Leeds United blip has come at the wrong time as pundit shares new automatic promotion verdict
Paul Robinson is still backing Leeds United to get automatic promotion despite admitting their recent blip has come “at the wrong time”.
The Whites have won just once in their past five games, losing two and drawing on of the previous three with only three matches remaining.
Leeds consequently sit third but are only two points back of leaders Ipswich Town and one point back of second-placed Leicester City, with the Foxes owning a game in hand.
Southampton are three points back of Leeds with a game in hand too and face Daniel Farke’s men on the final day of the season, as an unbelievable Championship season heads for a dramatic conclusion.
Speaking exclusively to MOT Leeds News, Robinson is confident Leeds can get the job done in the next few weeks.
“First of all, I still back them to go up in the automatic promotion places as I have done for a long time now with the strength of the squad they’ve got,” he said.
“Yes, they’ve had a blip at the wrong time but when you look at it as a whole, their form since the turn of the year and you integrate those results into all the other results then it’s not such a damaging set of results. it’s just because they’ve all come on the bounce.
“I mean no wins in the last three and won only two of the last six, those are the kind of results you don’t want coming into the end of the season.
“But actually when you look at results of others in the Championship it’s almost like no one wants to win that league, it’s like they’re trying to put fans right through the mill.
“That’s why we love the Championship. The points total this season, ever since the championship was formed, there have only ever been 18 teams who have averaged over two points over the season.
“It shows how strong it is, we all say about how strong the Championship is, how hard it is to get out of there, but this season is proving to be the hardest league that it’s ever been done.
“You look at Ipswich get there and come back down, Lleicester had a 17-point gap at one point but it was only because of Leeds United’s form and the run they’ve been on that it’s closed everything up.
“But Leeds have got three games left, Leicester have four left, it’s going right down to the wire this one. There are some interesting games. Ipswich have got to go to Hull and Coventry, they’ve got two away games in their next two games. Leeds away at Middlesbrough on Monday, it’s not a derby but it is a derby as only 45 miles separate the two. Then they go to QPR who have got different things to play for, then the last game is at home to Southampton, this really could go all the way to the end of the season, but there are four quality teams there that have fought it out until the end.”
Can Leeds United get promotion from the Championship?
In most other seasons, 87 points with three games remaining you would be laughing and already popping the champagne and preparing for the Premier League.
But the battle at the top of the Championship this season has been so intense that who on earth knows how this one is going to turn out?
Look, Leeds have blinked at precisely the wrong time and in doing so their hopes of the two remain firmly in the balance.
However, they are more than capable of winning their final three matches. If they do that then they’ve done all they can to get in the top two. It’s going to be a very tense few weeks.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay shares what has prevented Leicester from already winning promotion.
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