Noel Whelan questions Leeds striker Patrick Bamford after Reading win

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Noel Whelan has suggested to BBC Radio Leeds (broadcast on 22/2; 17:15) that it would be fair to question Patrick Bamford’s display in Leeds United’s win over Reading on Saturday.

The Whites have enjoyed another fantastic weekend in their push for Championship promotion. Pablo Hernandez’s goal was enough to see off the Royals, while a number of the chasing pack dropped points.

But while Leeds won, it did appear to be an underwhelming afternoon for Bamford. His run without a goal has now been extended to five games.

And perhaps more frustratingly, a lot of the aspects of a vintage Bamford performance did not seem to be there. There was plenty of energy, but some of his passes were poor. And he rarely looked like getting on the scoresheet.

And Whelan admitted that he would have liked to have seen a lot more from the Englishman against Reading, particularly inside the box.

“You’re never going to question him about his work-rate and endeavour towards the team, putting a shift in, you just can’t. But I want him to get across the near post more,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.

“And if he had done that and got himself into that six-yard box quicker on a few occasions, he might have just had a tap-in, a one on one with the keeper inside the six-yard box. How many balls went fizzing by that six-yard box today? And we’ve been crying out for that sort of delivery.

“They’re the times you start asking questions of your striker. Where are you then? Where are you? You’ve been asking for better balls in the box, we’ve just provided them, where are you then?”

TBR View – Bamford continues to be Leeds’s biggest conundrum

Bamford’s situation has provided a conundrum for Bielsa throughout the season. He has gone through one 10-match run without a goal this season. Meanwhile, he has failed to score in 10 of the last 11 games.

But as Whelan notes, he does so many fantastic things for the Whites. And it would appear that Jean-Kevin Augustin is not quite ready to push for a starting spot following his January move.

Bamford also has 12 goals this season. He may get a lot of opportunities. But he is not the only player to let chances pass them by either.

It was not a good afternoon for Bamford against the Royals. But Leeds fans can surely be confident that a better performance will not be too far away given how Bamford has often responded to criticism this season.