There is nothing worse for a football fan, especially a Leeds United fan as optimism. It’s difficult supporting a football team sometimes, poor performances, defeats, relegations and selling your best players are just some of the things we have to deal with every season. But we keep going back for more, why? It’s for that buzz, that great feeling when something actually goes your way, the adrenalin rush you feel when your team score, the elation at a victory, the celebration of a promotion. And that’s why the optimism kicks in, you crave those feelings, you want to experience that joy again so you hold on to the hope that your team will succeed and satisfy that craving.I remember arriving at Leeds City Station on the morning of 24th March 1996, kitted out in my Leeds shirt and my white, yellow and blue scarf wrapped round my wrist. The Yorkshire Post were giving out blue and yellow ribbons and rosettes, there was a buzz about the place, a sense of optimism and excitement. There is something magical about seeing that crowd of supporters, all buoyed up and singing walking down Wembley Way towards the ground, everyone united behind one cause, expectant of a great performance, it’s a great experience. It’s that optimism that makes you feel so much worse when your team don’t turn up. Every goal, Milosevic, Taylor, Yorke like a nail in your coffin each time.
But we don’t learn do we? That joy, that ‘mental’ when you score, when you win is addictive, you crave it like some addict and even at the slightest sniff of that feeling there it is, that optimism sneaking back in. In 2005 when Sheffield United started to slip up in the league I thought we could do it, I thought we could pip them to the promotion places. But we bottled it, the opportunity was there and rather than taking advantage we slipped down two places in the table, only for our expectation to be quashed again in a humiliating play-off final loss. DeMerit, Sullivan, Henderson three more nails in your coffin.
And that’s why we sit there now, staring at the computer monitor every day, constantly checking Twitter, NewsNow, forums and message boards for news of a takeover. That’s why we want to believe those who say their best mates brother who is a security guard at Elland Road says we’ve been bought for £62 million. Billionaires from every continent in the word have been mentioned, numerous different amounts, most complete nonsense but we want to believe, we have hope that it will be true.
We’ve suffered 7 years of hurt, our club has stagnated, the feeling inside Elland Road is rotten. We desire change, we want hope, we want to feel optimist about supporting our club again and that’s why we hang on to every whisper, every rumour. But until we hear anything officially it’s going to kill us, our nerves are shot. I hope we hear some news soon, one way or another, but I’m optimistic it will be good! On on on!!!!!
