a little bundle of sunshine I am.
“Michael is a 46 year old (as of April 2009) Yorkshireman who lives in South West London with his wife and 2 of his 3 children; he occasionally works in lobbying and likes real ale, single malt and saying it like it is”. Not exactly the most informative of profiles but it’s all you need and it’s all you’re going to get. What I figure is more important to the odd passing reader is what/where I am in terms of my relationship with football, if I choose to occupy cyber-space with my endless writing I suppose I should outline some of the core elements.
As a lifelong Leeds United fan, some years going to every game, some years not as many, I am therefore blessed with complete piece of mind and special luck, or if I am I have somehow missed it. There are worse clubs to support. Three times in my life my club has won the ultimate English football prize, it has reached the semi-final/final stages of the big European cups 6 times and the show-piece domestic trophy finals 5 times. Since 1963 it has been in the top division for 34 seasons, most of them in the top half. What a great ying. The yang? Well, a bit of a reputation fans wise with some of it surpassing feral, the first ever Premier League financial meltdown, Peter Ridsdale, Ken Bates (our World Class Shyster) and others providing us with an endless supply of iffy owners, a recent introduction to the third level, some of the worst football ever to be inflicted on living souls (special place in the hall of infamy to Kevin Blackwell and Dennis Wise for that), 3 play-off disasters in 4 seasons, lost grounds, lost training pitches, lost pride. Put it all together and you have a permanent market for prozac.
It’s a mute debate how much the plight of Leeds reflects the rotting core of English football or is just a reflection of a unique set of circumstances (or maybe the traveller community curse is true in which case I might as well stop now). Some in that little family of brothers known as Leeds United fans still believe it’s all just a matter of time before we return to M62 rivalry, but I’d be as happy with a trip to Spotland and Gigg Lane as I would to Old Trafford. I’m not sure yet when commentators will stop saying “only x years ago Leeds were at the Mestalla in the semi-final of the CL but today they visit Bletchley” but we will get that even if we get back to the PL soon so why stress it? In essence we are a unique story, told in sad undertones by believers to our kin but used as a belly laugh guarantee by every other football fan in the land. When Port Vale or Wycombe fans chant “you’re not famous anymore” at you everything else to come is but an irrelevant surface scratch.
Now, would I be living in Yorkshire, have more money than sense, a even more understanding misses and Buddha’s personality I would likely as not continue to spend ridiculous amounts of money watching substandard football and being treated as a criminal in strange towns. As it happens my entire personal circumstances make watching Leeds a touch difficult. But strangely enough that has been true for the last 8 years and yet I have managed to attend as many games from an Essex (don’t ask) or “Surrey” base as I did when I lived in Cookridge (Google map it). So what’s changed things? Well I think I have done enough blind loyalty. I stopped enjoying my football stress free in 2002, stopped any blind respect for the club in 2003, started an increased distaste for parts of the support around 2005 and started to think we were cursed in 2006. Despite numerous attempts at galvanising the support into positive action, the decline went on, the clubs stunts got more blatant, the fans more spineless. There comes a moment when you just give up throwing pearls at swine. No 2009-10 season ticket for me, no away season ticket either, with the odds of getting them back in my life declining as my children grow.
Unlike some who worship at Elland Road I like to think I have an affinity with a broad range of English football. Presently I’m about 10 grounds away from a proper 92 (although I have no intention of having that registered as I am not a closet train spotter) and slowly developing an interest in Stage 4-7 clubs (non league). Living where I do gives me access to 20 different clubs without having to folk out a small fortune in rail-fare. The range looks appetizing at times, Fulham at one extreme, Corinthian Casuals at the other. I’m looking forward to seeing a bit of “local”. It will certainly be a change and could be a personal odyssey (yes sorry, writers speak already). I hope to find something that’s being missing from my football experience for some time, genuine hope in supporters, intelligent running of clubs, care and attention for fans and with a bit of luck, some decent passing football. I had hoped to be sharing these, and my foray back into LUFC addiction on Clarkeonenil but as is always the case so far the “first love” has taken over. If this blog does nothing else but keep me sane I’ll just be happy just to have enjoyed the ride.
