Never mind the b ****** s! Leeds being back in big time is music to my ears
LEEDS UNITED are football’s equivalent of The Sex Pistols.
And if – or rather when – we welcome them back to the Premier League in the next couple of weeks, it’ll be a bit like saying: ‘Hello Sid, hello Johnny, we haven’t half missed you.’ Like the Pistols, they bucked all the rules and regulations back in the day.
In the Sixties and Seventies, when Don Revie led Leeds to two Division One titles, they were the leaders of those clubs who revelled in employing the dark arts.
Elland Road has long been a home for strong characters such as Jack Charlton and Billy Bremner and, later, for mavericks like Eric Cantona. Leeds have always bucked the system but, in doing so, they have added to our game with their ‘We are Leeds, we don’t care’ attitude. I draw the line at calling them a monster club but I’m delighted they look like being back because they will be a very welcome addition to the Premier League.
We already know next season will be an odd one, so arguably we need as many historic rivalries as ever.
And there is absolutely no doubt that Leeds versus Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City or Liverpool will bring in more viewers, eyeballs and revenue than, say, Bournemouth against any of those clubs.
The fact is that Leeds United have more than 40,000 through their gates under normal circumstances and many of them remember players like Charlton, Johnny Giles, Bremner, and Peter Lorimer, men who have gone down in Elland Road folklore.
Even more know what Mark Viduka, Alan Smith and Rio Ferdinand gave to the club and brought to the club, and so are more likely to put pressure on the XI who now go out and wear the shirt, reminding them of
JACK CHARLTON was a lovely man, a legend in England and Ireland – and there haven’t been many of those.
He probably did more for Anglo-Irish relations in recent years than anyone else on either side of the Irish Sea.
Rest in peace, Big Jack.
their responsibility to the club.
What I hope is that they don’t make the same mistake Aston Villa made this season, spending £100million-plus on potential, as Leeds already have the nucleus of an exceptional young team.
If they make a couple of shrewd additions, they are good enough to have a successful season in the top flight – by that I mean a mid-table finish.
What will also be interesting is how manager Marcelo Bielsa copes with the Premier League. It may well be that his work ethic translates better over 38 games than 46.
Elland Road is truly a great stadium to play at. I made my away debut for Liverpool there but got injured after 20 minutes – that was the game Tony Yeboah scored that fantastic goal for Leeds. I also played there for Bradford in a West Yorkshire derby, scoring an overhead kick that plenty of Leeds fans will remember.
As a pundit, I’d say it’s the noisiest stadium I have been to in England and second only in the UK to Parkhead. It’s intimidating, and I hope when fans are allowed back that doesn’t change.
It’s old and it’s a little frayed but we still need a little bit of that soul in the game and I hope Leeds can bring that back to the Premier League.