Leedsista Libre

Written in 2018 — about a trip to Highbury in 1965: Arsenal's George Eastham may have been a gentle and philosophical footballer. But he was trying to stop Leeds United winning. Nothing was more provoking than that.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid internet reasons. I'm a writer, of the book 100 Years of Leeds United, the film Do You Want to W...

From October of 2017, but also my whole life — chasing Lee Chapman to France, and back again: France wasn't the only nation bidding for Chapman's services when, at the end of the 1987/88 season, he was disillusioned with life at Sheffield Wednesday. The first foreign inquiry came from the general manager of Bayern Munich, Uli Hoeness. You can also click here to read this, and see Lee Chapman in a...

Going back to May 1972 — and a tackle by Norman Hunter that was, 'like a declaration of nuclear war': Perhaps the pitch invader at the start of the second half had summed the pantomime up. Emerging from the Scotland fans in a dark suit with white pocket square, he was carrying a tartan scarf and a bunch of flowers, the first to wave to the crowd, the second to throw at Norman Hunter.    Leedsista...

About May of 1994/95 — Crystal Palace were coming to Elland Road, but so was Bernd Holzenbein. He wanted Tony Yeboah back already — One of Fotherby's dreams was secure. Now for the next one. Because if Tony Yeboah could do that with Carlton Palmer whacking the ball at him, imagine what he'd be like with Gazza in midfield?    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite...

From December of 2020/21 — Stamford Bridge had millions of pounds and Frank Lampard; Leeds were poor, but with Marcelo Bielsa, we were happy. For how long? This weekend Leeds United did not beat Chelsea, or play very beautifully, but Leeds fans are happy anyway. Why? The answer could be complex but simply it's Bielsa. And to Bielsa, always resisting the cult of his personality, that was never the...

From last summer, about the summer of 1994 — and to read this and watch the videos referred to in the episode, you can click here to use a gift link for the members-only article at Leedsista . Given his translator had instructions to fight an MRI machine rather than let it scan his legs, Leeds had a near miss with Tomáš Skuhravý.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Mo...

From October last year — and given we're playing Nottingham Forest every three days lately, here's something about one of my favourite players, who played for both: The acts of persuasion that Howard Wilkinson and Bill Fotherby used to tempt Chris Fairclough to Second Division Leeds United must rank among the greatest lobbying feats in football history.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Dani...

From May of 1998/99 — a couple of weeks before we ruined Arsenal's title hopes, Leeds went to Upton Park and gave West Ham a really bad time: West Ham fans, whose opinion of Harte was low enough after the first half, did not enjoy his somersault, or that he was spinning in front of a stand full of ecstatic Leeds fans, a cheerful pile of white and yellow replica shirts in the early summer sunshine....

From May of 2021/22 — the penultimate game of the season, the last at home, hosting Brighton, and we're in a relegation bat — ah, never mind. If Leeds have an inspiration at the moment it's Raphinha, leading by glowering, frustrated example, yelling at the crowd to give the ball back, yelling at the bench about the game, yelling at his teammates to get in the box for one of his not so long-throws....

From May of 2018/19 — about the origins of Dirty Leeds, and how Marcelo Bielsa was learning what he had inherited that must be defended: After his exasperated explanation of the implications of the FA's ruling, I expected Marcelo Bielsa to pull up tape of Leeds against Bayern Munich in 1975 and get stuck into UEFA too, and I fully suspect Bielsa is now too far gone with Leeds United for this to be...

From January of 2021/22 — in a relegation pickle, and welcoming Burnley to Elland Road: Marcelo Bielsa's was the cuddle seen around the world, and in a pandemic that has driven so many people apart from each other just looking at Quiroga in the grip of what Gabriel Batistuta once called Bielsa's 'soul hug' hit different.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite...

From April of 2000/01 — you can find this at Leedsista.com by clicking here , if you want to see David Batty attacking Dennis Wise with a carrier bag: Dennis Wise told David O'Leary to calm down. David Batty found a plastic carrier bag on the pitch and threw it in Wise's face. Wise caught it and started following Batty, trying to throw it back. In keeping with the game, it was all more silly than...

