A pre-emptive strike at the moaners ..

[Deleted User 728]

Now, call me cynical but I have a sneaky feeling we won't actually be promoted this season.

Why, I hear you ask ?

Well, we have a terrible record in the play-offs for one.
Bielsa's teams "fall apart after Christmas" for two.
Because "we're Leeds" for three ..

I could go on, but the odds aren't in our favour either, given it's a one in four on a purely mathematical basis and also the third placed teams rarely go up .. ever.

However, I want to categorically state for the record, for posterity and for the love of all things holy that this has been a MONUMENTAL SEASON .. a TRIUMPH .. a FOOTBALL FIESTA .. a pure JOY from start to finish and I include all the draws and losses when I say that.
You have to feel pain to know pleasure and I haven't felt as much pleasure from being a Leeds fan for twenty years.

Marcelo Bielsa is an amazing human being and I absolutely love that man with all my heart.
What he's done with a very average, very mid-table squad is nothing short of astonishing.
He cut ties with several players even before pre-season training started - some of whom most of us would've kept as being central to any success we may have managed this season.
He's moulded and reshaped the majority of others into fine footballers and amazing athletes with stamina, commitment, tactical awareness and a team spirit the likes of which we haven't seen since the Revie era - the size of the squad is pretty similar too.
At the same time, he's cherry-picked some ripe fruit from the academy sides and not been afraid to thrust them into the limelight.

To a man, they've played the Bielsa way and it's been glorious. Spectacular. Incredible. Tear-jerkingly pride-inducing, progressive, tiki-taka Champions League football in the Second Division.

In short, I've loved this season.
If anyone comes in here to moan and bleat and cast negativity on what has been a revelatory first term under President Bielsa, then all I can say is I feel sorry for you. If you can't take joy from 2018/19 then you should probably forget about football altogether.

[Selby White]

In short, I've loved this season.

This

[Wigan White]

Eloquently put Mr Rigger, and spot on.

[Davycc]

Nothing to add

[ilkley62]

Agree - We've got our pride back & .....not sure if this will make any sense .....even to the point where it doesnt really matter whether we go up or not!!

[Deleted User 728]

Agree - We've got our pride back & .....not sure if this will make any sense .....even to the point where it doesnt really matter whether we go up or not!!

That was precisely my point.
I can't explain why either, but it's just been a brilliant season whether we do or not - maybe that's all there is to it ?
It's enough just to have enjoyed this glorious pure football experience thanks to Bielsa

[kk white]

Yep, promotion or not, we're watching pure football again.

Not kick and rush, not mid table mediocrity, no groaning at players giving up the chase. It's football like I remember it from my childhood - enthralling, beautiful and leaves you wanting more.
When I was a kid, the full time whistle was usually the saddest sound of my week. It meant no more live football for 7 days. Now, even with wall to wall live coverage, the final whistle at ER leaves me wishing there was extra time.

Well done MB!

[Nic]

It's been revealed who's winning it on Radio 5 - The Danny Baker show had a WBA fan playing the Sausage Sandwich game, and accidentally said Aston Villa and then that he had revealed the winner of the play-offs

Has been commented elsewhere that this has been a great season with some wonderful football. When we started with mostly the same players as last season I like many was not expecting such a massive change. Even when we were dominating, expecting it to last as long as it did.

Whilst you say Bielsa teams fade after Christmas, it was only in the final few that we were out of contention.
As to play-offs, we've never gone into the play-offs in 3rd spot ....

However it has been a fantastic year seeing players that many fans had written off or moan about so many times last season put in excellent performances, and players played as a team so well.

[Deleted User 5081]

Fantastic Post Rigger. very well put. Twenty years is a long long time in football and this year has been definitely the best year we have had.

[johnh]

As one who forecast a mid-table finish before the season started, I can't disagree with Rigger's points. However, if a season can be defined by one game, then ours was the game against Wigan. At home, Wigan down to 10 men early in the game, Wigan one place above relegation places, and we lost. I have posted before that I can't see us getting through the play-offs, we don't score enough goals. All we need for next season, to make us certs for automatic promotion, is a half-decent striker.