Leeds United

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Leeds United substitute Dan James fired home the third and final goal during their 3-0 win over Luton Town to see his side sail comfortably back to the top of the Championship table.

The arching shot into the back of the net gave the winger his third goal of the season - and it's one he is particularly pleased with.

"I thought we dominated the game, it always nice to come on and score to add to it," James told BBC Radio Leeds.

"There were a couple of times last season where I didn't quite get it over and under and it's gone over the top of the net, but thankfully it went in.

"We could have scored a few more but I think it's good, especially after the quick turnaround, to be able to dominate a game and we've got to try and do that Saturday."

Leeds will visit Blackburn on Saturday for their third match in less than a week.

Jam-packed schedules are a hot topic in the footballing world - with fatigue and injury being two of the leading parts of the debate - and monitoring players' fitness levels throughout a long competitive season has become an integral part of being a manager.

Perhaps this is why Leeds boss Daniel Farke chose to utilise James, who was ruled out for a month in September with a hamstring problem, from the bench despite being a stand-out performer during their 4-3 thriller with Swansea on Sunday.

However, the Wales international admits he's "feeling really good" and respects his manager's choice to keep him out of the starting XI.

"I've always got to be happy with the decisions - you know, I want to play every game - but we've got a great squad here, the way we rotate players is great. You've got to be ready for that," James added.

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.

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Exactly 13 years on from the tragic death of former Leeds United midfielder and Wales manager Gary Speed, BBC Radio Leeds has been paying tribute to his career and life through those that knew him in Speedo: Gary Speed Remembered.

Speed came through Leeds' youth system and went on to win the First Division trophy with the Whites as part of a memorable midfield quartet alongside Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister and David Batty.

But it's not only his skill on a football field that lives long in the memories of those who followed him.

"He always had time for you," Leeds fan Gary Edwards said.

"I remember seeing him in a nightclub in Cork. It was a Monday night, raining; we'd gone over there for a friendly.

"We sat with Speed, and you couldn't see the table for whisky. Nobody was falling about drunk; it was just his hospitality.

"He was charming; there was just something about him."

BBC Radio Leeds' Adam Pope spoke to former Leeds personalities including Simon Grayson, Howard Wilkinson and Jon Newsome for the documentary, as well as Speed's father Roger.

You can listen to the full tribute on BBC Sounds.

Willy Gnonto's dramatic injury-time winner at Swansea City on Sunday took Leeds United top of the Championship for just over 48 hours, before Sheffield United took over by beating Coventry City on Tuesday.

Gnonto's strike prompted scenes of joy in the away end in wet South Wales, and brought smiles to the faces of the Don't Go To Bed Just Yet team as they recalled the moment.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Leeds United have issued a statement acknowledging accusations made towards referee David Coote over their Championship match against West Bromwich Albion in October 2019.

It is alleged that Coote discussed issuing a yellow card with a fan prior to the match, in which he awarded one to Leeds defender Ezgjan Alioski.

Coote says he denies the claims and calls them "false and defamatory allegations".

There is no suggestion of any financial gain by Coote and the booking is regarded as entirely correct.

The 42-year-old official had already been suspended by the Football Association following an investigation into alleged comments made in an unverified video about former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

"We respect and have full confidence in the FA, EFL [English Football League] and PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Ltd] regulations and processes," Leeds said in their official club statement., external

"We will be making no further comment at this time."

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke has heaped praise on his summer signings following their thrilling stoppage-time 4-3 victory over Swansea City on Sunday.

The 48-year-old brought in seven new players following their disappointing play-off final defeat in May and Farke is impressed with how they have settled into life at Elland Road.

"If you look at what we've done in the summer, we've earnt an unbelievable amount of money with the sale of Archie Gray, Crys [Crysencio] Summerville, Georgi Rutter and Glen Kamara," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

Farke's side host Luton Town on Wednesday on the back of five wins from their previous seven Championship games (W5, D1, L1) which has seen them jump to the top of the league table.

"You could argue, we lost a bit of quality and the players we brought in, no-one really heard of Ao Tanaka, for example.

Tanaka, who arrived from Fortuna Dusseldorf in the summer, has been a revelation for Leeds and has played every minute in their last nine Championship matches.

"They would say Ao who? Where does he play? Second division in Germany, 25-years-old, has he played at the top level before? No. It's probably not the quality that we need".

"I heard some criticism about Joe Rothwell. Not to be good enough to be one of the starting three midfielders for Southampton.

"They finished below us, how should he be good enough for us? - he's proving he is at the moment.

"Largie Ramazani - no English club ever wanted him, he was just relegated in Spain last season, he was suspended with red cards and also yellow cards and no-one really believed in his quality.

"It looks like, with bargains, we are building a really good team."

Leeds United will be feeling mighty confident after knocking Sunderland off top spot in the Championship table with their thrilling 4-3 win over Swansea on Sunday.

But, with the top three all level on 32 points and both Sunderland and Sheffield United playing on Tuesday, Leeds may find themselves replaced at the top by the time they face Luton Town on Wednesday.

