Actually it was a bloody awful shirt. Let me explain.
You may wonder what a born and bred Londoner is doing supporting Leeds United. A good question and to be honest one that I have had to face all my life. Sometimes I have lied and said something along the lines of, "'cos' my Dad does", or somesuch. This is a lie and I wish to confess.
When I was seven, like many little boys (and infact grown men) I was obsessed with football. I did not yet have a team to support with any conviction. I had first supported, if memory serves me correctly, Norwich City because I completed their page in my Panini sticker album. Then, maybe, Crystal Palace or Wimbledon as they were my closest professional team. But one hot summers day, all this changed.
My aunt had been to a charity shop and knowing how much I loved football, bought me a football shirt. Now what type of shirt do you think you get in charity shops? Old, polyester, skin-tight numbers that's what. But it was a Leeds' shirt and I loved it. Regaled by my father of tales from the 60s and 70s when Leeds reigned supreme I studied the results in the newspapers every week and learnt all about the players. Names like Day, Sterland, Strachan, Snodin and Davidson were mystical giants.
From that day forth, I was a Leeds fan. Stupid reason I know. But now, looking back on it, it seems as good as any. Marching on together....
You may wonder what a born and bred Londoner is doing supporting Leeds United. A good question and to be honest one that I have had to face all my life. Sometimes I have lied and said something along the lines of, "'cos' my Dad does", or somesuch. This is a lie and I wish to confess.
When I was seven, like many little boys (and infact grown men) I was obsessed with football. I did not yet have a team to support with any conviction. I had first supported, if memory serves me correctly, Norwich City because I completed their page in my Panini sticker album. Then, maybe, Crystal Palace or Wimbledon as they were my closest professional team. But one hot summers day, all this changed.
My aunt had been to a charity shop and knowing how much I loved football, bought me a football shirt. Now what type of shirt do you think you get in charity shops? Old, polyester, skin-tight numbers that's what. But it was a Leeds' shirt and I loved it. Regaled by my father of tales from the 60s and 70s when Leeds reigned supreme I studied the results in the newspapers every week and learnt all about the players. Names like Day, Sterland, Strachan, Snodin and Davidson were mystical giants.
From that day forth, I was a Leeds fan. Stupid reason I know. But now, looking back on it, it seems as good as any. Marching on together....
2 comments:
Good for you sticking with the mighty whites - Marching on together.
I always say the team picks you, you don't pick the team. I think with me it goes back to when I was a very little lass. My Grandad was a rack Man Yoo fan. On Sunday afternoons they used to show football and he always used to get me to watch em. 'Come and watch the greatest team in the world' he used to say. They bored me to death.
Then one day I saw Leeds Utd, fell madly in love with Norman Hunter and that was that. I was smitten for life lol.
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