My how I laughed as I read some of the stuff on this thread 🙂
Folks always seem to forget how much football has changed over the years,
Yes , Leeds did know how to “stop ” players, Norman Hunter Bit legs, Big Jack got in folks way and Wee Billy Bremner was a fiery Scot at times but at the same time the passing ability of Johny Giles was pure genius and Eddie Gray could hypnotize opponents with the way he kept the ball under control. One of the greatest unsung heroes of that time ( imho ) was Paul Reaney, I had the great pleasure of seeing him keep George Best totally out of a game when Bestie was at his prime, and he did it not by kicking him out of the game but by taking the ball off him time and time again.
As for the fans … Well I’m old enough to remember the days when the away support was a laughing stock … then one year early 70s standing on the Kop( Gelderd End ) I found myself reading an A 5 size flyer, hundreds were being passed out encouraging everyone to get to Old Trafford for the match against Manure as Leeds fans had been getting a regular runa round and kicking there for years and some lads were fed up of hearing about it off manure fans.
So I decided to book on the coach from Harrogate and go along , hoping others may do the same, imagine my surprise as I got on a LEEDS supporters coach to find it half full of Manure fans, but they were even more surprised to see the other half full of Leeds fans…
Got to Old Trafford, parked up by the cricket ground and the police were running round panicing … away supporters at Old Trafford… what’s that about ? seemed to be the attitude … Well that day I think was the start of a big modern day away following for Leeds ( imho ) as about 5,000 of us turned up and the rest is history , we were no longer a “soft ” club and easy targets for home fans.
So in a way its a big THANK YOU to Manure… without you we wouldn’t be hated ( disliked ? ) by quite so many folks.
MOT