Fortunately I’ve had an enforced absence as I’ve sprained my ankle.
I’ll be back in the New Year and hopefully the ownership matter will be resolved in less than the planned three years.
With any luck we may end up playing Ipswich in the play off final!
You too, pal. Although I plan to be celebrating on the 30th!
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Our passing and set pieces were sloppy. Ignoring Millar running Archie ragged was a tactical blunder & Mess self destructing meant we got what we deserved. Farke has to find a way to deal with teams denying us space, it will cost us auto promotion for sure.
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When does the cricket season start?
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I have never liked cricket but am warming to it for some reason…
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Sis & I went to St. Mary’s today.
Very satisfying 
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Drove back from N Wales this afternoon listening to the second half of the Wrexham match. Down to 10 men after 74 mins and still managed to take all 3 points. Obviously difficult to tell from the radio commentary, but apart from a few moments right at the end it didn’t seem like we would lose.
Nice to go into the next away game in 2nd place.
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Starting point for me was that, just like the Mansfield game, we had learned our lessons from the first game against them but were hamstrung to some extent by injuries and suspensions. A cracking game but far too open. We should have put the game to bed first half and Arthur didn’t have a save to make. Second half they missed a couple of open goals and hit the bar. Arthur made several key interventions after the second yellow for Jonah and we probably couldn’t have complained if Swindon had equalised.
Max and Jacob were stretched and made errors after that second yellow but I’m loathe to criticise because they were superb before that (as they also were against Newport). Indeed young Max was MOTM for most of us against Newport.
Hatton has the most crosses and assists in the 92. Mendy gave him 1 cross all afternoon and they scored from it.
The sight of McLean up front filled me with a mix of relief (he just isn’t a wing back and he stops more attacks than he creates) and fear (is he really a striker?). Inevitably he scored the winner then :). Worth watching as, for such a 1 footed player, that 1st little dink with his right foot to get it past their player and onto his left was a sublime laugh out loud with joy moment.
Injuries and suspensions are coming thick and fast but we seem to be hanging on in there. I can see us struggling at Walsall and likely losing but Barrow at home is now huge. I’d take a draw right now. Mrs. H. has shocked me and agreed to drive me down and come to the match. Possibly just because she doesn’t fancy making brunch for a bunch of hungover teenagers but I’m not arguing.
Love this time of season. You cannot predict anything. Good teams lose. Struggling teams win. Shocks galore. If you can’t enjoy it now then why bother.
Clearly I am tired.
Mendy gave him 1 cross and they should have scored from it but didn’t,
The Mighty Whites shot themselves in the foot big time yesterday.
A moment of madness saw us reduced to ten men as our goalie was sent off for pushing someone in the face. Really? Grow up Monsieur Meslier.
Wee Erchie was being shown the way home by Millar, yet nobody came to help him out.
We failed to get going until the sending off, and the sad outcome is that we missed a huge chance to close in on second place, whilst Southampton crushed Swansea and moved up to third.
The situation was not improved by Ipswich and Leicester drawing, leaving us in fourth place and now eight points away from that second auto promotion slot.
It’s the Leeds way, I’m afraid, to always do things the hard way, though we have only just passed the half way mark in the season, so I suppose we could regain our mojo, and get back up there … … … I suppose … … … sniff. 
M.O.T.
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Meslier pushed him in the face but the ref was right there and missed the dig at him from behind his back which triggered the incident. Amazing how a push on the face knocks you to the floor and rolling in agony. Surely the greatest indicator you’re not in agony at all.
Then again, the James five for the penalty was embarrassing. Barely touched on the boot but lea9s like a salmon clutching his knee.
Once again, The Mighty Whites turn in a poor performance, this time against the Baggies, who were there for the taking.
We simply didn’t get into top gear, and Southampton, in third place, are now six points clear.
Still, there are plenty of games left, but if we are still entertaining any thoughts of an automatic promotion place, then we need to sharpen up considerably, and sooner rather than later.
M.O.T.
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Dreadful game at Portman Road illustrated Town’s threadbare squad.
