Are Leeds fans the best in Yorkshire?

[drewson]

Controversial question for this website but after the Middlesbrough game I was really struck by the lack of support. Yeah, I  know, the manager, the owner and all that... Leeds also had plenty of that. But I don't think I've ever not seen Leeds turn up in good numbers and in good voice. Maybe it's because they have good songs - you can argue about that, but Silver Lining and Singing the Blues don't have the same passion. I say that with fantastic memory of Singing the Blues being our theme tune for the 79/80 promotion season... plenty of passion singing it when we won at Blackburn. But it still stands as a general point. Do the songs make a difference? I think they do for Leeds when they are "marching on together" and they are "are so proud, we shout it out loud, we love you Leeds, Leeds, Leeds". What do we have Boxing Day and bounce that are more about our neighbours. Funny enough the best away singing performance I have ever experienced was our FA cup 3rd round reply win 3-1 at Leeds in 1969. We were in the scratching shed in a crowd of 48,000. The Wednesday fans sang from start to finish - seriously. We were fully expected to lose the reply so when Leeds took the lead early in the game with a Johanneson goal, you might have expected it to silence the away end. It did for a second or too then the ooooooooooo started up again. That was the lead in to the song - again, at our neighbours - Lily the Pink. You know the one. That and Mighty Quinn - Come all without, Come all within, You'll not see nothing like the Wednesday win were the big songs. But the oooooooo just never let up. As soon as one song finished the low oooooooo started until it built up into thee song. It might have helped that we had the three goals to keep it going but it really felt like they would have sung their hearts out anyway. You could say it was a bit like Peterborough second leg - the difference being that was a poo or bust game. Neither the team or us had any choice. 

It's different now. And that's my point. The team needs the fans but the fans have withdrawn their support - not all, obviously, but for the Middlesbrough game it felt that way. I don't think I have ever seen Leeds fans do that - they have been critical of the manager, owner and players but not in the same type of situation that we face. We have an owner who is prepared to invest, maybe even to sell at the right price, but who also wants success. The point is that there is no likelihood of anything changing soon. He has appointed a good manager - you can argue about it - but the fact that he took over managership of Watford when they were in 5th place and got them promoted in 2nd place while closing the gap of the title winner can't just be dismissed as an easy job. It was certainly easier than taking over a team of 12 players a few weeks before the start of the season with other teams having had the pick of the transfer window offerings, then adding 8 or so players after the pre-season! But plenty of managers with bigger reputations have struggled to integrate new multi-million pound players and get results... Chelsea?   
Going off the point a little. It is on the point because whatever we think of Chansiri or Xisco the players are wearing the shirt and deserve our support. I certainly think that in the same situation Leeds fans would be 100% behind their team... they are Leeds, and it means something. Am I wrong?     

[royalowlisback]

I've witnessed loads of games at Hillsborough where Leeds haven't even filled the top tier of the LL Stand.

[Cowle70]

2 minutes ago, drewson said:

Controversial question for this website but after the Middlesbrough game I was really struck by the lack of support. Yeah, I  know, the manager, the owner and all that... Leeds also had plenty of that. But I don't think I've ever not seen Leeds turn up in good numbers and in good voice. Maybe it's because they have good songs - you can argue about that, but Silver Lining and Singing the Blues don't have the same passion. I say that with fantastic memory of Singing the Blues being our theme tune for the 79/80 promotion season... plenty of passion singing it when we won at Blackburn. But it still stands as a general point. Do the songs make a difference? I think they do for Leeds when they are "marching on together" and they are "are so proud, we shout it out loud, we love you Leeds, Leeds, Leeds". What do we have Boxing Day and bounce that are more about our neighbours. Funny enough the best away singing performance I have ever experienced was our FA cup 3rd round reply win 3-1 at Leeds in 1969. We were in the scratching shed in a crowd of 48,000. The Wednesday fans sang from start to finish - seriously. We were fully expected to lose the reply so when Leeds took the lead early in the game with a Johanneson goal, you might have expected it to silence the away end. It did for a second or too then the ooooooooooo started up again. That was the lead in to the song - again, at our neighbours - Lily the Pink. You know the one. That and Mighty Quinn - Come all without, Come all within, You'll not see nothing like the Wednesday win were the big songs. But the oooooooo just never let up. As soon as one song finished the low oooooooo started until it built up into thee song. It might have helped that we had the three goals to keep it going but it really felt like they would have sung their hearts out anyway. You could say it was a bit like Peterborough second leg - the difference being that was a poo or bust game. Neither the team or us had any choice. 

