Pub breath

Not sure if you're confused by the language here. Leeds have actually lost more than 11 players - a player for every position too - who were regular starters last season. So I was probably wrong to say "near enough" and should have just said a starting 11 plus subs. I'm not saying we lost every player who featured regularly last season, if that's what you're confused about?

I wasn't suggesting we had no squad players from last season. I was showing how we'd lost near enough a full starting 11 and that was a good way of demonstrating it. I'm well aware we kept some players. I'm not sure it's fair to compare a mid season slump against a start where he didn't even have his chosen team or much time to prepare. They aren't the same thing, are they? Meresca had his chosen team when his slump hit, Farke was still trying to build his.

These awards aren't about experience. They're about what the team looked like when the manager came in and the position they got to. You can't sensibly argue that Farke's starting point in August was as good as Maresca's. Maresca had a whole month more to prepare and most (appreciate not all) of your key business had been done already. Most of ours had not been done at all. Maybe there is an agenda. I have no idea. That still doesn't alter the fact that from the point of all these squads being put together and the playing field being more equal, Farke has been the standout manager. I don't think that's likely to be seen by many as a particularly controversial opinion.

Farke had a whole month less than Maresca to prepare his team. He also lost near enough an entire first 11 of players (no player started the Hull match who started the last match of last season) and had to deal with a lot of those leaving in August, many of their replacements landing after the season started. I think every reasonable person can see that the results in Leeds first 5/6 games were in no way a reflection of Farke's real impact as the team was in transition and he'd had a month to work with the players in the middle of a circus. Since those first few games, Farke's Leeds have comfortably out performed everyone and over a long stretch now. It does seem a tad unfair on Maresca mind but assume the recent slide and/or financial side have influenced the thinking here enormously.

Leeds have largely kept operating costs well under control and also posted (from memory) the 8th highest commercial revenue figures in the PL last season. The transfer spending has been funded by a combination of a huge uptick in revenue from championship to PL and allowable losses. The simple measure of net spend on transfers won't tell you a whole lot. We never got too carried away with wages which is often what cripples clubs who fail PSR.

There was a comment made to the Leeds journo at the Athletic, that we're fine. We would have been close to failing were it not for the sale of Luis Sinisterra but with that sale, we're fine. Guess we'll know more in the coming days but nobody around the club seems at all concerned about it.

Yep. Nerves are evident and what compounded that was playing last after seeing your two rivals for the autos winning - really ramps that pressure up. Still unbeaten since xmas and only two draws in that run. We're winning whilst not being at our best, which is encouraging because at some point, i'm sure we'll start clicking properly again. Gruev has been an enormous miss in the last two. If he's back for Coventry, that will make a sizable difference - probably in a similar fashion to how Ndidi does for Leicester.

Looking highly likely. About 2 points per game each.

Aye, it does Tommy. You can see his head rock back on impact. Underside of the chin on his left side. Not that it matters anyway, he's cleaned him out and punched the ball. In what parallel universe is that not a penalty?

LOL. It was, probably without any exaggeration, one of the most obvious penalties you're ever going to see. Not only did he clean him out, he put a knee into his face and the only bit of him that touched the ball, was his hands. He was on a yellow too. Madness that this wasn't given and him not sent off. 50 seconds into this

I was directly addressing the widespread suggestion that because Leeds and Ipswich are the teams in form and Leicester's form is terrible, that this will inevitably continue until the end of the season, seeing Leicester finish in the playoffs.

Believe me, Leeds fans are struggling to get our heads around it to a similar degree. Of all things to happen this season, I never saw this scenario. It's taken an almost absurd winning streak from us and a surprising loss of form from you, for it to happen. There's a message in there though. Without doubt, Ipswich and Leeds are now the "form horses" so you'd expect them to take the top two positions. Yet 13 games ago, you'd have put a considerable amount of money at poor returns, on Leicester winning the whole thing comfortably. Ipswich looked like a spent force 7 or 8 games ago and all of a sudden, found themselves again and have gone on another superb run. What looks inevitable now can look nothing of the sort in just a few games and football at this level is quite unpredictable. Especially this season. A good result in the next game, Leicester find confidence again, are back top and start another great run of their own. Could happen. Anything could happen.

Nah. It's mostly. sunshine. We've been the best team in the division since all the teams were put together and we continue to show that consistently. We're in a great spot now but it's still up to Leicester. You have the advantage and control in terms if winning the league.

Init? A lot of fun for them, for sure. They did have an extended run when the approach failed though. I think when it comes to crunch time, i'd far sooner have a tight defence that allows you to nick competitive matches than needing to outscore a leaky defence. That is pressure you don't need at that point in the season.

Wasn't the best, that's for sure. Stoke managed to get on top for a chunk of the second half as we dropped off the press. Not sure if that was tactics or tiredness, having played 3 games in 6 days (some of them did anyway). Two poorer performances in the last 2 games but 4 points gained is still encouraging. Our defence is the difference. It allows us to play poorly and still nick results. 3 goals conceded in 12 games is exceptional but when you realise none of those were from open play, even more impressive. Every team is vulnerable to the odd set piece flying in. I think it's that, that keeps me positive that we will overtake Ipswich in the end. They ship plenty of goals so are always reliant on outscoring their opponents but that's far more likely to end up in the odd dodgy result than conceding .25 goals a game is.