Ticket Prices at Elland Road 2.

Leeds United were once the best team in all of English football but these days you can usually find them sat around mid-table in the Championship. The Whites fall from grace has been well documented over the last 10 or so years, but it seems the only people that aren’t aware Leeds are no longer one of England’s top clubs are those that come up with ticket prices at Elland Road. 

Empty seats galore as just 20,000 turn up to the category A fixture with Bristol City.

Having gone from welcoming the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United to Elland Road on a regular basis, to less desirable fixtures against Blackpool and Bristol City, you would expect ticket prices to have taken a fall but if you do take a trip to Elland Road you’re in for quite a surprise. Fans were once paying to see the likes of Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and the legendary Lucas Radebe, but now they are asked to fork out up to £42 a ticket to see a side that has continuously sold their best players and failed to finish in the top half of the table in four seasons.

A full Elland Road watches Leeds beat Liverpool over 15 years ago.

On nine occasions out of 16 so far this season, fans have been asked to pay category A prices to watch Leeds at Elland Road, ranging from £28 to £42 for those paying on the day. Sky have changed the clubs fixtures around as and when they please yet the club has still charged fans top dollar to watch the Whites at home. Burnley, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and now Middlesbrough are all fixtures that were given a category A tag, despite being moved for Sky.

Massimo Cellino has waged war on Sky but continues to rip off the Elland Road faithful.

Massimo Cellino has publicly lambasted Sky for moving so many of the Whites fixtures, saying it harms the club, costing them money. He then has the audacity to allow fans to be charged up to £37 for a game that has been moved to a Monday night or an early Saturday afternoon and wonders why the ground is half empty. To make matters worse, those who wish to buy a ticket in the South Stand now have to pay a "pie tax" which adds an unwanted "meal deal" voucher onto your match ticket. The South Stand was working to bring atmosphere back to Elland Road and the movement has seemingly been killed off.

Leeds v Preston was moved to a Sunday at 3pm yet was still made a category A fixture. 22,000 in attendance.

The atmosphere inside Elland Road would once make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up but the mass amount of empty blue seats dotted around the ground has somewhat killed it off. Away teams are charged just as much and this often means the away end is half empty, contributing to the lack of atmosphere. Middlesbrough fans are being asked to pay £37 for the Monday night fixture at Elland Road in February, meaning they probably won't fill their allocation, as they usually would. 

A half empty Elland Road as Leeds face Derby on a Tuesday night on Sky, at £37 a ticket.

With another season of mid-table mediocricy all-but confirmed, the club still continue to charge fans as high a price as possible, with Nottingham Forest at home being the latest addition to the category A club. The performances by the team certainly don't warrant the eye watering prices and 20,000 fans booing the team off at half time against Bristol City confirms this. Unless I have missed something, 17th placed Leeds against relegation favourites Bristol City isn't a big game, and certainly shouldn't have had big prices, but once again the club got it wrong. 

The £20's plenty campaign works towards more affordable tickets for home and away supporters.

It seems that as more money is pumped into the "beautiful game", more money is demanded from fans, which doesn't make sense. I spoke to Michael Brunskill of the Football Supporters Federation and he said: “We have been in touch with a number of clubs over the “20s plenty” campaign and Leeds United are one that is yet to get involved. We get hundreds of complaints from both home and away fans over the pricing at Elland Road and if fans want to boycott or protest then we’ll make sure they get our backing and we’ll help them organise any protests and so on.”

Premier League fixtures are often cheaper to attend than Leeds games.

As a concession, I often get told to stop moaning about ticket prices as I don't have to pay as much as some others, but that doesn't mean the people I'm going with don't have to pay it. Whilst at university I paid less to watch Sunderland take on champions Manchester City than Leeds take on Blackpool at Elland Road. They eyesore of 20,000 empty seats is also something I don't enjoy when going to Elland Road, but as long as people continue to pay these ridiculous prices, the club won't be making tickets cheaper anytime soon. 

Leeds welcome table-topping Derby to Elland Road after one win in 10.

Leeds United welcome high-flying Derby County to Elland Road, in the hope they can end their 12 game winless streak against the Rams. The Whites haven't beaten Derby since 2005 and Neil Redfearn will be hoping to put that right on Saturday. 

Leeds' last outing was a 2-1 defeat at Blackburn in which Marco Silvestri made yet another mistake, allowing Rovers to pull one back before a dubious penalty decision went against the Whites. Jordan Rhodes tucked away the winner from the spot in a game that Redfearn Leeds deserved the three points, he said: "We deserved to win, that's the bottom line. I didn't think Blackburn deserved anything." 

The loss means United have now managed just one win in their last ten games, a run that will worry all involved with the club. The Whites somehow remain just 10 points from the play-offs but they will be looking over their shoulders intently as they are just two points from the relegation places. 

