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Leeds rolled back the years this week with a pulsating 2-1 Capital One Cup victory over Premier League Everton. But while the Life’s a Pitch team see signs of a resurgence by Neil Warnock’s side, they have mixed feelings about El Hadji Diouf – the star of the show against the Toffees – becoming a crowd favourite.

“It’s great to see them putting in a performance like that,” says the People’s Tom Hopkinson. “When you talk about games between Leeds and Everton in a cup clash on a wet Tuesday night, it evokes memories of a bygone age. I think Neil Warnock is almost a perfect fit for Leeds United. He will get stuck in and tell everyone what needs to be done and what’s actually going on, rather than papering over the cracks. I think that could be a big result for them that really kicks them on.”

Diouf earned all-round praise for his performance in the win and, having already become a cult favourite at the club, there’s talk he could achieve legendary status. “I hope not, but I think he’s going that way,” admits Tom’s colleague at the People, Janine Self. “I can’t stand the guy, I just can’t stand him at all. And yet [against Everton] he was brilliant. But he was brilliant and he still dived, and he still made a meal of things. And you know he’s just one millisecond away from doing something stupid. However, Warnock is brilliant at tapping into mavericks. If he can somehow get through to Diouf and keep him on the straight and narrow, Diouf could score the goals that take Leeds up, which is absolutely crazy. And I still hope he’s not a legend, even if he does that.”

The club is on the lookout for a new buyer and the Guardian’s Dominic Fifield agrees with Warnock that investment is required if Leeds are to mount a serious promotion push. “Clearly, as Warnock has highlighted, it does need investment in terms of wages and transfer fees if they’re going to mount a proper promotion challenge. He’s apparently spoken to a representative of this group [Gulf Finance House] over the summer to outline his transfer plans. They’re looking to move in January.”

The panel also takes a look at Watford under new manager Gianfranco Zola.

Watch the full video discussion by clicking on the play button in the image above. 

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