August Bank Holiday looms and with any luck, the weather at Forest will be better than Fleetwood away. Although, I will not complain if I am soaked to the skin but see us score 7 goals in one game again, and I don’t mean in that a Bamba/Bellusci own goal scenario either. Technically the ball hit the back of the oppositions net, that’s a goal for me, regardless of whether they are penalties/extra time/blah blah blah.
A decent result at Luton, a goal on debut for the lad Tyler Denton and a completely different team to Sheff Weds. Blackburn at home in the next round. Yes, not “glamour tie” and no new ground to visit, but I am happy with a winable game, we just need to keep winning. The club have tried to entice crowds back to Elland Road with the season ticket offers this season. Letting you buy a childrens season ticket anywhere in the ground was a good idea. Most clubs want you in a family area and historically if you had kids and wanted to take them to the game, deserting your mates and moving to the (magnificent new) East Stand was the only option. So, good decision there, as long as parents/relatives are taking responsibility for any colourful language the kids are exposed to, that’s fine. I would hope that for the Blackburn game, the powers that be will try to encourage more of this, and before this starts getting anyones back up, at least the club are trying. I am fed up with this whole “well the ground won’t get filled if you paid people to come” and “we’re not paying to watch the reserves play” attitude. Yes, so you don’t like Cellino, you don’t agree with whatever he’s done, he’s the Antichrist and small children, puppies, kittens and fluffy bunny rabbits will burn in fire and brimstone etc. etc.etc. We heard you the first time. Freedom of Speech and the constitution whatever, everyone is entitled to their own views, myself included, but not everyone wants it shoved down their throats. I didn’t agree with the “Bates Out” march through town and I didn’t agree with that “coffin stunt” and the airplane nonsense. If you are that inscenced with what is going on, it’s easy, don’t turn up! That’s the sensible thing to do, hit the club where it hurts, by the revenue. Please don’t get tickets and then spend the game booing players or singing /shouting expletives at the guy. For a start, he probably doesn’t care what you think, secondly it DOESN’T support or help the team and thirdly, especially for away games with ticket restrictions, someone who actually wants to be at the game could be in your place and enjoying it, whether we win , lose or draw. Someone not so far away refused to go to Elland Road for a whole season, despite paying for a season ticket, so just do that. If you are honestly going to a game, hoping that Leeds do badly, just so you have the opportunity to have a go, then, like Zammo, just say no! As for not playing the first team players, yes, that was a surprise at Luton, but we won. Plus, it is a good thing that we at least have players who will be able to come in when the first team get injured. Ultimately, we have options to choose from, plus at least the manager is open to playing these options. When Beradi and Taylor were both out, it proved costly, and last season it was clear the midfield desperately needed something different but we didn’t have it.
While I am on about Garry (with two rs) Monk, good luck to you man! Well done for taking the job and accepting the risks involved, unless for the last 12+ months you have been oblivious to our Chairmans propensity for dispensing managers. Personally, I think Big ( but not so big by the end of the season) Steve Evans did an ok job for us, and he should have been given a bit longer (at least to Halloween 2016) to see what he could do. Last season we had alot of injuries, Wood, Antenucci, Beradi, Taylor and lack of available options, but towards the back end, we got some decent results. Steve also came to LUSC meetings, proudly wore his LUSC tie to a game and engaged with the fans, so for me, he showed his appreciation for our support, priceless! Come on Garry, Deputy Yates wants his photo.
My parting statement for August is that my views are my own. My views may change through the season, but I am allowed to do that, and no doubt someone will point them out to me if and when I do. The one thing that will not change is my views on our ex chairman. There has been alot of talk/presumption/rumours/speculation etc in the press about takeovers and billionaires etc. as well as the obligatory manager sackings etc. Frankly, I don’t care. The papers hate us, notably some more than others, and we are probably not on a certain TV company’s Christmas card list either. There is only one certainty, apart from death and taxes of course, we will never know the truth, but many are happy to continue to guess. Leeds United will always attract headlines, and headlines sell. We may not be famous anymore but maybe infamous….
MPO
Infamy….
