Leeds United

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton hopes "the fans are still with Daniel Farke" because Leeds' performances "have been competitive" despite suffering a third straight loss to the hands of Aston Villa.

Sutton's thoughts were echoed by Joe Hart, who said Villa only came away with the three points due to "an absolute bit of quality" from goalscorer Morgan Rogers.

"I always felt Leeds were going to be in a relegation battle this season, but I think they have been competitive," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club."Their recent run is the poorest run of the season but they are still there and scrapping.

"If I was a Leeds fan, then I am not totally distressed. They need to score more goals - that is evident - and in recent games they have leaked too many, but on another day they may have been able to break and get something out of Aston Villa.

"I hope the fans are still with Daniel Farke and this does not turn ugly in a short space of time with negativity towards the manager. I think he has done a fair job."

Hart added: "I agree because the performance did not concern me. I thought they were excellent first half and their energy was through the roof.

"They were putting Villa under so much pressure. Unai Emery was really concerned because he was pacing.

"Leeds had to shift tactically second half to adapt to what Emery did with his team, but once they did, it was a fair old ding-dong.

"It took a bit of absolute quality from Morgan Rogers to win it. Leeds looked like a competitive Premier League team."

So why is there pressure on Leeds manager Daniel Farke?

His name was cheered before the game and he was applauded afterwards. However, in the second half, a man carrying a Leeds scarf was apprehended in the technical areas having entered from the stands to berate the home boss.

"There is a sense that Farke is loyal to the players that the fans are not on board with," said The Observer's football correspondent Rory Smith. "I don't think it is anything more specific than a worry Farke cannot keep them up.

"I do wonder if that is influenced by the fact he has been relegated before at Norwich.

"There are certain selections that seem unpopular. Brenden Aaronson being one which I think is unfair because he is a good player and his work rate is astonishing.

"There are a few that Elland Road has never been entirely convinced by."

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Brendan Rodgers, a free agent since leaving Celtic, heads Leeds United's manager shortlist, with Daniel Farke at serious risk of being sacked after the weekend defeat by Aston Villa. (TeamTalk), external

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Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It is November 2000.

Ken Livingstone has become the first elected Mayor of London, Big Brother has aired in the UK for the first time, and the last game played at the old Wembley Stadium has just led to Kevin Keegan's resignation as England manager.

Westlife are dominating the charts but would be beaten to Christmas number one by Bob the Builder, Madonna is soon to marry Guy Ritchie, and Leeds United are spending big.

On 25 November 2000, they broke the British transfer record by signing Rio Ferdinand from West Ham for £18m.

The then 22-year-old became the world's most expensive defender and took Leeds' spending in two years under David O'Leary to £64.3m.

In his first season at Elland Road, Ferdinand was part of a side that finished fourth - then the Uefa Cup qualification place - in the Premiership and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.

Despite a difficult debut in a 3-1 defeat by Leicester, the England international's quality soon shone through and, by the end of the campaign, his impact was such that he was regularly captaining the team in the absence of Lucas Radebe.

There were also big goals. Ferdinand scored in the Champions League quarter-final first-leg win over Deportivo La Coruna, in a big 2-1 league win over Liverpool at Anfield in April 2001, and on his return to Upton Park in a 2-0 victory a week later.

Image source, Getty Images

He was given the captain's armband permanently by O'Leary before the 2001-02 season and performed admirably once again as Leeds reached the Uefa Cup last 16 but finished fifth in the league and failed to break back into the Champions League.

However, Ferdinand's spell at Elland Road was as short as it was sweet, with the failure to qualify again for the Champions League finally bringing to the fore the club's perilous financial situation.

In March 2002, Leeds announced pre-tax losses of £13.8m for the final six months of the previous year, with the failed £100m gamble on players in a bid for European success beginning to make the accountants nervous.

By July, Ferdinand had left to join fierce rivals Manchester United for £30m - again breaking the British transfer record and again becoming the world's most expensive defender.

After he was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023, Ferdinand said he "played some of my best football" at Leeds and revealed he is still in a WhatsApp group with the likes of notable former Whites stars Mark Viduka and Lee Bowyer.

While his move to the Red Devils is still a touchy subject for some, Ferdinand told a BBC podcast in 2023 that knowing there are those who are still angry "wrecks my head".

