They are Yorkshire's biggest, best-supported and most grand club; having an aura which others just don't possess and, even though it's sometimes been humorous watching them lurch from one crisis to the next, they've been away from the top flight for way too long.
A strong Leeds United (and hopefully they'll grow even stronger now they're back) is fantastic for English football. Although there are some who'll describe them 'Dirty Leeds', 'Bin Kickers', 'Scum' or 'Cheats' in an obnoxious tone, or become bitter and resentful at just the mention of their name, those sad types of people aren't even worth wasting energy on.
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| Elland Road: Fit for Premier League action |
Lets not forget, at the start of this century, Leeds reached the semi-finals of both the UEFA Cup and the Champions League in successive years. They were a shining light for Yorkshire - flying the White Rose flag to a wider audience, and they also played a major role in developing several England internationals such as James Milner, Paul Robinson, Alan Smith, Jonathan Woodgate, Aaron Lennon and, to a lesser extent, Rio Ferdinand.
No other Yorkshire outfit has given as much to English football and no other Yorkshire outfit is more capable of mixing it with those 'Red Rose' clubs on the other side of the Pennines!
The crisis which followed in the years after Leeds' continental trips should never have happened. They should never have plunged into meltdown under Peter Risdale, followed by administration and thus becoming a bog-standard, bang average side with a soft underbelly and many years spent f**king around achieving mid-table nothingness! The unprecedented lows of dropping into League One (and then struggling to get back up) or being beaten 1-0 on live TV by a daft village team in the FA Cup should DEFINITELY never have happened as well.
However, it did, and though Leeds have been at their lowest ebb for much of the past 16 years, it's been great to see other, smaller underdogs 'mix it' and do well against them. As someone who was at Wembley to watch Doncaster beat them in the Play-Off Final in 2008, it was a brilliant day, never to be repeated and it created memories which I'll cherish on a personal level. Histon fans (not that there is many) will say the same about the aforementioned 1-0 win in the FA Cup; Blackpool fans similar about when they twatted Leeds, 5-0, in November 2011 and Preston fans the same about their 6-4 victory at Elland Road.
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| Big club, big ambitions, back in the big time! |
All are significantly smaller than Leeds but they've enjoyed some golden moments against them - partly due to the meltdown in the early 2000s. Without that happening in the very first instance, these memories wouldn't exist for anyone.
Simultaneously, it's also these type of moments - annoying and deeply embarrassing for Leeds supporters which makes this promotion all the more special and means it's something to be savoured, especially with the longevity of being outside the Premier League involved. By going through the bad times, most people will appreciate the good times a lot, lot more!
To put into context just how long it has been, there are many youngsters around (Under 25s) who've grown up knowing nothing else other than mediocrity. They've witnessed Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic fail to deliver, had 'Number 17' phobia drilled into them during Massimo Cellino's ill-fated tenure and, even worse, they've seen Steve Evans wobble about on the touchline in a tight-fitting jacket. Some might remember the 'car crash' environment in Ken Bates' era when his programme notes were often crossed out with a marker pen to avoid a future libel case, or the humiliating drop to League One when 'Bet 24' (jokingly renamed 'I bet Leeds finish 24th) were shirt sponsors. There's also the dozens upon dozens of average players, a million miles away from being top flight quality, who've come and gone without making any great impression.
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| A mural at Elland Road. Now the 'Class of 2020' have a chance to become LUFC legends too! |
It's all a million miles away from the dizzy heights of European nights under the Elland Road lights at the start of the century when this club had a pair of b*llocks and possessed something which they could be proud about. So it's great that they're now in possession of a glorious chance to 'kick on' again and write a new golden chapter in LUFC history.
Their younger fans deserve to witness their heroes playing against the best teams in the big games and experiencing the big moments on the best stage - even though they'll be plenty of them sh*ting themselves next season if they get caught up in a relegation battle because nobody will want to even contemplate the prospect of another long sojourn outside the top flight!
Any proud Yorkshireman will be rooting for Leeds to succeed in the Premier League in the same way which Sheffield United have done this season. To have two local clubs performing strongly in the big league will be great for Yorkshire and it'd be even better if Sheffield Wednesday can pull their finger out and end their own exile at some point soon as well.
So welcome back, Leeds United and go and absolutely bloody smash it next season...
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| The Billy Bremner statue outside Elland Road. |
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