This from the Bangkok Post, the title of the piece is a little unfortunate given the current situation with our [ex?] no.2 but it is very interesting especially the bit about Ellary 'reffing' the game from a current perspective.
Dave S Singapore Whites [email protected] The Gus and Wisey show NOBBY PILES When a team begins the season with minus 15 points you could almost forgive players and fans for throwing in the towel from the start. It is hard to think of a bigger blow to morale. To simply avoid relegation would be a major achievement in itself, let alone anything better than that. Yet Leeds United, almost unbelievably, have their eyes set on promotion - a 150-1 shot at the start of the season. After 12 games they have climbed to ninth in the league having been undefeated so far, winning 10 and drawing two. They are only three points off a play-off spot and six behind leaders Leyton Orient. If it wasn't for the 15-point deduction handed down for financial irregularities, they would be running away with the league on 32 points, nine ahead of Orient. Even allowing for the fact the club are in lowly League 1, when they should really be of Premiership status, this season's performance is still a major achievement. It is a bit ironic that this recovery is being led by two former Chelsea stars, a team which has experienced bitter rivalry with Leeds in the past. Somehow manager Dennis Wise and Gus Poyet have instilled a sense of belief in the team since they took over exactly a year ago. Of course it hasn't been 12 months of total bliss. The Chelsea duo were unable to prevent the club's relegation from the Championship last season and many fans questioned whether Wise and Poyet were the right people for the job. With Ted Bates as chairman it's almost like Chelsea's retirement home. "It was very difficult in the beginning," Poyet admitted this week. Some players turned out to be bad professionals." However, "Gus and Wisey" seemed to have sorted things out in that respect and are getting total commitment from the players. A key factor is that their English strike force of Jermaine Beckford and Tresor Kandol have been banging in goals on a regular basis. They have been helped by a great fan base which has never lost faith in their club. In recent weeks they have been pulling in crowds of more than 29,000 at Elland Road, four times the average gate in their league. This weekend's home fixture against Millwall could even top that. The Chelsea connection still seems a bit strange. Leeds and Chelsea have what is politely called "a bit of history" which was epitomised in the FA Cup Final replay back in 1970, better known as the "Battle of Old Trafford". Chelsea won the match 2-1, the winner being a scrappy goal from central defender David Webb. But the match will always be remembered for its rough play. A few years ago, the magazine Total Football decided to test how rough it was and how the rules had changed, from the point of refereeing. They persuaded former top Premiership referee David Elleray to watch a video of the 1970 Cup Final and pretend he was refereeing under present rules,disregarding technical things like the back pass rule. Under present-day rules, both Chelsea and Leeds would have ended up with eight men. Elleray would have given red cards to Chelsea's Webb (as early as the 13th minute), Ron Harris and Charlie Cooke. He would have handed out reds to Leeds' Jackie Charlton (kicking Peter Osgood in the head!), Johnny Giles and Billy Bremner. In addition to the six reds, Chelsea would have received 13 yellow and Leeds seven. In all Elleray would have given 60 free-kicks in that match, and probably even more reds if he could have heard the back chat from some of the players he "booked". And Webb would not have scored the winning goal because he would have already been sent off. Just seeing some of those names is a reminder what a great team Leeds had at that time. Players not mentioned above include Peter Lorimer and Norman Hunter. Leeds won the league title in 1969 and 1974 and frustratingly finished runners-up for the next three seasons to Everton, Arsenal and Derby County respectively. They were particularly unlucky in 1971 when they were the victims of one of the worst offside non-decisions ever against West Brom, in an incident that still makes it on referee cock-up videos. They lost 1-2 and went on to finish just one point behind Arsenal. Admittedly Leeds did have a well-earned reputation for being on the dirty side and of course Hunter didn't get his nickname "Bites Yer Legs" for nothing. But they could at times play some attractive football, especially when Giles was buzzing. Leeds' last true moment of glory was winning the league title in 1992 - the final season before the Premiership was launched - when Manchester United collapsed in the run-in. It was their first title since the days of Don Revie in 1974. Leeds' dramatic fall from grace, due primarily to overspending, has been well documented. It is hard to imagine that as recently as 2002 they were briefly top of the Premiership under manager David O'Leary. But you get the feeling that it will not be long before they are back in the top flight, playing their old pals at Chelsea again. Now, wouldn't Gus and Wisey just love that. _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist 6 in a bloody row!
