Henry Winter leverer igjen. Rimelig grundig intervju med Joffy. Fin og ‘grounded’ fyr, som har skjønt Leeds!
HENRY WINTER | JOE GELHARDT INTERVIEW
Joe Gelhardt: I lost 9kg in my first season at Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa. I had to change my habits
Moving to Leeds was an eye-opener for the 20-year-old who found out quickly what is needed to succeed at the top
Henry Winter
, Chief Football Writer
Friday August 19 2022, 5.00pm, The Times
When Joe Gelhardt was being pursued by clubs like Everton, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City, the then Wigan Athletic teenager went to a meeting with Leeds United’s charismatic director of football, Victor Orta. “He showed me a presentation about Leeds, the fans and the history,” Gelhardt recalls. “As soon as I walked out of the meeting, I said to my mum ‘this is the place for me’. I knew straight away.”
Two years on, Gelhardt has played 21 times for Leeds in the Premier League, is widely considered on a pathway to the England team and is even more in thrall to the Elland Road passion pit. On Tuesday he could be found standing on a makeshift pitch at Ebor Gardens, three miles from where Leeds host Chelsea on Sunday, playing football with fans alongside team-mate Tyler Adams.
Gelhardt was so involved in this Premier League Kicks community project laid on by Leeds United Foundation’s inspiring coaches for local youngsters that he even rushed back to make a goal-line clearance. Afterwards, the youngsters crowded around “Joffy”, a nickname taken from the King Jaffe Joffer character in the film Coming to America that his uncle, also Joe, was called because he used to watch it all the time. A family friend had a daughter in Gelhardt’s class, she started calling him Joffy and the name stuck. Leeds fans love Joffy. It’s the fearlessness and the street footballer in him that so appeals. He dribbles, creates and scores.
Surrounded by Leeds supporters, Gelhardt couldn’t stop smiling. “The video Victor showed me of the fans show how much Leeds means to the people,” the 20-year-old says. “It’s what I love. It was a no-brainer to come here. When I’ve been in the stand watching a game, the fans are scary loud but when I’m on the pitch, it feels even louder. It’s a cliché but they really are like a 12th man when we’re pushing for something. It lifts me 100 per cent. I don’t get tired as much, because I want to put in the work for the Leeds fans. They’re trying so hard to spur us on. I just want to give everything back for them. We were getting beat 7-0 by Man City last season and you could hear the Leeds fans more than City fans. That shows how special they are.
“Leeds represent passion, hard work and never giving up. They are the three things that stick out to me when I think about Leeds. Togetherness as well. If one person’s going through something (difficult) we’re all going through it. In performances on the pitch as players as we show that.’’
Gelhardt looks around the small pitch with the portable goals and high rises as a backdrop. It reminds him of his early years in Netherton, Liverpool. “I played on something like this growing up,” he continues. “I loved it. I played all the time. I didn’t know anything else, really. I’d go back there now if I could. When I do go back to my old street, there’s some grass and a few of the kids play there, my brother’s mates, so I play with them, not often though.” (His brother Daniel is in Wigan academy).
Gelhardt obliges with all the requests for selfies cheerily. “My mum would kill me if I wasn’t that way,’’ he adds. “She installed those values early. It’s the best way to be, just polite to everyone. You never know what anyone’s going through so make sure you’re nice to everyone on a day-to-day basis even if you’re in a bad mood. If you do start to get carried away people in Liverpool would bring you back down to earth quickly.”
He attended Chesterfield High School in Crosby, alma mater of James Vaughan (Everton) and Jack Robinson (Liverpool). “It’s always been associated with sport. They were helpful. I used to go on day release to Wigan so they were happy with me missing school but I’d have to catch up. I wasn’t treated any differently to any other kid just because I play football.”
He got to Anfield when he could. “I was a Liverpool fan. I went a few times when I was a kid, not that much because I used to play on Saturdays for Wigan and Sundays for Merseyside Boys. Fernando Torres was my favourite when he was at Liverpool. It was his hair — I was only young, and I wanted hair like Torres. He was a top player as well. Supporting Liverpool, he was the main man for the few seasons. When I started understanding football, Torres was the first person I looked at.
“But all through my life [Lionel] Messi has been my favourite. Messi’s just the best. What he does is ridiculous.” At 5ft 7in, Messi highlights that height isn’t everything. “It’s a myth,” the 5ft 9in Gelhardt says. “Messi’s the perfect example. You can think of loads of others like [Mo] Salah, Thiago [Alcântara]. They’re world class and they’re not tall.”
He developed his talent at Wigan where he was nicknamed “Wazza” after Wayne Rooney because of his background, strength and finishing prowess. “Wigan was great, friendly. Everyone was lovely at the club, the staff to the players. I can’t thank the Wigan coaches for what they did for me, the hours they put into training. They are top coaches.” He really got on with the manager Paul Cook. “He’s a Scouser as well. He was a good manager as well. I made my Championship debut [at 16] under him, so I’m thankful for him for that.”
He came on at half-time for the injured Josh Windass at Birmingham City on April 27, 2019. “It was scary at first.” He acquitted himself well. “My mum made the journey so I had to do well…”
Lynne Gelhardt features prominently in his story. “She’s the best, so supportive,” Gelhardt says. “From when I was a kid she came to every single game she could around the country. My dad’s a carpet F***er and my mum works in the same place, she does the office work. They’re both very hard-working. My dad doesn’t have a day off. My mum gets the weekend off. My dad works Saturday and Sunday as well. They made a lot of sacrifices for me. Whenever my birthday or Christmas came round and I’d ask for something they always made sure they had it. I know sometimes it wouldn’t have been easy for them.”
