'I didn't think Darlow's distribution was very good'published at 07:31 GMT 21 January
07:31 GMT 21 January
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BBC Radio Leeds' Jonny Buchan says that Leeds United goalkeeper Karl Darlow struggled with his distribution during their 1-0 win over Fulham.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, Buchan believes other goalkeepers would have faced criticism for the errors Darlow made throughout the game.
In the first half, Emile Smith Rowe came close to an opener for Fulham, but failed to hit the target despite Darlow being a long way off his line.
"I didn't think that Darlow's distribution was very good," Buchan said.
"There was a couple that he belted over everybody, straight to Bernd Leno by a long stretch as well.
"Had Lucas Perri or Illan Meslier came out for the header that Darlow came out for, they would be getting hammered.
"This isn't saying that Darlow should be getting hammered, absolutely not.
"But Darlow is the one coming in, starting clean and fresh, whereas Perri has a season of slight discrepancies behind him.
"I do think that maybe public opinion gets worse as time goes on and these errors stack up.
"What will people be saying about Darlow in five or six games' time?"
Leeds sign Nigeria international Ngengepublished at 14:15 GMT 20 January
14:15 GMT 20 January
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Leeds United have completed the signing of defender Leonard Ngenge, who will join the club's academy after agreeing a deal running until the end of the 2026-27 season.
The 18-year-old arrives in West Yorkshire from Nigeria, having made seven appearances in all competitions this season for Remo Stars FC. Despite being recruited initially for the academy setup, Ngenge already boasts senior international experience.
The centre-back has been capped twice by Nigeria, making his international debut against Senegal last year before also featuring in a match against Sudan.
Ngenge will now begin his development within Leeds' academy structure, as the club continues to identify and invest in emerging talent with the potential to progress through to the first team.
'Exhausting, exhilarating, and completely Leeds United'published at 13:30 GMT 20 January
13:30 GMT 20 January
Molly Whitmore Fan writer
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As a Leeds fan you honestly could not script nights like that even if you tried.
A point you would have taken, but what a thriller. That is what following this football club is all about.
Right to the very last minute, heart in mouth, limbs ready, and then bang, chaos. The roar, the disbelief, the pure release when that goal went in is exactly why we put ourselves through the stress week after week.
Supporting Leeds is never calm, never simple, and we would not have it any other way.
Against Fulham it felt like one of those games where momentum swung every few minutes.
We had spells where we looked sharp and aggressive, then moments where you feared we might come away empty handed. Fulham are no mugs and they showed quality, but the way the lads kept going summed up the spirit in this side.
Even when it looked like we might have to settle, they kept believing, and that belief paid off in the most dramatic fashion possible.
I have to say, back in summer I was all over the Harry Wilson signing, despite his Derby ties, but we have forgiven Bogle I guess.
Football does strange things to loyalties and grudges. That said, seeing Wilson avoid what should have been a red card left a sour taste. If that is the way he plays, I am glad to see him nowhere near West Yorkshire.
There is clever and then there is reckless, and it felt like we got the wrong side of that decision on the night.
On a more positive note, it was great to see Bogle back in the side. The whispers of him going to Everton were scary at the time, and when injuries start circulating you always fear the worst.
I am glad to hear it was just an ankle injury. Hopefully with the rest and medical care he has received, we get the old Bogle back, flying down the flank with confidence and energy. He gives us something different and you could sense the lift his presence brought.
Big hats off to Farke for dropping Perri after the Newcastle heartbreak. From day one of signing Darlow, though he may not be as good as his prime days, I have shouted it from the hill tops that having an experienced player from who has played in multiple divisions brings more positives than negatives.
Looking ahead, I am really looking forward to visiting the new Hill Dickinson on Monday. What a great weekend that would have been - a Saturday in Liverpool. Still, a new stadium, a fresh atmosphere, and Leeds taking their travelling support on the road is never a bad thing.
Nights like Fulham remind you why you fall in love with this club in the first place. Drama, controversy, passion, and that feeling that anything can happen until the final whistle. Exhausting, exhilarating, and completely Leeds United.
What if one unsigned contract changed the course of English football? published at 11:35 GMT 20 January
11:35 GMT 20 January
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For 52 years, a document sat untouched in a filing cabinet inside a Wirral bungalow - a lucrative offer from Everton to Don Revie that was never signed. Had it been, Leeds United, Everton, and the wider game might have looked very different.
Unsigned: When Don Revie Turned Down Everton tells the story of a true sliding-doors moment. Of power, money and control. Of a gold Mercedes, Greeks bearing gifts, and a "beast from Bolsover" at the height of his influence.
As BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope reveals, Everton's offer was extraordinary for its time: a seven-year deal starting in June 1973, a salary of £15,500 per year - worth about £240,000 today - with the potential to double that through bonuses. League titles, FA Cups and European glory all came with substantial financial rewards, alongside first-class travel, a club board house near Goodison Park and full control over team selection, coaching, scouting and medical staff.
Everton statistician and historian Gavin Buckland believes the Goodison Park board were ready to spend big.
"That would have been the top manager's salary," he said. "Revie's name and reputation were absolutely at the peak of the English game. Quite obviously, the best manager in English football at that time."
Yet the deal was never completed.
Why? And what did it mean for Leeds United, Everton, and the balance of power in English football?
This documentary explores the ifs, buts and maybes and the contract that was never signed.
'I had unwittingly stumbled upon an exclusive in my childhood home'published at 08:26 GMT 20 January
08:26 GMT 20 January
Adam Pope BBC Radio Leeds reporter
Media caption,
My mother would often say, before she died last year, that there was something valuable in the home in which she had lived with her husband George.
Was it an heirloom or an antique, I wondered.
George Watts, my stepfather, was chairman and director at Everton while also working for the club's owner John Moores at the Littlewoods Organisation.
He was an astute businessman and dealt with club finances. As a youngster, I can recall legendary forward Bob Latchford coming to the house to discuss contracts.
When George died in 1988, fellow club director and solicitor Keith Tamlin handled his estate. The filing cabinet rammed with club paraphernalia was emptied - except for one key document.
It would remain undisturbed for a further 37 years until last summer, when I went through an experience familiar to many people who have lost a parent - one of painstakingly sifting through decades of paperwork.
There were long-out-of-date policies, receipts, family photographs, work mementos and then, undetected at the back of one of the steel grey drawers, was a brown envelope marked 'Everton: Season Ticket Sales'.
It seemed innocuous enough, with a running total of revenues from a couple of seasons in the 1970s.
But what caught my eye was a schedule of undated flights to Athens from Manchester, accompanied by several copies of a typed contract, one of which was annotated in my stepfather's distinctive, if somewhat indecipherable, handwriting.
Closer inspection revealed an agreement between Everton Football Club and the man who in 12 years had taken Leeds United from Second Division also-rans to winners of every major domestic honour and two Fairs Cups - one Donald Revie of Three Chimneys, Sandmoor Drive, Leeds.
More than half a century after the contract was drawn up I had, quite unwittingly, stumbled upon an exclusive in my childhood family home - one that saw my two worlds collide as a boyhood Everton fan who has covered the Whites on BBC Radio Leeds for 20 years.
🎧Whites leave it late but keep points rolling inpublished at 14:51 GMT 19 January
14:51 GMT 19 January
Leeds left it late on Saturday to get three vital points on home soil against Fulham to maintain their gap over the relegation zone.
Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Simon Rix look back at the game and discuss the departure of Jack Harrison on the latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet.
'Best win of the season' shows Farke's side have grown uppublished at 14:03 GMT 19 January
14:03 GMT 19 January
Tom Gayle BBC Match of the Day commentator
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There's no getting away from the fact that Leeds versus Fulham was a poor game of football. However, it did offer perhaps the clearest evidence so far that Daniel Farke's side possess both the bravery and quality required to win tight matches in this league.
I found the optics surrounding Fulham's late changes telling. The sight of Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez, with their combined 19 goal involvements, trudging off in the 88th minute, screamed to me that Marco Silva was understandably content with a point on the road.
However, whilst I can't prove it, I'm sure the Leeds players and coaching staff would have seen this as an act of 'weakness' from the opposition, and further reinforced their belief that maximum points were still there for the taking. Three minutes later, Lukas Nmecha is knee sliding towards the corner flag, celebrating the winning goal.
When speaking to the written press afterwards, one journalist felt the need to double-check with Farke that he hadn't been mistaken in hearing his opening comments, which described the result as Leeds' "best win of the season". The German, without hesitation, was once again happy to double down and explain his reasoning behind such a bold statement.
It was ugly at times, but Farke, his staff, and Leeds supporters know it was the type of performance which demonstrated how their players have grown to possess the necessary minerals required to preserve their Premier League status.
'I've still got a few levels to go' published at 11:07 GMT 19 January
11:07 GMT 19 January
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Leeds United forward Lukas Nmecha has reflected on the instinctive nature of his winner, his patience amid fierce competition for places with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the confidence he is rebuilding after an injury-interrupted spell.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, the striker also highlighted the importance of squad adaptability, the atmosphere at Elland Road and his own determination to keep progressing as Leeds continue their push for Premier League stability.
