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Burnley duo won EFL awards for April despite missing out on the Championship title, and Leeds United fans are fuming with the decision.
Leeds United and Burnley both earned automatic promotion back to the Premier League this season after the regular Championship season concluded.
Leeds finished first in the second tier table on goal difference, earning the riches of the Championship title prize, and are looking to make ten new signings this summer as Daniel Farke bids to keep the Whites up.
The Championship title race went down to the wire, but Scott Parker’s Clarets finished the season in second place, and are also preparing for life back in the top flight by making a record offer for one of their crucial stars.
On Friday, the EFL announced winners for the Manager and Player of the month for April, which proved to be a decision that sent the Elland Road faithful into collective meltdown despite winning the title.
Leeds United fans are all fuming over the EFL decision that went Burnley’s way
Despite missing out on the Championship title, the Burnley duo of Parker and Josh Brownhill scooped major EFL awards for April, with the Clarets boss earning Manager of the Month and his skipper Brownhill winning Player of the Month.
The Elland Road faithful took to social media to share their frustrations at the EFL’s decision, given their title-winning campaign that was cemented during April, and the performance levels of Manor Solomon who spearheaded the Whites’ title charge.
Following the EFL awards going Burnley’s way, one Leeds fan said on social media: “Not the manager who won the league, had his team win 6-0 and 4-0 in back-to-back games?”.
Another Leeds fan agreed: “Odd decisions”. As a fellow Whites fan said: “It’s embarrassing how much everyone hates us.”
One fan said: “So you’ve won the league, but the best manager and player this year play elsewhere… speaks volumes”.
A fellow Leeds fan posted: “Consolation prizes”, as another agreed: “Given as a consolation prize”.
A seventh Leeds fan believes: “EFL still hate Leeds, champions again, you cannot take that away from us”.
When dissecting both the managerial and player statistics for April, it highlights that those grievances of Leeds supporters do have some weight behind them.
Leeds United and Burnley stats for April compared after EFL award decision
In April, Leeds won five and drew once during their six April league outings, putting six past Stoke City on a record-breaking afternoon, and notching four against Liam Manning’s side in their penultimate fixture.
Spurs loanee Solomon notched five assists and two goals across April under Farke, and has since shared a telling update on his Leeds future ahead of the summer transfer window.
| Leeds United in April | Burnley in April | Josh Brownhill in April | Manor Solomon in April |
| Games played – 6 | Games played – 6 | Games played – 6 | Games played – 6 |
| Wins – 5 | Wins – 5 | Goals – 3 | Goals – 2 |
| Draws – 1 | Draws – 1 | Assists – 2 | Assists – 5 |
| Goals scored to conceded – 17:3 | Goals scored to conceded – 13:4 | Best game in April – 2-1 win vs Sheffield UInited | Best game in April – 2-1 win vs Preston |
Burnley also won five times and drew once on their automatic promotion charge, with a crucial 2-1 victory over Sheffield United making their fate certain.
Clarets ace Brownhill notched two assists and three goals during April’s fixtures, most notably with his promotion-sending brace against the Blades.
Both the automatic promotion-winning managers, and two of their most crucial stars within the final month, deserved recognition from the EFL for their efforts.
However, given that Leeds scorched to the second tier summit at the behest of Burnley, the complaints from the Elland Road faithful in light of the announcement do hold water.