Welcome to the Matchday Thread and a trip up the road for a depleted Leeds United Squad.
Obviously we'll be going all out to get our first win in the league despite being a bit understrength , Friday night Win ........No problem
Venue...St James Park...Date...17th Sept...Kick Off...20:00hrs
Team News
Leeds United
Pascal Struijk begins a three-match ban after Leeds lost an appeal against his red card versus Liverpool. (don't get me started on that)
Fellow centre-backs Diego Llorente and Robin Koch remain injured.
Adam Forshaw is also sidelined but striker Patrick Bamford is fit despite speculation he suffered a hamstring problem at the weekend.
Newcastle
Fit-again goalkeeper Karl Darlow returned to Newcastle's matchday squad last weekend and could replace Freddie Woodman in the starting line-up.
Ryan Fraser is back in contention following an ankle injury but this game comes too soon for Callum Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett.
Links....................Sky Sports or..........
Video....... Hesgoal, usagoals Beinsports ? getting harder to find
(there's also streams on Social media I believe )
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Leeds are vying to win three consecutive league games against Newcastle for the first time since 1967, while they last recorded back-to-back away league victories against the Magpies in 1958.
Newcastle's 2-0 home defeat by Leeds in 2002 is the only one of the last 15 league meetings in which they have failed to score.
Newcastle United
Newcastle have equalled their worst start to a Premier League campaign. This is the sixth time they have taken one point from their opening four matches.
Steve Bruce's side have conceded 12 league goals this season, more than any other side in the division.
Their expected goals against figure of 10.5 is also a league high.
The Magpies have kept just four top-flight clean sheets in 2021, with three of those coming against the sides who were relegated at the end of 2020-21.
Bruce has won one of his last nine matches as a manager against Leeds, losing five of those fixtures.
Newcastle have only won two of their 13 Premier League games without Callum Wilson since he joined the club a year ago.
Leeds United
Leeds have failed to win any of their opening four top-flight matches for the first time since 1958.
They have not begun a top-flight season with a five-game winless streak since 1946, while they have never gone five league matches without a victory under Marcelo Bielsa.
The Whites and Norwich are the only two clubs yet to lead in a Premier League game in 2021-22.
The Yorkshire club have conceded 13 league goals following corners since winning promotion last year, more than any other side.
Five of the 11 goals they have conceded this season have been scored in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Got to get this Win, we don't want a 5 game winless streak , even as depleted as we are I can see the Lads being well up for this and any of the young lads that are given a chance will be playing to make an impression, not just on Marcelo but on the Travelling Faithful as well
0-2 With Paddy getting both in his Friday Night Takeaway
Over to You............................Predictions etc.........................
Come Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeds!!!
MOT
Can we go Live Please Admins
Leeds Utd v Newcastle Utd Matchday Thread
posted on 17/9/21
comment by The Hayemaker (U14625)
posted 7 seconds ago
Easy to forget we were again on the wrong end of a shocking refereeing decision at 0-1.
Game goes 0-2 and it’s done.
Penalty decision was farcical, completely farcical.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Absolutely.
posted on 17/9/21
comment by tslufc (U12903)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Kern (U4664)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by HaveFaithInLeeds (U8688)
posted 2 minutes ago
One thing is for certain the speed at which fans can criticise so many aspects of the team because of 5 games after 3 of the best years most of us will have experienced as Leeds fans is really really poor.
^^^^^
That ignores the painful truth: we're not very good
at the moment. Yes, we've had an incredible three
years. Under an incredible manager. A genius.
Forever grateful to him and the lads.
Is it wrong though to fear we might sliding back
toward the division we worked so hard to get out of?
It doesn't look good right now. No getting around it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep, no good burying our heads in the sand. Tonight was a game we should have won comfortably. The only saving grace was we did not lose but that was because Newcastle are a very poor side, low on confidence and apart from Saint-Maximin could not hit a barn door.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But we’ve had tough patches before and found solutions. And these players have proved they are good enough last season. So to write them off after 5 games is not right.
And comments saying they have never been good enough are just wrong. Cooper & Klich AR two players that have proved they are more than good enough for the Premiership.
posted on 17/9/21
Also I thought Cooper played pretty well tonight, generally speaking. Was one of our better players in the second half.
posted on 17/9/21
You start the game with young lads mostly from the academy on the bench it kind of paints a picture
We have some seriously worrying defensive injuries - Koch especially looks constantly unavailable.
For me we lack a box to box midfielder to support Phillips. People can say Bielsa plays with one DM but you look at the best sides and most will have 2.