The Whites are currently 15th in the Premier League with 25 points after 22 games, but crucially, are eight points clear of West Ham, who hold the final relegation spot.
"As a striker, that's what you come on for. It's hard to make an impact with that little time, but thankfully, it dropped to my feet, and I made the most of it. I was mainly focused on getting in front of my man first. It was kind of instinctive.
"I'm always optimistic, I have a lot of self-belief, and I didn't think too much about other players. I just knew that if I played my games, I have a good chance of getting minutes, and I am making the most of it.
"I obviously had to miss some time away with injury and we changed formation. It is very competitive so recently I have not played as much as I would like, but that's the game and hopefully today will change it a little bit.
"Definitely at home, you can feel the strength behind us. The crowd is amazing.
"I am just pleased to be back on the pitch. I have got a chequered past with game time and I am just happy to be getting back in form.
"I've still got a few levels to go but I am happy with where I am right now."
Leeds 1-0 Fulham - the fans' verdictpublished at 07:48 GMT 19 January
07:48 GMT 19 January
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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Leeds and Fulham.
Here are some of your comments:
Leeds fans
Peter: These are the games Leeds were losing by the odd late goal earlier in the season - finding a way to win tight contests like this is key to survival.
Eric: This game showed why we still miss a dedicated striker who can score goals. However, we needed three points and that is what we came away with, so not going to be overly critical. Our future is still in our own hands and that is what counts.
Andy: A win built on hard graft and teamwork. Interesting to hear Daniel Farke talk about his efforts to create a tight squad full of humble, selfless and hard-working players - those three vital qualities Don Revie instilled into his great teams of the 70s. Well-deserved win.
Andrew: Every game is a cup tie until we are safe, but it's enjoyable to watch despite the white knuckle ride at times. It's objectively clear to see that we are playing like a mid-table team and deserve to be in the Premier League. Can't wait to see Facundo Buonanotte in a white shirt and hoping for more good business before the window closes. Once the turf has been cut on the Elland Road ground redevelopment, I will be fully convinced we are back and aiming for Europe.
Fulham fans
James: That was an awful performance from Fulham. Leeds controlled the entire game and then delivered the final blow like we did back in September. Hopefully all the players coming back from Afcon will help us pick up three points against Brighton.
Max: Way too casual in defence, too slow in getting back and tracking the runs of the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha. We will be grateful to have Calvin Bassey back for the next game to help us with that as Issa Diop, Joachim Andersen and Jorge Cuence are too slow. Some good play, but not enough. Outplayed by a promoted side in good form.
Simon: Fulham were pathetic the whole game - toothless up front, continually playing out from the back and almost losing possession! Worst performance this season.
Richard: Poor performance after an unbeaten Christmas period, not helped by Marco Silva unnecessary tinkering with a winning team. Fulham should have played with the back five that beat Chelsea and drew with Liverpool. Leeds deserved it.
Aaronson's 'remarkable turnaround'published at 13:36 GMT 18 January
13:36 GMT 18 January
Sam Ashoo BBC Final Score reporter at Elland Road
Image source, Getty Images
On 6 December, there were some boos by Leeds United fans for Brenden Aaronson when he came onto the pitch against Liverpool.
It is fair to say that he has had a rocky relationship with his club's supporters over the past couple of years.
Six weeks later, the sight of Aaronson coming off to a standing ovation from 33,000 home fans during Saturday's win against Fulham completes a remarkable turnaround for the USA international forward.
He will be the first to admit he should have done better in the first half when a great pass over the top leaves him one-on-one with Bernd Leno. Aaronson blazed over, but it was a bouncing ball and you can forgive him for snatching.
And now, the good stuff. Industrious. Skilful. Hard working. All terms that summarise his performance in what Daniel Farke described as Leeds' 'best win of the season'.
He is one of those players that you can't take your eyes off because you don't quite know what he is going to do next. In a football world of systems, we should appreciate those that are going against the mould.
Aaronson's brace against Newcastle gave us a glimpse into his finishing prowess. If he can find a way of adding regular goals to his game, Leeds have quite the player on their hands.
Leeds bounce back in style as Nmecha downs Fulhampublished at 17:58 GMT 17 January
17:58 GMT 17 January
Adwaidh Rajan BBC Sport journalist
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It was a late Gabriel Gudmundsson own goal that inflicted a 1-0 defeat on Leeds when they met Fulham back in September.
In recent weeks, Leeds have looked a far cry from the side that left Craven Cottage empty-handed.
Daniel Farke's decision to shift to a back three in late November has transformed their season and had them go on a seven-game unbeaten run in the Premier League.
