Let Him Eat Cake

“Let them eat cake!” a callous order from the last Queen of France, Marie Antoinette upon hearing the plight of starving peasants in the late 18^th century. This disregard of the disgruntled proletariat contributing towards the storming of The Bastille and the French Revolution.

I thought of the late Gallic queen’s comment after Leeds United’s victory at Sheffield Wednesday last Friday evening. Catalyst to this unlikely link was hearing Whites manager Daniel Farke’s plan to spend an upcoming nine-day break until the next game sitting on the sofa, drinking coffee, and eating cake.

Of course, Leeds United’s cake related proffering is not French Revolution related. Well, not unless you count Frenchmen Georgino Rutter and Ilian Meslier’s sterling contributions to the team’s overcoming of adverse times.

No, what we are currently witnessing is Farke’s German revolution. The allies intent on remedying fans recent woes including a brave Welsh battalion, Summerville (a Dutchman don’t you know, just like Pascal and Piroe), a bunch of young Englishmen, a Spaniard and an Italian whose tank doesn’t possess the cliched reverse gear.

Unlike Leeds United’s recent American revolution, which proved as unsuccessful as Trump supporter’s hapless efforts during the US Capitol insurrection on 6^th January 2021, this time it seems like we are being orchestrated by someone who actually knows what he’s doing.

However, whisper that carefully. The current zeitgeist at the club may feel as fulfilling as having your cake and eating it, but with nine games left in the 2023/24 season managing expectations is key. 

Fingers crossed they don’t turn into the crumbs that, in the last day or so, have joined the loose change nestling down the back of Daniel Farke’s sofa. For the rest of this intense Championship season, for the sake of our nerves, let the singing of “Leeds Are Falling Apart Again!” be delivered with irony from jubilant Leeds fans.

Farke may look and sound like a reluctant Bond villain, but I suspect the most sinister thought within his modus operandi is to take over Mr Kipling, not the world. 

That being said, I would love to see him staring over a desk at the Leicester manager after we moved within three points of them at the weekend, uttering menacingly “No Mr Maresca, I expect your team to bottle it… And get deducted points for alleged FFP infractions.”

Anyhow, after successfully navigating Leeds United through a tricky run of fixtures, leaving the club with their promotion destiny in their own hands, I say “Let him eat cake!”… It is bloody well deserved, Daniel!”