Leeds United accused of bottling promotion, but spare a thought for Pierre-Michel Lasogga

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Leeds United have been accused of bottling it this season. The Whites looked at one point to be favourites for automatic promotion from the Championship. However, a poor run of form in the second half of the season saw Norwich City and Sheffield United usurp the West Yorkshire side.

Now Leeds must fight via the play-offs if they are to avoid the criticism that they bottled their chances this season.

However, if you feel that Leeds are bottlers, one former Leeds player has had it much worse.

Pierre-Michel Lasogga was a popular figure among Leeds fans last season. The German, on loan from Hamburg, was a regular under Thomas Christiansen and had spates of goalscoring form.

However, Paul Heckingbottom was not as keen and he was barely playing by the end of the campaign. In the summer, he returned to Hamburg, who had just been relegated from the Bundesliga for the first time in their history.

Leeds fans have been keeping track of his season, which has been successful with 19 goals scored.

However, his Hamburg team look like pulling off one of the most incredible bottle jobs in the history of football.

They looked like comfortable leaders of the 2.Bundesliga but have fallen away dramatically in recent weeks. Defeat to promotion rivals Paderborn at the weekend was their third in a row. Hamburg have not won a game in the league since March and are now fourth, looking unlikely to book an immediate return to the top-flight in Germany.

Lasogga himself has not been blameless. Injury has played a role but the former Leeds man jas not scored since March as he goes through a traditional dry-patch.

No matter what happens with Leeds this season they can know they did not blow it as spectacularly as Lasogga and Hamburg.