By James Murray

21st Sep, 2023 | 1:10pm

Leeds United: Daniel Farke slams Joe Rodon after incident v Hull, shares 'smarter' verdict

Daniel Farke has slammed Joe Rodon following his sending-off in the second half of the Leeds United draw against Hull City on Wednesday (20 September).

Speaking to LeedsLive after the game, the Whites boss said he believes the first yellow card for the Welsh international wasn’t deserved but that he has to be “smarter” after being sent off for a foul in the 60th minute.

He added that the momentum of the game changed after the 25-year-old defender received his marching orders as his side were forced to grind out a 0-0 at the MKM Stadium.

“It feels harsh,” said Farke. “First half was never a yellow card against Joe, it was not even a foul. So no one can explain to me why he gets the yellow card in the situation.

“But you have to say, if you are booked then you have to deal smarter with the situation the second time, you have to go a bit smarter into the duel.

“This is where we have to be a bit self-critical because this situation changed obviously the whole momentum of the game.”

Soft

There is no doubt that the first yellow card for Rodon was extremely soft because, as Farke points out, it perhaps wasn’t even a foul.

But it was a poor decision by him in the second half to commit a foul on the halfway line as he knew instantly that he was going to be sent off.

While the Welshman can feel aggrieved about the referee’s decision to hand him the first card, he has no excuse for making the second foul and putting his team under pressure for the last half an hour.

They were firmly on top at that point and would have been in with an excellent chance of picking up all three points after creating a number of good opportunities.

But the on-loan defender has been superb since he arrived from Tottenham over the summer, so you can’t be too critical of him for making one mistake that he will be looking to learn from once he returns from his suspension.

In other Leeds United news, one player could be set for a permanent Whites exit following an £82million development.