Who? Lucas Radebe Michael
Dr Michael Benjamin, Community Psychiatrist ------------------------------- myRay: On-line Self-Help CBT http://www.myRay.com http://www.myRay.org ------------------------------ Mental Health: http//www.MyDoctorExplains.com -------------------------------- Auditing || Quality Control http://www.MyDoctorExplains.com/alamo/ -------------------------------- Blog: http://www.DrMichaelBenjamin.com On 28 June 2012 12:48, John Boocock IFA < [email protected]> wrote: > http://www.clarkeonenil.co.uk/**06/2012/an-open-letter-to-** > leeds-uniteds-next-owners/<http://www.clarkeonenil.co.uk/06/2012/an-open-letter-to-leeds-uniteds-next-owners/> > > The editorial collective asks for a longer view (with thanks to GG). > > Sir, > > You may be based out of the country, out of Europe, even. But these days > you can’t escape English football wherever you go. So you immediately know > who the big clubs are, what they doing and you even find out about Leeds > after a while. If, dear new owner, you are under forty, you might remember > when Leeds were quite a big club themselves. If you are a bit older, you > might remember when there was no bigger club anywhere. Take for example > Real Madrid: great in the late fifties and early sixties but the Revie Boys > would have thrashed them from 1965 on. > > But this is not another trip down Memory Lane. This is about today and > tomorrow. It’s about planning for the future. > > It is now over fifty years since a 33 year-old Don Revie was appointed > Leeds United manager by a brave Chairman and Board who were committed to > the club. It was a risk that paid huge dividends. Meticulous planning > slowly began to pay off. The dominance Leeds achieved did not happen > overnight but you could clearly see it coming once The Don had begun to > influence everything. As time went by, simply being a Leeds fan was one > long joy. The point I’m trying to bring across is that, once in the midst > of greatness, everything about the club was great. > > I daresay the Revie Boys themselves, now respectfully ageing, didn’t see > it quite the same as us fans since they were always struggling to recover > from knocks and never given time to properly get fit but for us it was so > exciting. It might seem now that we did really well in terms of trophies > but, at the time, we thought we could and should have won everything we > competed for. Watching the matches was fantastic but the time between games > was special, too. After a mighty encounter in the 6th Round of the FA Cup, > you just couldn’t wait till the Wednesday and another huge European match. > Then back to winning the League the following Saturday. It didn’t always > work out but it the whole adventure was amazing. > > And what do have now? > > Leeds were in an even worse position in 1961 than we are today, a second > tier side. But they invested in the future with an ambitious young manager > whom they backed in the transfer market. The manager built a team but also > made the club one big family unit where everyone mattered. Ground > improvements came after the team built success on the field. The nearest > thing to a corporate box in those days was probably an old Air Raid Shelter. > > So, what exactly do we have now? > > A manager who is less than 2 years away from a State Pension and a > not-so-go-ahead Chairman over the last 7 years who became a pensioner in > the last century (and who hopefully is selling to you as you read this). We > express no significant opinion either way on Neil Warnock but it is very > unlikely that he has the hunger, desire, ambition and the time required > that drove Revie to make Leeds a world class club from absolutely nowhere. > > They – well George Santayana says that, “Those who do not remember their > past are condemned to repeat their mistakes.” That’s what is worrying about > Leeds right now, we seem to have forgotten the bright times from our past > and that includes the Wilkinson/O’Leary era. We seem stuck in the bad old > habits that led us nowhere. I know most modern Leeds fans are thinking only > of this coming season, with a dim thought of the next one. Don Revie was > planning a revolution. He was planning for a time when the second tier > no-hopers were going to become part of Europe€™s elite. And, against all > odds, he succeeded because of his strong character and because his ambition > was backed up. > > And what do we have now? Who is going to your Don Revie? Over to you new > owner (stc). > > ______________________________**_________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.** > uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist<http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist> > To unsubscribe, email > [email protected].**org<[email protected]> > > PETE CASS (1962 - 2011) Rest In Peace Mate > _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] PETE CASS (1962 - 2011) Rest In Peace Mate
