Leeds United: Can Leeds defeat Derby again?
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00:00Exactly, and that's what we'll come to now. Derby County, two sides, well obviously we mentioned Stoke Australia and Derby, well they're not much better, I mean perhaps a little bit, but not a lot better in the Championship.
00:12So again, I think obviously the games they've lost away from home this season have perhaps been more difficult fixtures, Millwall you could argue, Blackburn certainly.
00:23So you can sort of let them off a little bit, but for the most part, and you draw against Bristol City, that's probably something you should be looking to win.
00:31Sunderland, you were seconds from three points, we all know what happened there with Elan Mellier, and then there are others as well.
00:40Obviously you have had some good wins, Swansea springs to mind, but even that wasn't exactly simple or straightforward.
00:48So going to Derby after that, on the 29th, as you say there, the Boxing Day fixtures are as such that Leeds could be in a really good position if things go their way.
00:59And then it's about them building on that, because you think if you can get one away win, you can go and get another, then suddenly your waveform is completely fixed and everyone's going into the new year hunky-dory and suddenly Leeds don't have an away issue.
01:13But that's easier said than done. So again, it's the same sort of question. It's hard to predict this one, because of course, we don't know what's happened yet at Stoke.
01:23And of course, if they go to Stoke and lose, well, you'll feel less confident. If they go there and draw, you'll think possibly the same thing could happen.
01:28But if you go there and win, well, you think they'll go there and win as well. So it really depends on what happens at Stoke, doesn't it?
01:34I think so. Yeah, it's very hard to predict, obviously, speaking before that game. But the one thing you can say with this game is that Leeds have only just played Derby, obviously, at Ellen Road.
01:42And put simply, if the two teams play like they both played in that game, there'll only be one winner and it won't matter where they're playing it, whether it's at Ellen Road or at Derby or on Mars.
01:50It wouldn't really matter because there was so much between the two sides that day. It was unbelievable and stuff.
01:56And Paul Warren was like, Derby manager, he seems like a really good guy. He was very, very honest afterwards.
02:02There was a massive golfing class and stuff. And I think he sort of said before his presser started, right, come on, let's get this over and done with.
02:08He just wanted to get out of there, basically, because he knew they'd been absolutely blown away.
02:11And I sort of watched that game and thought I'd be worried about Derby.
02:15But then the thing is with Derby, and this is probably the championship in a nutshell, but probably maybe also Derby.
02:19They then followed that with two good results and then one heartbreaking late defeat.
02:24I mean, they played Burnley away straight after the Leeds game.
02:27And you would have thought that was an absolute banker for Burnley at Turf Moor.
02:30They got a 0-0 draw there. Then the blitz, Portsmouth, 4-0.
02:34And then they were 1-0 up at Luton until conceding two goals right at the desk.
02:38So, obviously, they'll have to bounce back from that.
02:40Again, whilst we say a lot depends on how Leeds do against Stoke, a lot depends also on how they do.
02:44They play on Boxing Day against West Brom at home.
02:47So they've got, whereas Leeds have got back-to-back aways, Derby have got back-to-back home games.
02:50So they'll maybe look at that and sort of think, you know, is this a chance to sort of prime the table?
02:54They've not got a terrible home record.
02:57It's not, you know, one of the best in the division by any means.
02:59It's sort of like roundabout mid-table-ish in terms of that.
03:02But, yeah, you're right.
03:03You know, like you look at your away fixtures that Leeds have, you know, not got three points from and stuff.
03:07But by and large, Leeds have been, you know, teams that are pretty good at home or whatever and stuff.
03:11And it's another game that should be going there and getting three points from realistically and stuff.
03:14I mean, you know, the away form is in massive focus.
03:17And, you know, obviously if they're getting three points at places like that, the quicker they get them, the better it is.
03:21And the quicker the away form looks.
03:23So, yeah, a difficult one, though, because I think you'd look to that Derby game at Ellen Road and you would look at this again
03:27and think they should go there and get a victory.
03:29But, you know, they've obviously evidently sort of like had a bit of a bounce back from that.
