In Tuesday night’s Championship match against Stoke, former Plymouth manager Schumacher made his second trip to LS11 this season, although he ultimately met the same end he did as Plymouth’s manager for the league match in November.
On November 11, Schumacher’s Pilgrims suffered a 2-1 loss at Elland Road, and four months later, in West Yorkshire, a solitary goal from Dan James of United condemned Stoke and Schumacher to another loss. James had given the initially superior Whites the lead in the 33rd minute, but the Potters mounted a formidable comeback in the second half, and Schumacher believed his team should have won. Schumacher, however, was all love for Daniel Farke’s Whites, calling for promotion at the conclusion of the season and showered with compliments for the Elland Road environment and the club’s supporters.
“I think they will get to the Premier League,” Schumacher told the YEP, asked if he thought that Leeds would go up. “I think they are good enough, they have got enough individual talent, they have got enough experience and they have got a really good manager who knows how to get it done under pressure moments so I think they will be there. I’ve been here twice now this season and come away from it twice thinking probably should have got something from that game but unfortunately just haven’t so it is a blow but I will learn from it.”
Asked how much of an impact the home crowd had on games, Schumacher admitted “It’s huge. It’s probably right up there with the best atmospheres in the country in all of the leagues.
“It’s brilliant. I love the Leeds fans, it’s class and they do play a huge part in it. We spoke to the players about it before the game about in the moments when they are on top you have got to try and take the momentum out of the game.
“They had ten or 15 minutes in the first half Leeds where they showed what they are all about but I thought we responded quite well and got through it. Going in at 1-0 at half time was okay and in the second half we had a right good go and we maybe should have taken something from the game.”
With four minutes remaining, Ben Pearson received a second booking, which did not help Stoke, and Schumacher thought referee Oliver Langford would surely give Dan James a second yellow card for his challenge.
“Frustrating,” said the Stoke boss. “I don’t think he (Pearson) needs to get involved in the first one and then the second one, I think there’s not a lot in it. But in places like this, the refs can’t wait to make decisions against you, they can’t wait, so it was obvious what he was going to do so it’s frustrating because we are going to miss Ben again who I thought when he came on the pitch had a real big impact on it and was playing really well. “What I am thinking is ‘right, he’s going to be in my team selection for Saturday’ because he was excellent. But now he won’t be available and that’s frustrating.”
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