Morning and welcome back to my African Odyssey at Leeds United where last time out, early season sparkle succumbed to disastrous reverses in results.

We’re like the wall street crash!

This is just a small indicator of what I’m dealing with – too many sub-par performances.

At least we start part 2 with a point. It could have been three points but as you will now becoming familiar with, we can’t hold a lead – or buy a win!

Like a faded 80’s pop band who can only sell out tours in foreign countries, the League Cup and lower league opposition offer us some glimmer of hope that this whole experiment isn’t just a farce. Fulham have no match for my Lions roar.

I’ve been playing Serge Alain Maguy at left wingback, so I’m hoping signing Okpara will improve our defensive performance – I think signing more Nigerians is going to be my best bet for survival – and yes, I’m am thinking we are in a relegation battle already!

Talking bout Maguy! I hate playing Leicester and Kasey Keller at the best of times, but we blow them away – away! It’s a long overdue win and a huge sigh of relief, finally something to smile about that isn’t the League Cup…

Oh yeah, I’ve also taken the reigns of Nigeria – it’s going ever so slightly better than my efforts at Leeds. That looks like a tough World Cup group, however, that’s for the end of Part 3.

In the here and now, well November 1997, we are experiencing a small upturn in fortunes which is keeping our heads above the relegation water line.

I miss out on Freddie – I know it says ‘French Under 21 star’ but he ended up playing for Mali in real life and by my standards, he would qualify for Leeds – he would have helped my goal shy strikers no doubt.

Perhaps my pursuit of Freddie has awoken the fear in my misfiring team – another win at home Kanoute be ignored.

You get all excited with a couple of wins and think you’ve got your season going and you end up losing to the Bald Eagles. Tony is doing his best but there’s only so many thunder-bastards you can rely on if your defence has more holes than Blackburn, Lancashire.

Sweet, sweet joy in the league cup. Why can’t we play lower league opposition every week? Mind you, the way we are going, it seems more and more likely.

Philomen Masinga, take a bow! No sooner had the whistle blown for kick off and he had the ball in the back of the net. 3 minutes later, Bakayoko shows Everton what they could have had.

A clean sheet in the Premier League? What is this all about?

Remember the name, Tony Yeboah! Big Tone helps himself to a hattrick at Derby and a pleasing performance from the guys all around. Extra helpings of Yorkshire Puddings at xmas dinner obviously did the trick!

If you thought we had turned a corner, well more fool you! John Aldridge and his men turn us inside out in the FA Cup and Heaven knows I’m miserable now.

Chelsea knock us out of the League Cup to make 1998 even more depressing than 1997 at Ellend Road.

Barnsey tries his best to turn thing around, but Blackburn have big Emile upfront now and that only ends one way for us.

No way past Mark Bosnich – well, actually one way past him if you are big Tony, but Ian Taylor helps Villa share the points – weird saying ‘Share the points’ where does the third point go? To Man City?

I need to do something about this defence and whilst I really need a decent keeper, another centre-back might mean I can be a bit more ruthless about Lucas Radebe’s performances….

So defensive signings have a positive impact on your players and performances, huh? Makes you think.

Well, maybe not. Lucas is making it harder for me to ignore the calls to drop him….

As well as knocking us out of the only competiton I had a glimmer of hope for, they do the league double on us too…

All that being said, a few wins in this part have dragged Leeds up into the midtable hinterland

A small spike in improvement – we need better in Part 3 to give this crazy save idea any sort of legs…

Spotlight on: Philomen Masinga

Hailing from South Africa, Masinga was a prolific striker for Mamelodi Sundowns before Howard Wilkinson took a chance on him in 1994 in a move which also brought Lucas Radebe to Leeds. Lucas was arguably a more successful signing than Big Phil, who only scored 5 goals in 31 games across 2 seasons, and 3 of those were in one game against Walsall in the FA Cup.

A nomadic life after Leeds took in Switzerland, Italy and Abu Dhabi before retirement.

He was moe successful for South Africa, winning the 1996 African Cup of Nations.

Philomen sadly passed away in 2019 from cancer. His gangly dances through Premiership penalty boxes will never be fogotten.