"I understand the rivalry, but sometimes you've got to understand the situation and the context," he added.

"Unfortunately the club was run a particular way that they had to sell all of the assets. They had to sell me. I had to go. So it didn't matter where I was going."

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope believes this next run of games is "crucial" for Whites boss Daniel Farke's future at Elland Road.

Losing 2-1 to Aston Villa at home on Sunday left Leeds in the Premier League's relegation zone and with just one win in seven games.

However, Pope believes there will be no "knee-jerk reaction" from the board after that defeat.

Farke's side face an ominous trip to Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City on Saturday, before hosting second-place Chelsea on 3 December and then Liverpool on 6 December.

"If it goes horribly wrong over the next three games, then of course they [the board] will be seriously thinking about making a decision", Pope told the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast.

"This period is crucial. It really is. And if it goes badly then clearly they are going to thinking about making a decision.

"You're not going to make a knee-jerk reaction based on the Villa game. I don't think that's how this outfit [owners] work.

"Do I think they have someone waiting in the wings to come in? I'd say no at the moment.

"This is very different now to the emotionally driven Leeds United we have seen before.

"They have to be in the race to stay up by Christmas. They can't fall way behind the run-rate, they just can't.

"One win could change it. You can't rest it on one result or defeat."

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Molly Whitmore
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Where to even begin?

Walking out of Elland Road, it felt less like leaving a match and more like stepping off a malfunctioning rollercoaster - shaken, nauseous, and wondering why on earth you got on in the first place.

The atmosphere was thick with tension, frustration and a strange, sinking feeling like we are teetering on something. A slippery slope? No. This feels like we have already slipped and are tumbling down it head first.

And the whispers in the South Stand around me were not subtle. The manager is fully in the firing line. As for Brendan Aaronson, I've heard more positive noise coming out of a broken speaker. And Lucas Perri? The goalkeeper criticism could probably be heard all the way in Beeston.

Let's not sugar coat it, the manager absolutely, unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt needs to go. His substitutions are tragic. The timing? Tragic. The choices? Even more tragic. We were screaming for Dan James to be introduced at least 10 minutes before he eventually appeared. By the time he arrived, Villa had already picked out the picnic blanket and poured the prosecco.

Driving home and listening to Radio Leeds, I couldn't have agreed with Ade White more when he said that the decision not to start James is no longer about injury - it's a choice. A maddening, baffling, unjustifiable choice. If he's fit enough to play, he's fit enough to start, so why is he watching others stroll about before he gets a kick? It's getting ugly now. Really ugly.

And here's the heartbreaking bit: I've been going to Leeds games home and away for about 17 years with my old man. Week in, week out, through the good, the bad, and the 'Championship on a cold Tuesday night'.

It's been our thing. Something I loved most about life. But right now? The desire is slipping away, and I hate admitting that. When football stops being joy and starts being dread, something's badly broken on the pitch and off it.

As for who played well? Hard to say because 'well' might be a stretch. Aaronson and Perri certainly didn't cover themselves in glory. The best of a bad bunch were Joe Rodon and Sean Longstaff, who at least visibly show passion, frustration, and that refusal to hide attitude we desperately need. I'd normally throw Bogle in with them, maybe some touches yesterday justify it but ever since that shocker at Brighton away, I'm struggling to find the words.

Morgan Rogers' second goal? I can't write about it. I genuinely don't know what happened. Still waiting for a replay that makes sense as to what on earth our boys were doing.

So now we head to the Etihad on Saturday. Perfect. An awful performance and result leading into a trip to football's equivalent of walking willingly into oncoming traffic. I'm glad it's at least a Saturday at 3pm and I'm getting the train with my friends. You can rarely have a bad day out when it's a Saturday 3pm which comes round every blue moon (literally…). But I'm sure the football will find a way to ruin it. Probably by 15:02.

And yet, despite all of this, we'll be there. Because that's what we do. Even when it hurts. Especially when it hurts.

Marching On Together… though at this point, we're mostly limping.

Molly Whitmore is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Leeds - find all their audio here

The pressure is mounting on Daniel Farke.

The team on the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast get into the details on a fresh episode.