The Hatters have had a topsy-turvy season so far (W5 D3 L8) but come into the game off another morale-boosting home win over Hull City.

But it would take a big step-up in their away form if they are to cause an upset and claim just a second win on the road this season.

• Leeds United have lost one of their last 11 league games against Luton Town (W7 D3), losing 5-1 at Kenilworth Road in October 2006.

• Luton are winless in their last nine away league games against Leeds United (D2 L7), with this their first visit since a 1-1 draw in June 2020.

• Leeds have won 14 home league games at Elland Road in 2024, their most in a calendar year for them since 2009 (20).

• Luton have lost each of their last four away league games, conceding 13 goals in that time; they’d lost only four of their previous 24 Championship away games prior to this run.

• Leeds are unbeaten in their last nine home midweek league games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), winning six of them (D3); they last lost such a game in the Championship in March 2018 to Wolves (0-3).

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

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Leeds United host Luton Town on Wednesday after their 4-3 victory at Swansea City extended their impressive run in the Championship to just one defeat in 11 matches.

BBC Radio Leeds will have build-up to full match commentary from 18:00 GMT, with former United head coach Neil Redfearn, Jonny Buchan and Adam Pope.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke faced the press ahead of the match at Thorp Arch on Monday.

Here are some of his comments:

• There are no new injury worries but Farke said he may "have to rotate a bit more" than normal because of the games with Luton and Blackburn this week. Defender Isaac Schmidt (hernia) is not ready to return against the Hatters but is expected to join in team training on Thursday.

• On Manor Solomon, who scored his first goals for the club at Swansea after signing on loan from Spurs, Farke said: "Yesterday, with just over 70 minutes, it was probably his best performance in the shirt and most effective performance for his mood with the two goals." Farke added "it's not likely a winger will play all three games over 90 minutes" this week.

• Farke said "the story of the game made us be a bit careful" at Swansea, with Leeds 3-2 ahead going into the final minutes before finally winning the game in injury time through Wilfried Gnonto after the home side had levelled. "I would have preferred us to press a bit more," said Farke. "High pressing like before, more pressure on the ball."

• Leeds have "great characters" in the group, which helped them across the line in South Wales. "It's a joy to work with them, it's not so difficult to lead this group," said Farke. "We also try not to let the standards drop and aim for the highest targets. We won 90 points last season but we're not happy because we didn't finish in the top two. We know right now we're in a good spell but even after such a game we speak about the things that were not perfect."

• On the challenge posed by Luton: "For me they are one of the contenders for the top six. There's no doubt about this, they played last season in the Premier League. When you are relegated it's quite often difficult to avoid a hangover in the Championship. Sometimes you have to accept a poor start. They still have lots of quality and physicality in their team. They have a manager who has worked miracles for them."

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds

Leeds United went to the top of the Championship thanks to their thrilling 4-3 win at Swansea on Sunday afternoon.

But for some people that simply wasn't enough as Jonny Buchan, Adam Pope and Kaiser Chiefs bassist Simon Rix found out.

Episode 129 of Don't Go To Bed Just Yet is out now and you can find it on the BBC Sounds app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds here.

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Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto's introduction as a substitute proved to be a match-changing moment after the Italy international scored the winning goal in the 91st minute in a 4-3 spectacular against Swansea City.

Though the Whites went into half-time 2-1 down, Gnonto told BBC Radio Leeds that he did not doubt that his side would come out victorious.

"I always thought we could win it, even when we were losing we knew we had the chance to win," Gnonto said.

"You can see the coach bringing on me, Mateo [Joseph], he made a statement. We wanted to win and we are happy to do it."

The win lifted Leeds to the top of the Championship table, with the super sub feeling confident going into their next game against Luton Town on Wednesday.

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.

Adonis Storr
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

Fighting spirit is not an easily measured metric. But among the Leeds United faithful it is probably the most valued quality of any player. And since Billy Bremner put a ‘Keep Fighting’ sign above his place in the changing room in the 1960s, fighting spirit has defined the club.

But at times this season, that fight has seemed elusive. At The Den in early November, Millwall bullied Leeds. Off-the-ball fouls, dives, time-wasting; Milwall’s tactics dampened the Whites spirit.

But last Sunday, on a wet afternoon against Swansea, the Peacocks fighting spirit ignited. Twice behind, United never gave up. Even after the Welsh side equalised in the 90th minute – often a psychology knockout blow – Leeds reacted and within a minute led again.

“If you want to lift some silverware you also need heart and spirit and togetherness and big resilience, and this is what we showed today” Daniel Farke said in an interview shortly after Sunday’s game.

Sports psychologists define fighting spirit as a cocktail of mental states: stress and anger, coupled with determination and enthusiasm, and a robust self-belief.

For Leeds United there seems to be only one piece of the puzzle missing – game management. It is the ability to alter the pace of a match depending on the game state. The wherewithal, when up by a goal with minutes to go, to employ tactics that rob your opponent of hope.

