WALMOT Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 Marcelo Bielsa on Kalvin Phillips: “And now he will stay forever in the history of the club with this goal. A clear act from God.” 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALMOT Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 19 hours ago, thisal said: Who are the 2 English players? Trevor Cherry and Terry Cooper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distant Doonhamer Posted October 20, 2019 Share Posted October 20, 2019 8 hours ago, WALMOT said: Trevor Cherry and Terry Cooper. I'd recognised Cherry but not Cooper. Cheers 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALMOT Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 Great read from Jon Howe about saturday's day of celebration for LUFC 100th birthday:- From all directions the Leeds United fans came. Down the never-ending winding decline of Wesley Street. Over the bridge across the M621 at Holbeck. Up Elland Road from the Drysalters, where you duck under the railway bridge and the looming East Stand greets you like a warm embrace. And down the dank, pot-holed and graffiti-strewn ginnel that links Whitehall Road to Gelderd Road like a life-support machine. This was no ordinary game. And even pre-match rituals had to change, even though the nervous tension, the nagging frustration and that desperate search for some defining joy was all there once the referee’s whistle blew. And from all directions the Leeds United legends came. From southern and central Africa. From the Hollywood Hills. From all corners of Leeds and the UK. And from a serene existence of well-earned anonymity and obscurity. This was no other game for them either. They may have returned to Elland Road countless times before, but never in these numbers and never in these circumstances. And for some, never with Leeds United in better health. It certainly helped give the first game after the club’s 100th birthday some energy and belief, rather than a sole reliance on sepia-tinted memories and a wallowing indulgence in wistful regret. There was plenty of that as well, but at least Leeds United are looking up at the stars from a position where things feel attainable again, and a competent and fully merited 1-0 win over Birmingham City was a suitable backdrop to a day that served to remind us what a beautiful beast we are so helplessly hooked up to. So many players, not enough trophies, but a barrow-load of memories, and it was all on display as former heroes were paraded from every era they could be. At the end of a week where the club had been heavily criticised for putting a high price on fans’ dedication, and where personality had overshadowed what should have been uncomplicated and pure, the centenary game versus Birmingham City played out as a wholesome occasion, uncorrupted by marketing and a re-selling of history and handed over to the fans as an opportunity for healthy, honest and ruddy-cheeked affection. There has been much discussion as to what constitutes a ‘legend’, but this was no occasion for raking over who was worthy and who wasn’t. The best thing the club has done is unashamedly recognise every era, good or bad. We can’t change history and neither can those who took part. You wear your scars with pride as well as your ribbons. These players all chipped away at the coalface and hauled Leeds United through to a 100 year celebration. It’s been quite an effort to get here, and for every Revie, Wilkinson and O’Leary era, we needed a Raich Carter, a Jimmy Adamson and a Kevin Blackwell era to get us to where we are. So it was fantastic to see the likes of Roy Wood, Jackie Overfield, Neil Aspin and Peter Haddock walking out to be greeted by the masses. It was great to see them mingling with Lucas Radebe, Tony Yeboah, Nigel Martyn and the gold-plated trophy winners whose names are up in lights. Every football club has its unsung heroes, every football club has its nowhere men; those people who played a part but history barely remembers. They are as much a part of the club’s foundations as anyone else, because without their selfless toil when the chips were down, where would the club be? If you have only ever managed to get to one Leeds United game, you can still call yourself a Leeds United fan, and if you have only played one game for Leeds United you can still call yourself a Leeds United player. By setting foot on that pitch and representing the club, you have influenced its history. Even if you are Izzy Brown. Even in the Midland League when Leeds United had just formed, and even in the Second World War when games weren’t officially recognised, but you represented Leeds United in the only fixtures they were playing and helped drag the club through an uncertain period. Leeds United’s real existence was perilous and strife-torn then, and let’s be honest, the 1980s weren’t much different. So the tag of ‘nowhere men’ may seem disparaging, but it is meant to represent that gulf between being one of the hundreds of bricks that built Leeds United and being one of the lights that shines from the top. You can’t have one without the other. Every individual name on the Leeds United appearances list adds up to make ‘Leeds United’ a big name. And we have players now who, when the club celebrates its 150th birthday in 2069, will be wheeled out for fans to remember via some kind of immersive digital tech experience where they can virtually hug Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas and Gaetano Berardi. And doubtless future generations will quizzically ask their parents “who the hell are they?” And you can answer that they helped dig out a precious 1-0 win in the centenary game in 2019, and they racked up over 100 first team appearances and provided some vital solidity and continuity, but never quite became the star names. And you can also answer that Kalvin Phillips was once a nowhere man, but he managed to cross the line to become a somewhere man; a player that has achieved star status and will go on to great things, hopefully with Leeds United. A legend in the waiting if you like. Phillips could