What did these Leeds United men hope to find under their Christmas trees on Sunday morning? Here, HITC Sport looks at a few possibilities.
Terminator boxset for P1000
If we told you that Pontus Jansson arrived at Elland Road at night, appearing from nowhere during an electrical storm, completely naked and hunkered down on the ground beside the Billy Bremner statue, then you’d probably believe us.
This is because the big Swede has proven himself something of a Terminator since arriving last summer. Legend has it that his first words to Liam Cooper were, ‘Your jersey – give it to me’. That may not be true, but what is true is that Jansson is a machine and a Terminator boxset is certainly a fitting gift.
End product for Hadi Sacko
Santa Claus is a man of many miracles, but can he give Hadi Sacko the ability to put in a decent cross more times than not? Who knows. The jet-heeled winger has plenty of qualities but consistency in the final third might be the only thing stopping him from being a top-class player for Monk this season. He did, to his credit, score in the 4-1 win over Preston on Boxing Day, but the big question is whether he can do it regularly.
Framed picture of himself, for Marcus Antonsson
Marcus wants one thing and one thing only: for Garry Monk to know he’s still alive and what better way to refresh somebody’s memory than sending them a picture of yourself in the post? The poor Swede could justifiably feel a little like Bruce Willis at the end of The Sixth Sense (sorry but if you haven’t seen it by now then, you know, sort your life out), wandering around Thorp Arch feeling like an invisible man. Chris Wood’s injury gave Monk the chance to start the £2 million man, but he has opted for Souleymane Doukara on both occasions.
Magic 8-Ball for Charlie Taylor
Right, so you’re one of the best left-backs in the Championship and playing regularly under an ambitious young manager who looks to be building a very exciting project. On the other hand, a number of Premier League clubs are rumoured to be interesting in signing you, and it’s the Premier League so it’s hard to turn down. What do you do?
Sadly, most of us won’t be burdened by such a tough decision, but Charlie Taylor may be in that position next month and only one device can help him decide: the magic 8-ball.
Yes, they’re probably as reliable as a form of contraception from your local pound shop, but sometimes it’s best to give the 8-ball a bit of an old shake and let it decide your destiny.
Truck load of humble pie for Chris Wood, but it’s not for him…
Similar to how gangsters back in the day would distribute free turkeys to the needy on Christmas day, Chris Wood should’ve stood by a lorry and served up slice after slice of humble pie to the Leeds fans who doubted him.
It seems a long, long time ago now that the big New Zealand striker was the victim of boos and jeers from the Elland Road faithful, but the 25-year-old has responded in brilliant fashion by netting 11 Championship goals this season. Thing is, those Leeds fans will be delighted to have been proven wrong. Wood’s goals are a big reason as to why there is such optimism about a Premier League return and long may his goalscoring form continue.
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