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Yet another mauling last night, with the gulf in class between the two teams laid bare for all to see. Furthermore, there is a real fear now that there is real psychological damage being inflicted, given how the team seems to throw in the towel when things start to go wrong. In a relegation battle, such traits will be fatal.

The absence of both Adams and Wober have been huge and there are poor performances springing up everywhere which is beginning to take others down, with the collective effort spiralling downwards and out of control. How this is arrested, I don't know, but time is not on management's side, with three huge games coming up.

One thing that recent form has shown me is how out of touch with reality the board were in believing that the purchases they have made were going to have us being comfortable at this level. There have been a range of terrible investments and I honestly link the overall strategy back to our first season in the top flight when Bielsa 'magic-ed' a group of Championship players into a Top Ten finish, and which gave the Board a false sense of security. They got away with it last year, but you can only dodge so many bullets before you get hit.

If you just look at recent form it is unlikely that Leeds will go down.

No self respecting Leeds fan will consider such arguments. There are simply too many scars from over the years to feel anything but dread.

The most recent game was a classic of the type. Following a morale boosting and vital win against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, there were definite grounds for some optimism as we hosted another fellow struggler, Crystal Palace. A win seemed eminently achievable and the script was going according to hope after 30 minutes, leading 1-0, forcing the pace and pressing their keeper into a series of excellent saves. From the half hour mark on, Palace came more into the game and looked threatening from every set piece. The equaliser eventually arrived just before half time from another set piece. The second half was a disaster zone, with old wounds and nightmares opened up of the second leg play off defeat to Derby back in 2019, as the team simply capitulated.

The next game is home to Liverpool on Monday, and the fear from a Leeds point of view is that there is psychological damage which will serve to increase the sense of fragility. Right now, the only comfort is to be taken from the poor form of others and the hope that at the end of this all, there are three worse teams than Leeds. 

The mauling at Arsenal was probably to be expected and whilst it was sobering, the reality is that those are not the fixtures that matter. The one that did - Forest at home on Tuesday - resulted in a huge win. Reading reports, Leeds never seemed to panic after falling behind to an early goal and went on to dominate the game and probably should have won by more. Lot of praise for Roca who was man of the match for many and for Striujk, playing in his preferred position in the centre of the defence. However many raved about Harrison's performance, and in only a matter of weeks (under Gracia) he has turned his own form on its head and is scoring goals and providing assists. Indeed he has jus signed a new contract taking him to 2028.

The three points moved us from 18th to 13th but we are still only two points above the relegation zone. The match on Sunday, at home to Palace, is another huge fixture. Win that, go on to 32 points and we could feel as if we are in touching distance of safety. The pity in all of his is the loss of Adams, although Roca is stepping up, and Wober who remains unavailable. Gnonto was named on the bench but did not see game time, so hopefully the extra few days will see him available if needed. 

And mention of course of Gracia - lot of praise coming his way, having won three out of the first six. Less rigid than his predecessor in terms of tactics and prepared to adapt to meet different challenges. He keeps Leeds up and he will almost certainly be rewarded with a well deserved contract.

A few random points to make, with apologies to those also on the Orchard Fans forum, who will have heard these before. 

The whole issue of Geezer as manager seems to be becoming a major topic of discussion (again) within the County, with most people having a strong opinion on the matter and plenty supporting either side of the debate.

I have no doubt that almost any other manager would have been long gone by now if they had Geezer's record since starting. 

A lot of those calling for Geezer's head have a higher opinion of the abilities of our current County Senior Squad than I have. I would have Armagh in and around 8 - 10 in terms of the country, which places us towards the bottom of Division 1 / top of Division 2.

Many of those calling for Geezer's head appear to think that following an All Ireland quarter-final appearance and retention of Division 1 status last year, we should be progressing further this year. For me, it simply does not follow and my sense is that Armagh might have reached their level in 2022, i.e. a top 8 - 10 team.

Our Senior Team's fortunes rely heavily on some influential players who are now reaching veteran status. Murnin, Soupy, Forker and Grugan. I also get a sense that their continued buy in and commitment is down to Geezer's commitment to them as a man manager. I would have worries if Geezer was to go that those players - and others - might call it quits, which would be a significant blow to our fortunes. 

In the medium to longer term, I would fear for the future of our County Seniors. The standard of football is terrible in Armagh, and is accurately reflected in the fortunes of our Club Champions at Senior, Intermediate and Junior level and of our County Under 20 and Under 17 squads in Ulster. Last weekend, our Under 20s fell to yet another first round defeat whilst Tyrone were celebrating two underage All Ireland winning teams at Healy Park. The difference in terms of the pool of talent available is light years in distance. It could, and probably should, be argued that Geezer has Armagh boxing way above our weight at the moment.

I'd urge those calling for Geezer's head to be careful what you wish for.

What are the thoughts on playing Arsenal tomorrow?

It's going to be a long afternoon, I fear. This of course would be a tough fixture to start with but we're now heading to the Emirates without what many supporters consider to be our best three players this season, so far - Adams, Wober and Gnonto. In light of that, I hope they approach it with a nothing to lose attitude and see what happens. Often, when it's least expected, Leeds can pull a performance - and a result - from nowhere. Liverpool and Man United away are two cases in point. The need to stay up though is huge, and it will not depend on fixtures such as today.

In the longer term, Adams is out for the rest of the season, so it is likely that Roca and McKennie will be paired in midfield. Wober and Gnonto are considered short term injuries and should hopefully be back by Easter.   