have found a comfortable domicile along with the legions of also-rans; a player who showed promise, who had all the attributes, but never quite stood out from the crowd. He was that player until he met Marcelo Bielsa; a man who can transform seemingly anybody from a nowhere man into a somewhere man. On Saturday Phillips turned in yet another effortlessly dominant performance and he even won the game; a fitting headline on such an occasion, because the match-winning goal was scored by the player born and brought up within a couple of miles of Elland Road. And because, in reality, there are no nowhere men where Leeds United are concerned and Saturday’s centenary celebrations confirmed that with undiluted love and regard. Every nowhere man belongs somewhere and has become someone. They have played for Leeds United and, along with every fan, are part of the greatest story ever told. And there is no better place on earth to be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALMOT Posted November 16, 2019 Share Posted November 16, 2019 Dom Matteo recovering from a brain tumour operation:- https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/leeds-united-dominic-matteo-update-17267747 Wish him a speedy recovery. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedford White Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Was class today. Always nice to beat The Boro. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALMOT Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/eddie-grays-inspirational-speech-full-17365112 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WALMOT Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 Marcelo Bielsa has history on mind as he plots to end Leeds’ top-flight exile At the end of a week in which Don Revie’s iconic team received the freedom of the city, Leeds travel to Huddersfield on Saturday with a cautious optimism promotion can be secured Marcelo Bielsa’s side are unbeaten in eight Championship games, having won the past five, and are second in the table. What do Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Don Revie’s famously formidable Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s have in common? The answer, potentially a fiendish pub quiz contender, is that all three have been recipients of the freedom of the city, with surviving members of Revie’s squad receiving this rare civic honour as recently as Wednesday. As a suited and booted Norman Hunter, Johnny Giles, Allan Clarke, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray et al gathered to mark an arguably overdue occasion, Revie’s latest successor was plotting the conclusion of another achingly long wait. Marcelo Bielsa does not really do social formality – the 64-year-old Argentinian attended the club’s recent black tie, 100-year anniversary celebrations in tracksuit and trainers – but he does have an acute appreciation of Elland Road history and knows it is high time Leeds ended a Premier League exile now in its 16th season. They travel to struggling Huddersfield on Saturday lunchtime unbeaten in eight Championship games and having won the past five yet remain two points behind the leaders, West Brom, and only five ahead of third-placed Fulham. If the scars of last spring’s late promotion stumble remain raw, there is cautious optimism it will be different this time. Even so, tricky challenges loom, most immediately at Huddersfield where Bielsa must replace the suspended Kalvin Phillips. Not only does the team’s all-important quasi-sweeper customarily fill the anchoring role between midfield and defence, but Phillips segues seamlessly into the backline when the full-backs advance as Leeds overload opposition rearguards by switching from 4-1-4-1 to a fluid 3-3-1-3. “It seems like Bielsa’s players are operated by remote control,” says Huddersfield’s manager, Danny Cowley. “You only get to that place with very good coaching.” His brother and assistant, Nicky Cowley, is equally admiring. “Bielsa manages to get his team all playing with one brain,” he enthuses. Ben White almost certainly possesses the necessary intelligence to deputise for Phillips. The 22-year-old Brighton loanee has excelled at centre-half, confounding those who suspected Bielsa had erred in offloading the influential, if sometimes slightly rebellious, Pontus Jansson to Brentford last summer. White’s blend of technical assurance, passing vision – his accuracy ranks in the top 20 of Championship outfield players – and crisply incisive tackling has not only tightened the defence but left him under near-constant surveillance from Liverpool. Jürgen Klopp will doubtless be intrigued to see how White fares in a new position. A somewhat bigger impending hurdle for Bielsa is the strong possibility that Kiko Casilla, the team’s £35,000-a-week former Real Madrid goalkeeper, clean sheet specialist and seemingly near indispensable sweeper-keeper, will be banned for between six and 12 games should he be found guilty of racially abusing the Charlton forward Jonathan Leko. Casilla has denied the Football Association’s charge stemming from an incident in September and his case is due to be heard by an independent FA commission before Christmas. Considering his deputy is Illan Meslier, an untried 19-year-old French keeper on loan from Ligue Two side Lorient, Bielsa may require temporary cover next month. The worry is that identifying on-budget candidates possessing the intricate footwork and high-accuracy short passing synonymous with Casilla – and the side’s build-from-the-back credo – could be easier said than done for the club’s algorithm-juggling director of football, Victor Orta. Angus Kinnear, the Leeds managing director, although fully endorsing the FA’s laudable zero-tolerance racism stance, questions the credibility of the ruling body’s justice system. “We fully support such a serious allegation – which Kiko vehemently denies – being subjected to full investigation and disciplinary process,” he says. “Our only concern is that the burden of proof for an FA hearing is ‘not beyond all reasonable doubt’ – the court standard – but ‘on the