The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Wednesday 3rd March) Can anyone stop Ipswich
Good Morning. It's Wednesday 3rd April, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road
Can anyone stop Ipswich
Leeds fans will be hoping that Ipswich Town's bitter rival Norwich City can slow them down on Saturday lunchtime when visiting Carrow Road.
The Canaries have one of the best home records in the Championship (behind Leeds and Ipswich), having won their last seven in a row. The problem will be, stopping Ipswich from scoring! Town have netted 84 times this season (nine more than Leeds), through 19 different goalscorers.
With nine wins in ten, Kieran McKenna's side have taken top spot, both in the Championship, and in the form guide (over the last 10 games). It was hoped that the wheels would come off on Bank holiday Monday against Southampton, but true to form, Ipswich won it with the last kick of the game!
30% of their goals (25) have come in the last fifteen minutes of play, with many being the difference between securing the win, or settling for a draw. The Canaries would like little more than to knock the Tractor boys off top spot, not to mention improving their play off hopes.
Remaining fixtures and potential banana skins
With just six games (seven for Leicester City), we look at the remaining fixtures which will define Leeds future. Promotion to the promised land is worth (up to) an estimated £265m, and could guarantee Leeds keep hold of their biggest assets (or at least be in a position to negotiate decent profits should anyone leave?).
Ipswich Town
Norwich City (A) - April 6
Watford (H) - April 10
Middlesbrough (H) - April 13
Hull City (A) - April 27
Coventry City (A) - April 30
Huddersfield Town (H) - May 4
Leeds Utd
Coventry City (A) - April 6
Sunderland (H) - April 9
Blackburn Rovers (H) - April 13
Middlesbrough (A) - April 22
Queens Park Rangers (A) - April 27
Southampton (H) - May 4
Leicester City
Birmingham City (H) - April 6
Millwall (A) - April 9
Plymouth Argyle (H) - April 12
West Brom (H) - April 20
Southampton (H) - April 23
Preston North End (A) - April 27
Blackburn Rovers (H) - May 4
Where are the potential banana skins? Will 100 points be enough for automatic promotion? How much of a phycological disadvantage will the club finishing third have, going into the play-offs?
Foxes pleading for clemency
Leicester City believe they should be afforded leniency by the football authorities for breaking financial fair play rules due to how unexpected and unique their rapid decline from the Premier League was, having finished eighth the season before!
Their accounting figures can only be described as Ridsdale-esque, with Chief Executive Susan Whelan delivering pre-tax losses of £89.7m, on the back of a record £92.5m deficit the season before!
According to Rob Tanner from the Athletic:
"In the accounts, which cover the disastrous 2022-23 season in which Leicester went from an eighth-placed finish the previous year to finishing 18th and losing their Premier League status after nine seasons, the club admits it may have breached profit and sustainability (PSR) rules, but believes there should be mitigation considered because of how unexpected and unique their rapid decline was. Before relegation, they had won the Premier League, the FA Cup and competed in three European campaigns."