Just when Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers were dreaming of promotion from the Championship, the COVID-19 crisis has left the season in doubt.
Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray has expressed sympathy with Leeds United amid the ongoing uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 crisis, telling Rovers’ official website that the 2019/20 season must be completed.
Just when these poor old fans were starting to let dreams of glory get the better of them, Leeds’ title challenge has ground to a sudden halt.
With a global health pandemic sweeping the game, a campaign which looked destined to end in promotion back to the Premier League after almost two decades of waiting has been postponed indefinitely – a matter of days after Marcelo Bielsa’s side replaced West Brom at the top of the Championship table.
Leeds have been left in limbo, desperate to get back into action and complete the job as soon as humanly possible. And Mowbray, the former Middlesbrough and Celtic coach, can barely fathom how they must be feeling at Elland Road right now.
“It doesn’t even bear thinking about really of finishing a season without finishing the season, if that makes sense,” the 56-year-old said.
“If you were a Leeds United player, member of staff or supporter, or West Bromwich Albion, or even Norwich City or Liverpool, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
“If you’re sitting top of a table, ready for promotion, and it gets pulled away from you, that’s a really, really difficult thing. Liverpool have waited 30 years to win a league title, so it’s really not worth thinking about in my opinion. You have to find a way to play the games.”
It seems likely now that the Premier League and the Football League will set aside the summer months to finalise the 2019/20 campaign after pushing the proposed return back to the end of April.
For now at least, Leeds supporters can allow themselves to dream of partying in the streets of West Yorkshire, the title in their hands, in the heat of June.
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