Listen to the full episode here

Explore all Leeds United content on BBC Sounds

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Following on from Tony and Gareth and their recollections of Tomas Brolin, my memories of him are a little different.

After all, he arrived at Elland Road 10 years before I started covering Leeds United, but when I did, we used his name in vain for our post-match phone in.

We would ask fans to rate the team's performance as either 'Bremner or Brolin?'. At one point he considered legal action when he found out!

He was a spectacular flop at Leeds United and as I recall, he was remembered more for owning a restaurant called Undici (11 like his number), selling vacuum cleaners, owning race horses and playing poker.

Brolin made his first start for Leeds against Blackburn Rovers in the League Cup on 29 November 1995.

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It has been 30 years since Tomas Brolin joined Leeds United to much fanfare as their £4.5m record signing at the time.

The former centre-forward joined the Whites on the back of a highly regarded 1994 World Cup campaign, where he helped Sweden finish third, and with a strong reputation from his success with Italian side Parma.

But the Swede did not live up to expectations, only managing four goals from his two years in Yorkshire and BBC Radio Leeds have been recounting the signing with fans.

"It was a funny time then. We'd been in the doldrums really after 1992. We'd started to lose our way a little bit and the football under Howard Wilkinson had become stale. Other clubs were starting to move forward," United supporter Gareth told the BBC's Adam Pope.

"You look at the way that Manchester United started to play once they got Eric Cantona while Aston Villa became a really progressive team using wingers. Even [Sir Alex] Ferguson at Manchester United had changed to out-and-out wing play with Cantona as a flair number 10 floating around.

"Blackburn had become really strong and attacking but Wilkinson was renowned for being dour and most of the time a 4-4-2. You could predict it. We were very direct and we'd started to lose a couple of players.

"I'm pretty convinced that Brolin was a Bill Fotherby [former managing director] signing and absolutely not the type of player that Wilkinson was interested. Brolin had a brilliant Euros in Sweden in 1992 and was an outstanding player.

"But there was a lot of talk at the time that when he was coming, that Wilkinson didn't want him. He wasn't a Wilkinson signing, but Fotherby had decided that he was having him. He bought him, what was it, four and a half million pounds, which was a lot of money back in those days."

In the end, Brolin made just 25 appearances for the Whites, being loaned back to Parma and then heading to Premier League rivals Crystal Palace. Gareth's verdict on the Sweden forward was fairly blunt.

"What a horrific signing," he said. "The kid was overweight, unfit and not interested. I think he's admitted about his hedonistic lifestyle after the Euros at that time had got to his head a little bit.

"He did virtually nothing for us and couldn't really compete in the Premier League. A nothing of a signing. He never even made it into a really poor starting XI into that 1996 Coca Cola Cup final against Villa.

"It was just a really bad time for us that was becoming the start of the end for Wilko even though it was another couple of years before he went. All we were doing then was ending up losing great players - Gary McAllister, Gordon Strachan and Gary Speed left.

"A real tough time for us as a club. You felt like Brolin was a brilliant signing when he came and then when you just saw this kid stood in the middle of the pitch carrying two stone and couldn't move, you wondered what on earth we had got.

"May as well have played me. I was a bit slimmer in those days!"

Image source, Getty Images

"I felt we signed him for the sake of signing him," United supporter Tony told BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope.

"I remember going to Villa Park and Wilko [Howard Wilkinson] had dropped him and some lads we always saw at games said to me: 'Tony, he's dropped Brolin' to which I replied: 'Good he's been poor' - but not as politely as that!

"I never knew what he was - no pace, no real strength. In today's game, he would be a [number] 10 but not a good one. George Graham saw straight through him.

"He was a luxury who didn't fit what we needed. We should have signed [Faustino] Asprilla."

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Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

If Daniel Farke is heading towards the exit door as Leeds manager, he is determined to go down swinging and on his own terms.

Much of the frustration from supporters revolves around Farke's team selections and tactical changes, as he waited until the 71st minute against Aston Villa on Sunday to offer attacking alternatives.

In his post-match media conference, Farke passionately defended his players, specifically midfielder Brenden Aaronson, railing against online critics and calling for greater respect.

"It is totally OK for fans to chant for subs - everyone has views on changes and game management," added Farke. "But I will not do a round table or poll before each match.

