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What a difference a year makes.

It was the news that the annual Elland Road open day (dubbed the “Sunday Funday”) will take place on August 3rd this year and that the club are hoping beat the 3,000 attendance figure for last season, that set me thinking about the changes over the last year. Beating that attendance shouldn’t be difficult considering the different circumstances that prevail at Leeds United compared to just a year ago…

Twelve months ago an unpopular Dennis Wise, seen more as an ex-Chelsea player than Leeds Utd manager, was suffering fans’ protests at pre-season friendlies. He had to put a team together in just eight days following a relegation season and weeks of legal wrangling over administration and there was a real doubt that the team would even start the season.

Finally, the club faced what many felt would be certain relegation into the fourth tier of English football following the imposition of an unprecedented 15 point penalty, by the vindictive Football League, before the club to get its “golden share” back.

Pass the valium!

Fast forward twelve months and the club achieved 91 points on the pitch and missed the championship of League One by one point. Because of the 15 point penalty the Leeds fans got to see Leeds United play at the new Wembley rather than next season in the Championship.

But off the pitch Leeds Utd fans set over twenty new League One attendance records and had the highest single attendance, average attendance and aggregate attendance in the whole Football League, including the Championship clubs - despite the police moving over 50% of kick-off times at away grounds to try and reduce the numbers of Leeds fans attending. In fact half-a-dozen Premier League chairmen would have swopped their clubs’ dismal attendances for that of the United faithful.

On the pitch a new local hero emerged, Jonny Howson and Paul Huntington rose from the reserves to shake off the Carlisle United boo-boys and keep his place through the play-offs and on to Wembley. The previous season had seen Jermaine Beckford star in a promoted Scunthorpe United side as Leeds were being relegated; this year he won the League One Player of the Season Award in the white shirt of Leeds United.

In February Dennis Wise was replaced with the surprise choice of Gary McAllister who introduced a new passing game at Elland Road and made one low-key signing - Dougie Freedman - a striker in a squad that boasted Beckford and Kandol - but it was a masterstroke and the Leeds fans got one more, unlikely, hero in one of the most incredible season’s in its history.

The reviving stature of Leeds United was demonstrated at the end of May when Andy Robinson left new League One Champions Swansea City and Championship football next season to join Leeds United back in League One. Anthony Elding rejected a summer move to Crewe Alexandra, prefering to stay and fight for his place.

Although there will be departures of Dennis Wise’s signings - Matt Heath has already joined relegated Colchester United - Gary McAllister knows that he does not have to sell our best players, as has occurred in recent seasons, and he has a reasonable transfer budget that has come from the pockets of the Leeds faithful turning up in droves at Elland Road rather than borrowed from the banks.

To paraphrase a famous saying, twelve months is certainly a long time in the history of Leeds United and I think the club can look forward to a record attendance at the 2008 “Sunday Funday” at Elland Road, and deservedly so this time.

“Our father who art in heaven,
deliver us from Leeds fans..”
SYP Asst Chief Constable

Image by incurable_hippie via Flickr

The South Yorkshire Klavern of the Gefusspo have caused the Rotherham v Leeds United pre-season friendly to be cancelled.

In an extraordinary display of ineptitude South Yorkshire Police have admitted they cannot police a friendly football match between Rotherham United and Leeds United.

Given that they were able to police the fixture in the Championship three seasons ago we are awaiting a public statement from the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire as to what terrible fate has befallen his officers/and or his budget that he is no longer able to police simple domestic sporting events between two Yorkshire teams.

This clearly raises questions as to the fitness of the South Yorkshire constabulary to contribute in any meaningful way to the fight against terrorism or indeed school crossing patrols.

It is rumoured that the South Yorkshire police have asked Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday if one of them wouldn’t mind disbanding as they can’t really be expected to police two football grounds during the season.

The immediate resignation of the Chief Constable is expected any day. Did you know that from September 2006 the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire earns over £133,000 per year! Hands up everyone whose first thought was “value-for-money”? Feel free to add your comments below.

(Police apologists - please note the content of this article is protected under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights).

Regular readers of LeedsUtd365.co.uk will know that we have been outspoken in opposition to the moving of Leeds United games by police simply to make them more difficult for Leeds fans to attend. It calls into question the whole ethos of a ‘level playing field for clubs’ in the Football League and the routine use of powers by the police that were designed for use in special circumstances.

Judging by the unprintable comments we have received from police officers or their supporters we must have touched a nerve out there - see our story on Yeovil last season and the two stories earlier this week.

Finally, it seems like someone else is taking up the cudgels, if somewhat belatedly, on behalf Leeds United fans. With the number of Leeds United fixtures altered in the 2007-08 season in double figures Leeds United supporters club chairman Ray Fell has finally come out and said in the YEP,

“I understand the need for rearranging fixtures when there are good reasons for doing so, but what worries me is the fact that our games seem to get moved as a matter of course.

“The first reaction to an away game involving Leeds seems to be to think about moving the date or the kick-off time, and the feeling is that we’re getting a raw deal.

“There were very few signs of trouble last season and the fans get a bit fed up when they’re being asked to visit places like Yeovil on a Friday night for no good reason.

“I think we have to accept certain games will be affected but I’d ask the police and other clubs to show common sense and a bit of restraint when considering whether a traditional 3pm kick-off time is so difficult to stick to.”

It is time the police had the courtesy to publicly give reasons why they have advised a club to move a football fixture.

The legislation may not require them to do so, but the last time I looked I didn’t live in a police state, and as the police do police us by consent, they should explain to those affected by the use of their special powers why they have chosen to do so - unless they feel that we just have to do what they say because they wear a uniform -in which case, it is time for the independent judiciary to earn their, eye-watering, public salaries and examine the use of these powers to ensure they are not being used ultra vires by the police.

Less than eight hours after the fixtures for 2008-09 are announced we have the first change of kick-off time for a Leeds United game. On this occasion it is the police in Peterborough who appear to have been surprised by the fact that their city has football club.

Despite weeks of consultation with police forces across the country, prior the fixtures being announced it appears the police in Peterborough were asleep on the job and have been caught out.

Now in a panic because some Leeds fans may turn up to watch their dismal local team they have peremptorily moved the game to 12:00. On the plus side its 12 noon rather than 12 midnight! Apparently the 3pm kick off would interfere with the police getting to the Sheepmolesters Arms for their darts and doms night at 7pm sharp!

Is it any wonder the police can’t stop crime when they can’t prepare for scheduled football matches? The Peterborough “Football Intelligence” Officer must have been trained by the Yeovil and South Wales Police forces. Do you think they are being deliberately ironic when they issue themselves with these job titles or can they really not see it?

Anyhoo - if you’re still interested in jumping through hoops to attend this exciting, nerve-jangling fixture against the Mighty Posh - it’s on Saturday October 4th - kick-off at 12 NOON.

Personally I’d give it a miss - I don’t go where I’m not wanted - but some of you may enjoy seeing the team of the spawn of the Dark Lord of Mordor, Darren Fergybum, get a good kicking from the lads in White.