I have but one hope for the season..

Interesting comments.

All clubs have their detractors when times aren't so great but I'd say Leeds United is different to most others.

No club has a right to a place in football's elite but here is a club that came from nowhere to shake the foundations of football. There was a clinical element to our play that hadn't been seen before.

That aspect to our game drew significant support as years went by but equally we became the team to hate for the non-believers. Dirty Leeds.

It's also fair to say that we didn't win as much silverware as we should have done during our halcyon days. Indeed, some might argue that the Football League robbed us of the double in '72 and the controversies of '73 and '75 will always be remembered.

There is something about Leeds United that produces the most fervent support in the game. Externally, fiercely proud, loyal and vociferous. Internally, we harbour unrealistic expectations and we're incredibly impatient.

I've supported Leeds United since 1967. I do believe, at times, we have been poorly treated bu the authorities. The club has never really been popular outside its own family for whatever reason and I think it's cost us on occasions.

The Cup Winners Cup was clearly down to a corrupt referee. In other competitions clubs found guilty of cheating have been stripped of their honours retrospectively yet AC Milan never was.

It's easy to think of conspiracy theories but makes you think eh?

I can't speak for later generations but certainly my era share similar thoughts. We deserved more. We experienced amazing highs and then, in the aftermath of the Ridsdale era, terrible lows.

There's clearly a desire to get back to the glory days and to answer your question, the Leeds United faithful is more demanding of its club. But isn't that the reason why we follow the club in hordes? Unwavering support and dedication.

We simply ask the players and custodians to show similar levels of commitment and effort. When they don't, we let them know about it....

comment by Stevie Dee (U10061)
posted 5 minutes ago
Interesting comments.

All clubs have their detractors when times aren't so great but I'd say Leeds United is different to most others.

No club has a right to a place in football's elite but here is a club that came from nowhere to shake the foundations of football. There was a clinical element to our play that hadn't been seen before.

That aspect to our game drew significant support as years went by but equally we became the team to hate for the non-believers. Dirty Leeds.

It's also fair to say that we didn't win as much silverware as we should have done during our halcyon days. Indeed, some might argue that the Football League robbed us of the double in '72 and the controversies of '73 and '75 will always be remembered.

There is something about Leeds United that produces the most fervent support in the game. Externally, fiercely proud, loyal and vociferous. Internally, we harbour unrealistic expectations and we're incredibly impatient.

I've supported Leeds United since 1967. I do believe, at times, we have been poorly treated bu the authorities. The club has never really been popular outside its own family for whatever reason and I think it's cost us on occasions.

The Cup Winners Cup was clearly down to a corrupt referee. In other competitions clubs found guilty of cheating have been stripped of their honours retrospectively yet AC Milan never was.

It's easy to think of conspiracy theories but makes you think eh?

I can't speak for later generations but certainly my era share similar thoughts. We deserved more. We experienced amazing highs and then, in the aftermath of the Ridsdale era, terrible lows.

There's clearly a desire to get back to the glory days and to answer your question, the Leeds United faithful is more demanding of its club. But isn't that the reason why we follow the club in hordes? Unwavering support and dedication.

We simply ask the players and custodians to show similar levels of commitment and effort. When they don't, we let them know about it....


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Great comment, thank you. Always good to get the input of those who have been through even thicker and thinner than myself. It is indeed a special club, hated by most but by the same token, a lot of them would love to see us back in the top league.

I just hate to think that we could end up being masters of our own downfall. I certainly don’t think Radz is the messiah but he is a damn sight better than what we’ve had in recent years. To see some of the abuse he gets on social media really makes me sad. It’s not the majority I’m sure but these people have got to stop letting years of mismanagement cloud their judgement. Who’s to say he won’t get sick of feeling damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t and decide to sell up. Sure, we might end up with the greatest owner we’ve ever had but we it could be that we get Bates/GFH/Cellino mk2 or even worse.

Fans have every right to voice their opinions if it’s not going the way they believe it should, hell, they pay the wages but I think it would be more productive to show unwavering support during the season and voice major concerns at the end. Easier said than done I realise but I really do think a negative atmosphere during games does way more harm than good.

good article unc. i was very positive that we would be crap if we started the season with heck in charge.
to me that would be taking away from the positives you have stated. with a experienced manager in i have hope we will be able to attract the type of players needed for his system. ive only been a leeds fan since the fall from the PL so i really haven't seen the good times. my highlight is the - 15 season.
but that will change someday, like stevie said no one has a divine right to their place at the top but leeds with the right backing has all the credentials.