Would be good to have a striker to bring on if it's not quite working for Bamford
posted on 17/9/21
I’m definitely worried. I thought we’d win tonight, but if I remember correctly wasn’t Saint-Maximim (not sure if that’s right?) missing when we played them last season? We could do with a player like him! I hope Bamford gets his shooting boots on soon because the fans will start to turn if his barren run goes on for a while. I’m sure he played better last season because there were no fans.
What I don’t understand is why our attacking players are so poor at shooting, they never seem to take the first opportunity to shoot but dither and pass it to another player which allows all the defenders to be back in place in the box. When they do have a shot it is so feeble a child could save it. Newcastle’s player S-M struck all his shots with such force it was brilliant that Meslier managed to save them.
We have to hope Ayling isn’t injured now or we will have to play the under 23s defence!
I still think the club didn’t strengthen the squad anywhere near enough this summer and with all our defence now injured or suspended and the attacking players not scoring goals to compensate for this (as they were doing last season) we are in a very precarious position.
posted on 17/9/21
comment by HaveFaithInLeeds (U8688)
posted 32 minutes ago
comment by tslufc (U12903)
posted 7 minutes ago
comment by Kern (U4664)
posted less than a minute ago
comment by HaveFaithInLeeds (U8688)
posted 2 minutes ago
One thing is for certain the speed at which fans can criticise so many aspects of the team because of 5 games after 3 of the best years most of us will have experienced as Leeds fans is really really poor.
^^^^^
That ignores the painful truth: we're not very good
at the moment. Yes, we've had an incredible three
years. Under an incredible manager. A genius.
Forever grateful to him and the lads.
Is it wrong though to fear we might sliding back
toward the division we worked so hard to get out of?
It doesn't look good right now. No getting around it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yep, no good burying our heads in the sand. Tonight was a game we should have won comfortably. The only saving grace was we did not lose but that was because Newcastle are a very poor side, low on confidence and apart from Saint-Maximin could not hit a barn door.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
But we’ve had tough patches before and found solutions. And these players have proved they are good enough last season. So to write them off after 5 games is not right.
And comments saying they have never been good enough are just wrong. Cooper & Klich AR two players that have proved they are more than good enough for the Premiership.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes but I worry that the pressure of full stadiums is showing the mental frailty of some of our players that don't look as composed as they were last season when virtually every match was played with no spectators.
I do think we have enough to keep away from the dreaded 2nd season drop but only just.
posted on 18/9/21
We are litterally gambling on key players avoiding injuries. Unacceptable ownership and running of a Premier league level club. Don't think we'll go down but we are a candidate. Need a win as need one sharpish. We look lost last 25 mins each week and we have no midfield replacements to come on and freshen up or steady the ship. Really don't want us slipping down after 16 years of hurt.
posted on 18/9/21
west sham up next in league and i cant see any better than a point if we are lucky, needed 3 points tonight to settle things but didnt happen and feel hammers too much for us, hope im wrong but unlike some on here i think with my head and not my heart. some need a reality check and some more delusional need a bit more than that, we are great to watch but have a very soft centre
posted on 18/9/21
West Ham are playing well and have a stacked team. With all our injuries, Struijk’s suspension, and lack of goals, can’t see us getting a draw let alone a win.
posted on 18/9/21
Of course there's several reasons for concern.
But we are a long way are a few poor games in a row. We know we are capable of turning this around because we have done before.
We have not lost any key players that made it work last season.
We need to make improvements. Most notably our inability to control the tempo of games, especially once we had taken the lead against Newcastle.
I would like to see Shackleton at RB in place of Dallas. Who was really poor and massively at fault for their goal. But goes without criticism because of most criticism from football fans appears predetermined and not based on what actually happens.
I don't think Rodrigo should continue in midfield. I would prefer to see Roberts who concedes possession in dangerous areas far less often and is much better defensively. Why we played him up front and Rodrigo behind against Crewe, I will never know.
Rodrigo possibly the best player at the club. I would love for Bielsa to find the solution to get him into the side without the huge negatives that come with him playing in Midfield. I just don't know how. Bamford caused the Newcastle back line so many problems with his press. But will never have the touch and skill of Rodrigo.
Cresswell has to start against Fulham. He wants to go on loan but won't be released by Biesa. He just wants to play senior football and after being called up to England u21s who can blame him?
Have to say that the recruitment difficulties have been very frustrating. The players that we know we have at least inquired about recently and not signed could have meant us being top 7 in hindsight. White, De Paul, Noa Lang, Gallagher, Che Adams. We know that Gallagher rejected us. Adams was prevented by the manager last minute. Bielsa wasn't keen on Lang or De Paul, and Brighton wouldn't sell to us. But damn.