What a mental day from start to finish. We decided to get the train from Victoria which takes longer but would have less scum fans on. Good plan despite the announcement of a 40 minute delay, but somewhat ruined when the police got on and said " this Leeds train is probably not going to Leeds " bizarre. So we had to trail up to piccadilly and get that train which was packed. Arrive at Leeds to be met by lots of police but who just stood there doing nothing, no searches, no attempt to divide man u fans fron other people - totally different to my experiences getting off a train full of Leeds in another city. Off to the west Ridings to meet my mates , only to see 20 or so queueing up outside . Obviously not regulars since we just walked round the side and went in that door. Atmosphere was fun up to a point, Dallas song got an airing , plus " team full of rapists" " we are Leeds, we are barny, Mason Greenwood is going to armley" but then really overstepping it with Munich songs - I thought we had pretty much stopped that. Off we go to the buses only to be told by police ( these from Humberside- some of the alleged 900 on duty, almost one per 3 scum fans) that the buses had all been used to transport their fans and none left for us. We took a gamble and waited anyway and managed to get to our places just as the game kicked off. The atmosphere and tension and hatred in the ground must have been a new experience for the younger lads, it was a proper throw back, the old time feel added to by the atrocious weather. We started ok, and had a difficult chance for Harrison and a good shot by Forshaw to show for our efforts. At the other end Meslier produced a stunning point blank save to prevent the " I'm not a rapist, I just paid her off " player from scoring. Then it went to shit. Koch took one in the face, some reckoned an elbow and had his head bandaged then went off. In typical Bielsa style this change led to 3 players shuffling around. Then a corner , koch would have been marking slab head but he was off so it was left to Llorente who, for all his other attributes is poor in the air, and a free header put them one up. We were rocking a bit and the general mood above the hubbub was let's get to half time 1 down. Then in the 6 minutes added on for Kochs injury, they ripped us open and scored a good goal. 2down and game over?
Well no as MB made 2 attacking subs, with Raph and Joffy coming on. This raised the crowd to fever pitch and the players responded flying into tackles and leaving red shirts lying all over the place - soft, diving, cheating bastards that they are- then Rod flung over a deep cross that went in. Cue pandemonium. A minute later and Dallas killed one of them, Forshaw maimed another ( although surprisingly both were ok) as we rampaged forward. A great cross by James and Raph slid in to equalise. Absolute bedlam, real " limbs" as the kids call it. Amazing stuff. The game continued to be blood and thunder. Geldhart created a bit of space and shot well - he has to play more, he is a real handful- but the keeper saved. Klich had a couple of chances, unfortunately the best one, in front of the penalty spot just stuck under his foot so no power. Going ahead at that stage may have been enough but unfortunately Firpo was later dispossessed and lost his man, they came forward and a well hit shot beat Mes at his near post. We were not quite done as Klich fired in a great volley that was tipped just over- our last chance. Then right at the death Struik missed his kick and they snuck in for an undeserved 4th. The crowd chanted Bielsa and gave the players a great reception after a great game and performance but with nothing to show for it. Expect nothing at Anfield so we need a point v Spurs? All the players deserve credit, but also criticism. Forshaw was great at times but Pogba had him on toast, Meslier an unbelievable save but bad position for the corner goal, struik solid till he wasn't. Firpo looked better than he has ever been for us but at fault for the killer 3rd. So plenty of effort and it was great to see Geldhart impress again. The day got even dafter as after 2 pints in the Ridings we were told the police were making them shut because all trains to Manchester were cancelled and they did not know what to do with their fans - very odd. An uber to Manchester was coming up at £99 so we thought we would find a pub to assess our options. Even odder we found the Moot Hall - ex prince of Wales pub, - and just round the corner from the ridings open , madness. We then found out they were hoping to get a train going to piccadilly so we went for that. " hurry up lads it's going in 5 , no now 4 minutes" they said. 35 minutes later and we were still at the platform. Eventually it did set off and we got back but had to listen to scum fans " we have no divine right to win things but we should be fighting for the title, we are United (sic) after all" said one of the twats. So a weird day out. Terrible organisation by the police / buses and trains ( I accept weather and some industrial action hampered the trains) a great game but bad result and a real throw back blood and thunder match with the equivalent atmosphere and overall I loved it. Bring on spurs Dave _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: https://mailman.gn.apc.org/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/leedslist/ Rest in Peace Guy, and wear your hat!
