For all of us Leeds fans, promotion means the end of a purgatory stuck out of the Prem. Some Leeds and have never known the Prem, some had a taste of it, some go much farther back and remember Div 2 before, the Revie years and some like AndDonRevie remember pre-war years.
We're obviously all going to be so excited to get out of this division, no longer have to explain to our kids why you can't get panini stickers, why we don't play man u every week and have to explain who Yeboah was.
For the owners and management it will be a desperate relief if we go up that teh financial gamble has worked, their decisions are vindicated in terms of how they ran teh business to get here and that they feel they're now playing with the big boys.
One wonders how Bielsa will feel. He's been at some decent sized clubs, managed internationally and managed Newell's the club that appears to be the footballing love of his life.
We are not the love of his life. We're some club the other side of the world with a language barrier away from his family.
Him and his coaching team have made a big commitment to be here. They made another big commitment to stay a second year and try and finish the job.
We've sen some frustration from Bielsa but also the gold standard in professionalism, dedication and no one, but no one can accuse him of not giving 100% to us over the course of a season and a half.
Things have not been perfect, but they really could not be much more so than they have been in terms of what he has given us.
He doesn't need to be here.
He wants to be here, he wants to succeed by his own metrics, improve players and deliver real football, he has done that and more.
Can he deliver what WE want, promotion?
I think he can, I hope he can.
I'm sure we've all seen the videos of a youthful Biulsea waving a Newell's shirt being held aloft in celebration.
I cast my mind back to the very first goal we scored in teh very first game he was in charge for v Stoke. He was emotionless on his bucket. It's hasn't changed much nearly 80 games later.
I hope, I really hope, that we go up for him, to vindicate his abilities, vindicate wheat he has done for us, vindicate our faith in him.
And what I want to see, what I really want to see, is that when promotion is confirmed, that he celebrates the way he celebrated at Newell's the way he celebrated when he had success with the love of his life, to hope that we see the emotion of a man who might just have found his second home in his footballing life.
What would it mean to Bielsa?
posted on 16/2/20
Sorry liw pressed delete as I meant to press reply
I think/hope the same, that there is a connection, I think he’ll run around the pitch and there will be a pitch invasion and he’ll just bask in it, deservedly so.
posted on 16/2/20
Totally agree, brilliant article
I myself hope he’s fallen in love with us.. would be such a nice touch to see us home after the years of football and crap players.. he has the potential to become a real legend.
He’s just not the usual personality you’d expect either,. sort of Roy Cropper esk.. totally love the man
posted on 16/2/20
comment by The Spanish Italians - its all going to end in tears (U21595)
posted 14 minutes ago
Totally agree, brilliant article
I myself hope he’s fallen in love with us.. would be such a nice touch to see us home after the years of football and crap players.. he has the potential to become a real legend.
He’s just not the usual personality you’d expect either,. sort of Roy Cropper esk.. totally love the man
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good analogy spanish. i think uder it all he'll be happier than a pig in sh!t.
posted on 17/2/20
'We've seen some frustration from Bielsa but also the gold standard in professionalism, dedication, and no one, but no one can accuse him of not giving 100% to us over the course of a season and a half.
Things have not been perfect, but they really could not be much more so than they have been in terms of what he has given us.'
Excellent comment, Jonty. Hopefully he cements his place in our history with promotion, and success in the Premiership. It is important to remember what makes Bielsa such a giant of a man.
posted on 17/2/20
Purgatory - just about sums it up!
posted on 17/2/20
Great post, Jonty.
I think, bearing in mind he clearly has an emotional attachment to Newells - and importantly, it's vice versa in that Newells fans love him in return - we can suggest that Bielsa has a "romantic" nature.
I don't mean that he sends Valentine's cards or any of that nonsense. What I mean is he engages with the emotional demands of football - the tribal aspect of "belonging" to a particular club, which may have a particular story.
He could easily have walked away following the disappointment at the end of last season. No-one would have thought any worse of him for doing so: he was brought in to get us promoted and he failed because the board didn't invest in the squad efficiently. But he didn't.
He stayed on and took responsibility. For Bielsa, it may be that because LUFC is a particular club, like Newells, and has a particular history and a particularly passionate fanbase, he has connected in the same way, is engaging in the same way as he does with Newells. He's a passionate man - he's walked away from some big jobs because he felt disrespected.
I don't think he'll stay if we fail again this year, but if we do go up, I have high hopes his emotional engagement with the club, our story, the fans, the city, the region, etc., will "compel" him to continue.
Our story is a romantic one - the last sleeping giant of English football and all that. Dalgleish identified it and Radrizzani bought in to it - and I think Bielsa has as well.
And I wonder what he could do with players of higher quality! Our current squad, not that much changed since Bielsa's arrival, were a pretty mediocre bunch under TC and Heck. Every player has upped his game to the max (perhaps with the exception of Kiko Casilla?) I wonder what Bielsa could do with some seriously topnotch talent...
posted on 17/2/20
comment by Jaz63 (U8369)
posted 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
Great post, Jonty.
I think, bearing in mind he clearly has an emotional attachment to Newells - and importantly, it's vice versa in that Newells fans love him in return - we can suggest that Bielsa has a "romantic" nature.
I don't mean that he sends Valentine's cards or any of that nonsense. What I mean is he engages with the emotional demands of football - the tribal aspect of "belonging" to a particular club, which may have a particular story.
He could easily have walked away following the disappointment at the end of last season. No-one would have thought any worse of him for doing so: he was brought in to get us promoted and he failed because the board didn't invest in the squad efficiently. But he didn't.
He stayed on and took responsibility. For Bielsa, it may be that because LUFC is a particular club, like Newells, and has a particular history and a particularly passionate fanbase, he has connected in the same way, is engaging in the same way as he does with Newells. He's a passionate man - he's walked away from some big jobs because he felt disrespected.
I don't think he'll stay if we fail again this year, but if we do go up, I have high hopes his emotional engagement with the club, our story, the fans, the city, the region, etc., will "compel" him to continue.
Our story is a romantic one - the last sleeping giant of English football and all that. Dalgleish identified it and Radrizzani bought in to it - and I think Bielsa has as well.
And I wonder what he could do with players of higher quality! Our current squad, not that much changed since Bielsa's arrival, were a pretty mediocre bunch under TC and Heck. Every player has upped his game to the max (perhaps with the exception of Kiko Casilla?) I wonder what Bielsa could do with some seriously topnotch talent...
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Agree with that, I like to think we have a connection but recognise and respect that Newells is first love.
As much as I want promotion for myself and other fans I want it for Bielsa. I want it so that when journalists or fans question his achievements he can just say look at Leeds.
I know he wouldn’t say it arrogantly, but everyone would know he succeeded where not only others have failed but others didn’t even want to try at this club, as Phil Hay says, this club was not for them.
posted on 17/2/20
That Roy Cropper comparison hilarious Spanish!
Lets hope the outcome is less “Roy’s Rolls” and mor Roy of the Rovers!!
posted on 17/2/20
comment by foreverpeacock (U6617)
posted 4 hours, 12 minutes ago
That Roy Cropper comparison hilarious Spanish!
Lets hope the outcome is less “Roy’s Rolls” and mor Roy of the Rovers!!
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its Bamford turning into Haley I'm worried about
posted on 18/2/20
comment by Jonty (U4614)
posted 2 days, 3 hours ago
It’s called an opinion Jonny. We are allowed to have them you know.
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Ah, it’s your opinion, fair enough. I just didn’t read it that way.
Opine away! 😉