They all hate Leeds, still
Article by Jeremy Taylor
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Watching the lunchtime kick off on Sky Sports on Sunday, one could clearly hear the Manchester United fans singing “We all hate Leeds Scum” repeatedly throughout the match. And while this delightful musical expression by our cross-Pennine neighbors was obviously not intended as a compliment in any way, to Leeds United and it’s fans that’s exactly what it is.
After all, how many other Championship clubs had songs sung about them during Premiership games this weekend?
It’s highly unlikely that this will have dawned on Mr Cellino, but hopefully someone will tell him, because it’s a timely and impactful reminder of exactly what he bought back in 2013 and what an opportunity he has. Leeds United may have been catatonic for over a decade, but under the snow and ice of the ongoing Elland Road hibernation, a European heavyweight is patiently waiting to rise up.
As this time of year always shows us, a Championship club is never that far from the promised land. Much like the Grand National, those in the know will always have their favorites before the race starts but ultimately anyone can win it and surprises are always aplenty over the course.
Watford are the first side this season to clinch promotion from the Championship and you have to respect their achievement. They’ve not been amazing this season, but they’ve stayed together, worked hard and have a good, solid squad. Crucially, they’ve been consistent in their approach and played their own football; a combination that has seen them grow stronger as the season has gone on. A true blueprint for the sort of path Leeds United could follow if the pieces are in place in time.
Leeds United need something this summer that they haven’t had in well over a decade. Positive stability.
So no drama’s, no takeovers, no major asset stripping, no court cases, no managerial disputes… just a steady ship and a bit of investment. All things that are in Cellino’s reach.
In fact, they’re even closer. They are actually in his hands already.
There are three simple steps he can take to give Leeds the best chance of success next season. Firstly he needs to hand Redfearn another one-year contract. Anything longer will only add more pressure.
Secondly, he needs to re-instate Steve Thompson. The record with him next to Redfearn versus without speaks for itself and quite frankly, he could have green hair and horns and it wouldn’t matter. Get him back, give him his tracksuit and a nice cup of tea and point towards the training ground. If Redfearn wants him and feels he needs him then so be it.
The third thing is to spend some money on players. Simples.
Curiously, it’s actually the third step that will probably be easiest for Cellino in terms of palatability. Rumour has it he’s already been ‘scouting’ players in places such as Portugal over the past few weeks, but quite what Cellino’s idea of scouting is remains to be seen. Let’s just hope it’s slightly more in-depth than his scouting of Dave Hockaday.
It’s almost certainly too much to ask for Redfearn (or any coach for that matter) to have carte blanche over who comes in, but hopefully he can at least dictate which areas of the team need strengthening.
What we don’t want is another batch of reputable and allegedly talented (and seemingly perpetually unfit) players such as Benedicic, Sloth, Cani, Doukara, Bianchi and Ngoyi arriving at Thorpe Arch. They might all be good talents individually, but football is a squad game and the balance has to be just right. Otherwise you just end up with a load of faces in the dressing room wondering when they might actually play a match or where they’re going to live.
If Cellino wants to play the part of Director of Football as well as Chairman or President then so be it. But no matter whether you have a coach, a manager or a Sith Lord in the dugout, it’s the person responsible for the group that must say what areas of the squad need attention.
Worryingly, a report filtered out yesterday about a Leeds fan who managed to bump into Cellino in a hotel lobby immediately after the Sheffield Wednesday victory. A fan who then engaged the always receptive Italian in a friendly dialogue, only to be told that as far as Redfearn goes, “he’s a coach and he needs to shut his f-ing mouth” and that he (the fan before him) should “open his F-ing eyes”. All delivered with a smile and the usual charisma of course, so no offence was intended.
But nevertheless, it’s another alarming selection of words by the Leeds United supremo, and a sentiment that doesn’t exactly give much hope towards the first step as outlined above.
Looking at Cellino’s history and his self-proclaimed habit of ‘trouble-making’, sense dictates that he’ll probably show Redfearn the door and Leeds will be back to square one.
Equally though, Cellino is madly impulsive enough to totally change his mind if Redfearn can deliver a rousing and emphatic victory at home to Rotherham on the last day of the season. After all, if Cellino’s shown anything so far it’s that he genuinely cares about the fans and what they think. So, if there’s enough support from the terraces for the under-fire ‘coach’ then don’t be surprised if a grand gesture by way of a contract extension is announced shortly after.
This Leeds fan for one certainly hopes so.
