The Leeds Thread

[Derry Alli]

On 08/02/2020 at 19:24, NorthernLights said:

[WALMOT]

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/mar/09/marcelo-bielsa-a-method-actor-in-footballs-theatre-of-the-absurd

A really good read.

[WALMOT]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/leeds-hero-kalvin-phillips-desperate-21647407?utm_source=sharebar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=sharebar

[WALMOT]

Michel Kitabdjian, the official who refereed the infamous 1975 European Cup final, has died aged 89.

[WALMOT]

https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/norman-hunter-leeds-fans-tributes-18106025

A very sad day to be a Leeds fan as another Legend is taken cruelly from us by this terrible virus

[stanton]

Sad  News . R.I.P.

[WALMOT]

https://video.leedsunited.com/video?playlist=aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWVkc3VuaXRlZC1jbS5zdHJlYW1hbWcuY29tL2FwaS92MS9hZmY3NDdiYy0xYmNkLTQyZGYtOWQ2Yi01NDBhNTcyYzY4MTYvM2djNEpaaFpvVVpqaGNUWEs0TjlHWU5xOFJwd0JvbTdBczE5UDVGY2VLTFc3OUJ3cnYvZW4vZmVlZC8wMTc2OWY5MS02Y2NlLTRiMWYtYTc5MS01ODYzMzdkYWFkZDAvc2VjdGlvbnMvc2VhcmNoP3NlY3Rpb249OGU3NmI5ODctMDI3Yi00ZTU0LWI5NTYtNjNlYzZiNmI0MDBlJnBhZ2VTaXplPTg%3D&entry=0_edyftyw6

Two scotsmen talk aboiut Norman Hunter.

[Bedford White]

 

[WALMOT]

Don Revie’s Norman Hunter tribute.

Writing in Norman Hunter’s 1974-75 testimonial programme, legendary manager Don Revie left the following tribute to the great man...

‘Norman Hunter is one of the world’s top footballers- possibly one of the greatest players ever.  I used that particular sentence last season when I was talking about Billy Bremner, another one of those superb Leeds players without whom the club would not have been able to chalk up so much consistent success in the last decade. 

I feel, you see, just the same way about Norman.  It makes it very difficult to know where to start when you sit down and write about a player and character like him.  It is one thing in football to have that star quality which makes you stand head and shoulders above the rest.  It is quite another to have the personal magnetism and leadership that are inestimable qualities in all the game’s great players.

Norman Hunter came into Leeds United’s first team some thirteen years ago now... but I remember it well.  It was in the days soon after I had taken over as manager.  The club were in the Second Division and fighting hard to stay there.  Elland Road itself was not the ground you see today.  If anyone outside the club had talked in terms of all that’s happened in that decade, you would have thought him a dreamer  – a romancer.

But it did happen... and one of those reasons it happened was because a man named Norman Hunter was wearing the number six shirt.  In 1961 I made the transition from player to manager.  In our junior ranks then were a couple of players whose early development was poles apart.  A young red-haired Scotsman called Billy Bremner had already won his way into the first team as an outside right.  The other was Norman Hunter.  But it was a Norman you just wouldn’t recognise today.



His track suit hung on him because he was so thin.  He’d been playing at outside left and inside left, but in truth, had hardly blossomed between the ages of 15 and 17.  Even so, I was struck by his keenness to work hard and try to impress.  It is often the case in this game that when star schoolboy players join a professional club they take time to adjust and often don’t make rapid progress in their first couple of years.  But it was always our motto at Leeds to give them another chance... to keep them on for a while longer before deciding whether or not to retain them.

So here we had a youngster of 17 from the North-East, obviously willing to learn and even over-eager to try and make the grade.  He used to come back every afternoon for extra training to try and improve his bad points.  I remember that he was never particularly strong in the air but the thing was, he was working hard to try and compensate.

I took over as manager on a Friday... the following Monday morning I called young Norman Hunter into the office.  He was probably expecting to be told the saddest of all decisions – that we were not going to keep him.  But Norman’s eagerness and dedication had impressed us.  Instead of letting him go, we signed him as a professional.

It was the spur, the confidence boosting jolt that he needed.  We converted him into a left half and, just two years later, I was telling everyone that this boy would play for England one day.  It turned out that I was right.



Norman made tremendous strides and, still working overtime at improving, won his way permanently into the first team at the time we were just starting to assemble a young side.  The rest is history of course... how we climbed out of Division Two in 1963-64 and finished second in Division One the following season.  And from then on, honour after honour both at home and abroad.  As I look back on those years I realise how fortunate I was to have the Norman Hunters’ battling it out for the club in the heat of domestic competitions and European finals.  The playing records of those players at Leeds will surely never be surpassed.   Norman Hunter... 500 games in Football League which have brought a Second Division Championship medal, First Division Championship and runners-up medals... 60 plus FA Cup ties which include four Wembley finals... close on 40 League Cup ties, a Wembley final... more than 70 European games including four finals.  That sort of record is still hard to believe but tangible evidence of the player that is Norman Hunter.

