[Ska'dForLife-WBA]

Well, whether by luck or judgement, we've now won a game of football this season... which is more than can be said for this week's opponents. Since their heartbreaking relegation (stop laughing), Leeds have suffered a disastrous exodus of players (really, stop laughing), barely escaped from their campaign opener against last year's no-hopers Cardiff with a comeback draw (no, honestly, stop laughing), and capped a magnificent fortnight for football-lovers everywhere when they lost to a last-gasp penalty at Birmingham on Saturday, extending their winless run of league games to eleven (an oxygen mask is available at this point if you require it).

Not that any of this makes Elland Road a more attractive place to visit on Friday night, either competitively, aesthetically or spiritually. Albion have failed to win the last five against Leeds stretching back to 2019, and our sole win of the 21st century in LS11 - indeed, our only triumph in Leeds since the Boomtown Rats were at #1 with Rat Trap - came in January 2007 courtesy of Jonno Greening and Diomansy Kamara; our last three visits have been consecutive defeats with an aggregate score of 8-1 to Leeds. As if that wasn't enough, no current Championship side has lost more away games in 2023 than Albion, and for good measure, the last time Carlos Corberan locked horns with Daniel Farke on the road, his Huddersfield side went down 7-0 to Norwich. I think that more or less covers the omens of impending doom, unless I've missed any baleful meteors or many-headed abominations shambling forth from Gehenna in my excitement for this highly-promising awayday.

Still, history was also against us versus Swansea and we contrived to come out on top, so who knows? Maybe the underdog role suits us. All the same, a point this week would be a very welcome outcome.

[drewks]

Great post, Ska'd, really DID 'laugh out loud'!
When this fixture comes up I always remember the one in 70/71 when The King scored that hugely controversial goal to beat that unbeatable Leeds team that we had NO RIGHT to beat!
(Isn't the picture showing those wonderful Leeds fans in celebration of that goal? Bless 'em)

https://youtu.be/DjZNt7C2Pfw?si=xBY-DV4sfM8VU7ym

[Lord Snooty]

You had to mention Norwich.

Come on, Carlos lad.

[derbybaggie]

Great post, Ska'd, really DID 'laugh out loud'!  
When this fixture comes up I always remember the one in 70/71 when The King scored that hugely controversial goal to beat that unbeatable Leeds team that we had NO RIGHT to beat!
(Isn't the picture showing those wonderful Leeds fans in celebration of that goal? Bless 'em)

https://youtu.be/DjZNt7C2Pfw?si=xBY-DV4sfM8VU7ym

If memory serves me right I was at my first live match Villa v Rochdale. Taken by my friends and their dad. We stopped to listen to the scores at the end and the biggest cheer by far was for the Leeds loss.

[Baggie_One]

My god this is bad, boring bad. Okay seems not ok, molumby should be off, it’s painful to watch ! Kipre just scares me.

Should have cut the lawn in the rain and dark

[Slick_Footwork]

Half time, 0-0 and yes, it's a dour watch.

I watched Leeds play Cardiff on the opening day and that Leeds team were miles better than what they've put out against us today. I'm not sure if all the missing players are off or if they've got an injury crisis. But on paper, this Leeds team look like they are there for the taking...

But then it kicked off and I was reminded how we'd struggle to beat the Hen and Chickens.

I just wish we had the same desire to play football in the oppositions half as what we have when we're on the edge of our own box...

We seem to be happy dicing with death in dangerous areas with players that are nowhere near good enough to do it, but when we get it forward in safe areas, it's like a hot potato. What happened to wingers and forwards putting their foot on the ball, linking up, little give and goes, a bit of creativity? Nobody up top ever shows. Nobody willing to take a risk.

And when we do have an out ball, it's always Furlong. One of the most useless "footballers" I've ever seen wear the shirt. The fact he's been the only option in his position for the past 4 years sums up why we've gone backwards at such a pace. Who knows, maybe if he gets another 10 chances to cross, he might actually keep one within the parameters of the pitch.

While it's 0-0 we always have a chance, but can't help thinking we should be having more of a go against this Leeds team. We'll need to have a shot at some point if we do intend on trying to win. But it seems like we've seen "Leeds" and are just too scared to cross the halfway line. Even though the team they have put out is nothing like the side they had last season.

[Baggie_One]

Take it all back
Delete that comment

[talkSAFT]

Yesssss
0-1 Molumby 51 mins

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Oh Shit 1-1 72 mins. Don't fancy our chance now

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1-1 F/T Happy enough with that.

[Dingle-Dingle]

Going to be a long hard relegation battle. No natural striker, no attacking intent. Powder puff midfield. None existant defence. You would think 11 strangers from off the street were given a shirt. Don`t start me on the needless yellow cards.

Luck can only take you so far.

DD#No1

[Slick_Footwork]

1-1.

I suppose you have to be pleased with a point on the road considering how abject our performance was.

The worry is, with this personnel, I don't think that abject performance will be a one off...

Some of the players we have in this side are absolutely dreadful.

Kipre in the last minute tonight, under no pressure could've just brought the ball down and we draw, but instead just punts it straight to the Leeds lad who fortunately puts it wide. What's wrong with these players? It's like they are robots just programmed to hoof the thing when it's the end of the game, even when they are under no pressure at all. Yet if it's in the first half, they will play hospital balls in their own box even when they have no passes on and it's crying out to clear the thing.

And is there a zombie infection at the Hawthorns that takes over all of our managers and forces them to play 3 at the back?

Year after year, manager after manager, it's the same rubbish. Square pegs in round holes. No forward options because we have too many defenders on the pitch. We've seen it time and time again with this personnel and they are not good enough. If you are going to play 3 at the back, you need ball playing centre halves. Wing backs who can actually play. We don't have them. We didn't have them when Bruce tried it. And now we have even less accomplished players after losing O'Shea.

Last season Corberan got results by getting back to basics. 4 at the back. Centre backs who could head the ball and would chip in with a goal at the other end. Remember Bartley scoring a couple of winners in Corberan's early games when we dug a couple of 1-0 wins out?

Now we're seeing similar to what Bruce served up. Full backs in a back 3. Bog standard full backs being asked to play further forwards, despite being completely inept on the ball. Or wingers being asked to play too deep. So many square pegs in round holes. I'd rather have another forward option on than have a full back as an extra centre half. For me, more numbers at the back doesn't mean you defend better, especially when they can't head the ball.

I was really impressed by Corberan last season and thought he performed miracles, but his selections so far this season are starting to make me think he either got lucky or has lost the plot...

And considering we've got no cash and are desperate for more loans, we might want to consider starting Sarmiento. Who is going to loan us players when we don't give game time to the guys we have on loan already?