03:32So maybe not quite as straightforward as it seems.
03:35I wouldn't say anything about like, you know, maybe it'd be more difficult than Stoke or whatever,
03:39because we're recording this before Stoke, so it's hard to say.
03:41But dealing with each game, basically, I think if you look at those two away games,
03:45it should be going there and winning both.
03:47So you're right, you've nailed it, basically.
03:49If they go to Stoke and win, then you'd expect them to go and back it up and get another win.
03:53If they go to Stoke and don't win or even get a draw, then it puts even more pressure on there and going and winning at Derby.
03:59But, you know, the 11 against 11, the squad's on paper and stuff.
04:03You know, they should be able to go there and get the job done.
04:05And you're right, the focus is on the away form.
04:07They've got the fixtures there, no disrespect to the opposition to be able to do it.
04:10So now let's go there and get the job done.
04:12And, you know, hopefully end the year in style before back to Eleanor Road on New Year's Day against Blackburn.
04:18Indeed, yes.
04:19And as you say there, in both cases, on paper, Leeds should win each game easily.
04:24But of course, football isn't played on paper, it's played on grass.
04:27Absolutely.
04:28And of course, on grass and away from Eleanor Road, Leeds haven't been the best.
04:32So it's perhaps too early to call on both of them, to be honest.
04:36And it just matters as to which Leeds turn up on both days.
04:41Because the best that Leeds can be, they'll win the games.
04:44If they're below that, then, well, you can scrape points.
04:48But really, they need to be just as good as we know they can be.
04:51Yeah, and starting well in both games is key and ultimately taking the chances.
04:56Because, as I say, you can go through all of the away games.
04:58Not necessarily every single one, but the majority of the away games, when you watch it back,
05:02they've had the chances to win and the ones they haven't won.
05:04And it's because they've missed chances.
05:06And they always will create chances with the team they've got.
05:08And they've got good wingers coming out of their ears and stuff.
05:11So they're always going to create chances.
05:13And you would think they would at both.
05:14So it's going to be down to starting well, taking the chances, as is the case in any game.
05:19Contentious decisions or lack of, hopefully, and then individual mistakes.
05:23Like we've seen, like Melies at Sunderland.
05:25You don't want anything like that and stuff.
05:27But obviously, if all goes to plan, then they should be able to go to both games and win.
05:31But this is the football.
05:32This is the championship.
05:33And you never really know.
05:34So, yeah, buckle up and see how Leeds United's away form goes over these next two games.
05:39I mean, obviously, last year, it was absolutely awful.
05:41I mean, we had the Preston away game on Boxing Day, where Melies got sent off.
05:44And then you had West Brom away.
05:45And it was basically no points out of a possible six.
05:48And I spoke to Ethan Ampadu about that.
05:50When I interviewed him at the Christmas visit, the Children's Hospital visit,
05:55he said, well, basically this year, if you're comparing it to last year,
05:58we're going to try and do the complete opposite.
06:00So that's the words of the captain.
06:02So now let's go and do it.
06:04Indeed, yes.
06:05Well, let's hope Leeds can bring some festive cheer to those who are, well,
06:10I would say at Elland Road, but obviously they won't be at Elland Road,
06:12but either in the away ends or supporting on from home.
06:16But that is all we have time for on this Christmassy episode of the Marching On Together at Leeds United podcast.
06:22I should probably edit in some Christmas bells or something at this point.
06:25Yeah, I was going to say, it doesn't look particularly Christmassy in either our backdrops.
06:28It should be snow falling or something.
06:30I'm sure we can work your magic and do something.
06:32I can try my best, certainly.
06:34I mean, I can't guarantee, but I can try my best.
06:36But yes, we'll be back probably just before the turn of the year,
06:40or if not just after the turn of the year, I'm not entirely sure when.
06:43We'll work it out at some point.
06:45Until then, thank you all very much for listening and for watching.
06:48Have a lovely Christmas and we will see you all very soon.
06:51Merry Christmas. Cheers.