Latest news with #JackHarrison
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
How Jack Harrison fought his way back in at Leeds, how he reacted to the boos and what he can bring to Daniel Farke's side this season
Jack Harrison stepped onto the pitch and into the storm. As the announcer in Stockholm read out his name over the tannoy, the returning winger, a member of the fabled 2020 promotion side, was met with a wall of boos from the travelling Leeds fans. On a day where Daniel Farke confirmed that Patrick Bamford wasn't a part of his plans for the , the Leeds boss then made a point of insisting that Harrison had the chance to win back the fans, citing the examples of his team-mates like Brenden Aaronson and Wilfried Gnonto who had both been strongly linked with moves away in the past. Your browser does not support iframes. Your browser does not support iframes.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Leeds boss Daniel Farke says 'it's up to Jack Harrison' to win supporters back over after the forward was booed during friendly against AC Milan
Daniel Farke insists that Jack Harrison has the chance to win back the trust of the fans after he was booed by large sections of Leeds supporters in Ireland during their 1-1 draw against AC Milan on Saturday. Harrison came on in the 75th minute in front of a sell-out crowd and was jeered but as his short cameo went on, he was backed by other sections of Leeds fans whenever he touched the ball. The reason for the boos was due to Harrison leaving Leeds to play for Everton on loan in the last two seasons. Leeds welcome Everton next Monday in their Premier League opener. 'It (the boos) wasn't a surprise, Farke admitted. 'It was expected with his first outing in front of such a large amount of Leeds supporters. Our supporters have the right to have an opinion and it was challenging for our supporters with his decisions. 'But I also liked the reaction of the others, who clapped whenever he touched the ball. It's still up to Jack to win everyone over - to show commitment, to show desire and be brave and this is the best way. He has presented himself within the group as a top character and he has all the chances to win our supporters back. 'You could feel that he's won a few back already because after the boos, others were clapping. Jack has all the chances to prove that he can play an important role for us in the upcoming season,' added Farke. Leeds went behind in the first half after Santiago Gimenez gave Milan, who play Chelsea on Sunday, the lead. But Farke's side equalised in the second half through Anton Stach to cap off an unbeaten pre-season. Nevertheless, the German admitted that his side need more attacking firepower for their return to the top flight. 'In comparison to our Championship squad, we haven't improved our offensive side,' Farke stressed. 'In order to be competitive for a long season, we definitely need signings for the offense - players who can score and assist. We are not prepared yet for the Premier League. We are prepared to be competitive for one or two games and we're capable to play on a good level. We played well against AC Milan, Villarreal and Manchester United (in pre-season) but we've drawn those games so you need those types of players,' he added. The Leeds boss also confirmed that Illan Meslier is now his fourth-choice goalkeeper after the French keeper was left behind and stripped of his number one jersey, with new signing Lucas Perri making his debut and Karl Darlow and Alex Cairns available as back-ups. 'We decided to play two goalkeepers so it was not necessary for him (Meslier) to travel,' said Farke. 'I wanted to give Lucas Perri the first 45 minutes and Karl (Darlow) is ahead of him (Meslier) in the pecking order.' On the shirt swap, Farke added: 'It's quite normal. We invested - by our standards - a big sum to bring Lucas in. I don't give any guarantees away about who's starting but of course Lucas is likely to play a role for us (against Everton) and for that, we decided to give him the number one shirt. It's not a decision against Illan. It's also for the confidence of Lucas to make him welcome and show why he signed him.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Leeds draw with Milan in final pre-season friendly
Leeds conclude their pre-season preparations with a 1-1 draw against AC Gimenez opened the scoring for the Serie A side in the first half, before Anton Stach scored his first goal for the club in the 67th Lucas Perri made his unofficial debut for the Whites - meanwhile Jack Harrison's introduction in the second half was met with boos from some Leeds fans in Farke's men finish their pre-season preparations with three draws from three matches. Up next is the first Premier League game of the season against Everton at Elland Road.
