Don Goodman believes any Leeds United fans who wanted Daniel Farke to leave earlier in the season are “crazy”.
Farke was under pressure at the end of December after two consecutive away defeats to Preston North End and West Brom.
Leeds were left in fourth position, nine points behind the top two, but they have since gone on a club-record-tying nine-game win streak.
A 1-1 tie with Huddersfield Town at the weekend ended that streak, leaving Leeds two points behind Ipswich Town in second place.
And Farke has thoroughly won over fans since that low point at The Hawthorns a little more than two months ago.
Goodman told MOT Leeds News: “I’d have told any Leeds United fan calling for Daniel Farke’s resignation at the end of December, ‘don’t be crazy.'”
“This is a man who understands what it takes to win the league, having done so twice with Norwich teams who were likely not as good as this Leeds one.
“So it was only a question of time for the players to gel and others to get healthy, and I never thought they’d be out of contention for the top two spots.
“At the same time, did I notice them winning nine in a row? Probably not. I expected them to be in the mix, but they’ve now surpassed that.”
Leeds United has made Elland Road a fortress.
Goodman added: “They lost away at West Brom and Preston at the end of December, and their form was uneven; they weren’t flowing like they are now.
“However, their away performances were holding them back. They were usually strong at home and have yet to lose.
“So the key was how they could improve their away performances. They defeated Cardiff away in early January and haven’t looked back.
“That’s despite visiting challenging places like Bristol City and Plymouth Argyle, who had previously gone nine games unbeaten.
“You’ll often hear the word ‘momentum’ mentioned in football – it really is a massive thing.”
Leeds United is depending for Ipswich Town to slip up.
Leeds may bemoan their poor start to the season, but what we’ve seen since the beginning of January is nothing short of spectacular.
Prior to the Huddersfield tie, the Whites had 27 points from a possible 27, including seven clean sheets in nine outings.
Even with the two points squandered at John Smith’s Stadium, Leeds are Europe’s most in-form team this year.
The objective for Farke now is to regain momentum when Stoke City visits Elland Road on Tuesday (5 March).
Leeds’ automatic promotion prospects are technically no longer in their own hands, as Ipswich sit two points ahead.
However, there are still a ton of twists and turns to come in what is sure to be an exciting race for Premier League promotion.
