Hiding The Horizon
It turns out that where the rest of us see problems at Leeds United, Marcelo Bielsa sees solutions. And the solutions he sees are among the reasons why people call him El Loco; to anyone else they'd be mad.
It turns out that where the rest of us see problems at Leeds United, Marcelo Bielsa sees solutions. And the solutions he sees are among the reasons why people call him El Loco; to anyone else they'd be mad.
Imagine turning up to the first home match of the biggest promotion attempt in years, and seeing Vinnie Jones is sitting on the bench, and Mickey Thomas is starting. Maybe that's the real reason fans were smashing windows.
Few players do less to hide their emotions: when Pontus Jansson is happy, he runs to the fans and punches the air, and when he's sad, he turns his entire face upside down and glooms away down the tunnel. If there's any doubt how he's feeling, there will be an Instagram post explaining it.
Tthere's something simple and appealing about Bielsa's stoic-ball. 'Don't worry about them, let them worry about you' is a trope that has always been interpreted by Warnockian centre-halves to mean 'kick the other bastards first', but what Bielsa offers is something more profound.
If I could I'd take along a huge old fashioned broom to the last match, and use it to beat the dust from the backside of every single one of the players for letting us down so badly this season.
This design was supposed to be unique, breaking from the past yet rooted in the fan culture that makes Leeds United special. But by removing every trace of previous crests, they removed any connection between this crest and Leeds United Football Club as we have known it.
Everything is coming together nicely for Lasogga to be derided as the German Billy Paynter before he and his mum even have the chance to be chased out of the Millennium Square Christkindlmarkt for lewd behaviour.
It’s eighteen years since a wacky Leeds United beanie was plonked on Woodgate’s bonce to celebrate the Youth Cup win; or, in other words, Lewis Cook’s entire life.
The asking price was met. The deal was done. The player was ‘reluctant’, ‘unsure’, ‘unwilling to commit.’ All phrases that translate as ‘a treacherous coward’ in the ears of a Leeds United fan. Arrogance? We married it. “Forestieri? I bought him,” says Cellino.
The official account was telling fans: 'Don't go to bed just yet...there is still work to be done', there was reason to believe something was going on behind the scenes, even before the same account retweeted captain Jason Pearce announcing, “Oooooo this is decent…..”