Leeds United

Funny old club, aren't they! Extremely unloveable. There isn't much to recommend them.

Revie's Leeds were as despicable a bunch as ever pulled football boots on and the Ridsdale Years did much to define absolutely everything that is wrong with modern football.

But that said Leeds is the biggest single club city in the country and Leeds itself has a huge population - roughly three times the size of Plymouth.

And they have a history of some truly great sides: Revie's and O'Leary's Leeds were both very, very good: both reached European Cup/Champs League semi-finals (Revie's did better - and were robbed).

They have a history of dodgy owners, their fans have acted like scum on many occasions but, on the other hand, I have never seen fans support their team as noisily as Leeds's have at Home Park.

And yet today they lost to Watford. In my childhood Watford were a bottom of div 4 team and Leeds were at the very top. It just doesn't seem right.

Will Leeds ever get back to PL level football or have they been damaged too badly by the travails of the last 20 years or so?

I'm surprised Leeds fans have allowed so much shit to happen at their club, shit caused by so few.

While I understand all the 'Leeds scum' comments and the so-called hatred I've always had a bit of admiration for them.  Their support is 2nd to none IMO and they really ought to be top flight battling with the best of them.  Looking at their plight, maybe ours isn't so terrible (yeah I'm getting desperate and know I'm wrong).  I'm just surprised how calm they've been, compared to say Blackpool fans over the last couple of years.

I tried to be fair to them in my opener. Some of their fans have been awful on numerous occasions. As bad as any anywhere. On the other hand they have been spectacular in the way they have made noise and got behind their team every time they have been to Home Park in my memory. Second to none.

Quite why they have been so unsuccessful in opposition to shyster owners is a mystery. If anybody was going to truly get it together surely it is them. But no.

Have they been damaged beyond repair or will, one day, some saviour emerge and bankroll them to glory? I can't think of a better team to do that with - apart from Argyle, natch.

Probably the accepting era we live in and the change in dynamics of your typical football supporter.

I just couldn't imagine the Glazier takeover being successful in the 70s. Nor would Bates have been able to double the prices for Leeds fans in division 3 in the same era. Fans are just so worthless these days. Newcastle are another club, hate Ashley but can't remove him.

Think they fight behind the scenes mainly.
Blackpools owners of many years standing i might add have always been unpopular.

Newcastle is an interesting one. Before Ashley there was Hall & Shepherd. H&S established Newcastle as a big club but in doing so milked plenty of money out along the way. I suppose they both thrived so there was no harm done.

Ashley... were do you start? Has he been that bad for them? Admittedly they have won nothing but then again they rarely have.

Sunderland. There's another. How did they end up with such a magnificent stadium? And they never do anything much. Never have. Can't see that they ever will.

Brands come and go. Tides ebb and flow. Football is no different. Where are M&S in the grand scheme of things. And who can forget C&A, the Ipswich Town of retail.
Leeds is a tough tatty place, and Elland Road not the friendliest of places. Yorkshire folk are bombastic and self opinionated, perfect demographic for football fans. Wolves fans on the other hand are surprisingly a right bunch of wimps. Maybe it's a water thing.

The Revie team was a great footballing side, one of the all time greats out of the blue, similar to the Tottenham double team. Sometimes stars align perfectly and tarry awhile.
However, I do see Ridsdale as a disaster for Leeds, and probably ruined for a generation any sense of healthy community they might have had. A self serving snake oil salesman, poison for any community. Doesn't bode well for us.
Are Leeds still paying off debts from the bad days ? I'm sure these things hang around like unreported ghosts. A bit like the mine workings in Cornwall, where individuals plunder for a bit, and then up sticks and vanish, leaving a decimated land full of slags and clitter. It happens on so many levels.

Sunderland and Newcastle have followed the fate of their industries in my mind. Passionate, big and loud, but always the workhorse for others to take the riches. I played at Roker Park once. Quite an awe inspiring place, although the pitch itself was a coal tip.

Lord Biro wrote:

Brands come and go. Tides ebb and flow. Football is no different. Where are M&S in the grand scheme of things. And who can forget C&A, the Ipswich Town of retail.
Leeds is a tough tatty place, and Elland Road not the friendliest of places. Yorkshire folk are bombastic and self opinionated, perfect demographic for football fans. Wolves fans on the other hand are surprisingly a right bunch of wimps. Maybe it's a water thing.