So what about Norman Hunter, the footballer?  For me, he’s the best sweeper that’s ever lived... and if you think that’s an over estimation, name another player who’s won so much and played so well in the past.  Many people probably think that all you need to be a good number six is an ability to tackle fairly well and good positional sense.  Not true.  Great players have more than that... and Norman Hunter is a great player.  Norman’s reading of games, his ability to assess situations and dangerous attacks sets him out from the rest.  He covers his colleagues with absolute authority... he patrols his area flawlessly because he seems to be able to sense when dangerous situations are going to develop.  We often used to think he’d been born with a sixth sense... he used to nip potentially dangerous situations in the bud so often that they never developed at all.  A timely tackle, a brilliant interception... that’s part of the Norman Hunter game.

And what about his tackling... the facet of his game that has brought that totally unjustified tag of ‘hard man’?  Tackling, like goalscoring and goalkeeping, like control in the midfield is a specialised art.  I have yet to see a more perfect tackler than Norman Hunter.  Anticipation is part of the art of tackling... but the ability to win the ball cleanly is also of prime importance.  Norman does both of these so easily it’s no effort.  To those who say his tackles leave a lot to be desired I would say that a Norman Hunter tackle is perfection.

He wins the ball cleanly, his timing is that of a 21 jewel Swiss watch.  It seems no effort when Norman wins the ball.  People would say he uses his physique rather than his feet in tackles... that’s not true.  One of the hardest things to do in football is win the ball cleanly and keep it under control.  If you can do that, you can do almost anything.  Norman Hunter has been doing just that for the last 10 years.

Norman Hunter has seldom made headline news because of the position he plays.  It’s not often you read about defenders.  A hungry public would rather read about the hot shots and ace goalscorers.  But defensive skills are equally important.  It’s said of Norman that he is one-footed... in a sense he is because so perfect is that left foot that he never needs to use his right.  But he can... and a telling right foot pass from Norman Hunter has often taken opponents completely unawares.



Ask any member of the Leeds United training staff about Norman Hunter.  They will tell you what a fantastic job he’s done for the club over the years.  Until this season, he’d only ever missed five games through injury – and what a record that is! He’s played with swollen ankles, with pulls, with colds, with his legs black and blue.  He’s turned out with knocks, with strains, with cuts.  He’s had just about every normal match injury any player could have.  But so determined is Norman that never once has he said he’s unfit.

Norman is a player any manager would give a king’s ransom to have on his staff... the sort of player you dream about.  As manager of Leeds, I knew that every season I would get 55 great games out of Norman Hunter and only five matches when he was just superb!  He thinks deeply about the game and is totally involved in his job out there on the field.  I always remember how, if he’d made a mistake that led to a goal even though we probably won by two or three clear goals, he would always be the last man in the dressing room still looking upset about it.  That is perfection.

I find it somewhat sad that Norman has never been given full credit for his enormous skill.  He’s always been prepared in his role at Leeds to win the ball then gave it to a colleague to build up moves.  Only in the last two or three years have people started to sit up and take notice of his skills when he gives them full reign.  He’s not only a great defender and winner of the ball – but a great passer too.  I always used to say his left foot was so accurate, he could open a can of beans with it.  Well, take a look when he uses his right – it’s capable of doing a lot more than just being stood on.

Someone once said of Norman Hunter that if he had to tell a lie to save his life, his head would fall.  That is another side of him... his warmth and honesty as a man.  I don’t think he’s ever told a lie in his life.  Norman Hunter is the most honest person I’ve ever met.

And he has a competitive spirit I’ve never seen before.  If you play him at anything – be it golf, table tennis, bowls or snooker—you know you’ve got the match of a lifetime on your hands.  This man only plays one way—to win.  That’s being professional. 

It used to be comforting for me as I sat watching Leeds United in the heat of domestic of European games.  When the going got tough, when we were under fantastic pressure, winning, losing or drawing, one man was always there.  One man could always be counted on to battle it out until the final whistle.  That man is Norman Hunter... one of the greatest players ever to have lived.’

[WALMOT]

From the OS:-

Jon Howe: Norman Hunter- A Leeds United life 

Weekly column.

“What a life…….what a great time we’ve had.” The wistful words of Norman Hunter as he described his life in football and how he and ex-team-mate and valued friend Eddie Gray often looked back on it. As always, Norman meant what he said and didn’t mince his words. It was an honest and convincing picture he painted, not skewed by bitterness at the riches footballers now earn or the celebrity parapet status they now experience, but an earnest appreciation that he had enjoyed a lifetime of security, love and belonging from being on the Leeds United staff from the age of 15 ½ onwards. And he earned every second of it.

