By Matthew Mckeith

Twitter: @corn33mckeith

Website: http://rightinthegarykellys.wordpress.com

Why Leeds?

When I was a lot younger I didn’t really follow one specific team I just loved watching football so much. My Granddad was a massive Leeds United fan and used to tell me about some of the glory days and how good they really were in 1961–1975. “Leeds is the way Lad” he used to say on every story, game or newspaper article that was shown to me by him.

My arm was twisted and he had managed to persuade me to follow the mighty whites of Leeds United. Since his passing I kind of carried on the passionate level of support for the club for him really, I know how much Leeds as a club had meant to him.

Favourite Player?

The club has been blessed with some very talented players of the decades I would have paid a lot of money to watch the likes of Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray, Norman Hunter and Jonny Giles pretty much all of that era of players really.

But if I had to pick out one stand out player in my time supporting the club I would have to say and this may be a controversial choice through his eventual circumstances in leaving the club, Alan Smith.

Smith was a player of my generation I could easily relate to. A local lad, a fan of the club and a passion to win. He showed it on the pitch every week.

It was a joy to watch him score on his debut against Liverpool and then some of the important goals he got us in the Champions League. A memorable goal for me was against Lazio at the Stadio Olympico

He was the heartbeat of the team and was there till the final game of the clubs eventual relegation from the EPL. Smith’s transfer to the other side on the pennies was hard to swallow at the time.

Favourite Game?

This one made me think long and hard. It would have to be 4/11/2000 Leeds 4 Liverpool 3, featuring a virtuoso display from Mark Viduka. We had fought back twice in the game from 2-0 down and to 3-2 down when Viduka took 4 shots at goal and bagged all 4.

Even now when I see the odd replay of the match it still gives me that hair on the back of the neck moment.

Favourite Strip?

My favourite strip is the all white rounded neck shirt from the 1995/96 season. We only played one season in this strip and it is the first shirt I owned as a kid.

The shirt always brings back the good memories of the Tony Yeboah goals against Liverpool and Wimbledon.

Worst Thing About Being a Leeds Fan?

The worst thing about being a Leeds fan is the amount of abuse we get after the recent slide down the leagues, my god it has been tough. I think the mentality we all have about how we are one of the top 4 clubs in the country doesn’t help our cause but that’s just how we all are and rightly so in my books. (Probably get slated for this now)

Hopefully we should be back in the big time once again, we have an exciting young squad breaking through and have so far adapted well to life in the Championship.

Funniest Moment?

The funniest moment from the top of my head is the reaction of the Manchester United fans outside of Manchester after beating them in the F.A Cup a year ago. A lot of fans across the country have loved the downfall of Leeds United as a football club of the years and none more so than them.

For the last 6 years I was given abuse about how crap we were and we will never recover. Then to beat them and some would say outplay them in their own back yard, 44 league places apart made them stand up and admit we are on the way back. Priceless feeling!!!

Favourite Moment?

I would have liked to leave this one blank until the end of the season so I could then add;

“Getting back in the Premier league after 7 years of hell and back”

Posted on February 18th, 2011 by scott
Filed under: My Team & I