As a football fan, I hate the close season. This year is different however as we have the world cup to look forward to but this is scant consolation for my Saturday evenings with a cold beer in a bar watching a match.
Now my big problem is I am a Leeds United supporter and for the past 16 seasons, after a huge financial meltdown only a year after reaching the Champions League Semi-finals, has been a huge rollercoaster of disappointment and heartache as we have floundered around mid-table in the Championship amidst constant upheavals on and off the pitch and a never-ending rotations of managers, owners and players.
During close season, the normal 'MO' is to constantly monitor the local press and news aggregators looking for hints of new players coming in, gossip and news to keep the football fix up and provide some forlorn hope that next season is going to be better.
This year, however, the anticipation levels are going into overdrive. Finally, it seems, later today, Leeds are going to announce the appointment of a new manager. However this time, it's not going to be some cheap and untested lower league high-ball merchant, it's going to be no other than former Argentina and Chile national manager, Marcelo Biesla. Oh hell yeah!! Finally some glamour and talent at our dour northern club to take the fans passion into the stratosphere.
On the back of this, we might actually attract some higher calibre players to the club to make promotion to the Premier League a certainty for the 2019/2020 season. Leeds are back. Marching on together and hopefully able to watch some fast-paced attacking football that Bielsa is famous for.
The sad thing about the life of an ageing football fan is that you spend your life wishing it away, maybe next year, we live in hope and how I want so much to get back to those crazy, wild nights of unadulterated of the champions league nights we had in the past. Just incredible noise, atmosphere and stress! but we wouldn't have it any other way. That's the life of a football fan.
Leeds knocking scum out of the FA cup in 2010
This clip never fails to cheer me up :-)
The Thais are also passionate about their football, especially the premier league and when I arrived on these shores was happily surprised to find how knowledgeable they were, even about old clubs that had fallen from grace such as Leeds. Saturdays in a night in a local bar watching the big screen with an ice cold Chang were always interrupted by someone asking who I supported. On mentioning I supported Leeds I was usually met with a strange look of sympathy tinged with quizzical enquiries about the state of my mental health.
"Why don't you change your team?"
Then of course I have to explain that in life, there is but one constant. You can change your job, your name, your wife, your home and even your country but you never, not ever, change your football team. Its given to you or chosen by you at an early age and it's yours for life.
A look of respect and enlightenment often followed. The Thais seem to love this sense of loyalty even though they perhaps didn't totally understand it.
Of course, I get to see very few live games in Thailand so my Saturdays nights are usually more about hoping that scum loses. Also something I had to explain.
"Martin, every week you come here you shout and cheer different team, who do you like in Premier League? I don't understand"
Well, usually you have a game involving scum, and I will support whoever scum are playing as I hate scum even more than I hate fresh tofu.
This they generally understand as scum are possibly the least supported club in Thailand out of the big 5. At a guess I'd say its Liverpool first, followed by Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and then scum.
This coming season is going to be our year and I'm already anticipating the 2019/2020 season as I can finally pull on my Leeds shirt and shout and scream at the big screen and teach the Thai's how you truly support your team. I might even teach them how to sing 'Marching on Together' and do the Leeds salute :-)
Thats Leeds on the blockchain!
OK, back to constantly flicking between Leeds United news and Coinmarketcap.....its a hard life!
MARCHING ON TOGETHER
