« Svar #2 på: Juli 17, 2008, 19:08:36 »
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Thanks Rob;
the hugely under-rated Gordon Strachan thoroughly deserved his Footballer of the Year award that season - his leadership, intelligence and determination were fantastic and we've never replaced him. I think he irritated opposing fans and I suspect officials to such a degree that he's been consigned to the also rans of football memory but he was special for us that season.
Wilko deserved huge credit, for signing MacAllister as the final part of the best midfield seen since Currie retired and for showing a tactical astuteness that we hardly dreamed he possessed, and one which seemingly departed as soon as the league trophy arrived. In the Villa Park match he employed big John MaClelland in a defensive midfield role that gave us a wonderful base to play from. We also had young Jon Newsome come through and make some vital contributions, bless his lantern jawed hide.
However perhaps the real threat came from the soon to run out of steam Mel Sterland and his ability to find Lee Chapman, a man who who put his head into terrritory previously thought to be the sole preserve of Andy Gray. Chappy had I think it's fair to say, been largely unloved throughout his career but he arrived at Leeds and clicked into a 20 goal a season centre forward who troubled the very best defences (Schmichael and Pallister particularly hated playing against him and we used to lose count of the fouls commited on him that were never punished by, whisper it quietly, the award of a penalty to an away side at Old T).
Chappy had virtually no pace but had two real saving features - as a superb header of the ball he was utterly fearless to get stuck in anywhere, and the ability to look so totally unmenacing in the box that he was able to step back into a yard of space and tap in numerous six-yarders.
The main reason (amongst a few) for our rapid demise was, silly as it may seem, the abolition of the back-pass rule - Wilko and more importantly, our two central defenders just couldn't cope tactically nor pass a decent ball under pressure and Lukic lost his bottle, flapped and couldn't kick for toffee. He'd been a stunning shot-stopper but promptly morphed into Dracula as left wingers everywhere had a field day against our lumbering defence and to add insult we simply didn't sign another quality forward - we needed a Shearer and after much f'ng about, ended up with Brolin and Deane.
We had enjoyed one glorious season where the team peaked and the consequent decline was stunningly rapid - Chapman, Sterland, Lukic, Fairclough and Whyte were never as good - and that's half the starting line up, plus wee Gordon was finding it harder to influence games, albeit there were moments of genius - the wrongly disallowed goal at Ibrox the following season demonstrated not just his ability but also the game epitomised our rapid decline.
One remark I'll take issue with: " ...but after he went normal service was resumed. Leeds' fans became untrustworthy again...". Sorry, but this seems more than a tad gratuitous? There was always a frank exchange of pleasantries betwixt Leeds and Man U followers around this period and the red side were quite as culpable as the Leeds fans in some of the dust ups that went on around these games. I'm presuming (oops) that this is what you have in mind? However, as a home and away regular, these occasions were fairly infrequent overall and whilst we almost certainly retained a few barmpots, we were scarcely unique in that respect? We were and still remain, some of the most vocal followers in the league - although it has to be said, soon after the advent of the PL it started to get quieter at Elland Road as it was wherever you went. 
(
I started to look forward to away games more than home as at least the atmosphere was more sustainable (even if the performances were dire, although a sub zero Burden Park just after Christmas was wonderful fun...but I digress, easily.
...han fikk med
myye
« Siste redigering: Juli 17, 2008, 19:11:59 av Asbjørn »
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