The Revie team was a great footballing side, one of the all time greats out of the blue, similar to the Tottenham double team. Sometimes stars align perfectly and tarry awhile.
However, I do see Ridsdale as a disaster for Leeds, and probably ruined for a generation any sense of healthy community they might have had. A self serving snake oil salesman, poison for any community. Doesn't bode well for us.
Are Leeds still paying off debts from the bad days ? I'm sure these things hang around like unreported ghosts. A bit like the mine workings in Cornwall, where individuals plunder for a bit, and then up sticks and vanish, leaving a decimated land full of slags and clitter. It happens on so many levels.

Sunderland and Newcastle have followed the fate of their industries in my mind. Passionate, big and loud, but always the workhorse for others to take the riches. I played at Roker Park once. Quite an awe inspiring place, although the pitch itself was a coal tip.

English schools cup final circa 1968/69 against Washington Grammar for Sutton High.I was too frail and lightweight to get anywhere near the team in those days.
Typically, Argyle let the school down for the return leg and it was played at Brickfields I believe. I remember being there. Think we lost 2-1 after getting beat 5-1 at Roker ? You were a youngun, dear boy and I believe we've had this conversation before.......................

What is concerning is that Leeds are trying to challenge the collective bargaining position of the Football League with regards to TV rights. They want a Spanish system whereby clubs individually negotiate returns from TV deals. Can you imagine the Chairman of Crawley phoning Sky? He'd still be on hold now.

This is wrong and in the same week where FA Cup replays are being challenged then is very dangerous for lower league sides.

I've nothing against Leeds fans. In the age of the plastic, quiet stadiums with synchronised music and pre-match displays they are for want of a better phrase "real fans". Given their geographical dominance they have been let down.

Their experiences in being denied at least one major European trophy seems to sum them up - farcical.

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

Sunderland. There's another. How did they end up with such a magnificent stadium? And they never do anything much. Never have. Can't see that they ever will.

As a young 'un in the 70s watching MOTD I always remember being impressed by Roker Park and the 'Roker Roar'. I guess Roker Park was on a bit of prime land (probs stating the obvious here). I reckon most Sun'land fans of age miss the old place and would give anything to return.

Leeds fans typify Yorkshire, 'orrible opinionated bastards, Argyle bogey team but always have good support through thick and thin. On that note they've known the highs and lows quite often with literally months between them.

Who wants to play Leeds, when you can play Accy Stan, yovo Crawley Morecombe newport dagnum...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz for the next twenty years!!... God bless Jimmy.

Half of the wankers raving about the atmosphere at HP now have never been there with a few thousand Leeds fans,the families would have been shitting themselves. If ever we get back to the CCC (post Brent a few years I would think) we will have to rethink the family area.

Great post made by a Preston supporter on one of the football forums when the possible Ridsdale takeover at PNE was under discussion.The poster in question said that "Ridsdale wrecked Leeds,so you can't say that he hasn't contributed anything worthwhile to English football". Mind you ,they've certainly made some progress since he went there.

Not so long ago that bradford was a bigger city than leeds.
Bradford had two pro clubs......park avenue beat arsenal at highbury in 1949.

Leeds follow England away in quite big numbers. They're a nightmare apparently, refusing to speak or mix with other supporters and generally being arrogant tossers. Bristol City, are another crowd that aren't nearly as big as they think they are, they had 4 season in the top division in the late 1970's then plummeted to division 4 in consecutive seasons. Wolves supporters are just miserable.

Coxside_Green wrote:

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

Sunderland. There's another. How did they end up with such a magnificent stadium? And they never do anything much. Never have. Can't see that they ever will.

As a young 'un in the 70s watching MOTD I always remember being impressed by Roker Park and the 'Roker Roar'.  I guess Roker Park was on a bit of prime land (probs stating the obvious here).  I reckon most Sun'land fans of age miss the old place and would give anything to return.

There is no "prime land" in or around Sunderland and the SoL only cost £23 million iirc.