Leeds United

I said last Friday that there would be many a twist and turn to come, and the top three have all dropped points again.

With second place Leicester having lost at Plymouth, Leeds had the chance to leapfrog them with a win over Blackburn – and instead succumbed to their first home defeat of the season. I’ve grown up mostly through play-off heartache and mid-table mediocrity, so with Leeds-tinted glasses on it comes as second nature to deem us falling apart again, but in truth it seems as though nobody wants to go up – Ipswich also dropping points at home to Middlesbrough later that day.

In what was seemingly a three-horse race for automatic promotion, Southampton have gone full Randy Orton – back in the mix out of nowhere. I think it sets a precedent for simply not trying to predict the outcome, because come D-Day things could be so tight that just two points separate first and fourth.

Due to Coventry’s FA Cup semi-final and Sky Sports moving Leeds’ clash with QPR to a Friday night, we now play twice before Ipswich next kick a ball. Should we win both games then, due to goal difference, Ipswich would need to match that to be above us come D-Day.

I thought Leicester had won the league. I thought Ipswich would fade away. I thought Southampton were out of the picture. Two weeks to go and it’s all to play for, anything could happen.

Lewis Deighton can be found at LUFC Lewis, external

Leeds United will have to wait for two of their promotion rivals to play first before they kick off their Championship fixture at Middlesbrough on Monday at 20:00 BST.

On Saturday, second-placed Leicester City host West Bromwich Albion, who are fifth and Southampton go to mid-table Coventry City. Both those sides have a game in hand on the Whites.

Current leaders Ipswich Town do not play this weekend so a point for the Foxes would take them top, while victory for the Saints would see them draw level on points with Leeds.

Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before the trip to the Riverside Stadium.

Here are the key lines:

• Connor Roberts has a muscle problem and will miss the nest two games while Jamie Shackleton will return to team training and may be fit to face Middlesbrough.

• Goalkeeper Kristoffer Klaesson is not injured after his car crash earlier this week and Farke added: "I don't like to comment too much on players' private lives. But I was a bit shocked and concerned and I was really happy to hear he was okay. We had a short chat [and] he explained what happened. I have no reason to doubt his words."

• Coach Christopher John is expected to miss either the match at the Riverside or the trip to QPR after the red card he received during the defeat to Blackburn Rovers

• On how much the promotion race is now about pressure: "We're heading into the crunch time period. To stay cool is obviously an important thing. But also the quality of players, a bit of luck and to be focused on what you can influence."

• However, he is not feeling pressure from the boardroom to achieve promotion: "Just backing and trust from the owners. We are in a privileged position and we want to use it. We are having a top-class season with a remarkable points tally. We [have been] by far the best team in the second half of the season. We are more or less leading this league. The lads are playing a fantastic season."

• Middlesbrough may be unable to reach the play-offs by the time of the fixture but Farke does not expect that to impact how the game is played: "No, because they are unbeaten with many good wins and good performances in recent weeks. I expect them to be highly motivated and not expect them to feel pressure, with nothing to lose now.

• Therefore, he anticipates a difficult task on Teesside: "[It will be a] tough game for us, but this is what we have faced in 46 game days. We know we have to be at our best."

• He agrees that the success of German clubs in European competitions this seasons shows football is not always about having a massively wealthy owner but instead investing in youth.

• He added: "Our last line-up: [Illan] Meslier, experienced but young. [Joe] Rodon and [Ethan] Ampadu - our rivals are more experienced. [Ilia] Gruev and [Archie] Gray - our rivals have more experience. Our attackers, [Crysencio] Summerville, 21, [Willy] Gnonto 20, [Georginio] Rutter 22 and [Joel] Piroe 24 - our rivals have more experience. I don't want to buy success - I want to build for success. I don't want to be in the Premier League for one year spending money and then being out of it for 10 years. We want to be there for a long, long time."

The Championship title and promotion race is incredible.

Leicester were 12 points away at one point and looked like they were going to set all kinds of records. Southampton started off slowly before going on an unbelievable run, dropped off again, and now they are back in with an unbelievable shout because of the performances and the results of the top three.

Ipswich have been relentless to get to where they are and Leeds are now just having a hiccup. From their point of view, what was hard for them at the beginning was all the uncertainty around players and their loan deals and clauses that were written in on relegation. They had a slow start but then they have been incredible since.

