by Bob Lethaby
It seems remarkably poignant that on a day when the nation remembers the great fallen of umpteen, often pointless wars of the 20th Century, I am talking about a coward.
On my way home from a tedious stalemate at the Madjeski Stadium yesterday I was feeling quite depressed about Reading’s Premiership campaign that appears to be meandering down the road to oblivion, a season when we will only be remembered for the chaos that ensued against Arsenal in the whatever it’s called cup. Then news began to filter through about Leeds losing at home to Watford, a likable club who always seem to be staving off “investors” whose only intention is to strip them of the few quid they have left floating around. Not only did Leeds lose, they lost 6-1, a result that immediately transformed my mind-set as I imagined the expression emanating from the face of the perennially detestable Neil Warnock.
Unlike fans of Chelsea and Manchester United, I have never had an issue with Leeds; they have traditionally been a bigger club than Reading so no rivalry has ever really existed; however, my disdain towards Warnock knows no boundaries, as I have witnessed the brutality of his teams at Sheffield United, QPR and now Leeds. These have not been teams who play a high tempo physical game to counteract their limitations, these have been teams where it could be suggested that Warnock sends players out to maim opposition players. He knows no other way and that is why Warnock’s Premiership stints at management have been brief. He is an imposter.
At Reading, I have witnessed with my own eyes, Warnock mimicking instructions to players to stamp on opponents when he was with Sheffield United and then during a chilling encounter at the Madjeski last season, he clearly sent his Leeds players to carry out violent assaults on Reading players that eventually led to them being reduced to nine men and Jem Karacan being taken to hospital with a broken ankle courtesy of a hideous Warnock inspired challenge by Danny Pugh who remarkably, stayed on the pitch. It should have been seven men really as Warnock’s love child Michael Brown spent the afternoon stamping on players like a mad man trying to put out fires. Brown’s cretin-like behaviour epitomises Warnock. Thankfully, justice was done as Reading eventually ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of two late Adam Le Fondre goals.
However, what really made my mind up about Warnock in this encounter was his treatment of Leeds United youngster Zac Thompson, sent off for a two footed challenge after just 10 minutes. It was a challenge that came from the dressing room; it was a Warnock challenge that Thompson was forced to make under strict instruction from his bully boy boss. As the young player left the field with boo’s and derision raining down on him, Warnock had the audacity to stop him in his tracks and publicly admonish him for being sent off; with Warnock there is no boundaries to his cowardice. This is what he said after the game: ‘I thought the kid (Thompson) was a bit unlucky, but he had his opportunity and he’s blown it.” Why has he blown it Neil? Because he got caught by the referee carrying out YOUR instructions?
Yesterday, the BBC director general resigned over the scandal surrounding Jimmy Savile and it seems like ‘Auntie’ is in perennial free fall. Another scandal that I would like to add to the list is the Neil Warnock one. For some reason all these prats who work as pundits think that Warnock is a “character” and good for the game and I suppose it could be argued that as a pantomime villain, he is. However, Warnock is more than that, he is a spiteful coward who excels in shifting the blame when he is pinned to the wall, bullying young players in to cowardly actions and not caring a jot if it restricts their next step up the precarious ladder of professional football.
The one consolation that comes with Warnock is that he really hates Reading Football Club and that is because Reading Football Club nearly always beat his teams; it’s hilarious.
Yesterday it was Watford’s turn. Well done lads.
As season ticket holder at Leeds i can only agree with you mate.
Not only do I find his tactics cynical at best the brand of football is the worst i have witnessed in my 23 years following the club. I wouldn’t wish him on my worst enemy.
Good luck for the rest of the season.
MOT forever white.
fuk rite off you sad fuk….
Harsh! Leeds played the second half with 9 men after Austin broke his leg in a freak accident. Leeds were 1 down but they were playing better football than Watford and would have beat them eventually. You should write for Sun by the way, with the research you put in to this article you would fit right in.
Well, as a lifelong Leeds fan I can only agree. Don’t normally post but did last year after the game you mentioned. Spot on about Colin’s treatment of Thompson. As I said last year, we’ll get nowhere playing that sort of hoofball. As I also said, good luck to Reading, a well run club playing progressive football.
What a strange piece. If anything I think the team has been too soft this season. Pearce’s sending off yesterday was our first all season. Our bookings are usually a result of technical inadequacy.
Michael Brown is exempted from the above. He’s inadequate AND dirty.
It never ceases to amaze me the number of supporters of other clubs (funnily enough, they’re almost always struggling clubs) who make it their business to publicly pass comment and judgement on other teams.
