I guess that’s why they call us the blues…

One of Dwight’s best, playing on the radio in my taxi ride to work yesterday morning.

A precursor to a contest of attrition, yet played for the vast majority of the game at a very high tempo, with both teams ending with more positives than negatives – despite the very ugly nature of the Premier League table right now.

How much is this habitual positive spin
and how much substance was there to back up the above statement?

Let’s get stuck into the detail.



To begin: RESILIENCE.

A brief praise to the eleven players in pink shirts who started AND completed the match last night.

We know Leeds Utd have based their recent Premier League success on young players offering very high energy levels to their cause. You only had to see Joe Gelhardt running off the pitch when substituted to see their manager’s gameplan being followed to the letter, without individual tantrum or strop getting in the way.

The fact that of the five allotted substitutions Lampard COULD have made, but chose not to – NOT even ONE, is one of many facets to our team performance that offered fresh resilience. Resilience where the concession of one goal DIDN’T lead to another – and another after that.

For sure, Frank won’t be able to make a habit of this, but whilst there were very good explanations for this decision, it’s also one of many positives we can walk away from this fixture with that hasn’t been anything like as evident in recent times.


Resilience leads us to RECRUITMENT; both on our own terms, and also where enforced in the unfavourable circumstances we have no choice but to deal with.

James Tarkowski and Conor Coady may not be the most gifted of athletes, but they certainly possess the basic defensive skills that can offer team-mates assurance that one weakness in our club’s overall first XI performances has been addressed: set-pieces and crosses. Both centre-backs will sooner-or-later be expected to play with possession, yet like all members of the team, that will hopefully materialise in the medium-term with good coaching.


Good resilience and personnel hiring then leads us to a commodity we’ve been very short of: CONFIDENCE.

And it’s a little strange how this suddenly came about last night, for just like at times in the 2nd-half at Brentford, the opening ten minutes at Elland Road were quite literally played at snail pace. For Leeds Utd standards – that’s a joke in itself; albeit Leeds enjoyed 78% of those opening moments in possession.

Then, all of a sudden, we got hold of the ball and looked, if not like Barcelona of old, like Real Madrid!?!
We, for that short period, passed the thing with confidence and imagination – not fear – as if we were making a point to the world of football.

How much this is the only reason Anthony Gordon and Dwight McNeil possessed the determination AND belief to chase down and press Leeds players into backpasses to their ‘keeper, how much Gordon is vying for a new contract, and how much it owed to Lampard’s motivational/strategic instructions: I don’t know.

What was for sure: the mistaken body positioning of Leeds Utd defender Diego Llorente that left Gordon a free run on goal in the 17th minute, the opening chance of the game, was very much down to pressure enduced by fast passing and running. Gordon did the rest – again, with his left foot. Needless to say; Anthony Gordon, by today’s very high Premier League standards, and our unfortunate present day reality, is something quite special.


Despite how Leeds wouldn’t be dominated thereafter, playing at a very increased tempo – particularly in the 2nd-half, something else had changed with OUR TEAM.


Now I’m not going to get carried away and use the terms ‘CHEMISTRY’ or ‘TEAM SPIRIT’ just yet, but in overall performance last night, something finally… clicked, like it hasn’t done previously so for Lampard’s team: FORM.

Although we didn’t leave west Yorkshire with all three points, clear evidence that Lampard, Thelwell and Moshiri’s combined recruitment had intelligence, as well as conviction, was present.


“WHAT evidence?” some may well be screaming.


Well, for starters, the loss of Richarlison meant the loss of a player who was willing to sacrifice much of his attacking returns for the sake of the team. He was a wonderful character that we’ll badly miss in many ways.

The player we replaced Richarlison for, did exactly this last night as well; sacrifice much of his own attacking instincts, not only for his individual defending and link-up play at a much deeper end of the pitch. Dwight McNeil was constantly able to see things from Nathan Patterson’s point of view, and cover for the Scot whenever the full-back pressed forwards himself.

It's one thing individual players following orders of their employer.

Quite another when EVERY member’s contribution to the team results in higher performance, which, in spite of the result, was there in tangible progress. Both McNeil and Patterson’s link-up play was mirrored by others across the pitch.

It can be fascinating to watch in the long-term: when potential is there – and realised – regardless of result(s). This might in part explain why Lampard has not been tempted to use Seamus Coleman at all in the Premier League; trying to foster player-understanding, in unity and in continuity.


Frank Lampard still has a squad of very small collective attributes, within available personnel, to select from. Hands tied behind his back, so to speak. He's doing a great job.


When players not only show the hunger and attitude to work hard, but are given the COLLECTIVE TEAM confidence AND BELIEF that manager and players all know what they’re doing (something that wasn’t at all the case under Benitez, but that’s now in the past), all combined = better FORM.

It’s partly down to good, if not great team spirit.
It’s also having ZERO SQUARE PEGS in round holes, in a certain formation.


Make no doubt, Leeds are missing an in-form Patrick Bamford just as much as we are an in-for Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Whether Neil Maupay proves to be a shrewd quick-fix remains to be seen. Like McNeil and Patterson wasting one good shooting opportunity in the 2nd-half yesterday, Leeds Utd wasted some good openings of their own after equalising. Ambitious sports fans may suggest a lack of ruthlessness, but if not one point gained, this was certainly one point EARNED.


Can this be the benchmark of performances in future?

We’ve long possessed the ability to raise our game against better opposition at home, although last December our next visitors (in last season’s corresponding fixture) were as lethal with their finishing as we’ve seen a Liverpool team be for a very long time. The loss of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich-alone is no reason to believe this won’t happen again on Saturday lunch-time, meaning three draws from a possible 15 points will likely be 3pts from 18.

We have to be very strong – and patient, as fans.
Accept the taunts, the jokes, the embarrassment.


Progress was made. Slow. Painful, but genuine – for one night, at least.


We await the deadline day to assess further.

But there’s genuine hope for the future – IF we get it right this week…