It's different now. And that's my point. The team needs the fans but the fans have withdrawn their support - not all, obviously, but for the Middlesbrough game it felt that way. I don't think I have ever seen Leeds fans do that - they have been critical of the manager, owner and players but not in the same type of situation that we face. We have an owner who is prepared to invest, maybe even to sell at the right price, but who also wants success. The point is that there is no likelihood of anything changing soon. He has appointed a good manager - you can argue about it - but the fact that he took over managership of Watford when they were in 5th place and got them promoted in 2nd place while closing the gap of the title winner can't just be dismissed as an easy job. It was certainly easier than taking over a team of 12 players a few weeks before the start of the season with other teams having had the pick of the transfer window offerings, then adding 8 or so players after the pre-season! But plenty of managers with bigger reputations have struggled to integrate new multi-million pound players and get results... Chelsea?   
Going off the point a little. It is on the point because whatever we think of Chansiri or Xisco the players are wearing the shirt and deserve our support. I certainly think that in the same situation Leeds fans would be 100% behind their team... they are Leeds, and it means something. Am I wrong?     

Get them out of the top flight for 24 years and then see how Super L**ds behave!!

[royalowlisback]

They were averaging low 20k's for about 10 years between 2006 and 2016.

[ActonOwl]

You think Marching on Together is sung with more passion than Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday? 
Jesus. 

[bradowl]

They were getting attendances under 20,000 not so long ago so not all of them that loyal. 

 

They seem to attract a lot of laary young lads from all around Yorkshire and they think they're top lads because they support Leeds. 

[flo]

3 minutes ago, bradowl said:

They were getting attendances under 20,000 not so long ago so not all of them that loyal. 

 

They seem to attract a lot of laary young lads from all around Yorkshire and they think they're top lads because they support Leeds. 

so were we tbf

[royalowlisback]

In the early 80's they were averaging less than 15k.

[drewson]

11 minutes ago, ActonOwl said:

You think Marching on Together is sung with more passion than Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday? 
Jesus. 

No, I just think it is a better song that has more passion than a pop song that even Jeff Beck hated... 

[drewson]

11 minutes ago, bradowl said:

They were getting attendances under 20,000 not so long ago so not all of them that loyal. 

 

They seem to attract a lot of laary young lads from all around Yorkshire and they think they're top lads because they support Leeds. 

Ii am old enough to remember when we were getting 10-12,000... 

[Castleford Owl]

Leeds are the ultimate glory fans.

 

When they were relegated last season in the final match, the whole stadium booed most of the game and never got behind them once. We have never behaved like that in a crunch match.

 

The year David Healy dived for a penalty from 3 yards outside the box, they brought about 1500 fans. It's only in the last 5 years that they have actually filled their ground, and were getting as low as 16 and 17,000 under Bates.

 

Give them the 24 years we have had, they would have lower crowds.

[Kevowls1]

Well I have to be honest Leeds have got great support.

 

But when you consider they are a one city team with a very large conurbation you would expect better.

[Howmanyowls]

The times I've been at Elland Road, I've never felt that their atmosphere was any good. But of chanting before the game. The odd chant during and that's it. And as some have pointed out, before Bielsa, they weren't getting great attendances. To say it's a city of 800,000 with no big local rivals, their attendance is crap. There's Skipton, Selby, York, Harrogate, Knaresborough and other towns to attract fans from. 

 

So no, they don't have the best fans in Yorkshire. Some of the most fickle... Yes. 

[Castleford Owl]

As for the singing, they actually have naff versions of Wednesday songs, for example "We're all Wednesday aren't we, ole ole" is "All Leeds aren't we, all Leeds aren't we, all Leeds aren't we"... which is as a result of the band playing at Leeds Rhinos. A Leeds Rhinos game is basically a rehearsal of badly rehashed songs sung at Hillsborough.

[drewson]

Look, it really isn't about numbers - both clubs have had their hard times. It is just about how we respond to them. Maybe it's because Leeds were always the outsider, the team others loved to hate - Yorkshire's Millwall - that has given them a stick together attitude. That's what I'm on about. The "we're gonna see you win" mentality.