So here we have you, Mr Lethaby, putting yourself forward as yet another such self-elected “pundit”. Bad enough that your own club is one of those (along with the likes of Wigan) that lines up at the start of a season as a Premier League team, having exhibited no tangible proof of any ambition to stay there, a stadium and attendances that is Championship standard at best and a record thus far that would have the vast majority of your fans keeping their mouths firmly shut when it comes to knocking any other team. What makes it worse, is the club you have chosen to discredit is Leeds United. A club who have not been in the Premier League for eight years, yet sit in 12th place in the all-time Premier League top 50, having been a part of 12 of its 20 seasons thus far. For the record, your club are 36th which, even though the likes of footballing giants such as Crystal Palace, Ipswich Town and Wimbledon (defunct for eight years) are above you, I found surprisingly high. Premier League you may be, for now at least, but you have never and will never be anywhere near the stature of the club you have chosen to dismiss as no more than a team of cloggers. Stones and glass houses spring instantly to mind.
As if all of that isn’t embarrassing enough for you, Mr Lethaby, you have allowed an all too unhealthy dislike for Neil Warnock to effect a laughable dismissal of his managerial credentials. Of course, as a personality, Warnock’s “marmite” character cannot be questioned. He is either loved or loathed, there appears to be no in-between. What also cannot be questioned, however, is what he has achieved in his managerial career to date. No manager in the history of English professional football has achieved more promotions. That statistic, according to you Mr Lethaby, is attributed to a man who sends his teams out to maim their opponents. Do you have a bug in Leeds’ dressing-room? Have you had one in the dressing-rooms of all Warnock’s previous clubs? A spectacularly stupid observation, Mr Lethaby, which I’m sure you wish you could retract now. So where, I wonder, did that tactic go wrong yesterday then? Or do you think that Leeds’ Rodolph Austin, moved to centre-half following Jason Pearce’s red card, got his “orders” wrong when he had his leg broken in two places? Perhaps Zola sent his players out to maim and they got it right?
We’ll see whereabouts in the managerial league table your very own Brian McDermott sits when his career comes to an end. For now, however, we know that Neil Warnock is one more promotion away from standing alone as the manager with the most promotions in the history of English professional football (for the record, he is currently tied with Dave “Harry” Bassett on seven). Just imagine, Bob, what he could have achieved by now if he sent his teams out to play football…
A great piece and fully agree with the points made. I cannot understand the ‘Leeds supporter’ above who are sucked in by Lethaby’s rubbish. Who is the coward!?
Twat
Kerim,
Thank you so much for your response to this article – the paranoia of some Leeds fans is an endless source of entertainment for me. I see you’ve trotted out the same old line about Leeds being a ‘big’ club and the smaller clubs not deserving to be in the Premier League. Well in case you haven’t noticed you get to play in the Premier League through what you do on the pitch – it isn’t decided by the size of attendance or history of the club and so if you get to play in the top league it’s because you’ve earned the right to be there. And in Reading’s case they earned that right by taking 6 points from the likes of Leeds Utd last season.
Your one eyed rant also fails to take account of where Reading have come from. Historically they have been a lower league club who have only consistently played at Premier/Championship level for the past 10 years. Clearly it rankles with some supporters of ‘big’ clubs that there are clubs like Reading who have ambition to become a top level club but want to do it in a sustainable way rather than throwing money around and then watching the club sink like a stone when it all goes wrong. So please feel free to carry on mindlessly dismissing clubs like Reading and Wigan whilst at the same time watching your beloved Leeds lurch from one crisis to another and wondering where it all went wrong.
I have genuine respect for some Leeds fans – they realise how bad Warnock and Bates are/have been for their club and like Bob says, they deserve better. However I’m pleased that you’re so happy with Warnock and are prepared to be so venomous in his defence because frankly YOU don’t deserve anyone better.
Agree as a Leeds fan that Warnock is a limited, dull, one dimensional manager and I don’t like him and want him gone. However, leave the lufc hatred alone a bit…yes we are universally hated and most of the time I enjoy that and yes Leeds always have and always will be a much bigger club than Reading but it’s times like now, when poxy clubs are getting blinding results against probably the worst Leeds side in history that it comes home to you how out of touch our horrible board and chairman are. Sad times at lufc and an evil chairman and fossil manager in charge. MOT
A very well written response Karim, I have no beef against Leeds, they are a big club that deserve better than Bates and Warnock. As for Reading, they are attempting to punch above their weight and failing, they are out of their depth, though I have not claimed that we are anything but.
Like you say you either loathe him or love him, you obviously think he is the man for Leeds, personally, I feel a club with your support base deserves better!