There are some amazing games coming up for all those in the title and promotion race and it will be wonderful to watch.

But at the moment it feels like no one wants to win it with the points that are being dropped and you have to say it is the pressure. The pressure is ultimately playing into the race.

If you were to ask me who is going to win the title and who is going to get promoted – I could not call it. You cannot call it because of the results the teams have had and the games they have coming up.

When Leeds were facing a struggling Blackburn at home you would think it was the perfect game for them - and then they lost. Leicester went to Millwall and you thought that would be a game where they could go and get three points and then they didn't.

With the drama still to come in matches they have to play against each other too, it is fascinating.

At the Masters on Sunday, world number one Scottie Scheffler emerged from a four-way tie for the lead with six birdies in a 10-hole stretch around the turn to secure his second Green Jacket.

After dropping two shots within four holes, he still won the tournament by four shots and said: "I did my best to stay calm out there."

Scheffler trusted in himself and his deep faith to make it over the line: "I believe that today's plans were already laid out many years ago, and I could do nothing to mess up those plans." He believed in himself and delivered when it mattered most.

Former Leeds United manager Howard Wilkinson successfully asked his players to do likewise telling them to " trust your swing" on the run-in to becoming champions of England in 1992.

They, like Scheffler at Augusta, stumbled with a 4-0 defeat at Manchester City with six to go before seeing off bitter rivals Manchester United to the title with a game to spare.

It is no coincidence why champions prevail. Since the turn of 2022 Scheffler has won nine times and gained an enormous 575 strokes against the field. He has been 100 shots better than Rory McIlroy, the second-best player in that period. That relentless performance is built on carrying on doing what you have been doing, trusting in your training so that practice becomes permanent.

So now is not the time for Leeds United to panic and make radical changes. By sticking to his game plan, Daniel Farke has all but eradicated Leicester City's 17-point lead and given the club a far clearer shot at promotion than the fallout from last summer's relegation had suggested.

We are four years on from Leeds romping to the Championship title and into the Premier League by 10 points under Marcelo Bielsa. After the resumption of football during the pandemic, United began with a defeat at Cardiff City behind closed doors but were unstoppable come the final reckoning.

Time again to trust your swing - this time in front of the galleries.

This year's battle for automatic promotion to the Premier League looks set to go right to the wire, with last season's relegated sides Leicester, Leeds and Southampton trying to bounce straight back. However, Kieran McKenna's Ipswich are currently top of a four-way fight.

BBC Sport has examined the run-in and Opta's predictions for the final league table.

At the turn of the year Enzo Maresca's Leicester looked certain to bounce straight back up to the Premier League, topping the Championship table with a 13-point gap over third-place Southampton.

But after the Saints' win over Preston on Tuesday, four teams are involved with just a handful of games to go.

According to Opta, the Foxes have a 62% chance of winning the title and 84% of sealing promotion. Ipswich have a 62% chance of securing back-to-back promotions, according to Opta.

Southampton are predicted to get 89 points, with two of their final four games away at Leicester and Leeds.

Read the full lowdown on the Championship promotion battle

It is now three long, goalless hours at Elland Road for Leeds United.

Two games when the Whites dominated the ball and had 31 shots - and dropped five points. At a time when United could least afford it, their attacking output has dried up.

Poor set-pieces, zero goals from central midfield and the lack of a consistent striker have created an over-reliance on Championship player of the season Crysencio Summerville, Georgino Rutter and Dan James.

Those hugely important missing elements might ultimately cost the Peacocks.

Since their last direct goal from a corner – a header from Pascal Struijk against Ipswich Town on 23 December - Leeds have taken 131 corner kicks.

Excluding penalties, Leeds have eight set-piece goals in the Championship this season. Only Plymouth Argyle and Blackburn Rovers – both with five – have fewer.

United have only had one specialist set-piece coach in their history - Gianni Vio - but that may change this summer.

Form deserts everyone occasionally, but that is when you need a goal from anywhere. With the league this tight, a set-piece goal could literally mean promotion for Leeds.

With a training week ahead, Leeds must find a way to score from them.

Adonis Storr can be found at The Roaring Peacock, external

The end of the Championship season is fast approaching, with just three points separating the top three and fourth-placed Southampton six points behind with games in hand.

Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix believes Leicester City still have "a few wins left in the tank" as they push for promotion to the Premier League.

