Heidi's blog QPR v Leeds United 26.4.24
I had an interview on BBC Radio Leeds before heading to Leeds to catch the coach to London. For those who have been following my husband’s terminal cancer journey, the bad news we received as a family yesterday that his main tumour had doubled in size meant my stomach churning was already in overdrive. We aren’t out of options just yet as there is still a glimmer of hope, but I’m not looking forward to what we are facing. I decided to buy some rescue pastilles on the way and then proceeded to leave them in the car. I’d already left my house keys at home and had to return for them, then our coach was hit by a car before we’d even left Leeds! The joys of being a Leeds United fan.
There isn’t much I can say today about the awful display we put on at the game. That’s one of the worst games I’ve seen us play in a long while and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Ipswich will be favourites to go up automatically with Leicester as they still have three games left to play whereas we only have the last game against Southampton next week. On this display alone, do we really want to go up and watch games like this every week? In reality no, although we’d take promotion if it happened. QPR were up for it although I didn’t realise them beating us meant they were now safe from relegation because as I’ve said before, I take no notice on other teams as it is better to be out of sight out of mind. It was a case of men versus boys today and we had no answers. We didn’t play for the shirt today and it was just a whimper from our players. We should have changed things long before we ended up three goals down as the game was beyond us then. Gelhardt made a difference when he came on, but it was too little too late. We did miss Bamford being able to hold the ball up front though as we had no one else able to do that.
Team: Meslier, Ampadu, Rodon, Firpo, Gray, Piroe, Summerville, Gnonto, Byram, Gruev, Rutter.
Subs: Joseph for Byram (63), Gelhardt for Rutter (79), Anthony for Summerville (79), Shackleton for Gnonto (88), Kamara for Gruev (88).
Subs not used: Darlow, Crew, Cooper, Cresswell.
Leeds lost the game 4-0.
Attendance: 16,677, 1,816 Leeds fans.
Referee: Darren Bond.
Booked: Byram, Gnonto.
As usual we’ve had a good day out spoilt by the 90 minutes lack of football in between. The highlight was talking to Malcolm MacDonald at our pub stop although I didn’t recognise him. He asked me who had scored four goals and I said I didn’t have a clue so asked who he was, but he wouldn’t tell me. Others on our coach worked it out though. After traffic issues both going and coming back, I don’t think we did too bad to get home for 4am. As fans, we have no control over what happens on the pitch but hearing that some of our fans had come to blows in the stand even before half time doesn’t bode well. Head butting our own supporters should never happen, however much you disagree with each other.
Having now launched the press release for a memorial for Billy Bremner in his hometown of Raploch, if you wish to contribute towards this, there is a donation button on the Scottish Football Supporters Association website. There is a link on the Leeds United website https://www.leedsunited.com/news/commun ... s-hometown or https://scottishfsa.org/Bremner/ where the direct donation link can be found. Let’s get Billy the recognition he deserves north of the border.
See you next week, LUFC – Marching on Together!
