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And so the whole issue gets curioser and curioser.

Overnight, Rarizzani made a public statement of apology to the supporters - an apology written on his company's headed paper - and written in such a manner that gave a strong sense that he is here to stay. It was his first statement concerning Leeds, since relegation on Sunday.

Late yesterday, the Athletic discovered that Radrizzani had offered to use Elland Road as security for a £26 million bank loan, to be used to complete the takeover of Sampdoria. It would appear that leading Board members Angus Kinnear (CEO) and Paraag Marathe (Vice Chair and 49ers representative) were totally blindsided by this move when it was put to them by the Athletic and Radrizzani reacted angrily when asked for comment, accusing the Athletic of looking to turn the fans against him. 

The move has all the hallmarks of his predecessor Cellino, but more importantly is serving to cause great uncertainty at a time when certainty is needed.     

Leeds United is an attractive target with an attaching metropolis.  It really should be in the top division.

Yes, and it's why the 49ers have been hooked. They see the potential. They own 44% but now want a full takeover, with one of the conditions being that Radrizzani leaves the building.

News overnight from Italy is that Radrizzani's bid for Sampdoria has now been accepted. He made a triumphant statement following that process, but the statement made no mention of Leeds. The hope is that his acquisition will now prompt the sale of Leeds to the Yanks.

I think that choosing Marsch was Leeds' Aughrim.

Many Leeds' supporters would agree with you.

There are so many 'sliding doors' moments over the last two years. Leeds finished the 2020/21 season absolutely on fire and the opportunity was there to build on a fantastic first season in the Premier League. However that opportunity was spurned, not least by the transfer activity over the Summer of 2021 and it has subsequently spiralled out of control, leading to a litany of poor decisions. 

Relegation to the Championship was finally confirmed for Leeds United today and it has to be said it was completely deserved.....

.....Marching on Together
🟡⚪🔵

Great post and more or less covered everything very succinctly.

Not a lot to add. Went out with a whimper, as was somehow appropriate at the end of what was a terrible season. There are a vast range of key moments that can be considered in terms of where it all went wrong - many supporters will argue that the victory at Liverpool was what sealed our fate, as it kept Marsch in charge for another few months - others will argue that getting rid of him was what cost Leeds in the end. The best line I've seen is that over the last eighteen months, the Board took too long to make the wrong decisions.

Definitely moving into the unknown now, but key of course is the ownership, with most Leeds' fans hoping for a full takeover from the 49ers. That of course will depend on Radrizzani's willingness to sell, which in turn is dependent on what happens with his takeover of Sampdoria. His latest bid was turned down yesterday by Sampdoria's current owners, which led to protests on the streets of Genoa. So still a very fluid situation.

If the ownership situation can be resolved, and in favour of the Yanks, then there is reason to feel optimistic in the medium to longer term, as the resources available, along with what should be a very professional set up, should mean that fully supported, sane decisions, are made that will give supporters hope.   

Had the vivioactive 4. Good watch. Heart and steps all spot on as you'd expect for a garmin. Doesn't have all the fancy bells and whistles for running like you get in a forerunner. But covers all the main things. Also got contactless etc as well which is handy. Charge is grand if you're not using gps for running. I found it needed charging every couple of days if doing runs. But decent watch.

Thanks very much. Very useful.

No completely helpful here but i have the Samsung Galaxy Active 2.  So certainly not the 5, but i find the steps are completely different that fitbit for example.  Now, i dont know which is accurate, but there is a large disparity with Samsung on the lower side.  I dont mind though, as you know yourself if youve had a good day or not with your own average step count.

Never had a problem with GPS accuracy.

Thanks for that.   

Bumping this thread after a few years.

Thinking of getting myself a new smartwatch, for doing a bit of walking. Given my price range, the two I have narrowed it down to are the Garmin Vivoactive 4 (£199) and the Samsung Galaxy 5 watch (£239).

The Samsung appears to have the much better spec but I've read reviews where people are complaining about the accuracy of the info it gives, e.g. steps, heart monitor etc.

Anyone with first hand experience?

Holy crap Everton might actually be relegated this time.

Very unlikely now. They live to fight again.

3-1
Suboptimal

  Suboptimal - I like that.

Not really an awful lot to be said. Poverty stricken performance against a side whose minds were elsewhere. Big Sam in his post match press conference basically alluded to a squad with many flaws.

Someone put up on Twitter that since Bielsa was sacked in February of last year, Leeds have won eleven league matches - absolutely damning stuff and ultimately the responsibility rests with the Board and Orta and Raddrizzani in particular.   