"I can't be driven by emotions, I can't make subs on 55, 60 minutes just because someone is singing."

In the first half he sent on Ao Tanaka for the concussed Anton Stach, and the Japan midfielder brought much-needed bite and energy.

However, with Tanaka on a yellow card, Farke chose to sub the sub and revealed he had been warned by the fourth official the Japan international would get a second booking after his next foul.

While Farke seems to be willing to live and die by his tactical decisions, the stats are not kind to him.

His side had not lost 53 league games under him when scoring the opening goal. But when that run was ended by Nottingham Forest a fortnight ago, Villa made it back-to-back defeats in that fashion.

This was also just the fourth time Leeds have lost a home Premier League game in which they were winning at half-time.

And, including Nmecha's opener, they have now scored four times in the opening 15 minutes - more than any other side this season.

Yet they only have three wins and are now behind fourth-bottom West Ham on goal difference. They lose control in games where they have the advantage, and responsibility lies with the boss.

Read Emma's full analysis here

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Leeds United and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Leeds fans

Luke: Started the game well with a high tempo and looked good for a while, but we just can't seem to see the games out and lose from a winning start.

David: As usual, Farke waits until we go a goal down before making his same substitutions - like he does every single game. Villa saw what was wrong at half-time and brought on subs, which changed the game. Farke just can't or won't do that. Time for a change.

Ewan: Abysmal. Destined for relegation again. The Yorkshire yo-yo team. Too much to try to dissect, but ultimately, the recruitment has been poor, and we're not operating at a level to be competitive in the top flight. Big January window ahead to give ourselves any chance of survival. Farke out.

Paul: Sadly, Leeds are tactically naive and lacking the firepower to survive - Elland Road is no longer a fortress, so unless there are changes, it will be a short-lived visit to the Premier League.

Villa fans

Rich: Watkins was poor again. Malen shows he is a viable alternative, but isn't being given enough chances. Rogers scored good goals, but half asleep giving the free-kick away for the Leeds goal. I'm really not sure how we are fourth in the table.

Jamie: A very good three points after crawling back from being a goal behind. Our fans will remember the times when conceding the first goal always resulted in a loss. But Emery has instilled confidence and calmness into the squad that makes that a thing of the past. Malen changed the game, and Rogers was superb.

Brian: Tale of two halves Rogers finally showed his class, but subs at half-time made a big difference.

Richard: Playing Leeds away is always a tough game. Their home record speaks for itself. Villa stuck to their task, and after a couple of tactical changes at half-time, Villa never looked back. So glad Rodgers signed a new deal. Pure class.

Pundits Danny Murphy and Joe Hart and join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Leeds 1-2 Aston Villa

• Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Leeds manager Daniel Farke to BBC Match of the Day: "Performance-wise, we've turned back to what we want to be. We dominated many periods against a very good side. We should've taken some points from this game. We are not back to our best; we can still improve, but at the end, we are just disappointed we did not get any points.

"To concede two goals is not good. As good as we are attacking down the left side at the moment, we concede too many goals. We concede so quickly straight after the restart.

"Over the course of 38 games, you have ups and downs. It happens sometimes at this level. Performance-wise, I was happy. At the moment, we are in a period where things are going against us.

"Of course, the fans are unhappy and disappointed once we lose games. I don't want them to have a different reaction. I want them to feel like the world is falling apart when we lose a game; otherwise, you can't be a Leeds United supporter.

"I'm just fully focused on the performance. If we perform like this today, we'll win many more points."

Did you know?

• Leeds United remain winless across their last six Premier League games against Aston Villa (D2 L4), only once enduring a longer winless run in the league against the Villans between December 1930 and April 1935 (8 games).

• This was just the fourth time that Leeds had lost a home Premier League during which they were winning at half time, after August 1994 (v Chelsea), December 2002 (v Charlton Athletic) and September 2021 (v West Ham United).

Listen to Farke on BBC Sounds

Emma Smith at Elland Road
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It's a familiar story for Leeds this season - start well, but fail to maintain that momentum and ultimately end in disappointment.

Including Lukas Nmecha's opening goal in this game, Leeds have now scored four goals in the opening 15 minutes of Premier League games this season - more than any other side.