From April of 2015/16 — featuring some of my finest impressions of Steve Evans: It's bad enough dealing with our own head coach. "Tactically," he said. "Tactically, we've got it right today." And lost 2-1 to a team 20th in the table.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid internet reasons. I'm a writer, of the book 100 Years of Leeds United, the fil...

From February of 2022/23 — to celebrate Michael Skubala's promotion with Lincoln City, let's go back to the time he took us to Old Trafford: At the end of this match at Old Trafford, Leeds' modern players looked exhausted, frustrated and proud. They had let a famous win elude them, but those who have been around Leeds a while know we don't get the nice things easily.    Leedsista Libre is a free p...

From April of 2018/19 — when there was an attempt to get Elland Road to do one thing, while football got on with making that unnecessary: There’s no way of scripting Elland Road. Whatever is said beforehand gets lost as soon the ball is kicked. "That's why football is the best sport in the world," Bielsa said this week, "Because before the games you can have one feeling, but after the games the fe...

From November last year — and Bielsa talking about the world the way only Bielsa can: After a reporter told him watching Uruguay's defeat in the USA was like 'tearing his eyes out', Marcelo Bielsa called the press together to analyse, well, everything.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid internet reasons. I'm a writer, of the book 100 Years of Le...

From March of 2021/22 — a match when manbuns were ascendant and Leeds United still had that frisson of Bielsista chaos: Some players get a moment like this once in a career. Most right-backs get them never. But Leeds United's return to the top has been punctuated by days of Luke Ayling dragging us there.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid intern...

From January of 1997/98 — a trip to South London reunited Leeds with a real coulda, shoulda player of our mid-1990s: Tomas Brolin's third game for Palace, when George Graham's Leeds came to Selhurst Park, was a chance to overturn opinions and prove some points. Instead the Match of the Day cameras caught the end again, first Brolin slumped in the grass again, then a bloody bandage.    Leedsista Li...

From May of 2023/24 — proving that a good night can happen, and that 31 passes sometimes have a point: Where had all this been? There was so much more of it. Twice in a first half minute first Rutter then Gnonto went Maradona mode, slaloming upfield with the ball at their feet, evading tackles, gathering speed towards the goal(s) of the century(ies).    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel...

From February of 2022/23 — given he's been rattling Sam Allardyce's cage this week, let's go back to Jesse Marsch's last game in charge of Leeds United: Eleven months in, his confident delivery can't mask the substance of what even Jesse Marsch is saying about his own work: this isn't going very well.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid internet...

A bit of retro Premiership fun and games here — but with a big question about the new 2001/02 season, and why everyone seemed so unhappy: The fixture was a powder keg filled with fireworks wired up to a detonator in the hands of a toddler. Or Danny Mills, who pushed Ashley Cole over for no reason as he took a throw-in in the fifth minute.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka...

From December of 1997/98 — days after the tragic early passing of Billy Bremner, Leeds went to Chelsea, and gave Leeds fans a performance to be proud of: The half-time stats showed three yellow cards for Chelsea, two red cards and three other players booked for Leeds. There had been one shot at goal. Norman Hunter was spotted in his role commentating for Radio Leeds, 'Grinning all over his face. H...

From February of 2019/20 — just after defeat to Wigan, I was having thoughts on the state of modern goalkeeping. Thanks, Kiko Casilla: If modern goalkeeping is a matter of passing the ball accurately until you concede a goal to either an unstoppable shot or through either your own or someone else's error and then looking like you don't care, there seems to be nothing to lose.    Leedsista Libre is...

From January of 2017/18 — when Andrea Radrizzani got very carried away with his passion for graphic design, and tried to design our club's new badge: This design was supposed to be unique, breaking from the past yet rooted in the fan culture that makes Leeds United special. But by removing every trace of previous crests, they removed any connection between this crest and Leeds United Football Club...

From January of 2017/18 — Lasogga didn't need to get in the box, and for a moment Felix Wiedwald was my new Bremner: If this was the start of something, we'll look back at these twenty minutes as the origin story, the moment when Thomas Christiansen's Leeds finally declared an end to giving in to adversity.    Leedsista Libre is a free podcast by Daniel Chapman, aka Moxco/Moscowhite for stupid int...