Derby haven't let their play-off final defeat to QPR get to them as they lead the way in the Championship after 18 games. The Rams are scoring for fun and look a threat in all areas of the pitch with 35 goals (joint highest with Bournemouth) being shared amongst the squad. 

Chris Martin once again leads the way for the Rams with 10 league goals so far this season. The Scottish international bagged an impressive 22 league goals during the last campaign and he is well on the way to beating that this season. 

Derby have lost two in their last 10 games and have suffered defeat just three times all season, beating some of their nearest rivals along the way. The Rams were tipped for automatic promotion at the start of the season and they are on track to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2007/2008. 

Leeds' last win against Derby came in September 2005 when they won 3-1 at Elland Road, thanks to a Rob Hulse hat-trick. In the run of 12 without a win against Derby, United have picked up just two points from their last 11 league meetings with the Rams and the other was a League Cup defeat. 

Leeds looked unbeatable at times against Blackburn but they let themselves down with mistakes and that has been a real problem for the Whites as of late. They have also been on the wrong end of some dubious penalty decisions and Redfearn will be hoping their luck can change on Saturday. 

This is also the Whites first game following the third anniversary of Gary Speed's passing. RIP Speedo. 

Last meeting: May 3, 2014, Leeds United 1-1 Derby County (Smith)
Last five league games: Leeds United LLDWL
Derby County LLWWW
Latest results - Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Leeds United / Watford 1-2 Derby County 

Pictures courtesy of - LeedsUnited.com/Derby Telegraph/The Yorkshire Post/The Guardian 

Leeds travel to Ewood Park in search of their first win over Blackburn in 10 years.

Leeds United travel to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and just under 7000 of the Whites fans are set to make the trip. Neil Redfearn secured his first win as head coach when United beat Blackpool 3-1 before the international break and he will be hoping the side can pick up back-to-back wins for the first time since September. 

In a dominant first half display, Leeds destroyed Blackpool to go into the break 3-0 up in their last outing but a poor second half performance almost allowed Blackpool back into the game. The counter attacking football on display at Elland Road was a sign that the team believe they can go onto greater things this season and that there is a real buzz around the club. 

Blackburn have one of the stronger squads in the division this season and they have lost just one game at Ewood Park this campaign. It is their away form that is letting them down and they have picked up just three wins from nine games on the road. 

Rudy Gestede is their top scorer with 10 goals in the Championship and Rovers are one of the highest scoring sides in the division this season. They are unbeaten in seven games and the Lancashire club are sat just a point outside of the play-off positions. 

Rovers have been picking up a lot of unwanted draws this season and they have picked up just a point in four of their last seven games. They also haven't managed a clean sheet in their last four games and that will be something manager Gary Bowyer will hope to improve on when Leeds visit on Saturday.

Leeds took around 6,700 fans to Ewood Park last season and they were treated to a very poor performance from the Whites. United fell to a 1-0 defeat, with Tommy Spurr scoring the games only goal just before half time. 

United haven't beaten Blackburn since April 2004 when the sides were both in the Premier League with Steven Caldwell and Mark Viduka bagging the goals in a 2-1 win in Blackburn. It has been five games in all competitions since the Whites last claimed a victory over Rovers and they will be hoping to put that to an end when they visit Ewood Park on Saturday. 

The Whites have won just one away game all season and Neil Redfearn will be hoping they can pull off a surprise win and take all three points back to Yorkshire. 

Last meeting: January 1, 2014, Leeds United 1-2 Blackburn Rovers (Smith) 
At Ewood Park: November 30, 2013, Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Leeds United
Last five league games: Blackburn Rovers WWWDD
Leeds United DLLDW
Latest results - Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 Blackburn Rovers / Leeds United 3-1 Blackpool

Pictures courtesy of - Football-League.co.uk/Rovers.co.uk/Gettyimages.com/Supportersnotcustomers.com

Leeds face Blackpool in search of a vital three points.

Leeds welcome Blackpool to Elland Road on Saturday and will be hoping to three points for the first time in eight games. Tuesday nights 2-2 draw with Charlton means the Whites haven't won a game since September and have picked up just four points from their last eight fixtures. 

United looked to have all three points in the bag until a dubious penalty decision earned the visitors a point, which can be said to be harsh on the hosts. Manager, Neil Redfearn said: "We'll go into Saturday and I want the same sort of performance. If we keep working hard, our luck will change."

The Whites currently sit just two points off the relegation places and face a tough run of fixtures against sides in and around the play-off picture after Saturday's clash with Blackpool. 