A suspension and two injuries to key players plus that old favourite virus in the camp (including Broadhead down to play but threw up during the warm-up) meant we had young midfielder who’d played 20 mins this season at left back, four centre backs on the bench plus a kid noone had ever heard of (who actually had a good 15 mins cameo).
Most bizarrely Williams (on loan from ManU) played like he was pissed.
Ended the year with a defeat in which we were comprehensively beaten. No complaints.
Mullin is suffering from lack of a pre season and the razor sharpness isn’t quite there. Palmer is injured. Two midfielders suspended and we’ve had a midfielder playing in the back three all season. Three defenders have spent most of the season injured. Once again started with the useless James McLean as a left wing back and Mendy out of position on the right. Ended up with McLean playing as a striker and our actual right wing back playing on the left.
Some balance required though. It’s been a fantastic year. Back in the league as champions with a record points haul. I’d have taken, and may yet have to accept, a play place this season. We may yet do better than that.
Can’t for the life of me get worked up about tonight and defeat. You play a loud of games in a short period because the people who run the game are idiots and it’s just about getting through without too much damage being done. No-one would have moaned had we had two draws on two away games so why complain when you’ve won one and lost one.
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Yet another dismal performance at Millwall last night.
I was told we have the oldest team in the league, average of about 50 I’d say after recent performances.
As fine a note as any to end the year I think. Great article in today’s Guardian suggesting “ Hostile, foul-mouthed football fans need to step back and smell the roses”.
I’d like to just take the opportunity to thank all who have contributed to this thread since it was created to separate it from the EPL thread.
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Although this part of the article did make me smile:
“Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a wonderful goal applauded by even a smattering of opposition supporters? It used to happen. Now, the player who cracks home a 25-yard volley is instantly berated as a “WAN…”
We had exactly that last year when one of our players whacked in a 25 yard curling “worldie” against (I think ) Man City. Man City fans were behind the goal, and on the replays you could see them all clapping as the goal went in!
I’ve not seen it before or since though - so agree with the article !
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I must admit I’d not picked that bit out and I have seen it happen numerous times at National League level and indeed this season in League Two. It’s lovely sign of real football appreciation that you see something brilliant and you hold your hands up in appreciation precisely because it was great and not as a sarcastic comment on your own team.
The idea that it’s somehow “normal” to abuse your own team if they concede and abuse the opposition if they score is old hat in increasing numbers of EFL clubs. You cannot talk about being community oriented and inclusive if you tolerate fans targeting individual players or opposition fans.
This is allied to the idea that something important dies if that “banter” dies. It’s nonsense. I’ve heard brilliantly funny banter between fans for years that involved zero abuse or stereotyping. All fans have if they stop and think about it.
I’ve a strong sense that every club has a small but significant proportion of fans who believe that football is nothing if it’s not tribal and, in their heads this is somehow linked to the alleged working class roots of the game, which they perceive as in the process of being lost forever if that tribalism is not retained. Ironically, it’s almost always module class white men having that conversation.
Banter is held up as somehow being normal or the norm. Maybe that’s a London thing but elsewhere in football there’s increasingly a lack of tolerance for such things and a recognition that it is associated with levels of anger and tribalism which are entirely disproportionate to a bunch of people kicking a football and, more importantly, to community and inclusivity.
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Agreed.
I find the best way in life (not just football) is to celebrate the good things, and ignore (as best as possible) the bad things. Makes for a calmer and happier existence 
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I find the reactions of people around me fascinating. The starting point has to be that almost none of us see the same game.
Yesterday our stream commentator, increasingly famous and increasingly dreadful, swore the third Walsall goal on replays was miles offside. Fans who were there swear their angle conclusively proves the case. The highlights video shows conclusively otherwise. There are entire forum threads dedicated to telling us the video was wrong.
Similarly we got a penalty for hand ball but there is outrage the player concerned wasn’t red carded. The fact none of the debate on this has involved reference to the actual laws of the game, which absolutely do permit a finding of hand ball and no card at all, is par for the course.
I watched the stream with my son who was outraged a Walsall player has not been penalised for taking out our keeper. I assert that our keeper wasn’t actually touched at all but ended up landing on their player as he fell y serenata him. Replays show that I am correct. I’m partially-sighted using specialist TV glasses. My son has perfect vision.
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