A GREALLY It’s ref justice for Jack at TOUGH DAY Elland Road
SUPPORTERS at Elland Road know a thing or two about wasting cash.
The Leeds faithful saw their club do it on an industrial scale around the turn of the Millennium – and then spent almost two decades being made to suffer for it.
Overpaid superstars, along with private planes, expensive tropical fish and a raft of other things Leeds couldn’t afford were once the norm in this part of Yorkshire.
Which might explain the reason home fans struggled to appreciate the sight of the most expensive footballer in Britain strutting around the place last night.
It’s an alarming sign of the times that the £100million Manchester City splurged on Jack Grealish last summer is about the same amount as the debt Leeds once ran up which sent them hurtling into administration.
It’s no secret Yorkshire folk like to get some bang for their buck.
But it appears to be a different approach across the Pennines, where Pep Guardiola continues to insist he is satisfied with the return he’s getting on his club’s investment in Grealish. Considering Grealish has scored just five goals all season and started 19 league games, City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak could be forgiven for digging out the receipt for Grealish to see if he’s still under guarantee.
Guardiola, however, has insisted Grealish’s absences from his starting XI have been due to the team’s tactics, as opposed to the midfielder’s disappointing form.
But the fact is Grealish has been a huge let down, not just because of his lack of contributions to the cause, but because of the manner in which he’s performed.
That impish enthusiasm, devilment and flair we saw during his time at Aston Villa has vanished.
Grealish has looked inhibited, reluctant to take opponents on and be more concerned with cutting back inside to find team-mate with a simple ball. Instead of lifting people off their seats and winning games, he’s been a passenger in them instead, with the burden of his price tag weighing him down.
This was a golden chance for Grealish to step up and take a crucial game by the scruff of the neck, as City looked to respond following Liverpool’s earlier 1-0 win at Newcastle in this most thrilling of all title races.
And not least because England boss Gareth Southgate was sat in the stands running the rule over one of his World Cup prospects.
But all he saw was a bundle of frustration as Grealish found himself getting some close attention both on and off the pitch.
He was abused from the start, due to the fact he was part of the Villa side involved in that controversial clash here in 2019 when both teams were still in the Championship. The fact he
was wearing an Alice band and has his socks rolled down didn’t help his cause, either.
Yet Stuart Dallas appeared to have him in his pocket and Grealish was booked inside 13 minutes for tripping the Leeds wing-back from behind.
Moments later Grealish beat his hands on the turf in anger after referee Paul Tierney refused to give him a deserved free-kick when Robin Koch had clearly taken him down in a tackle.
The same thing happened again when Dallas took a turn at fouling Grealish.
If he was looking for some protection, he was wasting his time because Tierney had lost control of the game.
Dallas paid the price for being Grealish’s shadow on the stroke of half-time, when a jarring collision between the two saw Dallas leave on a stretcher.
But even without Dallas as his chaperone, Grealish still didn’t look capable of making a memorable impact, despite his tireless work rate, willingness to take the ball and general unselfishness.
And his one big chance to score was wasted by him when he couldn’t even hit the target, adding more weight to the theories people are starting to believe.
That you don’t get much for £100m these days.