After last season’s full house from the boys from TW8, the slate is wiped clean between Brentford and Leeds. Billy Grant caught up with vinyl efficianado Zaf LoveVinyl (@LoveLeedsUnited) – owner of the record shop LoveVinyl in Shoreditch – about his use of KY jelly, Chris Wood the new Lee Chapman .. and Adam Pearson’s alleged threesome fantasy.
Leeds have had a steady start to the season … unbeaten in the league. Four draws against Wednesday, Bristol City, Burnley and Reading … plus a win against Derby just before the international break … are the results a fair reflection of how you have played so far?
I think the majority of Leeds fans would have thought that we should have more points in the bag. The Burnley & Bristol games should have been closed out and we had a worldy scored against us against Sheffield on a Wednesday (that’s what my a girlfriend thought they were called when I once took her to a Leeds game. I ended up marrying her).
The Reading game was another one we could have won if we had been a bit more adventurous although we missed Cook’s driving runs from midfield in that game.
It’s no coincidence that we finally won a game when he returned from suspension – against Derby no less on their patch. To be honest – I was sick of losing to them lot. All I ask now is please football God, let us beat Cardiff in Wales later this season!
Although we are sitting pretty in 10th place, we could easily be top. A few fans of other teams would say the same.
As James Brown (ex Loaded magazine) from Sabotage Times remarked in the podcast chat (below), we look a lot more organized this season defensively.
Bamba obviously makes a big difference despite his casual style and the fact he has potentially one or two mistakes that could prove costly every game. He will be a massive factor in where we end up this season. He is a natural leader – something that we have been missing for a while.
I’ll be honest with you about what I think about Chris Wood. I think he’s pretty sh!t but he could be our new Lee Chapman. That’s the kind of sh!t I mean. Good Sh!t.
With the backbone of Silvestri, Bamba Cook & Wood we might be alright this season.
Uwe Rosler’s arrival was the beginning of the change in football style from Brentford. We started playing our passing game under him. It took a few seasons for the players to get their head around it. Has he changed the way Leeds play?
I was very impressed with Uwe at Brentford & then his first season at Wigan when they missed out in the play offs.
Was surprised it went all tits up for him in that second season to be honest. I don’t know what happened there as I had them tipped for promotion the season he got the tin tack.
Wigan should never have been relegated with that squad of players in a million years, but they were. Some people call them #tinpot. It was pretty #tinpot to have got relegated with that quality in your squad.
When Uwe was appointed, I just didn’t know what to think as we have had more managers than good players in the past 2 years. It’s far too early to judge him but it’s a good start to be unbeaten.
The team look like they are responding well to the way he wants them to play and to be fair, some of the passing moves we have pulled off this season so far is something I have been unaccustomed to as a Leeds fan in the past few years.
I remember when Brian McDermott came in and said “I want Leeds to be a passing Team”…..well that was a load of old b0llocks. Even now I get the hump when I see pro players – especially the full-backs or centre-backs just booting it up the field. Nothing worse in my opinion. If I were the coach I would dock them wages for doing that.
I hope Uwe does implement his passing game…believe me nothing would pleasure me more, not even my right hand covered in KY jelly and a copy of Shoot Magazine from 1978.
You seem to have an admiration for Brentford’s playing style up at Leeds. Not only do you have our ex-manager Uwe Rosler at the helm …. you also have ex-Bees Stuart Dallas and Tom Adeyemi in the team. Are you impressed with them?
I was born in Chelsea, three minutes from the less-than-appealing Stamford Bridge. The first football game I ever went to was at Brentford but by I was already a mad Leeds fan. I lived a short walk from Griffin Park and can remember Brentford being a 4th Division team for an eternity.
I always look out for The Bees’ results second to Leeds and always want them to do well. Just not when they play Leeds though!
When we signed Dallas I must admit, I knew very little about him . He seems like a solid player and one Uwe has faith in so we have to trust his judgment.
The fact that he has created a couple of goals for Wood is very encouraging. Adeyemi also looks solid and the type of player we have been missing for a while.
Both will be looking to have big seasons and to be fair, both are making the right noises so far this season with their positivity.
Who else in the team is making waves????
As I said before Lewis Cook is integral to our team this season. Also Mowatt when on form could be massive.
Byram has been really poor bar one game this season.He looks really lightweight and I wasn’t surprised no team came in for him before the window shut. Saying that ,there is a bloody brilliant player inside him and I really hope he regains his form, – even if it’s so he can get bigger wages when he buggers off on a free at the end of the season (that’s bolted. He won’t sign a new contract)
We haven’t seen diddly squat of Lee Ervin so far, our new striker signed from Motherwell….one for the future? God knows…
Antenucci has been our best attacking player so far this season. Very impressed with him.
Charlie Taylor looks a good young prospect at left back and Beradi has made that right back spot his own.
Intrigued to see Jordan Botaka this weekend, – our new Congolian winger. A reunion with his manager from Excelsior, Holland last season – Marinus Dijkhuizen. Hope he brings a Heart of Darkness against your lot this weekend…..see what I did there?
There’s no denying from your history and the size of your fanbase, you are one of the bigger teams in the Championship. Has your lack of success over the past few years p!ssed you off?
What do you think? It has been an absolute nightmare for 12 years. Like pure purgatory….. or 12 years under the Tories.
To think we have missed out on 12 years of Premiership football is an absolute catastrophe. Not to mention humiliation for a team like Leeds.
It’s a joke with the kind of fans we have that we were playing 3rd tier football only a few years ago. Unfortunately it’s not down to the fans but the
owners and management that are responsible for where we are.
The model we have to follow is teams like Swansea and yourselves. Have a chairman or board with a vision. Then employ a manager who likes to play good passing football pulling together a healthy mix of young and experienced players hungry for success.
Do you, like quite a lot of fans from teams with a pedigree, ‘expect’ success from Leeds?
To be perfectly honest I have had such a sh!t past 12 years I don’t expect anything anymore at Leeds. We’ve been through the mill so much we’re battle hardened feckers now. The best we’ve had it in the past 12 years is the FA Cup 3rd round win away to Man Utd at Old Trafford when Beckford scored that magnificent goal.
Winning promotion from the 3rd Division a few years back was also a good laugh.
If we actually get back to the Premier League I will go on a w@nking retreat for a month.
Your owner Celino is described by some quarters as a bit of a nutter … you actually look like you have had a measured start. Are you waiting him to have a turn and employ Harry Styles as manager next week?
We all know he’s a loose cannon. One week I hate his guts and want to stick hot needles in his japs eye, and the next I will slightly warm to him coz he’s signed a half decent player I have never heard of.
I will be surprised if we get a happy ending with Cellino. But the fact we have Adam Pearson pulling the strings kind of gives me hope. He at least knows what to do and has Leeds United’s best interests at heart.
But then again it wouldn’t surprise me if Pearson was sacked tomorrow coz he was caught having a threesome with Edoardo & Eleonora in the players bath such is the b0llocks I’m accustomed to at Elland Rd.
Saturday is a big game for both teams. Leeds will be desperate to maintain their unbeaten run and build on it with a second win in a row. You also have brought in a number of players and Uwe Rosler is still trying to work out his best formation. Meanwhile, Marinus Dijkhuizen is still feeling his way around the championship and is trying to install his Dutch tactical style onto a number of players fresh to Brentford to and Championship football. How do you feel the match will pan out?
That fact that you did the double over us last season bodes very well for you. You won’t be intimidated playing us so it should be a good open game.
Saying that we have a spring in our step after the Derby game and the fact we haven’t played in a couple of weeks means we will be raring to go.
I think your best best is a draw. Can’t see you turning us over again. But it wouldn’t be a shock if you did. I’ve seen enough false dawns at Leeds to know better now.
I reckon Leeds 2 Brentford 1 will be the order of the day.
Billy Grant
@BillytheBee99
Great read. Thanks