Rooting for Leeds

I would kind of get where you're coming from as I was pretty young when they were a good team but I've been to Elland road and they're just awful. I honestly would say it's more grotty and hostile than Anfield.

Bielsa has made them the neutrals' club but they are historic rivals and I hope we smash them again. My one dark secret is I did really enjoy their documentary as you got genuine access to a lot of areas and, whereas the Spurs one was basically Mou trying to prove he's still relevant with Levy hanging off his coat tails, Bielsa didn't really give loads of interviews specifically for the documentary and so was more about the club, the owner, the training ground etc.
 
I hear you Pogue, I don't mind Leeds. My first trip to OT was a disappointing 1-1 draw against them (Scholes scored).

That team was more dislikable than this current one and perhaps it's because they haven't been a serious rival in a long time. A bit like how City used to fairly, whatever.

I imagine it's a bigger deal if you're from Manchester. The cross-Pennines thing.
 
I remember Leeds from the late 60s & early 70s.Dirty Leeds as they were called back then. I hated them & their horrible fans.
There was an old story about a Leeds / United Cup FA Cup semi that went to 2 or 3 replays. The final replay was in Villa Park. Apparently some gorgeous bird snagged Georgie in the United Hotel before the game and over exerted him.
He had a stinker and missed a great chance. Leeds won.
Rumour at the time was that Revie organised George's pre match exertion!
Since the 90s my dislike for them has waned and I genuinely like Bielsa but their fans still hate us with a passion.
That's said they did beat Arsenal in 03
 
Nothing wrong with rooting for them if Leeds winning benefits United.

But if it is a game that has no bearing - feck 'em.

I was only thirteen when they got relegated so was well aware of the rivalry, but I had not experienced going to Elland Road for instance in the 70s and 80s.

My family and friends from that generation who used to go all over watching United have many tales to tell of how hostile it was back then going there as a fan.

Even in more recent times (early 2000s) what with all-seated stadiums, cctv, increased police presence, going to Leeds away was the only time the atmosphere had a somewhat lawless feel about it.

I was brought up on many a story of just how brutal their fans were (as I am sure many United fans are) - alongside West Yorkshire police to a degree - toward oppo fans in general, but they always reserved the worst for when United came to town.

I don't think being from Manchester (or even Greater Manchester / Lancashire) has a particular sway on your opinion towards Leeds, as long as it's ingrained in you, there is nothing you can do really.

Plus age plays a factor too I suppose.
 
Pogue is Marching confirmed.
 
Wait till the fans come back. Have had the displeasure of them still being relevant from a Norwich perspective, they're still horrible cnuts in their entirety.
 
Like many Australians I have a soft spot for Leeds thanks to their Kewell and Viduka days (plus a few other Aussie's in their ranks at the time). That team was probably the only time I've tried to watch every match that another team played, and arguably my favourite non-Utd match was the Viduka 4 - Liverpool 3.

Even though those days are long gone, I still have that soft spot. Plus of course I don't have to deal with the actual Leeds fans that from all accounts are some of the worst in England, and in fact I've had nothing to do with them since those days since they've been in lower divisions.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I’ve noticed that I have absolutely no problem wanting Leeds to win this season. They can take point off our rivals (in theory, pity they’re so shit against good teams) and they’re good to watch. Plus consistently miles below us in the table and rolled over pathetically when we played them. So rooting for them comes easy to me.

This is partly because I was very young the last time Leeds were serious rivals in the same leagues as us. Mainly because I’m not from Manchester. However, I am aware that this would be a mortal sin for a hell of a lot of our match-going fans (100% of our away fans?)

Is anyone else feeling a bit weird/guilty about how easy it is to root for Leeds this season?
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I'm rooting for everyone that plays for Leeds being served spoiled salmon for breakfast. This is in the same gate as saying "I support Liverpool when Manchester United aren't playing". Sacrilege
 
I am 42 years of age, born in USSR, currently live in Central Asia, but even I would never ever root for Leeds. We all hate sheep shagging sc..m, don't we?
 
FizzyWomack said:
What on earth is wrong with some of you? Root for Leeds? Are you fecking joking!

I work with them, they laugh about Munich, throw around racist comments, absolute scum!

Some of you in here need a good hiding for this root for Leeds shiet, get your fecking selfs together.

Besides all of that, you do not root for your rivals.

Jesus.
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Anyone who’s been to Elland road will know how ridiculous this thread is. I remember my first visit in 93 for the FA Youth cup semi final, some Neanderthal 30 year old bloke starting on my 15 year old friend because he had a United top on. Then watching on through the game at the aeroplane motions and Munich chants.

