He is in there somewhere.
In this weeks Teenage Kicks In our excited young writer Darragh Mullen looks forward to Sunday.
Two articles ago I finished with the statement that I would not be going to Old Trafford as planned because it was far too expensive but having a 7 year old in my house paid dividends this Christmas as Santa left 2 tickets for the Leeds match in Old Trafford this Sunday. This being my annual trip to see the Whites in action (pre season not included) I was over the moon with the present. The trip though was booked through a Man Ure fan so I will be travelling on a chartered Man Ure plane, then a coach to Old Trafford and then sitting in the home end throughout the game but for me this for me was a small sacrifice to pay to see Leeds play our biggest rivals. Naturally I had thought that all other Leeds fans would have felt the same way I did but I was surprised to get an unusual response when I told people about the trip.
I post regularly on the Vital Leeds forum as there are few outlets in Ireland where I can talk about Leeds so it was there where I received the unusual response to my story. Some people proclaimed that they would hate such a trip. They saw a trip like that as hell where they would be with scum fans for a full day and then watch Leeds and not be able to say a word throughout the whole 90 minutes, which to be fair is one thing I am wondering; what will I do if Leeds score a crucial goal?…
Now I am in no way doubting these people in their love of Leeds because I know the well at this stage and many of them are season ticket holders and others make long journeys quite often to get to Elland Road but I think it just showed the difference between overseas fans and fans who travel to Elland Road relatively often. In fact, the only other person who saw it my way was a fan in America who makes her first trip to Elland Road in March so understands what it is like to make that pilgrimage.
The last couple of seasons I have got used to Leeds playing in the lower leagues. I have accepted that my match day experience is now either watching Gillette Soccer Saturday or else listening to the game on UStream and on the very odd occasion watching it on tv, although usually thats a cup game. My annual trip to see Leeds then is something special. Usually done in a day trip, it is the occasion that makes it so special. Whether you are 7 or 70. Travelling a long distance to Elland Road is something special and something a Leeds fan lives for. It’s about finally getting to see the team you read about every day of the week and you have followed for years and the longer the gap between your last visit, the better the anticipation. Having to travel with the opposition and sitting with the opposition is a very small price to pay so that you can make your annual pilgrimage to see the team you idolise.
Personally I cannot wait for Sunday. It has been a while since I have been so excited about something but I really do feel that I am justified in feeling this way. Being completely honest I am not going to Old Trafford expecting much. We are playing against one of the best teams in the world, no matter how much we hate to admit it, against a team who are just coming off a 5-0 thrashing against Wigan. I am going there for the atmosphere and the occasion and to actually see our side play and judge them for myself. I dream about the magic of the cup actually working in our favour for once but my attitude going into it is if I don’t expect much on the pitch then I will be pleasantly surprised with anything positive we do.That is just my pessimistic approach to things but the way i see it, there is no point of me going over there getting my hopes up because otherwise its going to be a long trip home.
All of this is not just for us oversea fans. I realise that there are fans living in the UK who also go to extraordinary lengths to get to Leeds on a Saturday be they coming from Plymouth or Aberdeen and I commend anyone who can do that. They make this long trip, not for a result, but just to get a glimpse of Leeds United which is what every overseas fan wants be they coming from Dublin or Dubai. All they can hope is that when they get there that the team gives them a performance worth travelling for.