Which such quick starts and a full-blooded style, it would seem the stage is set for Leeds to overwhelm opponents.

But that was not to be here as Villa grew back into the game, and dominated the second half before earning a deserved win.

This was just the fourth time that Leeds had lost a home Premier League during which they were winning at half time.

And with Villa now having lost back to back games in which they took the lead - following the 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest - questions will be raised about manager Daniel Farke's in-game decisions.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds United's performance

What did you make of Aston Villa's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Leeds manager Daniel Farke makes just one change from the starting XI in the 3-1 loss at Nottingham Forest before the international break.

Centre-back Jaka Bijol drops to the bench, with Pascal Struijk partnering Joe Rodon at the back.

Leeds starting XI: Perri; Bogle, Rodon, Struijk, Gudmundsson; Ampadu; Aaronson, Longstaff, Stach Okafor; Nmecha

Subs: Darlow, James, Calvert-Lewin, Piroe, Bijol, Tanaka, Justin, Gnonto, Gruev

There is also one change to the Villa team, with Youri Tielemans replacing the injured Amadou Onana in midfield.

Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash both passed fitness tests, while Morgan Rogers has recovered from a "hamstring niggle" picked up on England duty.

Aston Villa starting XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; McGinn, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins

Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Barkley, Malen, Sancho, Maatsen, Bogarde, Guessand, Hemmings

There are two games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Aston Villa (14:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction from Elland Road here

Keep across everything from Emirates Stadium over here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Leeds v Aston Villa" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Tottenham".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Leeds have been strong at home for a long time now, and they have picked up eight of their 11 points so far at Elland Road.

But this still feels like a massive game for them, because although they have made a reasonable start to the season, there are still some Leeds fans who are not sure about manager Daniel Farke.

If they lose at home to Aston Villa, albeit an in-form and improving Villa, then it could start to turn ugly for Farke if they fall into the relegation places.

So Farke needs something here and it won't be easy because Villa have the quality to hurt them, and they have got a bit of momentum too.

Unai Emery's side have won eight of their past 10 matches in all competitions, and one of the games they lost was against Liverpool when they actually deserved something from it.

I don't think Villa will lose this, and a draw would be a good result for Leeds.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

In-form Aston Villa take on a Leeds side who have lost four of their past five games. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match.

Leeds return to Elland Road after back-to-back losses at Brighton and Nottingham Forest, having conceded three goals in each defeat. Under-pressure boss Daniel Farke told BBC Radio 5 Live this week that it has probably been his side's "poorest period of the season" , adding the Whites "have to show a bit of a reaction".

But the German manager also asked fans to see the bigger picture, telling Sky Sports "after we beat West Ham, people said survival was confirmed and now everyone is panicking about relegation".

This is the first game in a testing run of fixtures for Farke's team, with next weekend's trip to Manchester City followed by home matches against Chelsea and Liverpool.

Leeds have struggled away from home this term, claiming their only points in a 3-1 win at bottom side Wolves, but have lost just once at Elland Road.

However, goalscoring remains a major concern. Their tally of 10 goals is the joint-second lowest in the Premier League after 11 games, with poor finishing regularly letting them down.

They have converted just five of 22 'big chances', as classified by Opta, equivalent to 22.7%. The only Premier League side with a worse record this season are opponents Aston Villa.

Is Villa's resurgence sustainable?

Aston Villa failed to win any of their opening five league fixtures but have five victories in their subsequent six games, including a 4-0 triumph against Bournemouth last time out.

Manager Unai Emery hailed that performance as "really fantastic", praising his side's commitment, energy and connection with the home supporters.

A key feature of Villa's improvement has been goals from distance. Three of the goals against the Cherries came from outside the penalty area, taking their overall total to seven, the highest total in the Premier League.

The Villans also boast the league's highest shot conversion rate from outside the box (15.6%), a stark contrast to their figure of 8.1% for efforts inside the area, which is the lowest in the top flight.

While Villa's long-range purple patch has fuelled their revival, if it is to be sustainable they will need to create higher-quality chances closer to goal. Emery's side have managed 20 shots on target from inside the box this term, fewer than any other side.

That includes only four from Ollie Watkins, who scored 16 league goals last season but has netted just once so far.