Supporting Leeds United through the 80s and 90s provided a rollercoaster ride of relative highs and lows as the once great club initially looked to some old boys (Billy Bremner, Allan Clarke and Eddie Gray) to raise them back to the level many of the fans thought they deserved to occupy.
The truth was that too much was expected too soon of so many young players and when they did begin to develop into effective professionals, too often this happened after they had left the club (David Seaman, Dennis Irwin, Tommy Wright to name a few). This meant the club languished in the old Second Division for longer than they cared to with the excitement of challenging in the end of season play-offs and the FA Cup semi-final, the only bright lights in an extended departure from English football's top division.
In the late 80s a new manager was appointed. Howard Wilkinson was highly regarded within the game, brought a new professionalism to the club and literally swept away the ghosts of the old team of the 70s by removing the photos of the title winning teams of the 60s and 70s, hoping to replace them with photos of his new Leeds United team winning trophies.
Wilkinson based his teams around the premise of industry producing results. Initially the team stabilised in his first season and in the second, they pressed for promotion to the old First Division. The lead in the promotion race was contested between Leeds United and Sheffield United as the season progressed and at Easter, Dave Bassett brought his team to Elland Road for what was seen by many as a title decider.
Leeds won the game at a canter with four goals being scored past the hapless Simon Tracey in the Sheffield United goal. Coming at the end of a run which had seen Leeds pick up just 2 points in the previous 4 games, this win couldn't have been better timed. It also gave Leeds the confidence to push on and close out the title with a win at Bournemouth just 3 weeks later.
The record books (and I had to look up a few facts for this post but not this one) show that Lee Chapman scored the winner that day at Bournemouth and I can still recall the euphoria when the ball went in the goal and the final whistle sounded. I remember streaming out of Leeds Civic Theatre where I had watched the game on a beamback and marching off down Park Row to City Square where I and thousands of other fans celebrated the club's promotion with a sense of disbelief.
What I didn't pick up in those late stages of the season was the emergence of a talented player who predominantly played on the left hand side of midfield, but he did turn out as a striker and at left back as well. A player who scored that day for Leeds against Sheffield United, but who also scored against Bradford City and Brighton & Hove Albion to help secure two vital points in the run-in to that crucial game at Bournemouth. That player was Gary Speed. The Gary Speed who went on to be part of the magical midfield of Speed, McAllister, Batty and Strachan which drove Leeds United on to their 3rd league title in their history just two years later.
The same Gary Speed who racked up 535 Premier League appearances (which is still a record for an outfield player), made 85 appearances for Wales, played for Everton (the club he supported as a boy) along with Bolton, Newcastle and Sheffield United, entered international football management just a year ago and had made much progress with Wales. The same Gary Speed who ended his own life at home last Sunday and whose death reduced me to tears as much as the death of my own father 3 years ago. Tears which flow freely each time I read the tributes posted on the internet, broadcast on the tv/radio and published in the newspapers.
This is my own tribute to a man no one had a bad word about. Gary, thank you for your contribution to a great time in my life, for building the foundations of the resurrection of my football club and for showing that good guys don't always come last. Rest in peace...
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The truth was that too much was expected too soon of so many young players and when they did begin to develop into effective professionals, too often this happened after they had left the club (David Seaman, Dennis Irwin, Tommy Wright to name a few). This meant the club languished in the old Second Division for longer than they cared to with the excitement of challenging in the end of season play-offs and the FA Cup semi-final, the only bright lights in an extended departure from English football's top division.
In the late 80s a new manager was appointed. Howard Wilkinson was highly regarded within the game, brought a new professionalism to the club and literally swept away the ghosts of the old team of the 70s by removing the photos of the title winning teams of the 60s and 70s, hoping to replace them with photos of his new Leeds United team winning trophies.
Wilkinson based his teams around the premise of industry producing results. Initially the team stabilised in his first season and in the second, they pressed for promotion to the old First Division. The lead in the promotion race was contested between Leeds United and Sheffield United as the season progressed and at Easter, Dave Bassett brought his team to Elland Road for what was seen by many as a title decider.
Leeds won the game at a canter with four goals being scored past the hapless Simon Tracey in the Sheffield United goal. Coming at the end of a run which had seen Leeds pick up just 2 points in the previous 4 games, this win couldn't have been better timed. It also gave Leeds the confidence to push on and close out the title with a win at Bournemouth just 3 weeks later.
The record books (and I had to look up a few facts for this post but not this one) show that Lee Chapman scored the winner that day at Bournemouth and I can still recall the euphoria when the ball went in the goal and the final whistle sounded. I remember streaming out of Leeds Civic Theatre where I had watched the game on a beamback and marching off down Park Row to City Square where I and thousands of other fans celebrated the club's promotion with a sense of disbelief.
What I didn't pick up in those late stages of the season was the emergence of a talented player who predominantly played on the left hand side of midfield, but he did turn out as a striker and at left back as well. A player who scored that day for Leeds against Sheffield United, but who also scored against Bradford City and Brighton & Hove Albion to help secure two vital points in the run-in to that crucial game at Bournemouth. That player was Gary Speed. The Gary Speed who went on to be part of the magical midfield of Speed, McAllister, Batty and Strachan which drove Leeds United on to their 3rd league title in their history just two years later.
The same Gary Speed who racked up 535 Premier League appearances (which is still a record for an outfield player), made 85 appearances for Wales, played for Everton (the club he supported as a boy) along with Bolton, Newcastle and Sheffield United, entered international football management just a year ago and had made much progress with Wales. The same Gary Speed who ended his own life at home last Sunday and whose death reduced me to tears as much as the death of my own father 3 years ago. Tears which flow freely each time I read the tributes posted on the internet, broadcast on the tv/radio and published in the newspapers.
This is my own tribute to a man no one had a bad word about. Gary, thank you for your contribution to a great time in my life, for building the foundations of the resurrection of my football club and for showing that good guys don't always come last. Rest in peace...
Continue reading...
