A round-up of what the national media are reporting after Leeds United's 4-1 loss to Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium yesterday afternoon.
'Looking increasingly ominous'
"A trip to Bournemouth on bank holiday weekend – what could possibly go wrong? For Leeds an awful lot, it turns out," Ben Fisher wrote for the Guardian."
"Unlike 1990, there was no torching of beach huts or post-match punch-ups, and anything but a prolonged promotion party. This visit only deepened relegation concerns and culminated in the Leeds players standing hands on hips, feeling the white heat of the away support who made their anger plain.
"What on earth is going on, was the gist of their animated line of questioning. "You’re not fit to wear the shirt," they sang after this latest alarming collapse.
"En route to a humiliating 4-1 defeat Andrea Radrizzani, Leeds’s majority shareholder, seemingly could not resist the temptation to respond to criticism. "I am responsible for this ****," he said mid-game, in response to a direct message on social media. At least there was no dressing it up.
"The outlook looks increasingly ominous for Javi Gracia’s flailing side. They have taken one point from the last available 15 and conceded 23 goals in their past seven matches. Their alarming form predates Gracia’s arrival in February, though. Since Leeds won the reverse fixture 4-3 at Elland Road in November Leeds have picked up only three wins in the Premier League.
"Worse still, they have three of the top five left to play, starting with a trip to Manchester City on Saturday. Only Nottingham Forest have recorded fewer points on their travels this season."
'One word - toxic'
"Wherever that big red button labelled 'panic' is at Elland Road, it's time to start hitting it. Frantically," Sami Mokbel wrote for the Daily Mail.
"In the seconds after Jefferson Lerma unerringly fired Bournemouth ahead, Marc Roca gesticulated to his Leeds team-mates to remain calm.
"Four minutes later he made an identical gesture as Lerma doubled his side's deficit. Calm? Seriously? This isn't a time for calm. This is a time for horrified hysteria. They should be terrified.
"Leeds are in dire straits. In dire form. Just dire.
"Relegation form. Somehow, they remain one point above the drop zone, but Everton and Leicester - currently in the drop zone - both have a game in hand.
"By the end of their latest aberration here on the south coast, furious Leeds fans were confronting manager Javi Gracia and were restrained by stewards.
"The players didn't escape their wrath. 'You're not fit to wear the shirt,' the suffering away contingent roared emotionally in the direction of the players at the final whistle. In a word: toxic."
'Hanging by a thread'
"Leeds’ Premier League future is hanging by a thread. With final games to come against Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham, this heavy defeat at Bournemouth may prove to have caused irreparable damage to Javi Gracia’s hopes of steering them to survival," Tom Prentki wrote for the Telegraph.
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"Should he fail then there will be a lengthy inquest and fans protested against the club’s Sporting Director Victor Orta and even chanted for former manager Marcelo Bielsa, whilst telling the players “you’re not fit to wear the shirt.”
"The result from the game between Leicester and Everton tomorrow night will imperil the club even further. Time is running out and this was another traumatic afternoon for Illan Meslier. Just as against Fulham last week, the young French goalkeeper was guilty of two horrendous errors and is wilting in the heat of the relegation battle.
"The away end quickly started chants of 'we want (Victor) Orta out,' protesting against Leeds’ Sporting Director.
"'We are staying up' was the reply from the home concourses."
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