Article: How Times Have Changed

Before I continue with this post I wish to make it perfectly clear that my one and only true love has always been and always will be Norwich City Football Club. An alliegence passed down the generations, father to son.

However, as a young lad growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, I had a 'second' team as most other boys did too, mine was Leeds, the mighty Leeds. My beloved Canaries had yet to be promoted to the top flight of English football and I, just like many others, wanted to be associated with the best. Leeds were the best, they had the best manager, Don Revie, the best team.

Sprake, (later Harvey), Reaney, Cooper, Bremner, Charlton, Madeley, Lorimer, 'Sniffer' Clarke, Jones, Giles, Gray and poor young Mick Bates who invariably warmed the one and only place on the subs bench. After forty years I can still recite that team, probably because it was the same eleven who turned out every week in League and Cup to destroy all their adversaries.

Leeds were arrogant (remember the numbered garters !), but they were entitled to be because Leeds were the best. However, the football purists didn't like Leeds, 'DIRTY' Leeds, as they bullied the opposition with their sometimes devious and underhand tactics. But to me as a young boy those men in white were special, I could only dream of City competing in the same division.

So who would have thought that forty years later City would be poaching their better players, Johnson, Howson, who next? Snodgrass ?

Unlike Leeds who now live on past glories, Norwich who dropped into the third tier for the first time in fifty years two seasons ago, are on the up. They have one of the best young Managers in the game and a board with a forward thinking CEO in David McNally who has completely turned the club around. Without tempting fate, we should, barring a collapse Blackpool-esq (sorry!), retain our Premier League status for next year. The future looks bright to say the least.

Norwich is a unique City, you don't 'pass through' here to get to anywhere alse. Many people from outside the county don't realise that Norwich is now a thriving cosmopolitan City with a population that is growing fast and is set to get even bigger if the new 'eco town' on the outskirts finally gets the go-ahead. As such, our football club has outgrown it's stadium with more and more people wanting to watch the games. IF Norwich can retain top-flight status in seasons to come (and that's a big IF), I can only see my football club growing in stature and becoming even bigger than it already is.

How times have changed !

OTBC

 

They sure have

 

Promoted to article. Well written, and it's very sad to read as a Leeds fan. Even ten years ago, we saw Norwich as no-hopers and played swashbuckling football in Europe. Well the tables have certainly turned.

 

I promise not to say a word about 'traitor' Revie, who turned his back on his country for Arab money, Or Billy Bremner, who kicked lumps out of anybody he could get near, or Norman 'bites your legs' Hunter! I'm stopping there! I'm making myself angry!

 

Turned his back on the FA more like who were about to push him before he jumped. It was a sensible move.

 

the 'great' leeds team of the early 70s was before my time so i can only go on what my old man used to tell me, and what he told me was not very pleasant...

 

Good article, K-T. Similar story to myself, without the happy ending, sadly. My true love is Partick Thistle, and it was only when I moved down to Leeds in 1990 that I turned in my Jags season ticket for a Leeds one. Had some glory days with Leeds, and was even able to take my boys to Valencia for the Champions League semi. Then it all went belly-up. Both teams got worse, both teams almost ceased to exist, and I even had a season where both got relegated & Bertie Vogts destroyed Scotland's immense reputation!! Perhaps one day I'll see somebody I support win something. Then again .....

TBH, I'm just glad they both exist. I hate supporting a crap team, but I would hate it more if I didn't have anyone to support.

 

I was brought up to hate leeds because all the grown ups around me hated Leeds.

Since the League one season though you won me over. Your fans are passionate as hell and always up for banter. Sure you have a few twats for fans but so does everyone. But I class our clubs as not bitter rivals but fierce competitors.

We may be about to get Howson, but know that he's going to a club with a manager who can develop players like no-one I've ever seen. When he's playing for England in a few years you can say "I saw that lad slot one in against Carlisle" and be proud. Isn't it better us than say Liverpool buying him as a collectors piece or to bump up their "Home grown players" quota?

I think it's an inevitability Leeds will end up in the Premier League and hopefully we'll both get the chance to re-kindle the lower league face offs once again.

 

I had a teacher who used to support Clyde, and I used to pretend to support the 'Maryhill Magyars' (as he called them) to piss him off! How are the Thistle doing these days? Better than Clyde, I'd hope (aren't they on the brink of going non-league?!)

 

Lovely article. Thanks to the mods for putting this on general release.

As a Saints fan, I'd add that it is to be hoped that our two teams fortunes continue to reflect each other. We've been relegated together 3 times, and it would be a blinkered bigot who didn't enjoy your double promotion - a feat that we hope to emulate. I've always enjoyed our meetings, and wouldn't it be great if the Premier League's greedy big boys fell on their faces and teams like ours could genuinely compete again as we did a few years back.

Dirty Leeds? Oh, you have to have rose coloured specs not to see them like that and for me Revie didn't win enough with such a formidable team. They were the most talented team around bar none, and should have won the double year on year. I did feel for them when they lost to Bayern in '75. Giles and Bremner were 'ard, but what playesr. Any Saints fan might remember Bremner knocking out a young lad behind a goal at The Dell when his ferocious shot went just wide. Leeds lost 3-1 and it cost them the championship so they could be excused for feeling a tad naffed off, yet the wee man made sure the lad got his shirt after the game. All heart that man!

 

We suffered by possibly being too good. Other teams would win things while we finished 2nd in every bloody competition because we were tired from playing so many games! We were also, in fairness, actually robbed of a EC and a CWC by bribed refs, which doesn't help.

 

Norwich and Saints are two of the finest clubs in England (after Leeds of course), they have loyal supporters and their teams have always played football the right way. Today both have intelligent managers and ambitious boards, and the results are no fluke. When these clubs were in Lge One you could see that they reacted positively to the setback and had a plan in place for the future. Norwich will stay up and Saints will join them. I am starting to feel Leeds will only get to the Prem once Bates has let go his stranglehold on our club.

 

I don't think Leeds were disliked because of their football. We were all jealous of their marvellous players and an astute manager who taught us that shutting up shop when you're winning 1-0 is a winning tactic. They were hard, mean and nobody existed except them. No problem with that.
In those days, much like today I suppose, footballers were up themselves. They got the girls, had the cars, good clothes and got in the good clubs for nothing.
Not Leeds though. They played bloody bingo in their hotel! While a lot of footballers were getting sent home for staying out on away trips or being seen in a club, Leeds were off to see Born Free!
Thats why we didn't like them. They were just like their manager, bloody boring!

 

As opposed to lets say Roy Keane who in his very own words '[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I'd waited long enough. I ****ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think). Take that you ****. And don't ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries'....[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Or Eric Cantona who we got rid of, partly for behavioural problems, who kung-fu kicked a football fan....

Or clubs who employ players who have served time for beating up women or killing people in road traffic accidents...

Im proud to wear my Leeds shirt

[/FONT]

 

Are you ok with your players turning up for training in their car, drunk and only in their boxer shorts?

If you aren't what you going to do if you sign fatty Matty?

 

The sad thing for Norwich City is, that your manager is doing a great job and no doubt some other club will come and poach him

 

If we stay where we are in the league, the number of clubs that could poach him will be very small. Who do you think will poach him?

 

He did that on your shift, not ours. He is on trial, not a current player...

 

This is not a cheap shot mate, but there are bigger clubs than Norwich in the prem, i really hope you do well and win something and keep hold of your manager, it'll put two fingers up to the sky four who buy success

 

Sorry, are you saying that you would welcome criminals at your club, just as long as the crimes were committed elsewhere?