Dominic Calvert-Lewin is looking to continue a remarkable run of form in front of goal when Leeds United face Crystal Palace this weekend.
Leeds have thrived during the run which looked set to spell the end of Daniel Farke‘s tenure. And Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been pivotal, scoring in each of the Whites’ last four games.
Leeds win and Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores – change my mind 👊
Fifth goal in a row, incoming
The Englishman has certainly proven a point. There were plenty of understandable reservations about his arrival in the summer transfer window – particularly with Leeds not spending a huge sum in transfer fees bolstering their attack.
There are also a number of scars from striker signings over the years which have simply backfired in dramatic fashion.
The striker who admitted to failing at Leeds United after replacing a cult hero
You would have to go back to the 1994/95 season for the last time Leeds did the double over Palace in the league.
The closest the Whites came since then was perhaps the 2012/13 campaign. Leeds won the first match 2-1, and were leading by the same scoreline with six minutes to go at Selhurst Park in March. A late Glenn Murray equaliser meant that the points were shared.
That game proved to be the high point for one forward who went on to admit that he ‘failed’ at Leeds.
Steve Morison was certainly dealt a rough hand upon his arrival at Leeds – despite Neil Warnock claiming that he had everything to be a success at Elland Road.
“Steve meets all the requirements of the striker we’ve been looking to bring in. For me, he is a player who has everything. He can score goals from anywhere – whether it’s 25 yards or a tap-in – he has pace, and he has all the attributes you want,” he said, as reported by BBC Sport.
The problem for Morison is that he arrived as part of a swap deal with Luciano Becchio. Becchio remains a cult hero around the club nearly 13 years on from his departure.
Morison had scored 15 goals in his one previous season in the Championship, with Millwall. And he had found the back of the net nine times in the Premier League in his first year with Norwich.
However, his second season at Carrow Road had been a lot more underwhelming. He scored once in 19 league games – though he only started four times.
Nevertheless, as Morison told The Athletic in 2019, he had no expectation of moving away as the deadline in the January window loomed.
“Did I want to go to Leeds? No, I didn’t,” he said. “Ultimately my hand was forced.
“Getting a phone call on the Wednesday to say, ‘By the way, we’ve just done a swap deal for Luciano Becchio and you’re going in the other direction’ was a shock. I was at home. I was getting ready to train the next day. I’d had conversations with the manager and it was, ‘No, you’re an important part, and I don’t want you to leave’. At one point someone phoned me to ask if I knew Luciano Becchio was in Norwich waiting to sign. I said, ‘Well I’m at home, there’s no deal happening’. It was messy.
“But I made a decision. I thought, ‘Do you know what? If they don’t want me and Leeds do want me then yeah, let’s do this’. Leeds are a massive club, something I hadn’t thought about, but when I did think about it, I thought, ‘It’s one hell of an opportunity’.”
The reasons for Steve Morison’s nightmare spell at Elland Road
It appeared to be something of a perfect storm when it came to Morison.
As well as his connection to Millwall and the fact he was replacing a fan favourite, Morison was also backed by Warnock to become a ‘legend’ of the club.
He also admitted to having fitness issues throughout his first few months at Leeds.
Unfortunately, he would score in just two games before the end of the season. The brace against Palace were his final goals of the campaign.
Who would you name in your dream Leeds 5-a-side team? 🤔
David Batty was one of the big names Kalvin Phillips picked in 2020 💪
Warnock took charge of his final Leeds game the following month. And Morison ended up returning to Millwall on loan in the summer.
He would go on to score two more goals for Leeds in the 2014/15 season. And he did earn a little more respect from the supporters due to his work-rate before leaving for Millwall again in the summer of 2015, this time permanently.
Nevertheless, Morison suggested that he takes full responsibility for his disappointing spell.
“I failed at Leeds, I totally get that,” he told The Athletic. “I failed because of myself, not because of anyone else. I don’t need to tell you how much of a mess the club was, that’s a given, but I messed up. I made bad choices and I failed.”
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