majority of our rivals in our current division, and a handful of our future rivals in the division above, it cannot be questioned that the support that urges the team to get the results is highly impressive. With this in mind, we encourage you to keep the faith, as our committed fan base is what separates us from our rivals. As always, we welcome your opinions and comments, please tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso!

NOTE: A massive thanks to @LUFCDATA for providing us with some statistics yet again, if you don’t follow him we highly recommend you do.

Other Sources:

http://espnfc.com/stats/attendance/_/league/eng.1/barclays-premier-league?cc=5739

http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalAttendance/0,,10794~20137,00.html