The post below comes from an unofficial Leeds web site, apparently. I don’t know what to say about it, really, except it strikes me as remarkable; he probably pours more emotion into it than he has anything else in his life, now or past, excluding his kids. I’m sure he put less effort into his wedding speech.
But he hurts, and he’s angry and he’s frustrated. And he’s resigned to relegation.
What did Wellington say, I don’t know what they do to the enemy but, my God, they scare me.
One of the mysteries of life is men and their emotions, I certainly haven’t got a clue and I kind of ought to by now. Anyway, here’s his rant:
I have got to get this off my chest. Been going man and boy my credentials are not in doubt, believe me. Got the T shirt, video and 23 consec season tickets to prove it. Fought, been twatted, given a slapping, been arrested, charged and nearly sent down for 6 months. Mug shot plastered over the YEP, local tv, national papers and sky sports during hunt for Leeds soccer thugs. Been in away ends length and breadth inc Birmingham first game back after riot, Bratfut more times than i care to mention, been on the pitch home and away and represented Leeds at England games, and ps have the club etched into my body.
Now my point.
I am Leeds through and through. I support the name that is ‘Leeds Utd’ and everything it is supposed to mean. No longer though will i tolerate supporting a club that is so far removed from what the real fans support. By this i mean criminal money men who think of leeds as a balance sheet and not a footbal club. A club that should be for the fans not the shareholders. I may not have been the best type of ‘fan’ that the club wanted but who else was supporting them during the 80’s home and away. Who else was going to place’s like Swindon on a Tuesday night? who else followed the club to difficult places like OT, Millwall, all the London clubs etc to provide the team with that much needed much wanted vocal support that encourages the team in places like that to try and get the results we needed. Then theres the expense, the using up of valuable holidays etc…who does all that…the lads thats who NOT the glory seekers the fly by nights the corporates. The johhny cum late, the I’ll start going cos they are winning things now.
And what have the club done to this hardcore fan base over the last ten years, the likes of me and you? they’ve cast us aside.
Made us buy tickets for everything, but only if you have a members card so they have your name and ID, address. So they can force the hard sell on you for credit cards, insurance, phone alerts, etc etc.
Forced you to sit down at home , oh no you can’t stand up and sing and enjoy the passion of moment or you will be ejected. No questions asked. Dare swear and your out, look at a steward in a funny way and your out son! But we are the fans! the singers, the hardcore, the followers, the supporters of the team away, the get up at 6 in the morning lads to travel expensively away neglecting wives , girlfiends children.
Whats gona happen next year when the wheel falls of the bandwagon. The season ticket sales dive, the matchday ticket sales plummet, the stands become empty and eerily quieter, the marketing men are not meeting sales figure cos no one is buying replica shirts, scarves, phone alerts, programmes, @#%$ t shirts and coats, the list is endless…what then. What then when the hardcore remain…how will they treat us then.
Treat us differently?,…with some respect?? Fuckin doubt it.
I for one might not be there…in the ground. I’ll be following away from home where i know the real lads will be there, the real fans who put their hands in there pockets, who make the effort for no thanks at all except maybe a few players clapping u for 5 seconds at the end of the game. Yeah, like that really makes up for the 8 hour round trip! I’ll be trying to outsing the home fans, urging the team on.
I’ll still be there walking down any sreet in any town with my head held high, I am LEEDS, we are LEEDS.
The club? they can @#% themselves. When we stop being a business run by moneymen for moneymen i might be back. Im not being disloyal just sick to the teeth of paying out my good money, hard earned,to be overcharged, stewarded to hell, forced with the hardsell, to watch unkown frenchmen pick up an inflated wage and not try till their lungs are bursting. And its not just the foreigners either. Sick of seeing directors criminaly @#% up the club and walk away with big payoffs while i struggle to afford a holiday cos i have to find the money to follow the lads. Sick of seeing us sell sell sell. Who’s gonna buy the @#%$ replica gear now, i never have and never will, programmes…fuckin shite just a vehicle for club propaganda a means for making money, give me a fanzine anyday.
What am i trying to say? @#%$ if i know other than I’m sick of what has happened to my club. I feel its criminal what the ‘business men’ have done and all in the space of two years. other fans may take the piss, let em. Every club has some cross to bear. But bear this in mind. If you think you will have an easy ride at ER or when we come visiting your town then think again. We’re (the real fans/lads) not going anywhere. We’re down but we are not out. Infact i feel a new dawn is arising. We’ll regroup and we’ll be back…and wont the Nationwide know it!
Heart on sleeve and rant over.