Simon Grayson has delivered his verdict after Leeds United fell short in their automatic promotion push.
Leeds still harnessed faint hopes of a potential top two finish going into the final day, but were beaten 2-1 by Southampton anyway.
The Whites had also been relying on Ipswich Town to lose at home to already relegated Huddersfield Town, which they showed no signs of doing, earning a comfortable 2-0 win.
Having fallen short in the automatic promotion race, Leeds will now need to switch their attentions towards the play-offs, but recent form has not left fans feeling confident.
Leeds have ended the season by losing three of their last four matches and if that run was to continue any longer, they can wave goodbye to a place at Wembley.
Grayson shares what he’s noticed about Leeds without Patrick Bamford
Daniel Farke made just one change to his starting XI from the one that was embarrassed 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers last week, as Glen Kamara came into midfield for Archie Gray.
That meant Patrick Bamford was missing due to injury for the second match running, with Farke labelling him as a doubt earlier in the week.
Joel Piroe was once again chosen as the man to fill in for him, and after an abysmal individual performance last week, he was better today, having got himself on the scoresheet.
However, speaking on BBC Radio Leeds, former Whites boss Grayson believes the last two matches are just yet more proof Bamford makes Farke’s side better.
Though his lack of a clinical edge can admittedly let him down, Grayson says the unselfish runs Bamford makes often go unnoticed.
He said: “You talk about Patrick. Sometimes players are more appreciated when they are not actually in the team than when they are. What I am saying is people don’t see sometimes what Patrick can do to the team.
“Yeah, they will see missed opportunities and things like that, but they don’t see the runs that he makes in the channel, the hold-up play or the closing down etc. So, again, I hope we get him back, get Dan James back because Dan is a positive outlet on the wing with good pace and positivity.”
Leeds record with vs without Bamford starting this season
Based on the statistics, it is impossible to disagree with what Grayson is saying, as frustrating as £7m man Bamford can be at times.
Not only do Leeds generally win more games when he is in the side, but they also score considerably more goals, even if he is not the most clinical.
That is because his runs often creates the space for those around him to thrive, something which Willy Gnonto alluded to earlier in the season.