They constantly encouraged him, and his hard work underpinned his rise. It’s a message the Leeds coaches like 18-year-old Brooklyn Nixon impart to the youngsters kicking about around Gelhardt. “It’s massive for these kids for Joffy to be here because they see people like Joffy who have put craft and time into their skill, and their skill was football and it’s paid off for them, they’re playing in the Premier League,” Nixon says. “I tell that to all of these kids, ‘You put enough time in school, into anything, you can do whatever you want, the sky is the limit’.”
Such was Gelhardt’s application, and talent, that the FA called early. “I went to my first England camp with the Under-15s and I’ve been in the set-up since,” he recalls. He really announced himself with two goals and an assist in the Montaigu tournament in France in 2018, a competition for Under-16s graced by future stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Thierry Henry and Kylian Mbappe. He’s risen up through age-groups, playing with plenty of prospects. “Loads! Tino Livramento, Fabio Carvalho (now Portugal Under-21s) and Harvey Elliott. He [Elliott] is sound. It’s good to see him doing so well.
“There’s a buzz around young English players. Everyone’s starting to notice now. The talent that’s coming through England is scary, the best in the world because of the great academies, coaches and facilities. It’s starting to show now with the youth teams. The Under-19s won the Euros in the summer.”
Many clubs pursued the young England prospect when Wigan fell into financial difficulties. “We took wage deferrals,” Gelhardt. “I was 17, so it didn’t bother me. Something happened with the owners but we weren’t told properly.”
After that successful meeting between Gelhardt and Orta, Leeds got the player for a bargain £1 million on August 10, 2020. On arrival at Thorp Arch, Gelhardt quickly realised the step up in skill and intensity, especially when joining in the first-team’s “murderball” session under Marcelo Bielsa. “I nearly threw up after my first one,” he recalls. “It was a big shock after Wigan. Sometimes we did pick up injuries it was that intense but fitness wise it was good.
“I lost 9 kilograms in my first season at Leeds. It was a big shock because I’d never really believed in nutrition. I just used to play football and enjoy it. Then I when joined Leeds in the Premier League it was a big step physically so I needed to get used to it. I had to change my habits.” Out went the fizzy drinks and in came the isotonics and shakes. “In Liverpool, when I’d get home I go out with my mates, I wouldn’t even be home for tea. So sometimes I’d get a crappy food which your body doesn’t need. When I joined Leeds, on my own, starting to cook for myself, I had the help of the Leeds nutritionist and the staff. I eat chicken, rice, pasta, noodles, mostly chicken because that’s protein, and then carbs and veg. My diet and body changed.” His running increased from an average 9km in games to 10.5km.
He’s had great role models like Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford. “When I joined, Kalvin sent me a message on Instagram welcoming me. I appreciated Kalvin for that. Kalvin was a lovely, warm lad. He deserved his opportunity to go to one of the best teams in the world, if not the best (Manchester City). I’m made up for him. Pat’s like my mentor. If he was injured, especially at the end of last season, and I’d played, Pat would always send me videos on where I could do better. That sums up the type of guy he is, just willing to help others.”
Gelhardt is happy playing at 9 or 10. “Either, it doesn’t bother me. I can do a job in both. Naturally I’ve come towards the ball, but I don’t mind scrapping and fighting with the centre half.”
Bielsa improved him further. “He’s a genius,” Gelhardt enthuses. “He unlocks a side to players you don’t know you have. He was so complex, sometimes I didn’t understand what he’s talking about until I went on the pitch and it works. ‘Wow! That was what he was talking about.’ It was patterns of play and movement. For example, with me, I was a player who just came to feet all the time. He started to tell me to run in behind, and I started to score a few goals, for the Under-23s.” And then the first team.
Bielsa’s departure on February 27 was seismic. “It was emotional,’’ Gelhardt says. “He came in and did a speech. Everyone knows what he did to the club. Everyone involved in Leeds is very thankful for that. He was a great manager. What he’s done for Leeds is so impressive.”
Bielsa was succeeded by Jesse Marsch. “He’s different,” Gelhardt says. “But the same time intensity-wise in training he’s always pushing us, always want the best from us – and the best for us. Tyler said that when you think you’ve done something well, he [Marsch] will say you could have done it better. That makes me want to be better at it. It makes you better. It makes you push every day. He’s very good tactically as well. He took a hard job last season trying to save us from relegation. He completed the job.”
Gelhardt scored once for Bielsa. “I scored my first Premier League goal against Chelsea away which was unbelievable. The Norwich goal (a late winner under Marsch) topped that because of the situation we were in (fighting relegation).” Both goals were huge, and even though Leeds lost 3-2 to Chelsea, the game was a reminder of an old rivalry. “I didn’t know about the history in the 1970s but I’ve been told by a few of the people at Leeds that there is a big rivalry, so it was good to score.
“I’ve been told of how many fans were there back then, even then when Leeds were down the ladder. Leeds post a lot about the olden days. It doesn’t surprise me really because you see how big they are as a club.” That was also reflected in the intense grief at the sad passing of Peter Lorimer on March 20, 2021. “That showed what type of club we are, the type of support, we are all together. At those sad occasions everyone stands together. That’s the club.”
That unity was seen at Ebor Gardens. After the session, Gelhardt and Adams presented Nixon with a Premier League “community captain” armband as part of the league’s 30th anniversary and mark the inspiring work the coach has done with the club’s Kicks campaign, helping 1,000 local participants from eight to 18. “It’s good for the kids to be getting an opportunity to get involved in activities that will keep them off the streets,” Gelhardt adds. “This is perfect. It’s what kids need. It leads them in the right direction.” And they all want to follow Gelhardt.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/joe-gelhardt-i-lost-9kg-in-my-first-season-at-leeds-under-marcelo-bielsa-i-had-to-change-my-habits-hhcpwkzn6