[royalowlisback]

6 minutes ago, drewson said:

Look, it really isn't about numbers - both clubs have had their hard times. It is just about how we respond to them. Maybe it's because Leeds were always the outsider, the team others loved to hate - Yorkshire's Millwall - that has given them a stick together attitude. That's what I'm on about. The "we're gonna see you win" mentality.

Obviously a Leeds fan trawling - thanks for stopping by....

[Mamalute]

Miserable bunch of anusholes would be best description of them.

[Quickly Kevin]

43 minutes ago, drewson said:

Controversial question for this website but after the Middlesbrough game I was really struck by the lack of support. Yeah, I  know, the manager, the owner and all that... Leeds also had plenty of that. But I don't think I've ever not seen Leeds turn up in good numbers and in good voice. Maybe it's because they have good songs - you can argue about that, but Silver Lining and Singing the Blues don't have the same passion. I say that with fantastic memory of Singing the Blues being our theme tune for the 79/80 promotion season... plenty of passion singing it when we won at Blackburn. But it still stands as a general point. Do the songs make a difference? I think they do for Leeds when they are "marching on together" and they are "are so proud, we shout it out loud, we love you Leeds, Leeds, Leeds". What do we have Boxing Day and bounce that are more about our neighbours. Funny enough the best away singing performance I have ever experienced was our FA cup 3rd round reply win 3-1 at Leeds in 1969. We were in the scratching shed in a crowd of 48,000. The Wednesday fans sang from start to finish - seriously. We were fully expected to lose the reply so when Leeds took the lead early in the game with a Johanneson goal, you might have expected it to silence the away end. It did for a second or too then the ooooooooooo started up again. That was the lead in to the song - again, at our neighbours - Lily the Pink. You know the one. That and Mighty Quinn - Come all without, Come all within, You'll not see nothing like the Wednesday win were the big songs. But the oooooooo just never let up. As soon as one song finished the low oooooooo started until it built up into thee song. It might have helped that we had the three goals to keep it going but it really felt like they would have sung their hearts out anyway. You could say it was a bit like Peterborough second leg - the difference being that was a poo or bust game. Neither the team or us had any choice. 

It's different now. And that's my point. The team needs the fans but the fans have withdrawn their support - not all, obviously, but for the Middlesbrough game it felt that way. I don't think I have ever seen Leeds fans do that - they have been critical of the manager, owner and players but not in the same type of situation that we face. We have an owner who is prepared to invest, maybe even to sell at the right price, but who also wants success. The point is that there is no likelihood of anything changing soon. He has appointed a good manager - you can argue about it - but the fact that he took over managership of Watford when they were in 5th place and got them promoted in 2nd place while closing the gap of the title winner can't just be dismissed as an easy job. It was certainly easier than taking over a team of 12 players a few weeks before the start of the season with other teams having had the pick of the transfer window offerings, then adding 8 or so players after the pre-season! But plenty of managers with bigger reputations have struggled to integrate new multi-million pound players and get results... Chelsea?   
Going off the point a little. It is on the point because whatever we think of Chansiri or Xisco the players are wearing the shirt and deserve our support. I certainly think that in the same situation Leeds fans would be 100% behind their team... they are Leeds, and it means something. Am I wrong?     

 

What a load of w*nk.

[Castleford Owl]

18 minutes ago, drewson said:

Look, it really isn't about numbers - both clubs have had their hard times. It is just about how we respond to them. Maybe it's because Leeds were always the outsider, the team others loved to hate - Yorkshire's Millwall - that has given them a stick together attitude. That's what I'm on about. The "we're gonna see you win" mentality.

But they don't have that mentality. Their fans literally downed tools and heckled their team to relegation last season. Once they've had a couple of season back at this level again, that season ticket waiting list will disappear and all the talk of a 55,000 seater stadium will evaporate. 

[HirstWhoScoredIt]

38 minutes ago, ActonOwl said:

You think Marching on Together is sung with more passion than Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday? 
Jesus. 

Yeah

 

Hi ho Sheffield Wednesday is the worst club anthem in the country.

 

Apart from Hi Ho Wolverhampton

 

And hi Ho Aston Villa that I heard on MOTD the other week.

 

Which further exacerbates the point.

 

Marching on Together is one of the best club anthems along with We’re forever blowing bubbles, Greasy chip butty, You’ll never walk alone, Blue Moon etc.

 

We have wonderful support but our lack of a proper club anthem has long been a problem imo.