LEEDS PREVIEW: Bielsa… the Elland Road buzz… little ol’ Norwich… and that pink xxxxing paint

High-flying Leeds are next up at Carrow Road but can Norwich knock them off their perch? I spoke to Marching On Together editor and Leeds fan Adam Ternent…

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Thanks for talking to me Adam. First, tell me a bit about yourself. How long have you been a Leeds fan and what’s your personal highlight of your time supporting Leeds? And how did Marching On Together come about?

Adam: As a kid, I would sit in the South Stand and watch our promotion from the second division and our League title-winning season. I was a bit too young to really appreciate it at the time though. My fondest memories are from our Champions League season and our promotion from League One.

Whilst at uni in Swansea, away from the local news and media, I felt a bit detached from the Leeds United news so went looking for fellow Leeds fans to chat to and found Marching on Together. That was 17 years ago and the site is still going strong.

Good stuff. On to the matter at hand, and Norwich and Leeds have played a few extraordinary games in the last eight or nine years (with my personal favourite being the 1-0 at Carrow Road with Chris Martin’s 89th-minute winner). What’s your most memorable game between the two clubs in recent memory?

Back in November 2016 when Garry Monk took his side to Carrow Road. You were leading at halftime thanks to Robbie Brady, we fought back to take the lead in the second half only for Kyle Lafferty to make it level on 88 minutes with his first touch. Then our super sub, Ronaldo Vieira snatched all three points in injury time. I’m going to miss that lad.

I think that may have been Lafferty’s only touch all season. Speaking of missing people, what were your exact feelings after the transfers of Johnson, Howson, Snodgrass and Becchio to Norwich in quite quick succession? If there was any anger was it mainly aimed at the Leeds board or at Norwich?

The sale of Jonny Howson was heart-breaking for me. It was a season when we were building something, thought we would invest in the transfer window but instead sold one of our best young players.

Snodgrass was just a further kick in the teeth. It showed a lack of ambition on the club’s behalf and, no offence intended, a lack of ambition on some of the player’s behalf too. Most felt Snoddy in particular could have aimed for a higher club.

Ouch. Is there any strong anti-Norwich feeling still at Elland Road after those transfers or is it all largely water under the bridge now?

The anger was very much directed at Ken Bates rather than Norwich. I think most fans found it morbidly amusing you kept stealing our players. No ill feeling towards Norwich.

Not for the first time in recent years, Leeds have started the season well. Do you feel this might finally be your year or are you bracing yourselves for another collapse in form?

We’ve started well in the past but the wheels have always come off in the end. It feels a bit different this time, there is a plan and a philosophy there. The football so far under Marcelo Bielsa is very exciting, we might get found out but a good point away at Swansea in our hardest game yet proves we can grind out results too.

So how excited are you by Bielsa and his good start? How do you think he compares to other managers in the division, such as Daniel Farke, an appointment that was also perceived as a risk but hasn’t gone quite so swiftly to plan?

The buzz around the club pre-season was incredible, we are filling Elland Road and fans from all clubs are talking about our style of play. It’s amazing. He’s a bit temperamental though so it could all end in disaster and as Leeds fans we probably secretly expect that anyway. We aren’t getting carried away just yet.

I think Bielsa is tactically well ahead of most Championship managers but it’s about the ability to maintain those standards during a long English winter that is key. Graham Potter looks to be a great prospect, I can see him taking Swansea far this season. Unsure of Farke, seems he got his chance due to the success of Wagner at Huddersfield. The same approach will not necessarily work a second time.

A very diplomatic answer, time will tell I suppose. Finally, what do you think would be a good result for Leeds at Carrow Road? And what do you think the score will be?

I’m hoping for a reaction to the scare we got in the first half on Tuesday. If we can come out and impose ourselves I would hope for a win. Playing our style we will always score goals but always give the opposition opportunities too, I’ll say 2-1 Leeds but away from home I’m sure we’d all take a draw.

Who knows what effect your pink changing room will have on us though!

Cheeky git! But thanks very much to Adam for his time.

Mystic MFW

Just as rigor mortis threatened to set in, the Great Finnish, produced a great finish and then Tettey showed his Norwegian side by first ‘trolling’ Preston into thinking he was incapable of playing football before summoning Thor – the God Of Thunderb@stards.

2-0 brought three points to Farke’s men, but also to Andy and Steve for correctly predicting the score line. All the ‘home’ panel were rewarded for their faith in a City victory but are they feeling as optimistic before the arrival of Leeds?

Penney predicts: They’ve come flying out of the traps and from what I’ve seen look a bit tasty. I reckon we’ll be good enough for a 1-1 draw

Andy assumes: High tempo pressing against our laboured build-up from the back spells disaster for me and a 1-4 defeat.

Gaz (G) guesses: In my Q&A with Leeds site Through It Altogether I plumped for a heart ruling head 1-1 but, on reflection, I was ignoring all logic. Therefore an heroic failure in front of 50,000 travelling fans. 1-2 Leeds.

Cookie concludes: Bielsa whispers in his translator’s ear, who turns to the camera and says “I am happy with the result and style of play but disappointed with the goal we gave at the end”. 1-3 Leeds

Stew suspects: Toughest opponents we could face right now, but City to show some of their own quality. A Desmond 2-2.

The oppo’s opinion: I’ll say 2-1 Leeds but away from home I’m sure we’d all take a draw.

Siri says: ‘I’m really more of a listener’. 2-2 Draw.

Keep your predictions coming in. We’re keeping track of each and every one and will shortly be publishing the first of our monthly updates with the ‘full league table’. Will anyone be able to knock Mystic Martin off top spot?