With My Whole Heart Thank You Marcelo

[Paulie.D]

Long time reader, but rare poster.
Fan since 1976, so just missed the really good stuff!! but the one thing that links the 8 year old me with the 52 year old me is Leeds United.

In the summer of 2018, we had Heckingbottom (give me strength) in charge, and had won 4 games, in the last 22. We had a huge, expensive squad, that was full of nobodies and panic buys. A new owner, who seemed nice, but had no real money, and really the horizon was as bleak as ever. The Division was full of Parachute clubs and owners willing to punt money we obviously didn't have.

I genuinely said to my long suffering wife, I was really losing hope, and could not see us even competing for the foreseeable future. Every year the gap between the Premier and the Championship gets wider and wider, and basically the only great thing about the Club was the fan-base.

Then the rumours started. I'm not one of those total football guys, I basically love Leeds, Hate MU and couldn't give a crap about anyone else. I had no idea who Marcelo Bielsa even was. My brother knew, and when he told me how influential he was, I thought 'yeah, he's gonna come to us', but he did!!!
I always thought, coaches are only as good as the players they can get. I was totally 100% wrong.
I will never forget the 3-1 Stoke game, the football that pretty much the same players from the year before served up was unreal. It was like watching Barcelona compared to sh1te we had been served up for the preceding 6 years.
Heartache again sure, but the Don and Seargeant Wilko took 2 years, so I still had the faith. I did have some worries the squad might get sold last summer, it always did in the last 15 years, but Radz held firm, and everyone bar the over rated (IMHO) Jansson stayed, and lets face it we really didn't miss him at all.

This year has been a roller-coaster of emotions, though I never get as high, or low as most modern fans seem to get.
I really won't stand for any criticism of this squad of players. Never in history has any group of players given any more, Sure they're not the greatest players, but the never ending complete commitment is unparalleled. When we lost, the one thing no-one could accuse any player of was giving less than 100%. They are human beings, and no human being can give his best form every week, but they gave everything they had on that day, you REALLY can't ask more of anyone.

So basically Marcelo Bielsa joins a tiny group of humans, how can turn up at my house, at any time and help themselves to anything they want. What's mine is theirs. Even the wife, if they're quick and don't be a dick about it.

THANK YOU MARCELO..... Leeds Royalty for life!