Leeds United 6 Stoke City 0. We’re going up….. We’re going up. Back where we belong: Leeds United are promoted to the Premier League
Never in doubt all season. After showing how devastating we can be with the 7-0 thrashing of Cardiff, after getting through our annual April wobble, we went on to destroy Stoke at home on the day we got promoted. Yes Sheffield United did us a favour at the death, but it was us last season that fell apart. This time we ground out a few wins at the end of season to show we have the resilience, whilst other teams fel away.
The players talked about togetherness. After two rocky starts with key players leaving, the remaining players showed they had faith in the badge. Ampadu stepped up to be a true leader. James came of age as a tyrant winger. Solomon played with his heart for Leeds not as a loanee. Rothwell and Bogle defied being regarded as edge players and put forward play into their game that we needed this season. Rodon showed that Leeds DNA with his steely determination to be a rock in defence. And finally, Tanaka was this year’s surprise acquisition.
Farke’s hardest decision was to belatedly drop Meslier, but, boy, the fans let him know it was the right one. Darlow showed if he had started earlier in the season we would have dropped less points. In the end it was a mistake we were able to absorb.
Football can be crazy. Leeds can be Leedsy. Leeds fans can be emotional. Very emotional. The lowest point of the season was undoubtedly in April when Meslier cost Leeds two points at Swansea City and Leeds fans wrote off the season. We blamed Farke for not signing a striker in January and not dropping Meslier. But he told us we would go up “100%”. In the end the rest of the top of the championship had a moment and Farke was proven right. How could we have ever doubted him.
With all three promoted teams last season relegated there may well be a hidden message in there that Leeds needed one more season to build that squad and resilience. It’s going to be way tougher than this season. With reinforcements needed to keep us up, Solomon to stay, the last piece of the jigsaw is what the fans saw today – the future. Harry Gray. If he makes it big it won’t just be Eddie Gray shedding a tear at his arrival on the big stage. Every club needs a hero and he has destiny in his blood.
The next steps are delicate: Farke talked of being back where we belong, he now needs to prove he can keep a team up in the Premier League – including buying the right players.
Player of the season. Daniel James. Bielsa was right. He may be known as that little Welsh scum b@st@rd but his pace, crosses and goals made the difference this season.