Blackpool currently sit rock bottom of the Sky Bet Championship and they have just one win to their name so far this campaign. The Tangerines threw away a 2-0 lead at Fulham on Wednesday and ended up drawing 2-2 after they had gone down to 10 men just before half time. Bryan Ruiz scored directly from a corner to bring the home side level and prevented Blackpool from earning their first away win since April 2014.

The club sacked manager Jose Riga and replaced him with former Birmingham boss, Lee Clark. Clark knows what it's like to manage a side struggling in a relegation battle and he will be hoping he can rescue Blackpool from what looks to be certain relegation. 

The club are the Championships lowest scorers so far this season and the 2-2 draw at Fulham was only the second time they have scored more than one goal in a game this campaign. Lee Clark will be hoping his sides fortunes change when they visit Elland Road on Saturday.

Alex Mowatt has been the sides stand out player in recent games and he has found the net three times in his last two appearances. Adryan returned to the side and he was influential in creating chances against Charlton, in a game the Whites were bitterly disappointed not to win. Rudy Austin has been missed and Leeds will be hoping to have the Jamaican powerhouse available for Saturday. 

Giuseppe Bellusci earned himself a fifth yellow card of the season and will therefore miss the game on Saturday. Liam Cooper, who replaced the suspended Pearce, will be expected to play alongside the man he replaced on Tuesday night. 

Leeds haven't lost to Blackpool in their last three encounters and will be hoping to extend that run when the sides meet on Saturday. Luke Murphy bagged a brace the last time the sides met in a 2-0 win at Elland Road last season. 

Last meeting: April 12, 2014, Leeds United 2-0 Blackpool (Murphy x2)

Last five league games: Leeds United LDLLD
Blackpool LLLLD
Latest results - Leeds United 2-2 Charlton Athletic / Fulham 2-2 Blackpool 

Pictures courtesy of - Daily Mail/Leeds United.com/The Yorkshire Evening Post

Leeds host Charlton in Redfearn's first home game as permanent manager.

Leeds United play Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night in the hope they can earn their first victory since September. The Whites defeat at Cardiff on Saturday means they haven't picked up all three points in their last seven games. 

The visit of the Addicks is Neil Redfearn's first home game as permanent manager and he will be hoping to get off to a flying start. The former academy coach was in charge the last time the Whites won a game, when they beat Huddersfield 3-0 at Elland Road. 

The 3-1 defeat to Cardiff on Saturday saw captain Jason Pearce pick up his fifth yellow card of the season and he will therefore miss the Londoners visit. The back four looked particularly shaky at the Cardiff City Stadium as the Whites conceded three very avoidable goals. 

Charlton got off to a blistering start this season but seem to have lost their momentum with just one win in their last five. The Addicks are just three points from the play-offs but they have failed to win or score during their last two away games. 

Igor Vetokele is the sides top scorer and he has bagged seven already this season. The majority of the Angolan/Belgians goals have come away from the Valley but he has found the net just twice in Charlton's last 10 games. 

The London club didn't lose league game until 12 games into the season when they were beaten by highflying Bournemouth. They finished just seven points clear of the drop last season but manager Bob Peeters believes they can stay in contention for a play-off spot. 

Alex Mowatt was by far Leeds' best player against Cardiff and United's fans will be hoping his fine finish will inspire him to be more confident in front of goal. The Whites seemed to lack ideas going forward and will therefore be hoping Adryan and Rudy Austin will be back from recent injuries to offer an outlet going forward.

The last time the sides met Charlton took all three points from Elland Road in a 1-0 victory. The defeat was part of a terrible streak that saw the Whites win just one in nine games from March to April. 

Leeds haven't beaten Charlton at home since October 2000 when Alan Smith and Mark Viduka (2) shared the goals in a 3-1 win. The Addicks haven't lost at Elland Road during their last five visits and will be hoping to make it six. 

Last meeting: April 1, 2014, Leeds United 0-1 Charlton Athletic

Last five league games: Leeds United DLDLL
Charlton Athletic DLWLDLatest results - Leeds United 1-3 Cardiff City / Charlton Athletic 1-1 Sheffield Wednesday

Pictures courtesy of - Yorkshire Evening Post/Sports.RU/The Charlton Way

Leeds travel to Cardiff looking to end winless streak.

Leeds travel to the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday in the hope that Neil Redfearn's men can end their run of six games without a win. Redfearn is believed to have agreed a long term deal to become the head coach at the club and he will be hoping to pick up where he left off earlier in the campaign. 

United haven't won since Redfearn was replaced by Darko Milanic over a month ago when they beat Huddersfield 3-0 at Elland Road. Since then, three draws and three losses has seen the Whites slip to 18th in the table. 

Massimo Cellino is now onto his fourth manager at the club and has apologised to fans for employing Milanic by saying: "I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results." 

