Latest news with #EllandRoad
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Leeds fans rage as they are BANNED from Germany for second year in a row as club 'apologise unreservedly' for exclusion
Leeds have apologised to fans for not being able to attend pre-season games in Germany ahead of their return to the Premier League. Daniel Farke 's squad are set for an eight-day training camp in the build-up to the new campaign. While supporters will be able to watch other scheduled warm-up fixtures against Man United in Stockholm next month and also AC Milan in Dublin, after Villarreal come to Elland Road on August 2, no provisions have been possible for the Germany trip. A club statement read: 'Opponents and venues for fixtures were arranged earlier this year, and written assurances secured from both the German FA and our tour operator as well, given last summer we were asked at short notice by the police and local authorities not to bring supporters due to a resource strain following Euro 2024. 'Frustratingly, despite having matches agreed for a number of months, we have in the last week been informed that the police and local authorities will once again not grant a permit for us to play matches in front of spectators, will prohibit us from providing live updates and video streams, and have requested we discourage supporter travel. 'This comes despite multiple attempts to find a solution including offering various assurances, pursuing alternative scenarios that would allow for fan attendance, and even evaluating moving camp to a different location on short notice. Unfortunately, those efforts were fruitless due to the last-second nature of our change in circumstances. 'This result is deeply frustrating to all of us, just as it is sure to frustrate and anger you, our loyal supporters, to whom we apologise unreservedly for this outcome.' The Leeds United Supporters Trust (LUST) said it would be contacting the German authorities to seek an explanation behind the decision. 'For the second consecutive season, Leeds fans are being excluded from attending pre-season friendlies in Germany without any sensible explanation coming from authorities,' a LUST statement read. 'This is extremely disappointing, given that the excuse last year was around post-Euros policing, despite other British clubs being allowed fans in attendance in Germany. 'We respect the club and Daniel Farke's desire to keep a successful training camp in Germany, but would expect a valid reason from the authorities as to why once again Leeds fans are being unduly excluded. 'LUST recognises the work by the club to secure high-profile friendlies in Scandinavia and Ireland, giving back to the loyalty of fans who we know regularly travel. The trust will reach out to the German authorities on behalf of our members and Leeds fans.' Leeds — who won the Sky Bet Championship title on the final day of last season — begin their Premier League campaign at home to Everton on Monday, August 18.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Wilkinson statue campaign gathers pace, even after ex-Leeds manager's initial reluctance
He is the architect of Leeds United's highest honour of the last 51 years. He is the last Englishman to win the finest prize in English football, some 33 years ago. And yet, there is nothing to mark Howard Wilkinson's legacy at Elland Road. Don Revie and Billy Bremner have statues outside the stadium. John Charles, Norman Hunter, Jack Charlton and Revie have stands named after them. Wilkinson, who guided Leeds to the Division Two (now Championship) title in 1990 before the Division One (now Premier League) crown in 1992, is conspicuous by his absence. Advertisement A small group of supporters are looking to put that right with a new push to raise around £140,000, which would pay for Wilkinson to be immortalised with his own statue. Wilko 92, as the project has been named, was pitched to the 81-year-old earlier this year. 'Howard was very reluctant because he's a very modest fellow,' said Robert Endeacott, one of the men behind Wilko 92. 'I can't tell you his initial reaction, but it was words to the effect of, 'Well, who wants to see a statue of me?' He swore, so we had to convince him.' Endeacott spoke to The Athletic at The Old Peacock, a pub next to the stadium, for the launch of this project. Wilkinson, along with his former players Gary McAllister, Tony Dorigo and Noel Whelan, was in attendance. Asked how he had reacted when the idea was to put him, Wilkinson said: 'Shock, surprise, embarrassment and then appreciation.' Wilkinson's modesty, despite such success with Leeds, is one of the themes of this idea to build a statue. 'I never even thought about having a statue,' he said. 'My statue was what I got from the sport, not what I gave the sport. My reward was getting up in the morning and driving to work as a player, as a coach, as a manager.' Wilko 92, which was fronted by Endeacott, Dave Tomlinson and Neil Barker on the launch night, is calling on supporters to dig deep for this commemoration. There will be various fundraising events put on over the coming months. The initial aim is to unveil the structure — which has already been drawn by iconic Leeds United artist Paul Trevillion — in 2027. There is hope the siting of the prospective statue could be tied to the planned redevelopment of Elland Road. The club was represented at this month's launch event and has made positive, early noises about collaborating with Wilko 92 on the process. Endeacott said the organisers are keen to make this about more than the statue too, by working with Leeds United Foundation, the club's charity, on Wilkinson's legacy. Advertisement 'It's not just a statue,' he said. 'He's clearly not that enamoured with the idea of just him getting all the credit with a statue. 'He wants something else and so he came out with a few ideas and he said, 'Well, if we're going to do it, then we do it right.' 'He's not that actively involved, but he's keen and he's bright and I personally agree with him. It's a fantastic idea. We're hoping we can do more. 