As I write there is still the question of the fate of Garry with two Rs hanging over our heads. Unfortunately this is not the first time that Leeds United fans have come across this phenomenon – der der – der der der. So I thought I would handily summarise at least some of the past events in our history, which I feel (and again I MUST reiterate – my words are my own, read The Disclaimer) have blighted our glorious history. The Imbalance of power that controls the destiny of our beloved Leeds United in summary.
These are a selection of some events which I believe Leeds United have been discriminated against unfairly, and if it were any other club / Chairman / manager / team /players (you get my drift) , the result may well have been different. The list is by no means complete and exhaustive, but I haven’t got enough time to do a comprehensive one now, nor never really.
The Cup Winners Cup Final in 1973.
Bent as a two bob note referee who never refereed another professional international game in his life. Richard Corbutt (MEP for Yorks and Humber) took a petition to UEFA with thousands of signatures regarding that match. Even the local fans boo-ed the lap of honour in Salonika and some Milan fans are still embarrassed by the sad affair. Even the Daily Telegraph did an article on it ( see link below)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/leeds-united/5159007/Uefa-asked-to-probe-Leeds-Uniteds-1973-Cup-Winners-Cup-defeat-to-AC-Milan.html
The European Final in Paris 1975
Robbed again by dodgy referee and cheating Beckenbauer, who years later admitted that the tackle on Clarke was a blatant foul and we should have had a penalty. In an act of shame, after the ref clearly pointed to the centre spot after giving Lorimer the goal, Beckenbauer “had a word” with the ref about Billy being offside and the rest is history. In an article to the YEP in May 2015, Allan Clarke said that he still hasn’t spoken to any of that Bayern team nor the referee since that game, and hopes he never will. Outstanding! There’s a man who can hold a grudge, the MPO has a long, long way to go!
Playing league title decider two days after the FA Cup final in 1972
48 hours after playing Arsenal at Wembley, we were expected to be fully fit and rested for the league title decider. Nowadays, the Premiership teams are moaning about fixture congestion and wanting a winter break because players are playing too many games. This despite going to the USA and Asia to play in the closed season. Says it all doesn’t it. But lessons have sadly not been learnt and I think the same may well have happened this season too as the Championship play off final is within 48 hours of the FA Cup… lucky that we lost to Sutton then!
The Football Association Fit and Proper Test.
At the end of our 2005/6 season we were in all sorts of a mess with the problems with the court case and Ridsdale spending what he didn’t have, so we were “bailed out” by Bad Papa Smurf in an act of selfless humility. Under Bad Papa Smurfs reign of terror, Shaun Harvey was the chief exec officer and remained so until GFH took over July 2013. He was then appointed by the Football League as the new chief exec whose role it was to address issues with club ownership, governance and compliance with rules. This despite the fact that under his tenure at Bradford City, the club collapsed into administration and almost full liquidation. Whilst he was at Leeds United, in 2007 the club collapsed into administration owing approx £35 million with reported £7 million in taxes due. He told a parliamentary select committee that despite being Chief Exec at Leeds, he had no idea who owned Leeds United. He was also found guilty of harassment using Yorkshire Radio and the Leeds United matchday programme. Something that to this day he has never apologised for. Somehow, the Football League felt that this man was qualified for this job! Hmmm. In March 2014 Carson Yeung ( Birmingham City owner ) was convicted and jailed for 6 years for money laundering. Meanwhile, Owen Oyston (Blackpool owner) served nearly four years after being found guilty of another crime, his son was also found guilty of offensive language and was banned for six weeks from footballing activities. Before anyone does a Donald Trump at me, this is NOT fake news, it is in fact, well, fact. If you don’t believe me you can google it, plus it’s on Wikipedia, so MUST be true. There are others such as the Blackburn, Coventry City and Charlton owners, who aren’t exactly shining lights of propriety either, you can look them up yourselves and make your own minds up, if you think I am being too harsh. Meanwhile, Mr Cellino appears to have some issues with a boat and some cars and was immediately banned by the same Football League who appear to have no problems with any of the above. The initial conviction in an Italian court was appealed and it has now been completely quashed, with Mr Cellino acknowledged as having done nothing wrong. Whatever you think of our Chairman, still not right is it?
The Football League Television Deal
The thing that hardly any of the English Football League Chairman have actually seen , let alone read, that was signed on behalf of them by, you guessed it, Shaun Harvey. Since when do you put your name to something you haven’t read? So Mr Cellino just before Christmas 2015 decides that moving games for the benefit of TV whenever the TV companies dictate it, isn’t really something he signed up for it and would like to see a copy of said contract. For his efforts he gets a rollicking, a lambasting even, by all corners of the media and fans and chairmen alike. Even though, most fans secretly agreed with him. Come December 2016, there is a meeting at Pride Park, where all 72 of the EFL clubs were invited. The meeting was to discuss what the Derby County Chairman, Mel Morris, described as a lack of transparency when it comes to the major dealings with a significant financial impact to the EFL clubs. Cellino was hailed as a madman clutching at straws at the time, it only took a year for the rest of the league to realise what was going on. Their rights signed away by someone who saw two clubs go into administration.
Excessive celebration of a goal.
Pontus got a yellow card for jumping into the crowd after he scored his first goal in Nov 2016. Meanwhile on Sunday, the Hudds Town manager not only leaves his technical area, but runs 50 yards on the pitch to celebrate the goal. The referee and the linesmen do nothing at all, until Garry decides to block him as he is running through our technical area. Me? I would have slyly stuck out a foot to trip him up, in a Roadrunner v Wile E Coyote move, hoping for a classic fall flat on his face. This is because when it boils down to it, I am not a responsible grown up, I am a petty minded child at heart. Sadly, unlike me, Garry with two Rs isn’t, and didn’t, and had to put up with a load of earache until Pep and the rest of the team piled in. Earlier this season Fulham and QPR were fined about £40,000 each for their touchline brawl. We wait with bated breath to see what happens……
