The Athletic med Simon Grayson-portrett i anledning 50-årsdagen...
Ikke Phil Hay-signert men nice anyway
Utdrag:
He did, though, play for the club he still supports even now. Life as an apprentice at Leeds brought him out of his shell, and there was good fortune in being allocated the coaching staff’s room — cleaning boots and mopping the floor of the open-plan gym, corridor and manager’s office — when it came to his chores at Elland Road. “I’d spend a lot longer doing my job, not because I was meticulous but because I was gobsmacked listening to Billy Bremner telling his stories. It was fascinating. He wasn’t the best coach or the best manager, but his enthusiasm was infectious.
“That time he joined in with the youth team in his suit and shiny shoes, he was still the best player on the pitch. I’d wash the floor and Billy would appear, get the ball out and say, ‘Right, we’ll have a circle’ and start playing that game with two people in the middle chasing the ball. I’d just got it all clean and he’d mess it all up again. But who was going to pass up that chance to play with Billy Bremner? I was lucky. Eddie Gray signed me at 14, and Billy gave me my debut at 17. Two of the biggest names connected with Leeds.â€
That first appearance was a goalless draw with Huddersfield Town — “I cramped up after 65 minutes†— though the right-back turned central midfielder had to move on to secure regular game-time. “I was a sub at Queens Park Rangers on the night before I left for Leicester and Howard Wilkinson told me to go and warm up. There was this big round of applause from the away end, so I turned to the other lad who was with me and said, ‘Oh, that’ll be for me, because I’m leaving.’ He raised an eyebrow as if to say, ‘What are you on about?’ I really don’t think Eric Cantona got my dry sense of humour, to be fair.
“I had a tear in my eye leaving that club, but I had five visits to Wembley and a relegation from the Premier League in my six seasons at Leicester, and two player of the year awards.
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