Leeds United

Sixer Says: memories great and grim as Leeds cup battle looms

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A day to remember
A day to remember

Pete Sixsmith, currently playing Santa for the children of County Durham, was born in Leeds and is an ardent supporter of the Leeds rugby league side. But we all know him as a passionate Sunderland supporter from boyhood, when he arrived in the North East and saw the light of righteousness. Who better to look at the history of our FA Cup encounters with Leeds United, 3rd round opponents at the Stadium of Light in January? United fans who want to engage in proper banter are welcome to add their own recollections or thoughts on Pete’s musings (one of them might even volunteer for the ‘Who are You?’ interview) …

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Sixer gets shirty (Sunderland not Stoke) but acclaims one Leeds club

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Every so often, others come cap in hand to Salut! Sunderland for help, almost always of the ‘free, reward-in-heaven’ variety. They want our views of this or that. Monsieur Salut reckons he has done his bit for unpaid journalism and usually asks around in case someone else fancies obliging the website, publication or broadcaster concerned.

Pete Sixsmith‘s great fund of knowledge, general as well as football, makes him an easy recipient in this buck-passing exercise. Here he is again, responding heartily to a request from a newly established site, http://thefootballshirtcollective.com/. The approach was from the site’s Michael Maxwell, who said: “We want to tell the stories behind great football shirts.”

Sixer rattled off his answers to three questions as quickly as used to get down low goalbound shots when he was a goalie for the Shildon Sunderland Supporters’ AFC. You may come up with other candidates …

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Sunderland’s Twelve Days of Christmas: (4) Leeds United

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Sixer ponders the prices of Stamford Bridge season tickets
Sixer cats his memory back to an important winning day

John McCormick writes: Pete Sixsmith‘s whimsical journey through a long memory of Sunderland games over Christmas takes him to the promotion season of 1963-64 and a crucial game. After just missing out the previous season nothing could be taken for granted and although it was to early to tell how the season would unfold, Leeds were early contenders and we couldn’t let them get too far ahead. I wasn’t there that day, probably not allowed to go on my own, but I do remember listening to commentary on the radio with my dad, who said that Don Revie was the dirtiest footballer he had ever seen playing for Sunderland…

SAFC 2 Leeds United 0 Dec 28 1963

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From Barnsley to Manchester United and Leeds. Memories of Brian Greenhoff aged 11

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Ken Gambles: remembering the Greenhoff boys
Ken Gambles: remembering the Greenhoff boys

The sad, early death of Brian Greenhoff took Ken Gambles back half a century to the makeshift pitch on South Yorkshire wasteland where the future star paraded his precocious skills. Greenhoff went on to play more than 290 times for Manchester United and Leeds United and 18 times for England. He ended his career as player-coach at Rochdale. Ken’s game was restricted to university, local and finally veterans football. And, of course, following Sunderland. For Ken, reflecting on boyhood pals who did make the grade and those who did not, the phrase that comes to mind is ‘they also serve who only stand and watch’ …

 

One of the more unusual side-effects of growing old is that whenever you read an obituary,the first focus seems to be on how old the deceased was

Older than you and it is only natural; younger than you and it becomes a bit disturbing. When I therefore read that Brian Greenhoff had died on May 22 having barely reached 60, it was a double cause for reflection.

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Sunderland, Leeds and Wembley 1973: a Frenchman in search of the Roker Roar

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Steed gets some last-minute training in
Steed gets some last-minute training in

The latest edition of French Fancies is special and timely, a must for any Sunderland supporter who happens to be studying – or knows a little of – the language of Molière.

Entrez, s’il vous plaît, our new friend Kevin Quigagne, who is French but has been in England for 21 years, lives in the North East and follows the Lads with some enthusiasm when not demonstrating a soft spot for Sheffield Wednesday.

Credit: therokerend.com*
Credit: therokerend.com

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Sunderland and Wembley 1973: not just about us. Leeds fans remember

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1973 May 5The Leeds fan, “yorxman”, who posted his silly Yah Boo comment to one of our FA Cup Final 40th anniversary pieces, did at least have a point in implying we were sad to have to go back so long for anything to celebrate.

Members of the London and SE branch of the Sunderland AFC Supporters’ Association voted a few years ago to change the name of the newsletter from 5573 for that very reason. Ian Todd has pointed out elsewhere that it was not just younger members who disapproved of such a distant reference point as May 5 1973 (I voted to keep the name but cannot quarrel too much with the opposing view – and the replacement, Wear Down South, is a great alternative).

But our yorxsman’s sneers are not wholly representative of Leeds United supporters. That day was theirs too, or at any rate it was meant to be theirs, so it seemed a good idea to invite them to share their own memories. This is what a quick posting at the Leeds Fans Online site produced – and I am grateful to all those who contributed:

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