Absolute horrid club.
 
FizzyWomack said:
What on earth is wrong with some of you? Root for Leeds? Are you fecking joking!

I work with them, they laugh about Munich, throw around racist comments, absolute scum!

Some of you in here need a good hiding for this root for Leeds shiet, get your fecking selfs together.

Besides all of that, you do not root for your rivals.

Jesus.
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A million times this.

The only time we should be 'rooting' for Leeds is when they're taking points off City or any other team directly above us in the table.
 
I feel old when some say you were too young to remember the rivalry, that should :) be bred into you as a Utd fan. All joking aside,maybe due to no fans and the fact they haven't adandoned their footballing principles, they aren't quite so dislikable this season. Make no mistake though, once fans are permitted back, a new bred of Utd fans will hate them just as much as we do.
 
As a Mancunian who went to Uni in Leeds and even worked at Elland Road I can't stand Leeds fans.

Absolute worst fans in the country, aggressive arseholes who will look for any reason to pick a fight with any United fan. Got kicked off with multiple times over my 3 years living there by the dirty, mouth breathing idiots.
 
I began supporting United in 2008, and despite never watching a PL game between these two teams before this season’s smashing, but aside from the obvious rivalry, I still hate them for 2010. That absolute one hit wonder Beckford.
 
We can only have so many rivals. Leeds haven't been relevant for two decades so it's eroded somewhat.

I remember a couple of years ago someone polled the fans of all premier league clubs to find out who they considered their teams top 5 rivals. We featured at somewhere around the 80% mark for all fans, while the next team on that list was around half that.
 
ivaldo said:
We can only have so many rivals. Leeds haven't been relevant for two decades so it's eroded somewhat.

I remember a couple of years ago someone polled the fans of all premier league clubs to find out who they considered their teams top 5 rivals. We featured at somewhere around the 80% mark for all fans, while the next team on that list was around half that.
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Man City have been irrelevant in recent history, languishing in L1.

makes them no less of a rival.

teams like Blackburn. Arsenal and Chelsea come and go. Not these, Liverpool or City.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
Man City have been irrelevant in recent history, languishing in L1.

makes them no less of a rival.

teams like Blackburn. Arsenal and Chelsea come and go. Not these, Liverpool or City.
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They aren't remotely similar. Man City are 4 miles away. Leeds on the other hand is 40 miles away. You're not going to get the volume of fans mixing on such a regular basis. If City were in a different county that rivalry would be largely irrelevant.
 
This thread is the pits. Same as people wanting them to get promotion so we get another derby game. feck that noise, hoped we would never see them again, absolute scum. Far worse than the scousers.
 
Feck Leeds, Feck Bielsa and Feck anything and everything associated with that shower of shite. Feck this thread as well.
 
ivaldo said:
They aren't remotely similar. Man City are 4 miles away. Leeds on the other hand is 40 miles away. You're not going to get the volume of fans mixing on such a regular basis. If City were in a different county that rivalry would be largely irrelevant.
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do you live in the UK?

you realise Liverpool are in a different city as well?

you won’t convince the majority of Man United fans that Leeds aren’t a bloody rival.
 
I like Bielsa.
I like the way they play.
No antipathy to any of their players.
They're no threat to us and let us thrash them last time out.
I wasn't even alive during the rivalry years.
I don't think I've ever met a Leeds fan in person.

So yeah, I can't pretend I have any issue with them at all.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
do you live in the UK?

you realise Liverpool are in a different city as well?

you won’t convince the majority of Man United fans that Leeds aren’t a bloody rival.
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Yes, I do. Do you live in this century?

Again, comparing Leeds to our rivalry with Liverpool is absolutely ridiculous. You'd be laughed at the room for even mentioning it in the same breath as City and Liverpool.

Do you understand the basis of the rivalry between United and Leeds?
 
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Not sure anyone who has experienced their fans first hand would be able to root for them in any type of way. Their downfall was super. And so was spanking them 6-2. Feck em.
 
ivaldo said:
Yes, I do. Do you live in this century?

Again, comparing Leeds to our rivalry with Liverpool is absolutely ridiculous. You'd be laughed at the room for even mentioning it I'm the same breath as City and Liverpool.

Do you understand the basis of the rivalry between United and Leeds?
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feck me. Read the majority of comments in this thread. Then perhaps you will get a dose of reality.
 
ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg said:
feck me. Read the majority of comments in this thread. Then perhaps you will get a dose of reality.
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You're literally comparing our rivalry with Leeds to that of Liverpool and City and you're saying I need a dose of reality. It's beggars belief. The most recent poll of fans has Chelsea comfortably higher than Leeds in terms of our biggest rivals, but hey, we've got a page and a half of comments on a thread about rooting for Leeds, that must mean our rival with Leeds hasn't 'somewhat eroded' over the years.
 
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I think Leeds play brilliant football and their games are always entertaining.

However, I work in Leeds and honestly the "banter" is similar to that between myself and a Liverpool fan, usually quite light hearted if you are rational and results in decent discussions.

But, when you get called "the fecking scum" when you wear a United top playing football, have people leave a boot in on you because of it, or you hear people on Zoom saying "we must be favourites" against Liverpool the first day of this season. It becomes really difficult to support them.

Love their football, cannot root for them because some of their fans.
 
I don't feel the rivarly per say as they've been mostly irrelevant during my time supporting the club (barring the initial Viduka etc days). But actively wanting them to win just because they play pretty football?! Nah. If anything, the over the top praise they get is slightly nauseating and makes me want them to lose instead.
 
Delano said:
I think Leeds play brilliant football and their games are always entertaining.

However, I work in Leeds and honestly the "banter" is similar to that between myself and a Liverpool fan, usually quite light hearted if you are rational and results in decent discussions.

But, when you get called "the fecking scum" when you wear a United top playing football, have people leave a boot in on you because of it, or you hear people on Zoom saying "we must be favourites" against Liverpool the first day of this season. It becomes really difficult to support them.

Love their football, cannot root for them because some of their fans.
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A friend of mine used to work as a steward at Brighton's stadium when he studied down there. They were still in the championship at the time, and he said the only games they had real trouble were against Palace (obviously), Millwall (obviously) and...Leeds.

Their fans completely destroyed the away end, assaulted a few stewards, and a few pockets broke into homophobic songs. It really took them by surprise the first time, as they didn't think there was beef and so they'd kept police presence low. Apparently the whole North/South divide was enough to rile them up, and they didn't like the fact Brighton had a nice new stadium. Never mind they'd had their original stadium sold out from under them, nearly dropped out the Football League, and then had to play at a local athletics stadium for the decade or so preceding that point...

I'm sure they're not all bad, but a large section of Leeds' main fanbase and traveling support are up there with Millwall. Just absolute scum.
 
Never, unless fecking Leeds are in a match where a win for them directly benefits us.
 
I lived in leeds for a while, loved the city. I do love bielsa and what he stands for.

i hope leeds utd go bust again and this time end up in non league.
 
I don’t feel the rivalry either. Doesn’t help that the one big Leeds fan I know is the nicest lad ever.

I do find it amusing that they all hate us, but half of our fanbase doesn’t mind or even quite likes them. That’s an insult in itself and a kick in the teeth
 
Brightonian said:
I like Bielsa.
I like the way they play.
No antipathy to any of their players.
They're no threat to us and let us thrash them last time out.
I wasn't even alive during the rivalry years.
I don't think I've ever met a Leeds fan in person.

So yeah, I can't pretend I have any issue with them at all.
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My best friend is a Leeds fan. The one and only Leeds fan I’ve ever met. He’s Irish. Like me. I’ve only set foot in Leeds once. I thought it was ok. I once dated a girl who went to Leeds university. She said it was fun. That’s the sum total of my relationship with Leeds. I’ve never even been in the same football stadium as Leeds fans.

I get why Manchester based folk feel strongly about this. I find the pantomime hatred from fans who’ve never set foot in Manchester (never mind Leeds) quite funny.
 
Fascinating thread. To me, Leeds, City and Liverpool are the enemies, always have been. Raised that way and every red I know in real life feels the same. Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs etc are just opponents playing in the same competition, not much more than that.

But it makes sense that for many United fans, Leeds don't matter any more, they've been away so long. Which in its own way is even damning. They fell so far, we stopped even caring. Funny.
 
Hope they win all their games against our rivals and get relegated.
 
Rivalries in European sport are just different. I never understood the point of wanting your rivals relegated... How else do you get to play and enjoy beating them? But then again I've not had piss hurled at me at an away game so I've learned to defer to our more educated fans....
 
I won’t ever root for Leeds unless it benefits us or they play against our (other) rivals.
And I couldn’t care less if they are being managed by Bielsa or Moyes or whoever.
 
Rooting for Leeds? One of the unwritten rules of being a United fan is to hate Leeds and everything about them.

I hope they crash and burn and feck off out of the PL back to obscurity where they belong. And their fans are the biggest sets of cnuts you'll find anywhere.
 
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