"Leeds are third favourites now. Ipswich are not completely collapsing - they're doing the best of the teams and they've got a big break now. They'll be able to see what they need to do. It could be high pressure but it could be a couple of points. They might just need one win and be done.

"Leicester, in theory, could have a four-point lead on Leeds so we're needing them to lose two of their last four games. They've been losing but will it continue? I'm sure they've got a few wins left in the tank.

"It's really interesting as things get settled. Obviously Blackburn beating us makes them safe. We need Huddersfield to still need something on the last day of the season [against Ipswich]."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Aaron Paul, ex-Reading midfielder Jobi McAnuff and Wycombe defender Joe Jacobson discuss the Championship promotion race and much more from the English Football League on the latest episode of the BBC's Football Daily 72+ podcast.

Listen now on BBC Sounds

With under a month remaining of what is now a three-horse race for automatic promotion from the Championship, the days of frantically checking on scores elsewhere and trying to predict the final table are upon me.

Leeds are not in the driver's seat as things stand, but with one point between first and third, it is just a big game of musical chairs.

As if one win in four games for Leeds since returning from the international break was not painful enough, Stuart Dallas - who has been out injured for just under two years - broke hearts on Wednesday when he announced his retirement from professional football.

Following his thanks to players and staff alike, he bowed out with: "Don't give it up now boys, you've got four games left to go." It not only epitomizes everything Dallas is about, but echoes every supporter.

Leeds, Leicester and Ipswich managed just two points between them earlier this week, scoring no goals. It follows a rocky run of form for all three sides post-break and sets up many a twist and turn in the closing weeks.

Let's do it for Dallas.

Daniel Farke has been speaking to the media before Leeds United's Championship game against Blackburn on Saturday (12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from the Whites manager:

• On Ipswich Town and Leicester City also "dropping points" earlier this week: "My attitude is not that you drop points, it is that you can't win points. Obviously, we would have preferred to have made a big step with three points, but you always have to be respectful. If you can't win a game, then you have to make sure there is a second best result, where you win one point."

• Farke is "not sure" whether he will watch Leicester City in action against Plymouth on Friday night because Leeds have already played against the two teams twice, so therefore he does not feel it is "necessary to analyse them a bit more".

• It is "difficult to predict" what to expect from Blackburn: "In this league, you cannot compare anything. I am pretty respectful of their quality in the offence. If you are not switched on against them, they can hurt each and every opponent because they have so many players who can make things happen."

• He believes Blackburn "probably need a few points" to completely be out of relegation danger and he expects "a highly motivated team who want to show a reaction at a ground where they have nothing to lose".

• Farke praised Rovers' top goalscorer Sammie Szmodics: "A player in record form. He has scored so many goals during this season and also a handful of assists. They are very dangerous. They have shown, just a couple of weeks ago, what they are capable of doing. They were able to score five goals against Sunderland and cut them into pieces."

• There were no further injuries picked up midweek and "everyone is in good shape". It was "important" for Ethan Ampadu to "recover a little bit" and for Willy Gnonto and Connor Roberts "to prepare after their muscle injuries".

• Farke said the younger players have not yet realised what they have achieved this season: "When they are in it, they don't think much about it. You need the energy and enthusiasm just to enjoy the road and not think too much about what we can achieve, or how we can write our names in the history books of the club - because otherwise you are too nervous, over-motivated and over-excited.

• On having confidence going into the final stretch, Farke added: "I like the fact that we are playing, in terms of points, the best season in the history of this club. We have got the best home record in the history of this club this season. We are by far the best team in the second half of this season. We have the best home record and defensive record of all the teams."

Image source, Getty Images

The first question, inevitably, was "will the club be sanctioned?"

Little wonder when Leeds United's financial accounts for the year to June 30, 2023 announced a staggering operating loss of £105m. The answer is no, thanks to the sales of both Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha to Manchester City and Barcelona respectively.

That helped to bring in more than £70m and reduce the deficit to nearer £34m. Those running the club detail in their strategic report that doing so helped evolve the squad "whilst prudently managing the club's finances within the Premier League's Profit and Sustainabilty rules (PSR)."

But there is no doubt that the previous board under then chairman and majority owner Andrea Radrizzani flashed the club's credit card in a failed bid to preserve top flight status beyond a third campaign before full control was handed to San Francisco 49ers Enterprises last September.

With the wage bill having risen 20% to £146m, and pay offs for head coaches like Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia costing £9.5m, it was a testing 12 months for United.

