Gary Kelly

[YorkshireSquare]

I've been contacted by a football writer from Ireland who is writing a book on book about the varying fortunes of Irish players in professional football in England. In one of the chapters he focuses on some of the very best Irish players to have played in the top flight in England including former Leeds player Gary Kelly. He wondered if we could answer the following questions for him.

1) How would you describe Kelly's playing style and his greatest attributes as a Leeds player?

2) Those were heady days for Leeds, with Irishman David O'Leary at the helm and Ian Harte also in the side. Stephen McPhail too, to a certain degree. How big a part did these four (Kelly, Harte, O'Leary and McPhail) play in Leeds' success in this period?

3) How highly would you rate Kelly in terms of the finest Leeds full-backs you've seen. There's been quite a few, to my memory?

[1964white]

Certainly behind Reaney & Madeley as right-back

[YorkshireSquare]

Certainly behind Reaney & Madeley as right-back

And an on form Danny Mills for me but he certainly made a valuable contribution to the club.

[1964white]

And an on form Danny Mills for me but he certainly made a valuable contribution to the club.

Yes i would agree Sterland was also a decent RB in his short-lived career at Leeds

[hibbi86]

i would say when Gary Kelly was defending id would name his style "dog" by no means do i mean this in a bad light for Gary Kelly,

He would hassle and hound the opposing player, he was ever present in the leeds starting line up and he was extremely loyal to the club.

[barryanorak]

Playing style?

Goal machine...




Ahem.

[YorkshireSquare]

Goal machine...

Own goal machine, score 6 against us I believe.

[HarryofOz]

Never a great player but a good and competent one like his left-back partner - Ian Harte. Helped by a top notch goal keeper and a group of quality centre backs and a strong midfield to have a good defensive record at the peak of his era. However, he did make it into the Premier League award team at least once (maybe more) so he was no slouch

[rab_rant]

When Kevin Blackwell managed Leeds there was only him and Gary Kelly :-)

[gessa]

1) How would you describe Kelly's playing style and his greatest attributes as a Leeds player?

2) Those were heady days for Leeds, with Irishman David O'Leary at the helm and Ian Harte also in the side. Stephen McPhail too, to a certain degree. How big a part did these four (Kelly, Harte, O'Leary and McPhail) play in Leeds' success in this period?

3) How highly would you rate Kelly in terms of the finest Leeds full-backs you've seen. There's been quite a few, to my memory?

My opinions;
1) His pace was his greatest asset,which at first he needed as his positional play was pretty poor, but considering he was an accidental Right Back, he started out as Right Winger, but was put at RB as cover for Sterland by Wilko, this was no surprise, as time went on his positional play did improve but defending never seemed natural to him as quite a few mistimed tackles proved over the years.
2) The O'Leary days were exciting times for Leeds fans, first O'Leary blended a few young players into a squad that was built on the foundations laid by George Graham, this created a very good mix of players and we played some great football. O'Leary's problems for me was he had to much money at his disposal,he built unbalanced squad,he bought players in for who they were rather than what the team needed, we had 5 strikers at the club but only one recognised Left Back, Ian Harte, who scored a lot of important goals from free kicks but for how many points he got us from those goals , I feel he cost us just as many goals, because of him being an average defender, his lack of pace cost us a few goals, one game I remember was a 2-3 home defeat to Newcastle, Solano ran him ragged all game, with his crosses creating all 3 goals, that was a game I also started to question O'Leary's abilities, it was clear that Harte was being shown up but no change was made to either substitute him or give him more protection from midfield. McPhail, I believed would be a big player for us for years to come, but things didn't turn out well for the club so it wasn't to be, I remember the pass with the outside of his boot to JFH away at Derby in one of his first games, it was pure class.I don't really associate Kelly with the O'Leary years, Danny Mills was a better player than Kelly at that time.I think if George Graham had stayed at the club and was given the money O'Leary had, then we would have won something, the football wouldn't have been as exciting but I think we'd have something to show for the gamble that was taken,obviously we will never know how it would have turned out,it's just my opinion.
3)If you mean all full backs then Reaney,Cooper,Frank Gray,Cherry, Mills and Sterland were beter imo.

[Dons Legends]

I liked Gary Kelly, he was Leeds through and through.

[Osprey]

Terrific fullback. Could tackle and had pace. He's right up there with the best I've seen, Cooper, Reaney, Dorigo possibly better than Sterland.

[1964white]

Terrific fullback. Could tackle and had pace. He's right up there with the best I've seen, Cooper, Reaney, Dorigo possibly better than Sterland.

Welcome to MOT Osprey

[Gandalf]

he started out as Right Winger

He started out as a striker, believe it or not.

I started out writing down memories of the Wilko and O'Leary years, but got depressed and packed in.

[andywatson]

Interesting how some people remember Kelly (and Harte) as having loads of pace, whilst others remember them having none.

If I remember correctly, both versions are true! The pair started off as the fastest full backs in the premiership, but both seemed to lose their pace almost overnight. Strange- but then what wasn't in those days as a Leeds fan!

I always liked the guy though- I thought he was a decent committed player who understood where he was (as a footballer at Leeds I mean- not always in a positional sense on the pitch!). He could be relied on to put his body on the line, and gave everything he had to the club. In that sense we can ask no more.