It's unbelievable that with 31 points from 37 games, Leeds go into the last game of the season with a long shot of staying up. It's been death by a thousand cuts. And to be honest, we don't deserve to stay up. I've been resigned to our fate for a couple of months now, so the pressure is off!   

Bookie pricing is crazy
Everton are 1 point ahead of Leeds who are 18th.
Everton are being hammered by Man City and are priced at 3/1 while Leeds are priced at 1/4 to be relegated.

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/english/premier-league/relegation

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2023/05/16/former-leeds-boss-marcelo-bielsa-named-head-coach-of-uruguay/

I'm no expert on punting, but I can see logic in it. On paper, Everton's last two games are eminently winnable - Wolves away and Bournemouth at home. Before the City game, they gave a very impressive display away to Brighton and the bottom line is that they are now, at this moment, in a position of safety. That puts the onus on Leeds to get something from their games.

My hope is that four points will get us to where we need to be. My fear is that it will take two wins to get us safe, which might be too much of an ask. 

Wins for Forest and Everton

And both huge victories. A real sense now that the walls are closing in. Forest was always likely to happen, but the fact that Everton went to Brighton and won 5-1 was a shock. The pressure is now on Leeds to take at least four points - which obviously includes a win - and even then it is likely to not be enough. Leeds really have to try and match Everton and beat Newcastle at home this weekend. A very tough ask.

Didn't see thus but a 2-1 away defeat to the champions isn't bad.  Goal difference not really affected and not a morale sapping hammering

Exactly. A morale boosting performance, with a lot of heart displayed, particularly when City went two up in the first half. Indeed the manner in which the squad gathered in the middle of the pitch at the final whistle, and then walked to the supporters, applauding, which I'm glad to say was reciprocated, gives hope for the last three games. A further week with Big Sam before the Newcastle game should help to improve the mood and hopefully defensive resilience, but the reality is that Newcastle still represents a huge challenge in footballing terms. 

A massive day for Leeds this afternoon and this evening. Victories for Fulham at home to Leicester, Brighton at home to Everton and Southampton away to Forest, are needed big time. The reality though is that Leeds will almost definitely be in the bottom three tonight which confirms the need for three points at the very least from the remaining three fixtures, to survive.

The reality will be that Leeds get defeated this afternoon. What Leeds' fans will be looking for is evidence of an improved attitude and approach, where Leeds become more difficult to break down and are a bit more resilient when they concede. Such signs would give hope for the last three fixtures which in reality are what Leeds should be targeting.

My fear here is an absolutely crushing defeat which devastates the goal difference and essentially means a dropped point. In such a scenario, there might be no way back, particularly of Forest - as they should - beat Southampton at the City Ground.

Fingers (and toes) tightly crossed.   

Bournemouth are no longer a sure thing. They will beat Everton.
Meanwhile
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65453934

This apparently is the final straw that broke the back in terms of Orta's tenure. Orta would be a bit of an idealist and wants football played 'the right way'. Big Sam actually put his own name forward for the job in February and apparently Orta was very energetic in dismissing it when it was discussed, threatening to resign if he was brought in. He went for Gracia and Gracia is now regarded as his man. The majority of the Board now recognise that Gracia is a busted flush, with 0% chance of keeping Leeds up and that some change was needed to increase that 0% to something marginally bigger. Apparently Orta was adamant that Gracia should stay and was dead against Allardyce. That is what ultimately led to the parting of the ways yesterday.

Latest odds have Everton and Forest at 4/7 with Leeds at 10/11.
Obviously if either of the 2 win a match the odds change.

Really? That genuinely shocks me!

Everton have Bournemouth home on the last day. Forest have Southampton home before that. I'd be working on the assumption that Leeds would need at a very bare minimum three points to stay up - and more likely four or five - and I just cannot see where they can win. But, hope springs eternal! 

One thing's for sure - someone is likely to survive with a low points total.

The 4 other teams in danger of relegation are crap.

Maybe so, seafoid, but what they do appear to have is a wee bit of heart and determination alongside a bit of organisation. Hand on heart, after recent 6-1, 5-1 and 4-1 thumpings, I'm not sure Leeds have. 

Thanks but no thanks

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/2023/05/01/leeds-consider-sacking-javi-gracia-and-hiring-third-manager-of-season/

In the words of the Undertones, It's Going To Happen. Big Sam ( ) looks to be odds on favourite to come in for the last four games of the season. As Phil Hay described it, a Hail Mary option. It's not likely to be the only move either. Director of Football, Victor Orta - who many will see as the reason for the malaise - also looks like he will be packing his bags.