'It's not just for the fans, it's for the whole community of Leeds United.' McAllister was one of the cornerstones of Wilkinson's success with Leeds. It was another of those key pieces, compatriot Gordon Strachan, who reached out to him a few weeks ago with a nod to how their former boss was to be properly celebrated. McAllister feels a statue is befitting for a man he puts alongside Revie and Bremner as club legends. It has taken 33 years for a serious push on marking Wilkinson's legacy in West Yorkshire. McAllister, the former Liverpool midfielder who has played with and for some of the biggest names in the sport, was asked why his former manager has been overlooked for so long, despite lifting England's top-flight trophy. 'It's probably because it's wall-to-wall football now, so that's the thing,' he told The Athletic. 'Sky hadn't even been started. 'If he'd been in today's money, he'd have been all over the place. Being the last English one as well would elevate it even higher. 'It was because the games were fragmented. There weren't as many games. There weren't as many live football matches.' In today's money, as McAllister put it, Wilkinson's achievements would be akin to Daniel Farke finishing fourth with Leeds in the Premier League next season before lifting the title in 2026-27. Leicester City won the Championship in 2014 and then the top flight in 2016, if younger readers want context for how rare a feat that is. Advertisement Endeacott, as a fan who was heavily involved in the supporter-funded Revie statue in 2012, is also asked why it has taken so long for a Wilkinson commemoration to gather momentum. 'That's a difficult question,' he said. 'I don't really know. I'm one of those fans (who have not done something before now). 'I truly do remember, with fondness and great respect, what Howard has done for this club. We haven't even mentioned Thorp Arch. Great to hear about #Wilko92 tonight and the planning of a long overdue statue. Lots of exciting stuff to come, watch this space. Find out more here: — LUFC Trust (@lufctrust) June 16, 2025 'That was part of his 10-year plan. He created the academy and he made sure it develops (future footballers for Leeds).' Thorp Arch, the club's training ground and academy, does stand as the one symbol which is synonymous with Wilkinson, though it does not bear his name. Incidentally, former chairman Andrea Radrizzani asked Marcelo Bielsa for permission to name Thorp Arch after the Argentinian in August 2022. He never got a response. The training centre, which sits near Wetherby, has gone on to develop some of the country's finest footballers in the decades since Wilkinson moved on. He wanted to create a Leeds version of Barcelona's famed La Masia. Ian Harte, Stephen McPhail, Jonathan Woodgate, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, James Milner, Fabian Delph, Lewis Cook, Sam Byram, Kalvin Phillips, Archie Gray and Harry Gray are all proof of what that academy vision has delivered. It seems imperative Wilkinson is remembered for the decades and centuries to come at Elland Road. Every new generation of Leeds fan should have that opportunity to ask their parents and grandparents, 'Who's that man? What did he do here? Why is there a statue of him?' For more information and to donate, visit Wilko 92 here (Top image: Beren Cross/The Athletic)
New York Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What Jaka Bijol will bring to Leeds: Patience, aerial strength and football intelligence
Leeds United have completed their second transfer of the summer window — Jaka Bijol has finalised a £15million move from Udinese after three seasons and 90 Serie A appearances. At 26, Bijol is entering the prime years of his career and Leeds hope they will see the best of the Slovenia international at the heart of their defence. He is right-footed, but the pressure for starts is likely to be on left-sided Pascal Struijk initially. Advertisement Bijol has played on the right of a back three for Udinese too, which gives manager Daniel Farke another option next term if he does wish to move away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Leeds are delighted to have got their man after several weeks of talks, but why did they go for him and what will he bring to Elland Road? On first impressions, you would be forgiven for thinking Bijol, at 6ft 3in (191cm) with a big frame, is a front-footed, aggressive defender who goes steaming into challenges. However, a closer look at his performances with Udinese tells a different story. Generally, Bijol is a more patient defender, who waits for moments to be aggressive and assertive. His true tackles per 1,000 opposition touches — a metric that combines tackles won, tackles lost and fouls committed while attempting a tackle, to give us an indication of how often he looks to stick a foot in when his team don't have the ball — tells us more about his defending. Of all central defenders with at least 900 minutes in Serie A last term, Bijol was 35th out of 74 for this metric. This marks him out as quite passive in this regard. In other words, he is not going to go charging into tackles too frequently. When he does commit to challenging an opponent, his success rate is quite low. Bijol only has a win rate of 50 per cent with his 'true tackles', which puts him 72nd among those 74 centre-backs with 900-plus minutes. His league-high tally of 13 yellow cards underlines the issues he faces when he goes to win the ball. While his tackling ability may be lacking, there is a lot more to modern defending than sticking a foot in. Bijol has shown he prefers to sit off and sweep up for Udinese. With Leeds, you could envisage Joe Rodon as the traditional stopper who steps out of the backline, while Bijol covers behind him. Advertisement He does generally defend the space well and ranked highly in Serie A for clearances, interceptions and aerials — only three players in the division made more than his 182 clearances. There was a passage of play from Udinese's last game of the season which neatly summarises Bijol's traits. As Luca Ranieri goes to