BBC News
05-08-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wakehurst celebrates American Prairie anniversary
Wakehurst Botanic Gardens is celebrating five years since its six-acre American prairie was sown. The 500-acre site in Ardingly, near Haywards Heath in West Sussex, is also celebrating 10 years since its Coronation Meadow was opened to the public by King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales. Wakehurst, which is home to the Millennium Seed Bank, said the American Prairie was one of its "most ambitious horticultural projects", with more than 75 species of plants. Ian Parkinson, head of landscape and horticulture at Wakehurst, said mixing American prairie species with British soils was "horticultural alchemy". "The prairie lights up the Wakehurst landscape with colour and character and teaches us that when plant communities are allowed to evolve organically, beauty, biodiversity, and climate resilience naturally follow," Mr Parkinson said. The project began in 2019 when scientists from the Millennium Seed Bank travelled across Illinois and neighbouring states in the USA to hand-collect seeds to create seed-mixes tailored to Sussex's chalk-clay soils. Horticulturalist Jack Harrison, who is in charge of the prairie, said: "You will not be able to predict what plant is going to grow in what spot and the benefit to doing this is that the plants will germinate in spaces that suit them."This means that you will never plant the wrong plant in the wrong place." The Coronation Meadow is also celebrating a decade since it was created as part of the then Prince of Wales' call for more wildflower meadows to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
Daily Mail
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Leeds 1-1 Villarreal: FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED as Karl Darlow impresses and Daniel Farke shows tactical pragmatism against top opposition
Leeds United were held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal Elland Road in their penultimate pre-season friendly on Saturday. Joel Piroe grabbed a well-taken equaliser in the second half after the visitors had gone ahead through Etta Eyong. A lively crowd of 35,273 turned out to watch Daniel Farke 's side take on last season's fifth-placed team in La Liga. There were encouraging signs from some of the new arrivals, particularly in midfield, but questions remain elsewhere. Concerns over the striker situation persist, while Jack Harrison's continued absence only adds to the uncertainty. AADAM PATEL was at Elland Road for Mail Sport and has noted down five things we learned from Saturday's friendly. Flexible Farke shows tactical pragmatism Daniel Farke has spoken about flexibility when it comes to formations during pre-season. The early signs are that when Leeds come up against weaker opposition, they will set up in a 4-2-3-1 as they did during most of their Championship games when they enjoyed more of the ball. But here against Villarreal, who finished fifth in La Liga last season, they set up in a 4-3-3 base formation. Leeds did the same against Man Utd in their friendly against Stockholm and in Ethan Ampadu, Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff, they began with a solid midfield three against Villarreal. In particular, the two new signings showed their quality and more than held their own against the Spanish side while Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka, who came off the bench, showed why they will have important roles to play this season. Harrison saga drags on Going into this friendly, one of the biggest questions was how the Leeds fans would react to the return of Jack Harrison at Elland Road. That question was put to bed when Harrison wasn't named in the squad. He was booed by his own fans in Stockholm. Harrison twice decided in recent years that he didn't want to be at Leeds and still has Everton — where he was on loan for the last two seasons — in his Instagram bio. The situation remains complicated and with a fortnight to go before the season starts, it is hardly ideal for Leeds to have one of their highest earners in a state of limbo. The failed pursuit of Igor Paixao has only added to the tensions and though Wilfried Gnonto has impressed in pre-season, he is a much better player down the right. Striker search grows more urgent With each passing day, the need for a top-quality striker becomes clearer. Lukas Nmecha had two good opportunities in the first half but failed to take them and though Joel Piroe showed good instincts to equalise for Leeds, he is unproven at the top level. With Patrick Bamford and Mateo Joseph out of favour, Leeds simply cannot afford to start the season with just Nmecha, Piroe and Harry Gray as their centre forward options. They went in with a bid of £26million for Rodrigo Muniz in June that was rejected by Fulham, who value the Brazilian at around £40m. Muniz is keen to start more games, especially in a World Cup year. Mail Sport understands that Leeds are keeping their options open and have a back up list but in a congested market where top strikers are hard to come by, they need to make a decision imminently. Darlow impresses but keeper exit looms It was hardly ideal that Leeds' new keeper Lucas Perri was ruled out with a niggle but Karl Darlow made two great saves in the first-half to show why he will be an able deputy. Darlow was replaced by Illan Meslier at half-time, who made a good save but could do nothing to keep out Etta Eyong on the rebound. With Alex Cairns as the fourth keeper on the books, one keeper is surely on his way out and that looks set to be Meslier but Leeds are yet to receive an offer for the Frenchman. The other two are classed as homegrown players and certainly more used to the role as a back-up. As for Meslier, who is 25, it would be an almighty surprise if he plays again at Elland Road this season. Perri is expected to make his debut next Saturday when Leeds take on AC Milan in their last pre-season friendly in Dublin. Schmidt struggles in defensive audition With Jayden Bogle absent, Isaac Schmidt was given the opportunity at right back but this was a performance that highlighted how important Bogle will be for Leeds in the Premier League. Schmidt struggled against Yeremy Pino, who has played 15 times for Spain and though he did get into some dangerous positions going forward, the 25-year-old lacked the threat that Bogle possesses. Defensively, he was too easy to get past and Villarreal's goal came from his side. Schmidt looks set to join Werder Bremen on loan and this was a timely reminder that Leeds could do with another second-choice full back alongside Sam Byram. In Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson, they have solid starting options but Farke will be aware that any kind of injury or suspension will leave them exposed down the flanks.