@Jezaldinho
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
Subscribe to the e-Football Podcast on iTunes! (Click Here)
Watching the lunchtime kick off on Sky Sports on Sunday, one could clearly hear the Manchester United fans singing “We all hate Leeds Scum” repeatedly throughout the match. And while this delightful musical expression by our cross-Pennine neighbors was obviously not intended as a compliment in any way, to Leeds United and it’s fans that’s exactly what it is.
After all, how many other Championship clubs had songs sung about them during Premiership games this weekend?
It’s highly unlikely that this will have dawned on Mr Cellino, but hopefully someone will tell him, because it’s a timely and impactful reminder of exactly what he bought back in 2013 and what an opportunity he has. Leeds United may have been catatonic for over a decade, but under the snow and ice of the ongoing Elland Road hibernation, a European heavyweight is patiently waiting to rise up.
As this time of year always shows us, a Championship club is never that far from the promised land. Much like the Grand National, those in the know will always have their favorites before the race starts but ultimately anyone can win it and surprises are always aplenty over the course.
Watford are the first side this season to clinch promotion from the Championship and you have to respect their achievement. They’ve not been amazing this season, but they’ve stayed together, worked hard and have a good, solid squad. Crucially, they’ve been consistent in their approach and played their own football; a combination that has seen them grow stronger as the season has gone on. A true blueprint for the sort of path Leeds United could follow if the pieces are in place in time.
Leeds United need something this summer that they haven’t had in well over a decade. Positive stability.
So no drama’s, no takeovers, no major asset stripping, no court cases, no managerial disputes… just a steady ship and a bit of investment. All things that are in Cellino’s reach.
In fact, they’re even closer. They are actually in his hands already.
There are three simple steps he can take to give Leeds the best chance of success next season. Firstly he needs to hand Redfearn another one-year contract. Anything longer will only add more pressure.
Secondly, he needs to re-instate Steve Thompson. The record with him next to Redfearn versus without speaks for itself and quite frankly, he could have green hair and horns and it wouldn’t matter. Get him back, give him his tracksuit and a nice cup of tea and point towards the training ground. If Redfearn wants him and feels he needs him then so be it.
The third thing is to spend some money on players. Simples.
Curiously, it’s actually the third step that will probably be easiest for Cellino in terms of palatability. Rumour has it he’s already been ‘scouting’ players in places such as Portugal over the past few weeks, but quite what Cellino’s idea of scouting is remains to be seen. Let’s just hope it’s slightly more in-depth than his scouting of Dave Hockaday.
It’s almost certainly too much to ask for Redfearn (or any coach for that matter) to have carte blanche over who comes in, but hopefully he can at least dictate which areas of the team need strengthening.
What we don’t want is another batch of reputable and allegedly talented (and seemingly perpetually unfit) players such as Benedicic, Sloth, Cani, Doukara, Bianchi and Ngoyi arriving at Thorpe Arch. They might all be good talents individually, but football is a squad game and the balance has to be just right. Otherwise you just end up with a load of faces in the dressing room wondering when they might actually play a match or where they’re going to live.
If Cellino wants to play the part of Director of Football as well as Chairman or President then so be it. But no matter whether you have a coach, a manager or a Sith Lord in the dugout, it’s the person responsible for the group that must say what areas of the squad need attention.
Worryingly, a report filtered out yesterday about a Leeds fan who managed to bump into Cellino in a hotel lobby immediately after the Sheffield Wednesday victory. A fan who then engaged the always receptive Italian in a friendly dialogue, only to be told that as far as Redfearn goes, “he’s a coach and he needs to shut his f-ing mouth” and that he (the fan before him) should “open his F-ing eyes”. All delivered with a smile and the usual charisma of course, so no offence was intended.
But nevertheless, it’s another alarming selection of words by the Leeds United supremo, and a sentiment that doesn’t exactly give much hope towards the first step as outlined above.
Looking at Cellino’s history and his self-proclaimed habit of ‘trouble-making’, sense dictates that he’ll probably show Redfearn the door and Leeds will be back to square one.
Equally though, Cellino is madly impulsive enough to totally change his mind if Redfearn can deliver a rousing and emphatic victory at home to Rotherham on the last day of the season. After all, if Cellino’s shown anything so far it’s that he genuinely cares about the fans and what they think. So, if there’s enough support from the terraces for the under-fire ‘coach’ then don’t be surprised if a grand gesture by way of a contract extension is announced shortly after.
This Leeds fan for one certainly hopes so.
@Jezaldinho
© e-Football 2015 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
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