Daniel Farke ‘calm’ amid Leeds United sack talk as boss takes little nibble at ‘panicking’ fans | OneFootball

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has broken his silence over claims his job is under threat and insists the club is exactly where they expected to be, and having underlined his belief as to why they can avoid relegation back to the Championship this season.

The Whites secured promotion back to the Premier League at the second time of asking, scooping an impressive 100-point tally on their way to the Championship title. But while Sunderland this season have proved the abnormality and shown how it can be done, Leeds United are, like so many new boys that preceded them, facing a huge fight to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.

Heading into a crucial and somewhat unenviable run of games, Leeds find themselves 16th in the table – just a point clear of relegation as things stand.

But with four losses in their last five games, Farke suddenly finds himself a man under pressure and amid growing talk of the sack.

However, TEAMtalk led the way last week by first exclusively revealing that the 49ers Enterprises still remain behind the manager – with our claims since backed up by the YEP’s Graham Smyth, BBC Radio Leeds’ Adam Pope and Sky Sports, among others.

Despite that, the heat very much remains on the 49-year-old German and amid claims a 12-time trophy-winning coach is lying in wait to take over should the axe fall.

Farke, though, remains unrepentant and insists speculation over his future comes with the job description of managing Leeds and having taken something of a small nibble at “panicking” fans.

“Performance-wise, once you sign a contract as manager of Leeds United, you have to be ready for it [pressure],” he told Sky Sports.

“After each and every loss, fans are asking for a sacking after the match. If you take it personally or dwell on it, then you have no chance to be successful here. So, Championship level, it was after every draw that it was ‘the manager’s not good enough’. You have to stay calm, keep going and work to your beliefs.

“The outcome was being back in the Premier League with the best season in the history of the club.

“Of course, I don’t expect that we will again finish with 100 points and the title. Our title would be survival, something that no other newly-promoted team has managed to do in the last two years.”

Farke ignores sack talk to set out Leeds survival beliefs

Farke knows there will be many twists and turns along the season and is urging supporters not to react too extreme either way.

“We know it’s a long road; there will be setbacks. I totally back my players and believe in this club that we can be the first to really establish this club back in the top flight,” he continued.

“It’s important when you work for such an emotional club and such a passionate fanbase. Two weeks ago, a very important home win against West Ham, and everyone was already saying ‘survival is confirmed, not one team has been relegated with it [Leeds’ record after 10 games], let’s worry about Europe’. This is Leeds United…

“Two weeks later, two difficult away games, two tight losses and not our best performances, everybody is panicking.”

Farke, though, does accept that the last two performances of the season has seen Leeds below their best, adding in another interview with BBC Radio 5: “I think it’s fair to say that the last two away games were probably a bit our poorest period of the season so far. Performance-wise, it was not that we were played out of the park; we still had difficult away games at Brighton, and also against a Nottingham Forest side that was qualified for Europe and didn’t have the best start, but spent lots of money in the summer, and we went there and had more possession than the opponent.

“But yes, it’s fair to say once you concede three goals, it’s not your best performance anyhow, so we have to show a little bit of a reaction right now.”

Despite that, Farke has a firm belief Leeds can stay up this season, and he insists the team are exactly where they expected to be at this point in the campaign.

“It was always clear how challenging this season would be for a newly promoted side,” he added. “It was always clear, if you have a look, how the promoted sides in the last year have finished a season and how it would be challenging for a newly promoted side, especially in the circumstances that we had the issues in terms of PSR in the summer and what we could spend was challenging on transfers. It was always a big challenge for us in order to be competitive on this level.

“Overall, you have to say after 11 game days, we are on 11 points. It’s exactly the average that you need in order to survive.

“So overall, we were not at one game day in the relegation zone. We’re always over the line, which is also quite good.”

Meanwhile, Leeds are keeping an open mind over the sale of their prized assets in the January window, with sources explaining the circumstances in which Willy Gnonto could be shipped out and with the Whites in need of attacking reinforcements of their own.

The very obvious shortfall for Leeds this season has been in attack and an apparent inability to convert the gilt-edged chances that come their way – something we understand the club are very much keen to address in January.

However, ambitious links to Ivan Toney can now be officially discounted after sources revealed the three major reasons why a move to bring the England striker to Elland Road is just not viable.

A more realistic target, though, is AZ Alkmaar’s Troy Parrott and the Irish striker is back in the limelight after a historic hat-trick fuelled Ireland’s World Cup dreams.

And while we can confirm Leeds did discuss a summer move for the former Tottenham Hotspur man, the competition for his services is now starting to heat up, with two European giants having made checks on the player.

One man who has been starved of chances is teenage striker Harry Gray and sources have confirmed they are open to letting the 17-year-old leave on loan in January, with four Championship sides looking into a potential deal.