It’s serious now.
Back to league action, and a rematch of a historic and dramatic encounter. We’ve played Leeds 20 times in three different divisions since 2005, almost always with a lot on the line and lots of backstories.
Needless to say, tomorrow will be no different. Two teams eager to establish themselves and their aspirations, ideally by defeating a heavyweight opponent.
And there’s one more twist: Daniel Farke is in the opposing dugout.
Before we get to Saturday, let’s take a look back, particularly at two seasons that provided some of the rivalry’s most vivid memories.
We found ourselves, like with Leeds, in the unpleasant territory of the third tier in 2009. After overcoming the first-day nightmare of Colchester and installing Paul Lambert, we quickly joined Leeds as the division’s standout clubs.
It was confirmed during our two meetings. Jermaine Beckford‘s 90th-minute winner decided a hard-fought match at Elland Road in October 2009. Leeds won 2-1, with the other goal coming from a certain Bradley Johnson.
The rematch at Carrow Road in March 2010 was no less exciting, with Chris Martin turning the roles with a diving header in the 89th minute to give us a 1-0 triumph. One of those unforgettable Carrow Road experiences.
Some lean years followed, at least from the perspective of the City. Between the drama of 2009-10 and Daniel Farke‘s first, magnificent promotion season of 2018-19, there was only one win – at Elland Road courtesy of goals by Grae Dorrans and Jonny Howson.
Leeds were also good that year, and their 3-0 triumph at Carrow Road in August 2018 provided us enough to think about. Marcelo Bielsa’s magic seemed to be in full swing.
Leeds will be confident in front of a large home crowd when they return to the top of the table in February 2019. Farke, on the other hand, had a triumph: one of our best team performances, with a double from Mario Vrancic and a classic Teemu Pukki finish to give us a well-deserved 3-1 victory.
Of course, those of us of a certain age will always see Leeds as a major club. And not an easy one to adore.
Don Revie‘s squad was long on talent and strength, but short on cynicism and the dark arts. That team is so ingrained in our minds that even the very different subsequent ones – particularly those under Bielsa, who were a joy to watch – haven’t really broken the image of dirty Leeds.
The Damned United by David Pearce may be “fiction based on a fact,” yet much of it rings genuine.
I’m curious if Daniel Farke is aware…
We, like many other clubs, like beating Leeds. But I had to wait a long before I could view it.
After starting supporting the Canaries in 1965, my first encounters with them came in 1972-73, following our first-ever promotion to the top division. We lost both league games that season and were thrashed 5-0 in the Cup – but only after a second replay (those were the days!) following 1-1 ties in the first and second games.
My first victory came in 1976, when John Bond‘s team travelled to Elland Road and won 3-0. Mick McGuire’s first-half goal appeared to have settled the game until Ted McDougall – not the most appealing Norwich player, but one of the best goal scorers we’ve ever had – added two late goals.
But it is the present that is important.
Leeds are likely to be among the main candidates for promotion this time after being relegated from the Premier League last May, despite desperate efforts such as recruiting Sam Allardyce for the final games. Norwich is, to some extent, correct.
At this point, both have a decent platform but have yet to convince that they have what it takes to contend for the top slots. Leeds is fifth in the table with 19 points after 11 games, while City is seventh with 17.
Both will be concerned about falling further behind the top two. Leeds leads by nine points, while we lead by eleven.
Leeds are definitely in superior form right now, with three wins in their previous five games to our one. The euphoria that surrounded Carrow Road a few weeks ago has given way to doubts and worries. Saturday might be a great day to respond to them.
Personally, I can’t place my finger on where City has lost its zeal. According to the statistics, our problem is in defence rather than attack, but I wonder if the loss of Josh Sargent and Ashley Barnes has echoed through the team and affected its confidence.
Saturday is significant in any case. Our primary defensive issue may be to contain Joel Piroe, a late-season acquisition who is definitely their leading scorer.
Two more Leeds players deserve special note. Sam Byram, a recent parishioner, has appeared in the majority of their games thus far. Archie Grey, aged 17, is another frequent at the other end of the age span. He comes from a long line of Leeds supporters, including his father Andy, grandfather Frank, and great uncle Eddie.
I’ve long given up on predicting these games. I’m only hoping for an improvement in my record thus far this season: Lost 2, Previewed 2. I’m waiting for the dreaded vote of confidence from the editor…
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