That momentum was briefly halted at St James' Park last week in a 4-3 defeat by Newcastle.
So the onus was firmly on Leeds to bounce back against an in-form Fulham - and bounce back they did.
The transformed version of Leeds was again on show at Elland Road on Saturday and just like in the reverse fixture, it was again decided by a last-gasp winner - this time from Lukas Nmecha in favour of Farke's side.
After an underwhelming first half, Leeds were on top of Fulham after the break, restricting the visitors to only three shots while attempting nine.
Though they remain eight points from the drop zone after West Ham's shock win against Tottenham, Leeds have now scored in nine league home fixtures in a row and are unbeaten in five matches at Elland Road.
And there were more positives to take from this victory for Farke, who witnessed his side keep a clean sheet on home soil for the first time since their first two home games of the season.
Leeds 1-0 Fulham: What Farke saidpublished at 17:27 GMT 17 January
17:27 GMT 17 January
Media caption,
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke, speaking to Sky Sports: "The best win of the season, we played an in-form Fulham side. Important three points and a fantastic win. We were relentless until the end. For me the best win of the season so far. We didn't allow them to show their quality in offence. We kept going, we were relentless and we had belief, It was an important three points for us. We wanted to go for this win and the lads have delivered in a top class way.
On Lukas Nmecha: "He proved me right and showed his quality in the finishing. For me one of the best German strikers we have and he has shown this with a crucial goal for us which wins us all three points."
On the team being confident: "Other results are not important for us, we know exactly what we have to do. We need to win points to come to a point tally where we are safe. We have edged closer today with three crucial points. A reason to be happy today and let's celebrate today."
Leeds United are now unbeaten across their last five Premier League home matches (W3 D2), with today the first time they've kept a clean sheet in the league at Elland Road since their opening two home games of the season.
Leeds v Fulham: Team newspublished at 14:02 GMT 17 January
14:02 GMT 17 January
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has made three changes to the side that suffered their first defeat in eight games at Newcastle last week.
Goalkeeper Lucas Perri drop to bench while Jaka Bijol and Anton Stach miss out from the matchday squad but new loan signing Facundo Buonanotte is on the bench.
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Brentford" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Nottingham Forest v Arsenal", for instance.
Sutton's predictions: Leeds v Fulhampublished at 10:43 GMT 17 January
10:43 GMT 17 January
Leeds lost out to a bizarre stoppage-time own goal at Craven Cottage in September, but they look a different team now - they have come on so much.
Mind you, so have Fulham. The only time Harry Wilson has failed to score recently is when I put him in my fantasy team, and while I thought they would struggle when some of their players went to the Africa Cup of Nations, the opposite has happened - they have been excellent.
I'd usually back Leeds to win at home, but Fulham have proved they can nick a goal and a result on the road so I am going to sit on the fence here.
Leeds v Fulham: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 18:51 GMT 16 January
18:51 GMT 16 January
Chris Adams BBC Sport journalist
Leeds United will feel buoyed by their recent form when they host Fulham at Elland Road on Saturday (15:00 GMT).
The Whites have lost just once in their past nine games in all competitions, a run that has coincided with something of a renaissance for Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has seemingly shaken the hamstring injuries that caused to him to miss 35 matches in the five seasons prior to this one.
The 11-times capped England striker has scored eight goals in his past nine league matches for Daniel Farke's side - a stark turnaround from one in his opening 10 - leading to talk of a potential international recall as Thomas Tuchel weighs up his options before the World Cup.
The uptick in his big-chance conversion rate is eye-catching.
If Calvert-Lewin scores again in the Premier League, his next goal would see him reach double figures in a top-flight campaign for only the third time, after netting 16 and 13 for Everton in 2020-21 and 2019-20 respectively.
Leeds face stiff opposition in Marco Silva's ninth-placed Fulham, who are unbeaten in their past six league games - a run surpassed only by Liverpool and Manchester City (both on nine).
Wales international Harry Wilson - who came close to joining Leeds in the summer - is shining this season. Since a hat-trick for his country against North Macedonia on 18 November, the midfielder had scored six times in 12 club games.
His late winner against Chelsea took his tally of Premier League goal involvements this season to 11 (seven goals and four assists), the 28-year-old's best return in a top-flight campaign.
Fulham are unbeaten in their past 12 matches against promoted sides (won seven, drawn five). They are also finding the net freely, having scored in each of their past 12 games in all competitions.
Leeds United host in-form Fulham on Saturday, and Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Simon Rix preview the visit of the Cottagers as well as discuss transfer news in the latest episode of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet.
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