Why I’m excited to cover Leeds: Marching On Together at 6am, love and madness

It was 6am in central London the morning after the Championship play-off final and, as the sun bled through the curtains, I was woken up by a group of fans on the street outside my hotel.

You’d never believe that 12 hours earlier Leeds United had lost the biggest game of their season from the stirring, if slurred, rendition of ‘Marching on Together’ below. It’s a new day, but some things remain the same: Leeds are suffering in the play-offs and, at least until the world stops, their fans love their club unconditionally.

The very rich probably wish they could bottle this type of support and sell it, given half the chance in the modern footballing climate. And to the uninitiated outside world, it all – the fan quirks, the Leeds salute, the commitment to “members” – seems a little crazy.

But to use a quote that all Leeds fans know from Phil Hay: “A surprising number of people despise Leeds United or what Leeds United stands for, but this club was never made for them.” To follow in Phil’s footsteps, knowing that he has produced such moments of brilliance, will be a tall order, but I am delighted to be The Athleticthe new Leeds United writer.

Leeds fans at Stamford Bridge last season (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

It seems only right that you step into this challenge as Leeds continue their progress into a new era. The future is bright with Archie Gray jumping onto the field, Daniel Farke at the helm and an ambitious and steady ownership group in 49ers Enterprises. I had an idea of ​​what Leeds was after joining our coverage at the start of 2024 and hopefully it’s only here.

Being a club writer requires becoming one of you and I’ve already learned so much about what it means to be Leeds over the last few months. Black humor seems to be an essential part of the mood at Leeds. You have known what it means to love (Don Revie, Marcelo Bielsa, Tony Yeboah, Pablo Hernandez and many others) and what it means to suffer loss (which I will spare you the pain of listing).

If you can put thoughts of Wembley out of your mind, last season brought plenty of highs. I enjoyed the delights of Georginio Rutter’s link-up play with Crysencio Summerville, Dan James’s crazy finish on the halfway line against Hull City at Elland Road and saw 17-year-old Gray come to Stamford Bridge to play against Chelsea in the FA Cup with all the poise of a player with 200 senior appearances behind him.

🎂 The cherry on the cake for @LUFC #EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/lJ9WMWdgVA

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) April 1, 2024

These are the moments that do it, although promotion is the goal. It will be the joy of the journey from the Kassam Stadium to Turf Moor that will make this season worthwhile. After all, Leeds is a football club with its history rooted in proper football, and the Championship has that in spades – but it’s best not to dwell there too long.

I hope you stick with us and this season I can bring you lots of exciting stories, disorganized goal celebration tweets and maybe a promotion.

At the beginning of the year, when I started working on the Leeds cover, I was sent a photo to help me get into the spirit. Display a sign that reads ‘Welcome to Leeds’ with a spray paint addition that reads ‘Now f*** off. Thank you.” It made me laugh at the time, but with every minute I spent at Elland Road, I came to understand the sentiment more. To outsiders, it remains a hostile, creaky, huge stadium. Don’t suffer fools gladly here. But still it has that magic as one of the country’s great historic grounds, and for over 30,000 people every weekend, it’s home.

Outsiders are not welcome. I’m happy to be your new insider. See you at Elland Road.

(Top photo: George Wood/Getty Images)