Bournemouth 4-1 Leeds United: The next letdown
When Leeds lose a vital match this way there’s nothing new to say that hasn’t already been said. That, pals, is purgatory. At least, by definition, it’s temporary.
It feels like even saving themselves from relegation won’t be enough to save Leeds United from this season. Even if Leeds stay up in the end, it’s hard to imagine the last game, at home to Spurs, being a repeat of last year’s party away to Brentford. The reason for that, and the problem for the next few weeks, is that the team is failing game after game to offer any alternatives to the conclusions that everyone came to weeks ago. Everyone knows what has gone wrong, everyone knows who is to blame, everyone has already made that perfectly publicly clear. So when Leeds lose a vital match 4-1, as they did at Bournemouth, there’s nothing new to say that hasn’t already been said. That, pals, is purgatory. At least, by definition, it’s temporary.
Temporary for the fans, anyway. We’ll still have our club next season, and be as foolishly devoted to it as ever, no matter what division we’re in. As far as Andrea Radrizzani’s ownership of Leeds United goes the situation feels — and should feel — like it’s all gone to hell. The obituaries have been written, the post-mortems are underway. Everyone is just waiting for a body.
During this game, Radrizzani replied to a Twitter DM from One Leeds Fan Channel’s Conor McGilligan, to say: ‘I am broken. I am responsible for this shit. Unacceptable. You don’t deserve this. Ridiculous.’ At least Twitter is living up to its recent utility of making millionaires look stupid. Radrizzani’s words, though, are only words, easily said. Actually taking responsibility, in his position, only ever means sacking someone else and hoping the person who replaces them can bail the club out — in which case Radrizzani could continue unscathed, either as owner or profiting seller. Responsibility, in this case, could still mean an approximate £300m profit, but Radrizzani missed his chances to do anything to help himself. Now it’s all down to the coach in the dugout and the players on the pitch to deliver him from a fate worse than a reduced sale price.