Leeds United mailbox: A striker light, the rule of Marcelo Bielsa and why always us?

Every week the YEP will publish your Leeds United emails, with views on all the key issues surrounding Elland Road. Today’s mailbag covers Spygate, Marcelo Bielsa’s formation, the lack of cover for Kemar Roofe and an appeal from one of the club’s Irish fans:
Leeds United's home ground Elland Road.Leeds United's home ground Elland Road.
Leeds United's home ground Elland Road.

Why always us?

I'm fuming over the Spygate fine for not even breaking any rules.

When we were hit by financial problems in the post Peter Ridsdale era, we got a 10-point deduction and were relegated. Not satisfied, the Football League deducted us 15 points again thus preventing the club from getting promotion at the first hurdle.

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Always Leeds isn't it? The club should not have accepted the fine and should have taken the EFL to court as no rule had been broken.

Stephanie Butterfield

Give them EFL

Just because you are paranoid it doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.

Like many Leeds’ fans, my view of the EFL is that there seems to be a bias against Leeds. My evidence would be a whole range of examples, from suspending Pontus Jansson for being justifiably angry right through to fining us £200,000 for allegedly not acting in good faith.

As a long standing season-ticket holder I do find it hard to be objective but I really struggle with the accusation that we acted inappropriately when there are dozens of examples of other clubs doing the same without a hint of a sanction.

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Violence at Millwall, racist chanting, diving, time wasting, feigning injury, Swansea going back on an agreed deal, Bristol City’s chairman attacking us in the press, Derby making false accusations about the intern on public land; the EFL seems to have nothing to say on any of this.

Is there some way a journalist could get an interview with the EFL and ask them to explain why so many of these potentially ‘in bad faith’ examples have been ignored?

Mike Simmonds

A striker light

I have no confidence in Leeds going up. This is due to lack of recruitment in January. We needed another striker all season and now Roofe is out, goals in general have dried up and other teams are banging them in like Norwich and Sheffield United did last weekend.

Other teams know how to play against Leeds so why not change to a 4-4-2? Let's see how that goes. The fact is we haven't scored enough goals and the season could go down to goal difference but I don't think we will go up even in play-offs, which seems more likely than automatic promotion. Also, Shackleton should be starting instead of Ayling. The penalty Ayling gave away against Swansea was schoolboy defending.

Mark Shinners

The rule of 3-3-1-3

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With the arrival of our first-team coach came a completely different approach to the game. Marcelo Bielsa has us playing 4-1-4-1. The only time we've tried another formation, it was 3-3-1-3. It brought us good results but his theory on the game, of two central defenders against a team who play one striker and three centre-backs against teams who play two up top, has meant us playing a back four almost every game.

With the return of Bamford and Berardi, the apparent return to fitness of Izzy Brown, the lack of goals in recent games and now the injury to Kemar Roofe, I can’t help thinking a change to 3-3-1-3 would be a good move at this stage of the season. This would be my preferred starting eleven:

Roberts Bamford Pablo

Brown

Alioski Phillips Shackleton

Cooper Pontus Berardi

Casilla

Though we'll miss Roofe’s constant movement, hassling and harrying, I think this line-up would keep the opposition under pressure and still give us a very strong defensive unit when the opposition do break out. For me, this gets our best players in the starting line-up, providing us with pace going forward and in defence while maintaining a good balance.

I think the main reason our great goalscoring start to the season slowed down was the loss of Gaetano Berardi. Pontus is a very good centre-back but when he gets on the ball he likes to hold it, get his head up and look around before releasing it, usually sideways to one of his fellow defenders. The time he spends holding up the ball gives our opponents time to get back in position and organise their defence before we can get at them.

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When Berardi gets the ball he tends to move it on quickly. His first thought is getting the ball moving forward. I see that as the main key to us hitting the opposition with pace and scoring more goals.

Shackleton is probably going to be the inclusion that would be questioned most but I see his pace and a willingness to get forward as the main attributes that put him in at right wing-back ahead of Luke Ayling. Ayling’s recent form has been below par, not least his passing, but he's still an asset. I just see Shackleton as the better option.

Alistair Walker

Keep Irish eyes smiling

I’m writing to you in relation to an attitude I have encountered at Elland Road on a number of occasions throughout my years of visiting the ground, and most noticeably on my last two visits during our current period of promise.

It is the referencing of fans who are not weekly attendees as ‘tourists’ in a derogatory fashion. This label is generally touted loudly at half-time when ‘the regulars’ are trying to get to the refreshments under the stands only to find themselves blocked by a multitude of alien accents.

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I live in Ireland and have supported Leeds since 1971. I didn’t have to choose Leeds through some quirk of birthplace, I chose them because I saw Allan Clarke in black and white standing ramrod straight, arm aloft, proudly walking away from another goalkeeping victim of his predatory instinct. And once this connection had been made it could never be recanted. Believe me when I say there were many years when I wished I had never seen Allan Clarke as I sat in a pub at 4.45pm on a Saturday watching the vidiprinter ruin another weekend.

I now bring my two young sons two or three times a season to try an inculcate them with my love of this beleaguered club. It costs me the guts of 500 Euros a trip as we need to book a whole weekend in case Sky change the kick-off times. We bring atmosphere with us to the West Stand and spend our money around the town freely. If we had the means we would be there every game but like most overseas fans, we don’t.

So I would ask the fortunate few who by a twist of fate were born of Yorkshire to spare a thought for the diaspora and realise that their comments are insulting and unnecessary. It’s in all our blood through no real choice of our own that we follow this great club so let’s do it with a bit of respect for each other and recognise everyone’s commitment to the cause.

David Lafferty

*If you want to reply to any points raised or give us you thoughts on difference subjects related to Leeds United, email a minimum of 200 words to [email protected]. Letters may be edited.