balance of probability’. We believe that, in cases of this seriousness, the higher standard of proof is more appropriate; one man’s reputation is at stake.” Back on the training ground, Bielsa’s bar is famously high but there have been times – see Athletic Bilbao and Marseille – when his teams have apparently burnt out. The way in which Leeds pass at breakneck pace while, courtesy of kaleidoscopic positional inter-changing, pressing opponents and space is wonderful but the sheer intensity involved is undeniably draining. “You come off the training pitch properly tired,” says the former Leeds forward Kemar Roofe, now with Anderlecht, as he recalls routinely rehearsing five separate formations and full-blooded 11 v 11 training games. “You’re empty, you can’t do extra finishing practice. But I learned the body can do so much more than you believe.” If the daily regimen is unrelenting – players face daily weigh-ins, skin-fold tests and strict diets – it is undeniably a meritocracy with Bielsa selecting XIs on what his eyes tell him rather than price tag, reputation or favours. This means the Arsenal loanee striker Eddie Nketiah has not been involved as much as his parent club would like and, despite Bielsa wanting to retain him, he may be recalled next month. Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle seems an obvious replacement but would cost £15m, challenging in the era of financial fair play rules. Although Liverpool are considering loaning their promising young forward Rhian Brewster, who is also interesting Borussia Dortmund, they want game-time guarantees that Bielsa declines to grant. Compromise is not a word that features in the Leeds manager’s extensive vocabulary but his preferred sole striker, Patrick Bamford, requires support so some sort of diplomatic new year attacking accommodation may need reaching if promotion is to be secured. Then the campaign for Bielsa to be granted the freedom of the city can properly begin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gannonball Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 Not a Leeds fan but randomly saw this on facebook and thought it was class. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedford White Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 It's happening Don't you know pump it up The Whites are going up! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
List_of_Jericho Posted December 11, 2019 Share Posted December 11, 2019 15 hours ago, Bedford White said: It's happening Don't you know pump it up The Whites are going up! Surely this time? Hopefully get out of the tricky festive fixtures without too much damage/injuries. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Ferguson's Hat Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vartex Posted December 23, 2019 Share Posted December 23, 2019 Im quitting betting after this championship match. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Alli Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Evening, chaps. When are the play off set for dates wise? I can only find the date for the final. Failing that, what do you reckon the chances are of getting tickets for final game of the season - Charlton - at home are? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repeat_offender Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 13 minutes ago, Dele said: Evening, chaps. When are the play off set for dates wise? I can only find the date for the final. Failing that, what do you reckon the chances are of getting tickets for final game of the season - Charlton - at home are? Not sure if you are a member or not? I'd suggest it's certain that tickets for this game won't go on general sale & I doubt they would get past ticket sales to gold members. Might be some corporate tickets for the game but that won't be cheap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Alli Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Looks like a weekend in Leeds with no games then. Was going to re-arrange dates but there's no way would get the number of tickets required. Thanks though @repeat_offender 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repeat_offender Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 Just now, Dele said: Looks like a weekend in Leeds with no games then. Was going to re-arrange dates but there's no way would get the number of tickets required. Thanks though @repeat_offender How many do you need? How do you feel about sitting in the away end? If that seems ok for you why not get in touch with Charlton and see if you can buy tickets through them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derry Alli Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 1 minute ago, repeat_offender said: How many do you need? How do you feel about sitting in the away end? If that seems ok for you why not get in touch with Charlton and see if you can buy tickets through them. It would probably be a minibus full. Yeah I might do that - managed to get out a Millwall away end once, Charlton should be a piece of piss. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repeat_offender Posted December 28, 2019 Share Posted December 28, 2019 14 minutes ago, Dele said: It would probably be a minibus full. Yeah I might do that - managed to get out a Millwall away end once, Charlton should be a piece of piss. If Leeds make it town will be a good night out that's for sure, all the best with the tickets & enjoy the weekend in Leeds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedford White Posted December 29, 2019 Share Posted December 29, 2019 4 hours ago, Dele said: Evening, chaps. When are the play off set for dates wise? I can only find the date for the final. Failing that, what do you reckon the chances are of getting tickets for final game of the season - Charlton - at home are? Cant sort Charlton for you but if you fancy Millwall at home late January can get you some tickets as I'm not going (ST) and have access to some members numbers as well. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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