Cardiff are also well known for their controversial owner and new manager Russell Slade has led his side to two home victories in a row, beating the highly fancied Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town. 

The Welsh side were relegated from the Premier League last season and were favourites to storm the league and return to the top flight under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, that failed to materialise and the Bluebirds have turned to the former Leyton Orient manager to try and push them up the league and into the promotion picture. 

Cardiff striker Adam Le Fondre enjoys playing against Leeds and regularly found the net against the Whites during his time at Reading. Le Fondre has managed just one goal all season and Kenwyne Jones is the Bluebirds top scorer with five league goals. They currently sit just four points away from the play-off places.

Leeds' new number 9 Adryan seems to have adapted well to life in the Championship and the fans have taken a liking to the lively Brazilian. The youngster has the ability to change a game almost singlehanded and he could be the vital spark the Whites have been missing so far this season. Souleymane Doukara is back from suspension after receiving five yellow cards and could make a return to the starting line up.

Mirco Antenucci is the Whites leading league goalscorer with a mere four goals and he will be hoping to improve his tally when the Whites travel to Wales on Saturday.

Leeds have made good starts in their last four games but have been unable to take the momentum into the second half, which is something Neil Redfearn will be hoping to stamp out of the Whites game. 

Leeds haven't won a game against Cardiff since 1984 and have taken just one point from their last five visits to the Welsh Capital. 

Last meeting: February 2, 2013, Leeds United 0-1 Cardiff City

Cardiff City Stadium: September 15, 2012, Cardiff City 2-1 Leeds United (Austin)

Last five league games: Cardiff City DLWWL
Leeds United DDLDL
Latest results - Millwall 1-0 Cardiff City / Leeds United 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 

Pictures courtesy of - Yorkshire Evening Post/Sky Sports/BBC/Daily Mail

Leeds face play-off hopefuls Derby in the final game of the season.

Leeds welcome Derby County to Elland Road on Saturday for the final game of the Whites Championship season. The fans can put a dreadful season behind them and can begin preparing themselves for England's inevitable penalty shoot-out defeat in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

The Whites looked like they would be in with a shout for a play-off spot themselves before a dramatic fall down the table left them hoping to avoid relegation. A mid-table finish for the third consecutive season is difficult to take for most Leeds fans but under Massimo Cellino they can hopefully look forward to a busy summer and then a successful 14/15 campaign.

Leeds have a terrible recent record against Derby, losing 11 in a row. McDermott will be hoping to end the streak in a season that has seen him end Leeds' losing streaks at Ipswich, Barnsley and most recently, Birmingham. The Whites have managed three wins in their last four, a feat they hadn't achieved since November 2013.

Derby have had a terrific season and head into the play-off's on fine form. As they sit third in the table they will have home advantage in the second leg. Five wins in a row means the Rams are the in-form side heading into the play-off's.

Sacking Nigel Clough and replacing him with Steve McClaren seems to have been a master-stroke by the higher powers at Derby as they have climbed from 14th to 3rd under the former England managers guidance. McClaren also inspired his side to a 5-0 thrashing of fierce rivals Nottingham Forest in March.

Chris Martin is the clubs leading league goal scorer as he has managed to find the back of the net 20 times in the Championship. The Rams have beaten Leeds 10 times in a row and the run stretches back to December 2006. With the play-offs just a week after the final game of the season, it is likely the Rams will rest a number of key players but they will still be up for the occasion as everybody loves to beat Leeds.

Ross McCormack didn't score in the 3-1 victory at Birmingham and the Whites captain still needs two goals to reach 30 in the Championship. The prolific striker is however just one away from 30 overall in a spectacular season for the Whites number 44. The Scottish international is the only Leeds player to have been named in the PFA Championship team of the year and I'm sure all Leeds fans are grateful for his services to the club this season.  

The sides have already met this season when the Rams ran out 3-1 winners in Steve McClaren's first game as Derby boss. Neither side has anything to play for but Derby will be hoping they won't have to play Leeds next season as they push for promotion.

Massimo Cellino offered Brian McDermott his sympathy this week giving the former Reading manager a glimpse of hope that he won't be sacked. Captain Ross McCormack has also said he wants Cellino to give him a contract extension at the club, giving the fans hope the clubs top scorer will be a Leeds player next season.

Last meeting: October 5, 2013, Derby County 3-1 Leeds United (Pearce)

At Elland Road: April 1, 2013, Leeds United 1-2 Derby County (McCormack)
Last five league games: Leeds United LWWLW
Derby County WWWWW

Latest results - Birmingham City 1-3 Leeds United / Derby County 4-2 Watford 

Pictures courtesy of: Daily Mail, Leeds United & Id Radebe Leeds