The last 15 minutes in Wales were dominated by Swansea. As Leeds gave up possession, they provided the Swans with hope and opportunity. If United want to get promoted and stay in the Premier League, they must learn better game management.

But in a season that has followed a playoff final defeat and massive transfer upheaval in the summer, Leeds United have found their fighting spirt.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock, external

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Luke Williams says Swansea City will face a Premier League side in waiting when they host "absolutely fabulous" Leeds United on Sunday.

Daniel Farke's team finished third in the Championship last season but missed out on an immediate return to the Premier League after play-off final defeat to Southampton.

Williams expects Leeds to go one better this season by finishing in the second tier's top two.

"Personally I think they will," said the Swansea head coach.

"It's not like there aren’t other excellent sides in the division, but this group have been together and had a very good season last season, when [they missed out as] the teams at the top had very high points totals.

"They have built on that and have an excellent manager who has been in this position in many times. That's a good combination."

Leeds beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 in their last game before the international break, which was a fourth win in six games for Farke's side.

Image source, Getty Images

They have a squad packed with stellar Championship performers, including former Swans Joe Rodon, Daniel James and Joel Piroe.

"They are an absolutely fabulous team at the level," Williams added.

"But we have competed this season against the top sides better than we did last season, so we have to take some confidence from that and be brave and try to make a really good performance at home.

"We will have to be immaculate defensively and we will have to be ruthless at the other end."

Swansea have lost only one league game on their ground so far this season, when Millwall snatched an undeserved victory by scoring the only goal on a breakaway in the closing minutes.

Leeds, meanwhile, are looking to improve their away record. While they have won five straight games at Elland Road, the Yorkshire side have not registered an away victory in the last four attempts.

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds reporter

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Leeds United resume their Championship campaign after the international break at Swansea City on Sunday.

BBC Radio Leeds will have build-up to full match commentary from 14:00 GMT, with former United title winner Jon Newsome, Jonny Buchan and Adam Pope.

Leeds manager Daniel Farke faced the press ahead of the match at Thorp Arch on Friday.

Here are some of his comments:

• There are no fresh injury worries. Brenden Aaronson is over an illness and Max Wober (knee) should be fine. Largie Ramazani has returned to training and could feature off the bench in the upcoming three games. Isaac Schmidt had hernia surgery during the break and will miss Sunday's game.

• The international break was a good opportunity for recovery "because this league is a marathon", said Farke. "You need energy and quality in the final stages when it comes to March, April and May. From now on until the next break in March, there are more or less no breaks - so many league games, the FA Cup. During this period, the table will be made. It was important during the first week of the break to calm the load and give the lads a bit of time off."

• Farke welcomed an off-field shake-up, meaning Alex Davies is now heading up recruitment and Adam Underwood has more involvement in player trading. "I've worked with Adam before with the academy and young players, we had a fantastic relationship. I’ve worked with Alex before because he was in charge of scouting. I have to praise Paraag [Marathe] for this. New owners sometimes take their own people into key positions. We have two lads in Adam and Alex who have worked here for decades. It's always great to promote and develop people in the staff in leading roles with only Leeds blood in their veins."

• While recognising statistics are an important part of the modern game, Farke echoed a former Leeds manager on just how important they are: "Statistics are not everything. Still the only ones that matter are to score goals and avoid goals. There is no replacement for three points. I think there's a quote from Brian Clough: 'We were a good team on paper but the game was played on grass.' I like this. We know statistics say we should be first, there are some things to work on."

• Leeds will need to take their chances if they are to become the first team this season to score more than once against Swansea on Sunday. Farke said: "All the teams were struggling to score more than one goal against them. We know we have to be more efficient with our conversion rate than in some of our last games. We know we have to be on it and make sure we create as many chances as possible."

Listen to West Yorkshire Sport Daily, weeknights at 18:00, and subscribe to BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast on BBC Sounds

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Leeds United full-back Jayden Bogle says the club, players, staff and fans are united behind the lone goal of getting the Whites back to the Premier League.

The 24-year-old joined in the summer following Sheffield United's relegation from the top flight and immediately set his sights on a return at the earliest opportunity having been part of a promotion-winning squad with the Blades in 2022-23.

Bogle has scored twice and helped Leeds keep nine clean sheets in their 15 games so far and they will seek to close the gap at the top of the Championship when they visit Swansea City on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

Bogle appears on the latest episode of BBC Radio Leeds' Don't Go To Bed Just Yet podcast, which is now available to download and listen to on BBC Sounds.

"The feeling and mentality of the place, from the minute I spoke to people I could tell there is one goal, to get promoted and win as many games as possible," he said.

"Approaching every game with the mindset of, 'we’re winning this game.'

"The mindset of the whole club, the fan base, the support, the atmosphere at the ground brings a sort of winning feeling to the place."

Bogle also reveals what he has been up to over the international break, his own personal form and attacking style, his attitude to social media and who has the best banter in the dressing room.

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds.