In his latest column for leedsunited.com, lifelong supporter Jon Howe looks over the last few games for the Whites, whilst discussing memorable moments.

Howe is the author of two books on the club, ‘The Only Place For Us: An A-Z History of Elland Road’ - which has been updated as a new version for 2021 - and ‘All White: Leeds United’s 100 Greatest Players’ in 2012.



Football is all about moments, and in the last fortnight Leeds United have experienced two of the most memorable in their Premier League history. And yet after all the delirium has died down, and we can admit we have watched the Summerville/Gnonto dancing celebration GIF too many times, Leeds fans will be concerned, which is absolutely a Leeds fan’s prerogative. Because football is also about battling with mixed feelings, and the heart ruling the head.

And after we have revelled in the joy of those late winners versus Liverpool and Bournemouth in consecutive weeks, it’s not just Leeds fans who have mixed feelings; Jesse Marsch does too. In his post-match press conference at Elland Road last Saturday, Marsch confessed that he “hadn’t enjoyed the last two weeks” and that living life on the edge at Leeds United wasn’t exactly how he had planned things to be. In fact he called it living life “in motion”. Which is a fairly accurate description of life as a Leeds United fan, except the element of motion is a bit like riding the ‘Nemesis’ at Alton Towers. Forever.

Many Leeds fans have been called ‘miserable’ for highlighting the fact we were 3-1 down to a newly-promoted side for the second home game running, rather than celebrating the fact we eventually managed to dig out an amazing win. It’s possible to do both at the same time, of course, and it can’t be escaped that the first hour of Saturday’s game was a tough watch, regardless of the outcome. While Leeds demonstrated revival strength of Lazarus proportions, not many fans will have woken up on Sunday morning thinking we wouldn’t be facing that predicament again any time soon, even if some chose to leave it buried deep in their subconscious.

And evidently Jesse Marsch felt the same. The main source of the mixed feelings on Saturday night was the overwhelming frustration that Leeds had been presented with an opportunity to put in a convincing display for 90 minutes and close out a comfortable victory, thus finally making a compelling argument that they had turned the corner and were delivering on the flashes of promise we have too fleetingly seen so far this season. A season that has yet to truly get going through inconsistent form, a month off for the Queen’s funeral and now a six-week break for the World Cup. The nature of the win, pulsating and Rocky-esque as it was, didn’t convince you that everything had necessarily clicked into place.

In the end, the win felt much like training a puppy to be obedient; they never learn, but ultimately, they spread undiluted joy and you can’t be mad at them for too long. And while fans have every right to never quite be satisfied, if you look at the season as a whole, our mood really is swimming in fluid; it could be better and it could be worse.  

Thirteen games into the season and still we have no idea how it will all play out, and while the heart melted for the late Crysencio Summerville winner and the dashing pace with which it was created and executed, the head throbbed at the defensive frailties and the team shape which left us looking so vulnerable so often.

But then it wasn’t just the Jekyll and Hyde dichotomy which gave us mixed feelings on Saturday night. There is plenty about life as a Leeds United fan which has us living life ‘in motion’ at the moment.

Firstly, is it a good or bad thing that the World Cup is halting the season after this weekend’s Spurs game? Given we have just won two games and have some vital points on the board, I’m tempted to suggest it’s a good thing. Quite apart from the fact that we all need a break from this, Leeds have earned themselves a position of relative comfort and a base from which they can take some time to reflect on things tactically and work on solutions. I understand the argument that Leeds are building momentum at a time when the season is about to be stopped, but that first half versus Bournemouth didn’t bear the hallmarks of a team about to go on a long unbeaten run. And if we ‘have’ to pause the season, now isn’t the worst time.

The league table itself also provides a fusion of emotions. Yes, Leeds sit ‘comfortably’ in 12^th position, but are only three points from the relegation zone. It seems clear that the bottom half of the table will be similarly bunched up all season, with no teams truly marooned at the bottom, and most likely no one will be able to claim safety until the last few weeks. That said, after 13 games last season we had only two wins and 12 points, whilst now we have four wins and 15 points. Our goal difference is also much better this season, suggesting we’re staying in games longer – Brentford away aside – and at minus three only one team (Leicester) has a better goal difference in the bottom half of the table.

A key difference last season was that we had dug out six draws, compared to just three draws so far this season, and few fans would argue that wrestling the odd point from the jaws of defeat would convince us this team has the right character and ease us slowly and surely to safety. So more draws – a result which in most instances represents the very epitome of mixed feelings – in this case could be a good thing.

Another source of mixed feelings is the impact that Under-21 players are having in the shape of Summerville, Willy Gnonto and particularly on Saturday, Sam Greenwood. Greenwood made a convincing case for his energy and mobility being a better fit in midfield long term, while the fearless verve of Summerville and Gnonto was a breath of fresh air when compared to the more confused and restricted attacking play of more senior players. The unshackled freedom and audacious abandon of young players is exactly what Leeds needed to dig themselves out of that hole on Saturday and offers an intoxicating vision of the future. But then you can’t expect it to work every week right now – young players, by their very nature, are inconsistent while they are developing - and their positive impression also points a finger of doubt at older and more expensive players who we expect more from.

Having mixed feelings doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the great moments we have experienced over the last two weekends, it just means you are not blind to the underlying realities evident in the side which, to be fair, is still new and is still forging a pattern and an understanding in disruptive, stop-start circumstances.

Taking everything on face value is a dangerous trait for a football fan and suggests a lifetime of disappointments ahead, and even Jesse Marsch – a relative newcomer to the cult of Leeds United – is growing wise to the absurdities and the extremities of life at Elland Road. In describing his frustrations that his team had turned a routine win into a madcap trolley dash – particularly after the platform the epic win at Anfield had provided – Marsch bemoaned the ‘Leeds way’ and wearily added “I hope it doesn’t continue this way”. Alas, Jesse, we gave up on that hope a long time ago. Strap yourself in.