sport news FAN VIEW: Leeds' long-awaited return to the Premier League has turned sour trends now
After an impressive return to the Premier League last season following their 16-year absence, many expected Leeds to kick on and cement themselves as a top-half side this time around.
But a dismal run of form after Christmas - that saw Leeds take one point from six games - plummeted them towards the relegation zone and cost beloved manager Marcelo Bielsa his job.
Jesse Marsch was parachuted in and oversaw some rousing late wins over Norwich and Wolves before they smashed Watford. But no wins since April 9 mean they are again staring down the barrel at a return to the Championship.
Pascal Struijk's late strike salvaged a draw against Brighton on Sunday and took them out of the relegation zone for the time being.
Burnley and Everton both play on Thursday night but Leeds know a win at Brentford on Sunday will give them a massive chance of survival.
Leeds supporter NEIL WILCOCK explains how the club got into this position, from a flawed transfer strategy to a devastating injury crisis and that decision to sack the man the fans idolise.
Leeds are at risk of Premier League relegation after an underwhelming second season
Jesse Marsch replaced Marcelo Bielsa as manager but has been unable to overturn results
The fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League is going to go to the final weekend
In the 1970s Leeds United’s deeply superstitious manager Don Revie was convinced the club, runners-up in leagues and cups so much more often than winners, was cursed.
Perhaps the fanbase has retained his paranoia because it feels to me and many of my fellow supporters that only Leeds could suffer 16 years in the wilderness, then finally reach the cusp of a glorious return, just as the first global pandemic in 100 years comes along to shut us out of Elland Road.
Locked out not only for the promotion but also our swashbuckling first season back, it feels now oh so predictable that when we finally did get back into our crumbling but beautiful stadium, it would be to witness everything fall apart on a journey back whence we came.
A storming finish to last season, as injured players returned, had raised hopes that the dreaded second season syndrome might not apply to us. But an underwhelming transfer window and an insipid pre-season campaign raised concerns.
Leeds fans were denied the chance to see their long-awaited Premier League return by Covid
A mauling at the hands of the bitter red enemy from over the Pennines in the season opener did nothing to quell them. It would be another seven league games before Leeds finally chalked up a win, against Watford, and four more until their second, at Norwich.
The league table can testify to the calibre of that particular opposition. In all, it’s just eight wins all season, including two more against the division’s bottom two.
So, where did it all go wrong and who is to blame? It was clear what the Elland Road crowd felt on Sunday against Brighton. As Jesse Marsch made a late substitution that baffled many of us, the atmosphere turned toxic for the first time this season. Chants of Marcelo Bielsa were followed by calls for owner Andrea Radrizzani and his board to sell up and leave.
Undoubtedly they have made some bad decisions, but to me it feels like a multitude of factors have led us here. The plan was always to do most of our spending in the first summer after promotion to cover two seasons. But that strategy in itself was flawed, especially when the success rate of those transfers is as low as it has been for us, and senior players leave without being replaced, as happened last summer.
Last summer's transfers were questionable with a large chunk of money spent on Dan James
Money was spent, but not wisely. A left back was a priority, but one more effective than Junior Firpo has been. Winger Dan James’ signing made sense in that Bielsa always wanted him, but a central
