Daniel Farke changes ‘Dirty Leeds’ narrative at Elland Road

Leeds have picked up just 29 yellow cards so far under Farke’s leadership, which is the lowest tally of any English Football League club, and their one red card came from two bookable offences.

For a comparison, Stoke City sit at the top of the bookings table with 50 already after 19 games, while Southampton have 49, and Leicester and Ipswich have both picked up 44.

“Elland Road has long been the home of ‘Dirty Leeds,’ but the very moniker which has become synonymous with the Whites has never been further from the truth under Daniel Farke,” Donnohue wrote for the Yorkshire Evening Post [5 August].

“United have received the fewest yellow cards of any team in English football’s second, third, or fourth tiers, amassing only 29 cautions – and one red for two bookable offences – in their 19 Championship appearances so far, making them the division’s cleanest side.”

“Leeds have hardly been known to curry favour with referees but this season, the youthful bunch, steered by Farke at the helm, are the officials’ pocketbook darlings, whether fans of the club like it or not.”

To put it simply, picking up fewer bookings means fewer players are likely to be suspended, be it through red cards or an accumulation of yellows. This means the first-choice side is more often than not available to Farke with injuries the only issue.

Crysencio Summerville’s four yellow cards this season had him walking a tightrope with suspension a possibility, but the cut-off point for the accumulation of bookings was after the 19th game of the season, which passed against Middlesbrough.

However, a more negative perspective may argue that it demonstrates that these Leeds players lack the amount of bite that is often required to achieve results at this level, especially when the games go tough.

Some of Leeds’ most famous sides thrived on their “Dirty Leeds” moniker, becoming masters of the dark arts of football that would ultimately end up upsetting opposition fans, much to the delight of those inside Elland Road. Could that be something they miss now?