TOUGH STATION FOR POOL BUT SPARE A THOUGHT FOR LEEDS
SOME Liverpool fans are starting to fret, just a little, that the Premier League season may be scrapped (as per Karren Brady’s wishes) — a scenario that is infinitely worse than the champions’ flag flying over Anfield without kicking a ball. They can relax, as neither outcome is on the cards. The revised football plan is for the season to resume in England on June 1, not before, with the teams playing twice a week to finish by June 30. Should the effects of the coronavirus continue beyond that time, which is likely, contingency plans are being worked on for a resumption in the autumn, if need be. For all the coverage Liverpool are receiving, spare a thought for Leeds United supporters, of whom there are probably more of a certain vintage on this island than any other club.
These fans have been through hell and back — sounds like ‘Elland back’ — since the last title under Howard Wilkinson in 1992, when the top tier was still known as the First Division. Relegated in 2004, they crave to be part of the Premier League again. With nine games to go, they are seven points clear, and have a far better goal difference over third-placed Fulham. I never warmed to Leeds United under Don Revie, probably because they invariably had the hex on Manchester City, but they were some team.
I came across this outstanding Leeds lineup yesterday: Sprake (508 appearances), Reaney (750), Cooper (339), Bremner (772), Charlton (762), Hunter (726), Lorimer (676), Clarke (360), Jones (307), Giles (521), E Gray (561). It was the starting XI against Mansfield Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup in 1970, a tie which Leeds won 2-0. Improbably, this was the only time these 11 players lined out together. I couldn’t name the current Leeds United team, but I hope they go up.