Jeg har trua igjen. Og til de som (ikke) tviler. Dette er hva vi skal jobbe mot å kunne si når flyten er tilbake og poengene renner inn:
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that Leeds is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our spirit, this is your answer.It's the answer told by lines that stretched around pubs and stadiums in numbers this world has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Labour and Tory, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native Yorkshire, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled — fans who sends a message to the world that we have never been a collection of white fans and blue fans; we are, and always will be, the United in Leeds United.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time coming, but tomorrow, because of what we did at this period, in this troubled times, at this defining moment, change has come to Leeds United.I just received a very gracious call from Lord Maywhinney. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the money he loves. He has endured sacrifices for himself that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and the Football League for all they have achieved, and I look forward to show them how to renew this club's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank our manager in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Beeston and rode with on that train home to Leeds City Station, the chosen manager of Leeds United, Gary McAllister.
I would not be standing here todat without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next first great phenomenon, The Lads at the Revie Stand. Guys, I love you all so much, and you have earned the new inflatables that's coming with us to the Premierhsip. And while he's no longer with us, I know our Don is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my chief executive, Shaun Harvey; my chief strategist, Paul Dews; and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of footballing — you will make this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this turnaround truly belongs to — it belongs to you.Leeds was never the likeliest candidate for this comeback. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Soho — it began in the backyards of West Stand and the terraces in the Kop and the front porches of West Yokshire citizens.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give £5 and £10 and £20 to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Leeds-supporters who supported and written, and proved that more than two decades later, a club of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this earth. This is your victory.
I know you didn't do this just to win a promotion, and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two promtions, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave supporters waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for their country. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder if Leeds United really will fulfill the comeback to the top of European football. All I can say is: Yes, we can.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even one term, but Leeds United — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you: We as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as Chairman, and we know that administration can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this club the only way it's been done in Leeds for all years since 1919 — block by block, brick by brick, callused hand by callused hand.
What began so many months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this Christmas night. This victory alone is not the change we seek — it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this promotional crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Boardroom while the Elland Road crowd suffers. In this club, we rise or fall as one supporter — as one club.
Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our policy for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this region who first carried the banner of the Caspian Group to Elland Road — a club founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty and regional unity. Those are values we all share, and while the New Leeds has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than our club,
"We are not enemies, but friends... Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection." And, to those Leedsmen whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your ticket, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your Chairman, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world — our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of Leeds United launch is at hand. To those who would tear this club down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if Leeds's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight, we prove once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: unity, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of Leeds United — that Leeds United can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.This promotion-push had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a man who bought her ticket at Headingly. He's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this promotion-push, except for one thing: Gary Edwards paints white over red.
He was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no Romans at Chelsea or americans in Lancashire; when someone like him couldn't chose for two reasons — because he was a Yorkshireman and because of the color of his shirt.
And tonight, I think about all that he's seen throughout his half century in Leeds — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't and the people who pressed on with that Leeds creed: Yes, we can.
At a time when fan's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, he lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, we can.
When there was despair in the South Stand and depression across the town, he saw a club conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new chants and a new sense of common purpose. Yes, we can.
When the points fell on our own ground and tyranny threatened away, he was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and the Leeds Spirit was saved. Yes, we can.He was there for the buses in Kirkstall, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Skipton and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes, we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this promotion, he touched his finger to a screen and bought a ticket, because after 53 years in Leeds, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, he knows how Leeds United can change. Yes, we can.
Leeds United, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Leslie Silver, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time — to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the Leeds Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes, we can.Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United fans of Leeds United.
Inspirasjonen hentet fra:
http://atvs.vg.no/player/?id=19425