Harrogate....

It is a forlorn hope I am afraid and in my opinion quite rightly.
The amplification, as you put it, is simply explained. You are quite rightly pointing out that Leeds fans dissapoinent is louder than at other clubs (so is our enthusiasm when we get a little taste of success). So simply put, because you are using other clubs as the benchmark let’s point out the differences:
1. We have had a succession of owners that have used Leeds as a piggy bank.
2. We were flying in the PL and our board decided it would be a good idea to gamble our future and then run for the hills (Alan Leighton et al)
3. When we have had chance of promotion a certain owner held back our efforts not once but twice
4. We have seen a succession of home grown stars leave to fund point 1
5. This has been going on for 14 years!
6. (Not all fans thoughts but mine) We are a major city and our future development desperately needs a Premier League team
My only criticism of the present guardian of our club is he has surrounded himself with people that don’t know Leeds. We had a London company designing our new badge managed internally by Mr Kinnear who does not know Leeds. This is one visible example of the disconnect. Hopefully Andrea will put this right.
Anyway, let’s get stuck into the season as right now my anticipation as enthusiasm is amplified more than any fan in the Championship!
MOT ALAW

Great thread, great comments.

Yes, we are hard on the players on match day and hard on the management. Like Stevie Dee, I've been a supporter for a long time, and our history of success and notoriety has established the club as a giant, one that got knocked out in its Fall under that gross idiot Ridsdale. I still don't think he's paid for what happened to us.

So, we won the old First Div title on the last year before the Prem was established. The business of football has changed so much during the last twenty years, and these changes particularly relate to money.

We "Fell from Grace" at exactly the wrong time, just when the tv money etc began to rocket along with player valuation inflation, etc. There is now a HUGE gulf between the PL and the lower leagues, and it is increasingly more difficult to bridge that gap.

The supporters read about the transfer deals which underscore a nagging fear that the longer we leave it, the more difficult it's going to be to go up and stay up, let along challenge the top clubs.

Leeds fans have always been hard and demanding but I think they are more so now because they understand that the business of football is becoming so that it may well soon be impossible to challenge the top clubs, if it isn't already.

And this is what Radrizzani has to get his head round. It's got to be now, or may well soon be never...

Stevie - I think your synopsis is arguably one of the best I have ever read on here.

Not sure there is a huge gap between the Premier League and the Championship as such, how else do you explain teams that go up and stay up, in recent years a few teams have managed to go up and stay there. That is good management against the odds.
What there is though is a huge cavern between the Championship teams and the upper echelon of the Premier League, Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea etc.
To some degree that's always been the case, it's just very exaggerated now due to Sky and Mega rich owners.
Do not see it as a great leap to join the lower ranked teams and with shrewd management stay there, but that next step is what will become harder.
The longer we languish the harder it becomes.
Think we now have a manager to get us moving in the right direction he needs backing though.
Fans will be at ER and follow us away in their droves this season, my hope is that appointing Bielsa isn't just a smokescreen. A clever bit of PR to win the fans over but without any intention of properly investing in the team.

This season will be my 50th watching Leeds so I have been lucky to see the good times as well as the bad times always said because of the good times I would take the bad times but now it’s time for the good times to come back as there are a lot of fans who haven’t been as lucky as some of us,
Leeds United can boil the p1ss out of other fans like no other team and I think we enjoy that and it brings us closer together, a guy said to me last year Leeds are the Northern Soul of football if you know anything about Northern Soul you will understand, we are different to other fans and our club is special, we might not be Man Utd, Liverpool or Arsenal but we are massive in our own way,
As Stevie says the early 70s weren’t kind to us 70-72 we were probably at our peak and should have won the league each year, people forget in 70 the season was bought forward a month due to the World Cup and the cup final was played on April 11th, we played Celtic on a Wednesday and West Ham on the Thursday, Ray Tinkler, Wolves I could go on,
Will Bielsa be a success I hope so but he should give us every chance, but if it does for you younger fans get ready because when this club takes off you won’t have seen anything like it, MOT

comment by The Very Rev Wilko (U21072)
posted 10 hours, 29 minutes ago
Stevie - I think your synopsis is arguably one of the best I have ever read on here.
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Thank you kind Sir....