Such a humility and a fundamental human warmth is at odds with Norman’s public profile. To the wider world he was the cold, cynical and calculating face of a football machine that won no friends, but inside that Leeds United bubble there were deep connections; sincerity, comradeship and a commitment to win together, whatever it took. Once you have that, there is no better place to be, and Norman existed in that ring-fenced pocket of cordiality his whole life.

This dichotomy of public perception never left Norman Hunter. Even his name provided a narrative which perfectly described the contrast his existence embodied. ‘Norman’ portrayed a typical Northern conviviality; someone who exuded comfort, tenderness and kind-heartedness. ‘Hunter’ portrayed a scheming predator who prowled the football pitch with menace. So to us he was ‘Norman’ and to the rest of the world he was ‘Hunter’. And once you are within that Leeds United world, it doesn’t matter what anybody else thinks. Norman understood that from an early age and it is an intangible power which helped forge the kind of life he would later describe.

But beneath all the rancour, the mud-caked combat, the sliding tackles and the veil of intimidation, there was a mutual respect between Norman and his opponents; then and now. The tributes that have poured in from opposing clubs, opposing players, celebrity football fans and rank and file supporters demonstrate that the cartoon hard man image was just that; a convenient identity. It may have been something he couldn’t shake off, even if he wanted to, but underneath all that, everyone knew he was a great footballer, with a great attitude, and someone you wanted with you, not against you.

Norman Hunter was the ultimate professional. This schizophrenic mainstream personality is born from the fact that Norman would leave everything on the pitch; not just his blood, sweat and tears and every last sinew of energy, not just a clear conscience that there were ‘no regrets’ in how he had performed, but he would leave his specialist identity too. Off-the-pitch he was Norman, sharing a beer and a laugh with players he was kicking lumps out of half an hour earlier.

That is a fearsome commitment to winning. That’s what builds respect. That’s what wins you the first ever PFA Players’ Player Award in 1973/74. That’s what wins you 28 England caps and a place in two World Cup squads in 1966 and 1970. That was no accident and wasn’t built merely on a one-dimensional devotion to hurting people and winning a psychological war, there is far more to Norman Hunter’s legacy.

From making his debut as a 19-year-old in September 1962 in a famous game versus Swansea Town, Norman was a model of consistency and a manager’s dream. And this was immediate. He made 41 appearances in that same breakthrough season. He didn’t play less than 40 games in a single campaign until 1975, in fact he played over 50 games for nine seasons running. He played every major cup final for Leeds United from 1965 to 1975; the only player from Revie’s great team to do so. Given the fearless and often reckless manner in which Norman approached every minute of every game, it is a testament to his endurance and his iron-will that he never suffered the injuries that befell so many of his comrades.

If a manager knows he is guaranteed that level of service from a player over such a length of time, it is no surprise they become an invaluable commodity. But add to that a fearsome will to win and you have the complete player.

In this era, Leeds United would travel behind the Iron Curtain and embark in backs-to-the-wall hostilities with unknown opponents in unfamiliar lands. Carrying the ‘Leeds United’ name in foreign fields, miles from home and away from the cossetted bosom of Elland Road, you needed people like Norman Hunter.

This made Leeds United feared in Europe, it made Leeds United’s name for the rest of us to take on. And you can’t create that kind of mentality, you are born with it. Norman was a winner and if he didn’t win it hurt him. He wanted to win matches, he wanted to win sprints on Fullerton Park. He wanted to be the first to the café after training for Sausage sandwiches, he wanted to be first to the bar to get a round in, he wanted to win at carpet bowls in the pre-match lounge. Not because it mattered, but because he was a competitor. Norman saw a target and went for it. And he would always get it. And that’s who you want on your side.

Winning was everything, but Norman also valued what being part of ‘Leeds United’ meant. He loved turning up for training with his mates every day and running around in the fresh air, just as much as he loved talking about his playing days to people he’d never met, and kicking every ball on the gantry commentating on or simply watching the Leeds United team of today. That’s a Leeds United life.

Many people have referenced the unbearable sadness of the unique circumstances in which Norman’s passing occurred. But Norman was never alone. He knew his family and friends still surrounded him, and he knew the thousands of Leeds United fans that loved him.

It feels like Norman Hunter has been around forever. It feels like we all knew him, it feels like we were all friends with him. And that’s why this outpouring of emotion is so widespread. If you ever met Norman you will have been left with a warm glow. If you didn’t, it was exactly how you imagined it. So keep on imagining it.

We can still feel that warm glow now, because Norman is still here; indelibly dyed into Leeds United’s fabric. This club will fulfil Norman Hunter’s dream of promotion in his name, because he was a winner and as old friends we owe him that; to celebrate a life well led. And you’re right Norman, what a life it was.   