pass from Fiorentina's defence, Bijol has found himself high up the field from a previous phase. Bijol reads the pass and intercepts. That's good, but his subsequent attempt to pass forward is then picked out by opponent Amir Richardson. In an attempt to rectify his error, Bijol then goes in late and hard on Richardson, who pokes the ball away before the collision. Bijol was booked. United's new centre-back's interception rate does underline his anticipation and football intelligence. He can read the game and understand when it's the right time to step out of the backline to apply pressure. In the same Fiorentina game, he can sense Nicolo Fagioli will receive the ball after the next pass. Bijol steps out and pushes his opponent all the way back to the edge of his own area. Bijol's aerial dominance is where he stands out most and may have been the key attribute Leeds were looking for. United expect to be defending their box for long periods of many games next season, plus they need to find an edge in each penalty area at set pieces. Only four players in Serie A won more aerial duels than Bijol in 2024-25. A fraction later in the same Fiorentina game, there is one image which illustrates the defender's immense leap. A high ball comes towards the centre circle from the away goalkeeper. Lucas Beltran has designs on taking the ball in, but Bijol watches it all the way, runs to the ball and gets his waist to Beltran's head height with his jump. Possession was retained with that header too. When he has the ball at his feet, Bijol frequently looked for long passes last season — no Serie A centre-back attempted more than he did in 2024-25. On the right in a central two or wider back three, the former CSKA Moscow man enjoys targeting the flanks with flighted passes over the top, but as the progressive passing zones show below, Bijol is able to move the ball through the centre too. Playing on the right of a back three for Udinese in that Fiorentina game, you can see below how he moves wider with the ball, almost to the right-back slot. Bijol looks up and sees the right wing-back asking for the ball in behind. Bijol clears the opposition defenders, Kingsley Ehizibue brings the ball down and Udinese have a platform to attack from the final third in the space of one pass. Bijol is confident when carrying the ball too. He drives forward from defence with the ball at his feet. Only seven players across the division travelled further, towards the opponents' goal, than Bijol with the ball during last season. He had the most touches in the opposition box of all Serie A centre-backs last year, though those are, most commonly, from attacking corners or free kicks. When Jaka Bijol stopped a move in his own box and finished one at the other end 🔀#MonzaUdinese — Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) June 13, 2025 This clip from Serie A last season is the most impressive and eye-catching thing Bijol did. It shows several different attributes in one passage. There's a lot for Farke to work with. First, there is the interception after anticipating the danger, before the calm pass into an advanced team-mate. The football intelligence and ambition to get up the field is pretty clear. Advertisement Bijol can sense Monza are exposed and he takes flight. He does get a touch lucky with a ricochet off the goalkeeper, but he turned the ball over in his box and scored at the other end inside 20 seconds. Bijol is not going to be the perfect centre-back. If he was, he would be going for five times the amount Leeds have paid to a Champions League contender. This is the next logical step up for him from Serie A's mid-table to the Premier League. His tackling success rate is one concern to flag, but Farke and the recruitment analysts will have been well aware of that fact before pursuing him. However, Bijol's tendency to sit off and avoid putting his foot in is no bad thing at all. The data suggests he can read play, anticipate danger, pick the right moments to be aggressive and, if it's in the air, he is going to be a match for most opponents. If Farke wants Leeds to go long with their passing or for his defenders to carry the ball into midfield, he has demonstrated that with Udinese too. (Header photo:)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nottingham Forest
Ahead of the Premier League fixture release day on June 18th 2025, we're taking a look at our upcoming opponents for next season, having returned to the top-flight. This time we take a look at Nottingham Forest. Advertisement Stadium: City Ground Capacity: 30,445 Distance from Elland Road: 74 miles Founded: 160 years ago Last time we met: Time in Premier League: Three years After beating Huddersfield Town in the 2022 Championship Play-Off Final, Forest returned to the Premier League after a 23-year absence from England's top-flight. Since then, the City Ground side have recorded 16th, 17th and 7th-place finishes. Last season: Competing for the European spots throughout last campaign, Nuno Espírito Santo's team eventually finished seventh in the final standings, qualifying for the UEFA Europa Conference League. Former Whites' striker Chris Wood top scored with 20 goals in all competitions. One to watch:
Belfast Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Leeds United and Northern Ireland hero Stuart Dallas: ‘The togetherness at Euro 2016 was something special'
The former winger joins Keith Bailie and Steven Beacom to reflect on his incredible playing career that took him from Hagan Park in Coagh to Elland Road and the Premier League. The Cookstown man recalls life in the Irish League, working under Argentine manager Marcelo Biesla, the heartbreaking injury that ended his career and why Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was wrong to call his challenge 'utter madness'. Dallas also reflects on the ninth anniversary of Northern Ireland's adventure in French. The King of Lyon will be joined on stage at the Ulster Hall next year by teammates Steven Davis, Josh Magennis and Niall McGinn for special commemorative event, 'Euro 2016: Ten Years On'
