Seems like a pretty important moment in the history of the club, so thought I'd write up some of my thoughts on it. As some of you may now, I'm a relative youngling on these boards (24), and hadn't attended a Premier League game prior to this season. I didn't see Don Revie's greats, or witness Wilko lifting the title. Too young even for O'Leary's talents. I grew up on League One football, and cut my teeth on Warnock-ball. Bielsa has given me the best years following my football club thus far. He restored pride and belief to a sleeping giant, and did what many thought was impossible in waking Leeds United Football Club.
From that first game against Stoke, it has been a rollercoaster full of monumental highs, and it has been astounding to see how far some of those lads have come. Kalvin Phillips, Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling, Mateusz Klich, just to name a few. Bielsa took raw ingredients and he moulded them into gold, like some mad, demented, obsessive alchemist. Through what has been an awful last few years, he gave us all some relief, and provided us all some shred of hope, something to look forward to after a week of isolation and loneliness (at least for me). Ever game, every moment, was a pleasure to watch (well, almost all of them). I will be forever glad that I got to live that journey with him.
This season has been a culmination of many things. Injuries, for sure haven't helped, but ultimately, I think things just stopped working the way that they had been. It is the cruelty of fate that so many of the things that created this enduring love also became the things that formed the knife to sever his connection with the club. The stubbornness in the face of everything, the relentless workrate, the madness of man-for-man marking, the complete lack of any other way of playing. If this were a storybook, Bielsa would keep us up, and get to have that last game, hearing the crowd of Elland Road chanting his name. Life isn't always the way it is in stories, though. Sometimes it is unfair, and sometimes it is cruel.
I love Marcelo Bielsa. I always will, in part for that journey, and also for the man that he is. If this is the end, then I am glad that we got to experience one of football's great unsung managers at the helm of our football club. I will support whoever comes next, sing for them at Elland Road, because we need unity now more than ever. Still, I won't forget the mad old alchemist that came before them. Not ever.
See, I can be poetic and deep when I want to be.
Farewell?
posted on 26/2/22
isolation and loneliness
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sad to hear this, take care mate.
posted on 26/2/22
Nice personal piece lubo.
It’s been a roller coaster ride that’s for sure but one where the ups have far outweighed the downs and never a dull moment.
posted on 26/2/22
Well written lubo mate
posted on 26/2/22
Wise words, young man.
posted on 26/2/22
I loved what Marcelo stood for. In an era where the game is shallow and mostly pathetic, he worked with such strong morals and never strayed from his beliefs.
Even though it didn’t work all the time, and spectacularly backfired on occasion, I loved the fact we approached every game thinking ‘we’re going to have a go today’.
What a shame the club ended it this way. A brilliant era with some sensational football served up.
I pray we don’t go back to the days of ‘playing for a point’ to scrape through meaningless seasons. That’s not what football is about.
posted on 27/2/22
Bielsa was in uncharted territory - a fourth season - but where was the method in his madness? The results have been absolutely DIRE! Whatever has happened has happened and too much money is at stake. Now it seems we have Jesse Marsch - who the fuq is he?
It's a fuqing sad day and no mistake.
posted on 27/2/22
Now it seems we have Jesse Marsch - who the fuq is he?
.......................
The next Darko Milanic!