Page 4 - We Are Going Up: YEP LUFC Premier League Promotion Special

4 I YORKSHIRE EVENING POST www.yorkshireeveningpostco.uk Monday. July20,2020
WE ARE GOING UP: LUFC SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT
After one of the most
memorable weekend’s
in the club’s history
with promotion and
the Championship title
both secured, Leeds
United chief executive
Angus Kinnear is already
focused on the challenge
ahead in the Premier
League. Graham Smyth
reports.
THE PARTY was 16 years in the
making, so when a somewhat
hungover Leeds United chief
executive Angus Kinnear said
they had celebrated promot ion
‘with some vigour’ he was
putting it mildy.
Leeds couldn’t do it
properly, not quite, thanks
to a pandemic and the
responsibility felt keenly by
decision makers at Elland Road
not to encourage people onto
the streets in large numbers.
A gathering was inevitable
however and the sing-song
that players and approximately
five thousand of their devotees
were able to enjoy, from a safe
distance, went some way to
making up for what Marcelo
Bielsa’s squad have lost due to
coronavirus.
Liam Cooper should
have been carried around
thehallowedturfonfans’
shoulders. There should have
been a pitch invasion.
Instead, Cooper hoisted Josh
Warrington onto his shoulders,
the city's world champion
invading the celebration at
a stadium to whose glorious
sporting history he has
contributed.
Yellow and blue smoke
filled t he air as ‘Leeds. Leeds
are falling apart, again’ rang
out from Leeds-born Kalvin
Phillips and the thousands-
strong choir he was conducting
from the stadium steps.
Even under owner Andrea
Radrizzani and this regime.
Leeds have been accused of
falling apart.
Not this time.
This time, they held it
together and watched as first
West Brom and then Brentford
fell apart to hand Leeds
promotion on Friday night
and a league title on Saturday
afternoon.
“It’s been some weekend so
far without kicking even a ball,”
said Kinnear, when top spot
was a certainty on Saturday.
“Everyone is absolutely
delighted, absolutely thrilled,
three years ofhard urork,
difficult to believe.
“There are some very sore
heads around Leeds today,
including mine. We partied
with some vigour last night, but
I think it’s what the team, the
city and most ofall what the
fans deserved.”
was relief, Saturday’s was
satisfaction. A lot of hard work
went into making Leeds a force
to be reckoned with, both on
and offthe pitch.
“I think the club have
suffered from years of
mediocre ownership, there
were challenges across the
club, from how we generated
revenue, how we were engaged
with the fanbase and to the
playing side as well.” said
Kinnear.
“We really had to start from
the bottom up.
“It’s always been about
building foundations. Andrea
set the target ofgetting back
the Premier League in five
years, we’ve done it in three.
For us really this isjust the start
of thejourney, it’s the end of the
beginning."
The reality ofa sport that
never stops is that Leeds cannot
they’ve done, before turning
their attention to a first season
back in the Premier League
since their 2004 exit.
Radrizzani has vowed that
the club’s ambition isn’t simply
to reach the Premier League
and Kinnear sees top flight
status as a bare minimum for
a club with the size, stature
and fanbase of the three-time
champions of England, Leeds
United.
Kinnear acknowledged the
relentless expectations ofthe
supporters in helping drive the
club back to the top.
“Whilst we’re all very
excited, we’ve got back to where
we belong,’’ he said.
“This is base camp for Leeds
United. Leeds United shouldn’t
be a Championship side, they
should be a Premier League
side. So really the challenge
starts now, it’s about competing
in the Premier League.
“We know our supporters
are immensely loyal but they’re
immensely demanding, as they
should be.
“I spoke to one last night
who said we have a honeymoon
period until half-time in the
first game and if we’re not two
up they're not going to be happy
again and we know that’s the
case, that’s the way it should
be."
So haring made one dream
come true, how big can
Whites fans start to dream
now? Kinnear, who admits
his tongue-in-cheek ‘we’re not
******* around with the play­
offs any more’ comment might
on his face, is making no firm
promises about next season's
achievements. He is setting the
bar high for the future, though.
“It’s the first step, having
Leeds back playing in the
forum they should be in and
now it’s about building on that
and making sure over the next
few years we are competing
at the level Leeds should be
competing at, that's the top six
and that’s always been our aim,"
he said.
“I’m not going to make any
bold proclamations like I did
last year because that almost
came back to bite me.
“Next year the team will
go out every week, will play
swashbuckling, attacking
football, will show absolutely
no fear, will show no team any
respect, we're not going to be
scared and we’ll give Leeds
supporters another year they
If Friday’s overriding feeling
lake too long to celebrate what
well have left him with egg
can be croud of”
MASTER TACTICIAN: Marcelo Bielsa with his Leeds United side.