The last two matches have shown that Gracia is already putting his imprint on the team and has made Leeds a more difficult side to break down. At Fulham, in the Cup, we dominated but were undone by two brilliant individual strikes. The Chelsea game we were under a lot more pressure but were undone by a set piece goal.

The main issue in both games though was our inability to take our chances and it could become a fatal flaw. Rodrigo is out injured, although is due back in late March. Bamford missed the Chelsea game but in truth has been playing terribly, with no confidence at all. Rutter is getting game time, and whilst showing some nice touches, is very much finding his feet. He was unlucky to see a brilliant header come back off the post against Fulham. Harrison is currently having an absolute mare, and it makes the decision to keep him in the last transfer window, when Leicester were keen on a last minute purchase, look like a bad piece of business. It increasingly looks as though Gracia will have to trust to the youth in the squad.

Brighton up next, and right now, hoping for a point would look to be optimistic in the extreme. These are worrying times.

Huge result on Saturday, which moves us (just) out of the relegation zone. From reading reports, the match was low on quality, with Leeds dominating but being relatively ineffectual. There was an element of luck about the goal, with Bazunu (sp?) appearing to be unsighted for Firpo's relatively tame shot. Nevertheless, a very important three points.

Gracia very upbeat after the game - reckoned he'd less than a day with the team and feels they will improve as he gets to put his style of play into action. Reading Phil Hay, he's a pragmatic manager who will do what it takes to meet the needs of the team. Seems to be effective at reading a game too and does not hang back in terms of making quick decisions if things are not going to plan, e.g. Gnonto getting subbed with half an hour to go.

Fulham up next, tomorrow night, in the Cup. 

That is just such a brilliant photo! 

Very sorry about Motty - feels like part of my childhood is gone. I was allowed to stay up to watch MOTD from 7 / 8 years of age and at that point the classic combination was Jimmy Hill as Presenter / pundit, with two games shown, commentated on by John Motson / Barry Davies. Great times.

Personal favourite would be the 'Quality goal from a quality player' line for Tony Currie's goal for Sheffield United against West Ham and this commentary of Ronnie Radford's wonder goal.

A man whose absence from the commentary box, made the heart grow fonder.

R.I.P.

The confirmed appointment of Gracia expected this morning.

I see Javi Gracia, former Watford and Valencia manager, is now the front runner in a two horse race with an as yet unknown competitor, although there are whispers it might be Rafa Benitez. A new man is needed urgently.

I didn't see the match on Saturday, but I've read enough to know that it was a poverty stricken performance. For the first time I'd have to say that I felt that we are likely to go down, and certainly will if the management situation is not addressed quickly. Football can be fickle. With a wee bit of luck, we could have got more than the point we did claim from the two matches against Manure and there would have been plenty of reason to be upbeat. The nature of Saturday's performance suggested that morale was rock bottom.

The only part of the game I did see was the Everton goal, which was an absolutely shocking error by Meslier. I read a lot about how poor Bamford was and I'd suggest time is running out for him. He has been awful and Harrison is not much better.

I think there are now gambles to be taken at the top. The first is an experienced manager and yes, I'd include Big Sam in that, given the desperation of the situation. I'd also hope that management give Rutter a fair crack at it - we need goals urgently and we're not getting them from what is there. Why not give the £35 million man a chance

I subscribe to the Athletic and follow Phil Hay, on there, and a recurring theme of his articles has been that the Board firmly believe that we have the players to stay up and that we just need the right manager in place to channel the collective effort. I'm afraid that they have more faith in the panel than I have. I fear for the future.

When teams win everything is rosy. When they lose, it's a disaster.  Armagh weren't terrible today.  By that I mean we were in with a shout of getting something from the game right to the end.  Our downfall was we didn't convert a number of gilt edged goal chances. The one in particular before the Ros penalty was a potential game changer.  Bag that one and we're in a good position to kick on.

Agree totally, Mike, and to me there is an underlying issue. We have dominated for long periods in all three games to date and have one goal to show for it, and that was a gift from Beggan that he had to give us twice before we took it. Oisin McConville always talked about the need to be ruthless when goal chances presented and that was never better displayed than today when points were taken when an extra pass could have seen a green flag.

The Rossies around me could see nothing but an Armagh win at half time and although we had played well, I've followed Armagh for too long to predict a win from a good first half performance. The second half was a shocker and I'd be interested to see if one or two of our ever present players get the bench in Tralee. 

Agreed MR with your assessment of yesterday's game. The difference between us and the top teams is the potency of our attack. Man United I felt would take at least one chance on offer, but I always felt our players would struggle, and so it proved. That match can be added to a long list of similar games where we haven't taken our chances and have been made to pay.

There is a need to have a managerial appointment in place as soon as possible and the fact that we are not likely to get our first (or second or event third) choice is not a good look at a time of critical importance. Reports suggested Andoni Iraola was very keen on Leeds but Rayo Vallacano were not prepared to authorise it. I know little of Alfred Schreuder, although feedback on Twitter would suggest his recent record is not without concerns.

We need to start picking up points and quickly, s whoever gets it will need to hit the ground running. 

A point last night that I'd have taken before the game, but having established a two goal lead, there is a sense of what might have been.

Could only see short periods of the match, but by all accounts there seemed to be better organisation about Leeds that made them more difficult to break down. That was underpinned by some outstanding individual performances - particularly Ayling, Meslier and Gnonto.

Sinisterra is likely to be out for a while and Striujk might be a doubt for Sunday, as he appeared to suffer concussion. Gnonto also received a fair few hits and went down at least once, so hopefully he will be available for the weekend when we'll be definitely up against it again. The Everton and Southampton games though loom large beyond that and the importance of them cannot be overstated.