“Shouldn’t somebody tell Glenn Hoddle that Leeds are losing?”
Tottenham Hotspur beat Leeds United comfortably in Saturday’s early kick off. In a much hyped game due to its clash of styles, many were hoping for an open encounter that would see both sides score goals. As it turned out, Spurs have better players, Leeds made a few sloppy passes, and those mistakes were punished. It happens, it shouldn’t come as a surprise, 3-0 was a fair scoreline.
But if you were only listening to the television commentary, and had no idea what the score was, you might have been forgiven for thinking Leeds were winning.
“They’re learning. The one thing that everybody has seen is how entertaining they are,” Glenn Hoddle said about Leeds, at 3-0. “As neutrals, watching the game, it makes it an open, fantastic game to play. Whether they’re winning or losing, it’s a credit to them.”
Neutral fans obviously took issue with this, and many other similar utterances throughout the game. Even some Leeds fans would understandably find it somewhat patronising.
“The only reason Leeds are a joy to watch really, is because you know they’ll concede loads of goals against any half decent side. They give the ball away more than any team I’ve seen this season. They’re so sloppy. Their goal difference this season will be ridiculous.,” wrote Aston Villa fan @JoshuaLockdown.
https://twitter.com/JoshuaLockdown/status/1345368251187003392
Fans of other clubs joined in on the pisstakery, saying: “According to BT Sport, Leeds are well on their way to winning yet another game they’ve in fact lost.”
https://twitter.com/MattCPFC/status/1345363997374246913
Massive credit to Leeds. Losing 3-0 away is a fantastic achievement.
— Ryan (@ryanadsett) January 2, 2021
Shouldn’t somebody tell Glenn Hoddle that Leeds are losing?
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 2, 2021
*leeds lose the ball*
commentator: it’s just fantastic the risks they take to play the most amazing football the world has ever seen— k8 (@katelc_) January 2, 2021
I swear Leeds could be 10-0 down and commentators would try and convince us they’re still in with a chance.
— Phil (@pnm1979) January 2, 2021
“Leeds are just brilliant, they bomb forward and are just a joy to watch. They only lost 7-0 today but my god, aren’t they great under Bielsa!” pic.twitter.com/ZUvr9AEwR6
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) January 2, 2021
Another masterclass from “Breath of Fresh Air F.C” #leeds
— Paul Dudley (@paul_dudley) January 2, 2021
You get the picture.
Yes, Leeds are exciting and capable of playing scintillating football. Yes, they also leave themselves very exposed at the back which leads to them conceding a lot of goals. And yes, there is probably a reluctance among pundits to criticise them too much due to the hype that preceded their return to the top flight.
Can’t we all agree that they are, as many have acknowledged, a whirlwind of fun, chaos, and unpredictability? Sometimes they play well, sometimes they don’t. Let’s just be honest about it.
