In Leeds We Trust: Leeds return to winning ways as club welcomes new Vice Chairman

It feels good to get back to winning ways.

Taking points from the teams below us has been the key to our success thus far in this Premier League campaign and we continued that trend at St James’ Park.

The game was hard fought from the first minute, with players from both sides constantly hitting the turf. Particular concern comes from Diego Llorente’s injury however, who has had a terribly unlucky start to life at Leeds having picked up a problem which ended his night only eight minutes into the game having only just returned from a prior issue.

Newcastle came into the game in the second half and put in a creditable performance despite speculation that Steve Bruce might follow our old friend Frank Lampard into unemployment in the near future.

Illan Meslier (who leads the squad in nominations for the Paul Madeley memorial trophy at the season’s halfway point) was forced to make a few great saves.

But in the end, Raphina - in what was perhaps his best performance in a Leeds shirt to date - gave us a goal and an assist to take us beyond the reach of the Magpies.

As the January transfer window comes to a close, it looks likely that Leeds United’s only purchase will come in the form of a £300,000 fresh top layer of grass for the Elland Road pitch.

This comes in the wake of the game against Brighton in which the state of the playing field following the harsh weather had a clear effect on the game.

Bielsa’s style of football is helped by a quality playing surface and the temporary measures to improve the conditions could give our home form a slight boost for the remainder of the season

The ownership of the club also saw some restructuring this week as the San Francisco 49ers investment group increased their stake in the club to 37 per cent in a deal speculated to be worth around £50 million.

The investment from the NFL franchise began in 2018 when they purchased a minority stake, this newest investment will increase their ownership share and is a clear sign of their continued interest in the club.

A lot of the talk surrounding the move suggests that the 49ers input will be largely to do with the club infrastructure and commercial side, including potential plans for the expansion and redevelopment of Elland Road.

In other news, the Trust will be holding an online quiz exclusively for members on the February 5 partnered with Andy’s Man Club.

The quiz will be hosted by celebrity Leeds fan Ralph Ineson who you might know from The Office, Game of Thrones and numerous other works.

Whether or not the eventual winner will be decided by throwing a kettle over a pub cannot be confirmed at this time.

Adding your own voice to the Trust’s work is easy.

Visit our new website at www.lufctrust.com and you can become a member for just £10 per year.

Marching on together.