![Wink ;)](./images/smilies/icon_e_wink.gif)
I agree with the grand majority of your points, and I absolutely love the positive vibe on this forum - it is something that is very hard to come by nowadays. I do have my reservations though.
First of all, Bielsa is a god. I, much like Rigger, adore the man and think he is an absolute genius. This rhetoric that his teams burn out after Christmas is completely misinterpreted. His style is so high-tempo, his demands from his players are so intense, players need time to get used to him. The first season is difficult, but it was difficult for Liverpool under Klopp, who demands a similar amount of intensity. In fact, 3 years on, and Liverpool are only just enjoying the result of his set-up. It's not burn-out, it's adaptation.
During this season, we have had more highs than we have had in the last 15 years put together. For that, we must recognise Bielsa's achievements, and of course, the players' efforts. The tactics, the way we play - it is magnificent. And once we find our feet with that intensity sustained during a whole season, it will come up trumps.
That being said, I think it is only normal to feel somewhat frustrated. The achievement has been excellent, but given the amount of time we have been longing for some progress, to get such a huge dose of progress before Christmas, and then watch the wheels fall off - it is frustrating. That doesn't take away from what I said above - I get it, I'm not blaming anyone per se, but it hurts.
But it's not the missing out on promotion that hurts - for me, it is the fear of a missed opportunity. I share Rigger's view that we won't get promoted this year. Aside from his arguments, we are currently not in the right place to be promoted, I think it's too soon. This year is a wonderful achievement, but we need to build on this and we need to improve, because there are areas of this team which are sorely lacking. My concern is that either we will lose Bielsa or we will not build on our achievements. Call me pessimistic, but I'm not sure I remember Leeds building on any success in my 20-odd years of supporting them. That's the one thing that's jarring with me at the moment. The fear of it being a one-off. This season has been fantastic, but I want to get used to this, not look back and think how great 2018/2019 was...