| Jabba's Comments |
Graham enjoyed a successful club career with
numerous sides across London in the 1970s, and after a spell in charge
at Millwall, returned to Highbury as a manager and built a team
around a solid defence that began to challenge the Northern domination
of the game. After bringing several trophies to the club, he left
under a cloud and an FA ban, being found guilty of accepting a bung
on a transfer deal. He probably did nothing more than what several
other managers did at the time - but the club he had served so well
left him to twist in the wind, and instead of making a clean breast of
it, he tried to wriggle out of the allegations.
With the manner of his departure from Leeds, it's hard to disguise
my contempt for this man so I won't even try. Brought in by Caspian,
he concentrated so much on sorting the defence out in his first season
that he forgot about scoring goals, passing the ball in midfield and
anything else normally associated with a football team - he was Mr
Goalless Draw.
In fairness, he picked up Hasselbaink for a bargain (recognising a kindred
spirit I guess) and under him, Harry Kewell and Lucas Radebe really came into
their own. The Youth Team were doing brilliantly under Eddie Gray and Paul Hart
but GG appeared to pay it scant attention.
Having signed a long-term contract less than a year before, he
suddenly decided that he couldn't face living so far away from his
beloved London anymore - particularly now that his bung-taking had
been swept under the carpet and he was now back in the good books of
the Fleet Street slime. He headed down the M1 to Spurs as fast
as his Merc would carry him and in doing so did Leeds United the
greatest service possible - he left us with David O'Leary in place
and ready to take over.
Richard Allen says: You seem to be forgetting that in the time
Graham was at Leeds he sorted a mess out. Yeboah and Brolin were both
swinging the lead and Graham told them where to go; the team spirit
improved massively - compare the '96 League Cup performance with the
fight the team showed in e.g. (for Leeds) a meaningless game at the
end of the following season against Middlesbrough.
Graham said he would play it tight in '96-97 and wait until the close
season before spending. He was as good as his word, and in '97-98
Leeds were one of the best attacking sides in the Premiership. In the
following close season, with european football guaranteed, the board
did not back Graham to take Leeds on to the next stage, to challenge
the likes of Man. U., Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. Once the season
started, the board starting making noises about money being available,
but as Graham rightly pointed out, who sells their best players at
that stage of the season? I don't blame Graham for leaving - O'Leary
threatened to leave too if there was no clear commitment by the board
that funds would be available. That's why he took so long signing the
contract. Do you seriously think that Graham would have failed to
deliver trophies if he had had anything like the funds available to
him that O'Leary has had?
Leeds lost the best possible manager for them, one who could have
delivered a dynasty of success similar to the Revie era, because the
board dithered at a crucial time. They weren't professional enough to
provide the money at the right time and they didn't fight hard enough
to keep Graham at Leeds. Since then Leeds have been nearly men,
instead of the trophy winners they had, and still have, the potential
to be. If Graham had still been the manager, Leeds wouldn't keep
being brushed aside when it comes to the crunch. It's Leeds' loss and
it's time the fans realised it. Graham's a great manager, but the
board didn't match him when it mattered. Leeds ought to get Graham
back as the manager and let him finish off the job he started. Just
match his ambition with the right funding this time.
Richard Allen says: Born Bargeddie, Fife.
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