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Pundit reflects on Leeds United’s approach to EFL plans for restart

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Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has lauded the club’s stance on how the season should be finished, as they aim to clinch promotion by playing out the season on the pitch.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side currently find themselves in a very healthy position with regards to how the rest of the season could be played out.

The two options that have been offered by the EFL at present are to either play out the remaining fixtures behind closed doors, or curtail the season with points per game used as the means to decide league standings.

The latter of those two options promotes the Whites as champions, but will always be burdened with the asterisk that they were handed promotion without fully earning it over 46 games.

The former seems to be the way that the EFL is going with team returning to group training sessions this week, much to the relief of the Leeds squad who are keen to continue their run of five straight wins by romping to promotion in the final nine league games.

There hasn’t been much opposition to the EFL’s plans for a restart, but there has been some in the form of Hull City’s ‘serious concerns’ over a restart as they sit a point above relegation and in complete freefall, with two of their players and staff testing positive for the virus in the first wave of Championship tests.

However, even with their concern, only two positive tests out of around 1000 tests in the league bodes extremely well for a potential restart and Paul Robinson believes Leeds’ stance throughout the lockdown has been exemplary.

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, he had this to say on the Whites: “Leeds’ stance, they’ve been very quiet throughout the whole thing so far because they’re in a very strong position.

“If they were to say they wanted the season scrapped it would be seen to be the obvious thing because they have the most to gain.

“I think they want to win it on merit and it’s the right thing to do. It puts any doubters, any teams that want relegation blocked or promotion blocked, to bed.

“If the season is finished there will be promotion and relegation, and it’s the right way to do it as long as it’s safe for the players.

“There’s no confusion or people saying Leeds shouldn’t go up.

“This way you play the games, you get the points, and you either get promoted on merit or relegated on merit. It’s the ideal way for the seasons to end.”

It seems like the most amicable way to settle the league tables and there have been no hiccups yet with teams returning to training, so all signs are pointing towards the Championship getting back under within the next month or so, much to the delight of the Leeds squad.

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Leeds United season ticket holder since 2013/14, currently situated in the middle of the FA5 noise. From Pablo Hernandez to 5-1 drubbings, I've seen it all at Elland Road.