 

[WALMOT]

28 years ago today in a remarkable game at Bramell Lane Leeds won 3-2 to go 4 points clear of Man Utd who had to win at Liverpool or Leeds were crowned Champions, Liverpool won 2-0 so Leeds were the last ever 1st Division Champions.

https://video.leedsunited.com/video?playlist=aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWVkc3VuaXRlZC1jbS5zdHJlYW1hbWcuY29tL2FwaS92MS9hZmY3NDdiYy0xYmNkLTQyZGYtOWQ2Yi01NDBhNTcyYzY4MTYvM2djNEpaaFpvVVpqaGNUWEs0TjlHWU5xOFJwd0JvbTdBczE5UDVGY2VLTFc3OUJ3cnYvMTA1MzVkNDEtMGVjMC00NDViLWIxMWEtMTE4YTdlNjgyYmEwL2VuL2ZlZWQvMDJhMzk0ODktZGUxNS00YTkwLTk1MjQtNWM1ZDc3YmJiYmRhL3NlY3Rpb25zLz9zZWN0aW9uPWE4ODUzMWEzLTI0ZjYtNGJiMi1hNzBkLWY5MTIzNzAxODc5NSZwYWdlU2l6ZT04&entry=0_4aws673s

 

[Barry Ferguson's Hat]

Premhistoric pish. My gran could have won the 1st division. 

[Distant Doonhamer]

Trevor Cherry dies.    Trevor Cherry             

[WALMOT]

13 hours ago, Distant Doonhamer said:

Trevor Cherry dies.    Trevor Cherry             

Sudden heart attack going by reports.

RIP Trevor.

 

[Bedford White]

On 26/04/2020 at 13:34, WALMOT said:

28 years ago today in a remarkable game at Bramell Lane Leeds won 3-2 to go 4 points clear of Man Utd who had to win at Liverpool or Leeds were crowned Champions, Liverpool won 2-0 so Leeds were the last ever 1st Division Champions.

https://video.leedsunited.com/video?playlist=aHR0cHM6Ly9sZWVkc3VuaXRlZC1jbS5zdHJlYW1hbWcuY29tL2FwaS92MS9hZmY3NDdiYy0xYmNkLTQyZGYtOWQ2Yi01NDBhNTcyYzY4MTYvM2djNEpaaFpvVVpqaGNUWEs0TjlHWU5xOFJwd0JvbTdBczE5UDVGY2VLTFc3OUJ3cnYvMTA1MzVkNDEtMGVjMC00NDViLWIxMWEtMTE4YTdlNjgyYmEwL2VuL2ZlZWQvMDJhMzk0ODktZGUxNS00YTkwLTk1MjQtNWM1ZDc3YmJiYmRhL3NlY3Rpb25zLz9zZWN0aW9uPWE4ODUzMWEzLTI0ZjYtNGJiMi1hNzBkLWY5MTIzNzAxODc5NSZwYWdlU2l6ZT04&entry=0_4aws673s

 

Was there - happy days if a bit surreal. Found out we were champions on Newcastle station while waiting for Edinburgh train. A couple of Lanarkshire whites who had also been at the game relayed the result from Anfield. 

[WALMOT]

A very rare Lee Chapman interview:-

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/lee-chapman-leeds-united-1990-promotion-bournemouth-howard-wilkinson-2848981

 

[paul-r-cfc]

Watching the last episode of the Prime documentary and I can't get over how infuriating that Aston Villa incident is. Leeds under no obligation to stop a promising attack, the boy clearly isn't injured and John Terry has the most smackable face going.

[repeat_offender]

18 hours ago, paul-r-cfc said:

Watching the last episode of the Prime documentary and I can't get over how infuriating that Aston Villa incident is. Leeds under no obligation to stop a promising attack, the boy clearly isn't injured and John Terry has the most smackable face going.

 

The maddest thing I've ever witnessed at a match, I suspect Amazon edited the footage but at the game itself  the whole episode seemed to go on for ages.

Roberts made a half hearted attempt at kicking the ball into touch but it was picked up by Klich, you can see him thinking "it could be 20 yards or 30 yards"  just before chaos ensued.

The game was a dead rubber for Leeds.

 

[Bedford White]

Kings of the cardboard cut outs. I want mine to be removed to the bar on 38th minute.

 

Leeds United (@LUFC) Tweeted: #LUFC will be taking more! So far 15,000 Crowdies have been ordered by fans, and will be backing the lads during our final five home games! https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1272144899295588352?s=20

[repeat_offender]

3 hours ago, Bedford White said:

Kings of the cardboard cut outs. I want mine to be removed to the bar on 38th minute.

Even then you're in danger of not getting a pint before the 2nd half starts. I watched the videos of Spurs new stadium and bars with envy, to be fair populating our own bars with staff familiar with UK currency would be a step forward at least.