At least that is behind them now but the prospect of not recovering the value on players who have not been up to standard is not. United spent £170m on incoming transfers including Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca and Max Wober and all of them are out on loan.

Off the pitch United performed strongly by some metrics bringing in a record £189.7m. But the old adage is that turnover is vanity and profit is sanity. Player sales are the short term panacea when the business is nowhere near able to wipe its own face.

With £190m owed in transfer fees, of which £73m is due by the end of June alone, not returning to the Premier League will inevitably mean selling more of the family silver.

Bayer Leverkusen have joined Liverpool and Tottenham in the race to sign Leeds United's Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville, 22. (Bild via Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Stuart Dallas is a Leeds United icon because he is widely admired. His back catalogue with the club includes stunning goals, promotion and a versatility which saw him play on the wing, in midfield and at full-back. His work ethic and desire to improve are what stood out to me though.

As part of the band of brothers under Marcelo Bielsa who saw the club finally win promotion to the Premier League in 2020, the Northern Ireland international will forever be remembered.

To score both goals in a 2-1 victory at Manchester City with 10 men exactly three years to the day prior to announcing his retirement, to effectively seeing his career ended playing the same opponents, shows the gossamer thread between elation and despair. The latter he says "he is at peace with".

Dallas was a pleasure to watch because he gave every ounce of himself even when he was finding it tough. Single-handedly he almost rescued a 4-3 aggregate play-off semi-final defeat to Derby County in Bielsa's first season, scoring twice. He was just as good to deal with in person. 'The Cookstown Cafu', as he was known, was true to his roots - humble, witty and without ego. A rare breed in any walk of life, let alone football.

His former chairman Brian Dallas (no relation) at Coagh United took him under his wing and tried to give him a trade. He joked "it is as well Stuart made it as a footballer because he certainly would not have made it as a joiner".

Stuart Dallas will always will be very much part of the furniture at Leeds United.

• Listen to Dallas speak to BBC Radio Leeds here

Image source, Getty Images

“Mentally, I’m totally fine. I’m at peace with it.”

Those are the brave words of Stuart Dallas after announcing injury has brought an end to his career at the age of 32.

Dallas says a "positive energy" in the Leeds squad has "got me through it".

"I'm gutted but there are people in worse off positions than me," he says.

"I've had the career I've had, the responsibility of playing for this club."

Watch a clip of Dallas speaking to BBC Radio Leeds here, external

Stuart Dallas says he has retired from football "with a heavy heart" having undergone tireless work to come back from an injury sustained in April 2022.

The Leeds United player says he "must accept my knee suffered irreparable damage" and that he is "devastated by the news".

Brentford have moved to post on X: "The goals at Fulham, the last minute winner against Derby, thank you for all the memories you gave us, Stuart! We all wish you the best in the next stage of your career."

Dallas has written: "As a young boy growing up in Cookstown, Northern Ireland, all I ever wanted was to play professional football and I will be eternally grateful that for me, that dream came true. This may not be how fairytales are supposed to end but I must now deal with the fact this chapter of my life is drawing to a close."

Dallas paid tribute to former coaches Michael O'Neill and Marcelo Bielsa and described Liam Cooper as "a truly wonderful human".

Image source, Getty Images

Leeds United's Stuart Dallas has announced his retirement from football.

The 32-year-old, who joined from Brentford in 2015, has undergone extensive treatment on a femoral fracture suffered against Manchester City in April 2022 but will be unable to return to play.

In announcing the news, Leeds described the Northern Ireland international as "a legend for both club and country".

"Showing his versatility on either side as a winger, at left-back, right-back and centre midfield, Dallas always played with 100 per cent effort wherever asked," the club said.

"Naturally, there is great sadness from everyone within the club about this news, but we all wish Stuart the very best in his retirement.

"It goes without saying, Stuart is an icon of Leeds United and will always be welcome at Elland Road, his contribution will live long in the memory and he has cemented his place in history.

"We are currently in discussions with Stuart about a future role, to continue his association with the club going forwards.

Leeds United supporters can show support, respect and appreciation for Stuart, who will be introduced onto the pitch at half-time of Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship fixture against Blackburn Rovers at Elland Road, along with his family."

Dallas has earned 266 appearances for Leeds, scoring 28 goals, and also featured 62 times for Northern Ireland.