Back in November, Gary McSheffrey warmed up for Leeds United’s visit to the Ricoh Arena by moaning to the Coventry Telegraph about his continued maltreatment at the cruel hands of the dastardly Simon Grayson.
We at The Square Ball were intrigued by the mindset of the kind of man who thinks that one fluked goal is enough to earn a contract at Leeds, and who complains about the man-management of a man who isn’t his manager. We were also, frankly, a bit worried about “Doyler,” who we sort of liked while he was here. Through a protracted process of negotiation (which may or may not have involved Noel Whelan, McSheffrey’s bins, and a crate of WKD), we laid our hands on some explosive extracts from McSheffrey’s diary, which shocked the world of football when we published them in The Square Ball magazine issue four.
With Gary due in Leeds this weekend, for his first visit to Elland Road since he stank the place out like a backed-up bog while on loan, we got back in touch with our Coventry insider who supplied The Square Ball with more fragments from Blue Sky Thinking: The Secret Diary of Gary McSheffrey.
For a football club with its own radio station, internet-tv channel, and media-happy chairman, Leeds United sometimes uses the oddest outlets to tell fans about the most important things. The Leeds United On The Road event in Hampshire was a meet-and-greet for the local fans, a welcome chance for supporters to chat with Peter Lorimer, Gwyn Williams, Davide Somma and Ben Parker, and hopefully a good time was had by all.
According to this brief report, posted on Waccoe by an attendee, Technical Director Gwyn Williams used the occasion to share some important news with the fans present, news that could materially affect the future of our football club; news that is worthy of communication to fans beyond Fareham Working Mens Club.
The introduction of names on the back of football shirts, like most ‘innovations’ in modern football, brought many troubles upon the average football supporter. Where once you would be happy with a white t-shirt, perhaps with a badge sewn on, you now not only had to choose between home, away and third shirts, you had to choose a favourite player and wear his name and number wherever you went; you wouldn’t even have the benefit of seeing it for yourself. You might even forget it was there, until some bemused soul taps you on the shoulder one day and says, *”Hodge?”*
With every passing football season, Waterstone’s must devote a little more shelf space to Leeds United. Most of the books look like this one: Bremner up top with the FA Cup, pained-looking fans from the 2007 relegation at the bottom, a blurb from David Peace, “author of The Damned United,” as if you didn’t [...]
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