Why Leeds United ?

[Davycc]

Hi Gommie81, great intro. So where in the world are you now? Let us know and I can put you on our map http://www.pininthemap.com/LUFCTALK

[buddyholly]

Im from Germany and my relationship with Leeds started in 2001 with the Fifa Game. I always played with Leeds and the fantastic Duo Viduka/Smith. I was also fascinated by the Champions Leauge run in 2001. So from that time on my english team was Leeds United.

[Barlow Boy]

Im from Germany and my relationship with Leeds started in 2001 with the Fifa Game. I always played with Leeds and the fantastic Duo Viduka/Smith. I was also fascinated by the Champions Leauge run in 2001. So from that time on my english team was Leeds United.

Welcome to the forum pal, enjoy

[edinburghlufcfan]

Why Leeds? Well, I first discovered Leeds in the early nineties via sky tv. Watched a number of matches throughout the years. Like the style of play, like the colour of the strips, like the history, the Scottish players connection, the premier league era and champions league run to the semis was amazing too.

I wanted to support and follow an English club that I could realistically reach from Edinburgh and it not cost an absolute fortune to visit. I just really like the club. I like a team that doesn't give up has guts and not afraid to attack teams. I didn't want to follow Manchester teams, Liverpool, arsenal or Chelsea like most of my friends. I wanted a real team that has some history but not enough that I would be called a glory hunter.

Sure leeds have fallen on hard times in recent years but they will return to the top flight.

[Barlow Boy]

Why Leeds? Well, I first discovered Leeds in the early nineties via sky tv. Watched a number of matches throughout the years. Like the style of play, like the colour of the strips, like the history, the Scottish players connection, the premier league era and champions league run to the semis was amazing too.

I wanted to support and follow an English club that I could realistically reach from Edinburgh and it not cost an absolute fortune to visit. I just really like the club. I like a team that doesn't give up has guts and not afraid to attack teams. I didn't want to follow Manchester teams, Liverpool, arsenal or Chelsea like most of my friends. I wanted a real team that has some history but not enough that I would be called a glory hunter.

Sure leeds have fallen on hard times in recent years but they will return to the top flight.

Welcome to the forum pal, great first post.

[Davycc]

Im from Germany and my relationship with Leeds started in 2001 with the Fifa Game. I always played with Leeds and the fantastic Duo Viduka/Smith. I was also fascinated by the Champions Leauge run in 2001. So from that time on my english team was Leeds United.

Welcome to the forum, were in Germany are you ?

[Feologild]

I started to support Leeds in 1996 when i was 13. Because i liked the team and the players that where on it.

But honestly i could just as well have become a Liverpool supporter because it was between Leeds and Liverpool who i was to support. But it just felt more natural for me to support Leeds.

[JonatanH]

My father has been a Leeds supporter since the early 70s.
English football was beginning to be shown at norwegian televisions. Saturdays, the norwegian main channel NRK showed what we called "Tippekampen". They only had permission to the Midlands clubs. Equals a lot of screen time for clubs like Leeds, Wolverhampton, Leicester, Stoke etc. In Norway theres still thousands of men in the age of 60 who supports these teams by their heart, and my father is one of them. Leeds have 4000 members in the Norwegian supporter club. More than Chelsea, and the same number as Tottenham.

I was 6 years old (1999) when I got interested in English football. I already loved to play by myself, with my grandfather (who was a Stoke-supporter, before he died), and my friends. In the weekends, my father took me to the games with my local club. Seeing the big boys play, few metres a head of me was astonishing and eye-opening. I already loved the game. When I came home from one of my first school days I found a white shirt on my bed. VIDUKA on the back.
I had seen a couple of Leeds games, and Viduka was my favourite by miles. Him and Harry Kewell, they quickly became my heroes. Alan Smith with his white hair and big shirt, I feel bad for bringing his name up here, but I have to say he was exceptional at his best. They made it look so easy. And they were much better than the opponents. And of course, Eirik Bakke who was norwegian (as me). It was a joy to watch a Norwegian guy play in England. I was just too late to enjoy Gunnar Halle's presence at Leeds, but that didn't matter for me. I wanted to be like Eirik Bakke. I wanted to be HIM. Even though he wasn't the most technical, paciest or strongest, he gave everything he had and played with his heart. After a few years my bedroom was almost entirely decorated with Leeds United. Kits, magazines on the walls, posters from players, but I was also really quick to take one down if a player was about to leave the club.

The early years of 2000 was magical. I thought Leeds was the best club in the world, and I waited for the moment we would win the Champions League. I was so happy those years, I thought everything was going to go one way. To the top. No one could stop us. Unntill the collapse. A kid at my age couldn't find out what was going on. I didn't even knew it was possible to be broke as a football club. My father tried his best to explain me. The club went down to the championsship, and after some years, my father was losing his passion. Being a supporter since the 70s, and through ups and downs he was clearly a bit tired. Still he supported his local football club as well, but both clubs were suffering and he took it all out on Leeds. In the year of 2005 he didn't even care if Leeds lost a game. I was more passionate but now I couldn't name the first eleven player by player, anymore.
Next year I slowly read more and more about Leeds. News, players in and out, new manager, new hope.. My father loved to hear me talk about the club and my optismism. I literally talked him into Leeds again. Now my relationship to Leeds is stronger than ever. After all these years with optimism and happiness in the early seasons, to the agony and pain from winter to summer. I feel my skin has thickened and my heart beats harder than ever before.
Marching on together, one day we'll all be there in the premiership were we belong. We're the proudest club, with the best supporters in England. Leeds have done so much for me through me childhood, I can't even put words on how thankful I am.

My best memories with Leeds is definitely the promotion from League 1. The second is Beckford's goal against Man U in the FA-cup, watched in a pub full of norwegian Scum-fans. A night I will never forget. I also has great memories of the victory against QPR at Elland Road (the same year QPR won the championship). I've seen Leeds six times at Elland Road. My second home. If it was up to me I would watch every home game from the stadium. Unfortunately It's not cheap to fly over to england, book a hotel room for a weekend and watch the match. Now I tend to do it twice in a year, a good excuse for getting drunk with my old man, and feel the atmosphere of the City and ER at match day.

[Mr Russell]

Welcome to the forum JonatanH, its always great to see Leeds fans from around the world (I live in Australia, although I was born in the UK). Great story as well

[JonatanH]

Welcome to the forum JonatanH, its always great to see Leeds fans from around the world (I live in Australia, although I was born in the UK). Great story as well

Thank you very much. I've read really much on this forum lately, so finally I managed to register
My english is what you can call rusty, but I will try my best to make myself understandable.

Agreed, there is just something different about speaking with likeminded people who share the same memories.
Out of curiosity, did Viduka and Kewell play a role of why you support Leeds? Asking because of the Australia-link.

I'm glad you seemed to like my story