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Caoimhin O’Muraile ⚽ Last week in TPQ my article titled Where Did it all Go I stated “the subject of VAR is for another day” which to keep continuity is today. 

Not only does this absurd system of refereeing an Association Football match make a mockery of the man in the middle, the Referee, and the game the poor sod is charged with pretending to officiate over it also has much more sinister economic benefits for a small number of people. These economic benefits for those whose only interest is profit at the expense of the game constitute other reasons for getting rid of the system from a fan's viewpoint. It is also a reason why it is here to stay. The problem is many of those who profit also influence the powers that be who will decide, irrespective of what the paying fans think, whether this farce remains or not! 

Personally, I agree with former Everton youngster and Manchester United Ace, Wayne Rooney, in demanding the removal of VAR once and for all. It is the curse within what remains of the so-called modern game after these know nothing powers that be have fucked around with the rules to a point where the game is unidentifiable with the one I and many others grew up with. For example they have made it impossible for a human referee to judge with the naked eye if a player is offside thus making demand for VAR and SAOT or some other form of assistance inevitable. These rule changes making life impossible for the match officials are part of a process which involves VAR making the game more of a farce dependent on technology than a game. Back in the seventies and eighties they would not have got away with VAR because football fans then, the genuine article, took a more proactive part in decision making often by invading the pitch. If this so-called new technology had been in place back then the game could well have been made unplayable! There is room for technology, no doubt about that, for example the little device available to referees indicating whether the ball is over the goal line or not but there is no need for VAR to decide this important decision. The small machine the referee wears on his wrist and gives a signal if the ball crosses the line for a goal is a progressive piece of technology.

VAR has given football two sets of rules depending which division a team participates. The so-called Premier League has VAR at all grounds for every game which the fans cough up to cover the expense of at the turnstiles. However, in the Championship (formerly the second division), after the PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials) the organisation representing referees, linesmen, and fourth officials, presented VAR it was rejected by the clubs. They voted to adopt goal line technology as outlined above but not VAR. This means two sets of playing conditions and rules exist in the game, one set, involving VAR, in the top flight and another set for the other 72 teams making up the English Football League (EFL). In the FA Cup it becomes more problematic. In the 2025/26 season VAR and SAOT (Semi Automated Offside Technology, another farce they have quietly introduced) only came into play from the fifth round onwards. This is another sign of the elitist nature of the modern game because most teams enter the FA Cup much, much earlier than this round. It is expected, though not a given, that by the fifth round the competitors will be from the PL or the Championship the former using VAR for every game in the league. Championship sides do not use VAR and therefore must adjust to the new rules should they qualify for the fifth round. Two sets of rules only one game, another fuck up to make money for the high-tech companies, and puts lower league clubs who still use human beings to referee at a disadvantage should they reach round five of the FA Cup when VAR takes over.

Football supporters are opposed to the system but their opinion seems not to count. It appears that “three quarters of Premier League fans are against the use of VAR” according to the Irish Daily Mirror Monday 30th March. “Nearly 8,000 supporters took part in the Football Supporters Association poll to assess attitudes to the technology”. This was a sizable number of supporters, considering many of those attending games today are tourists and not fans in the traditional sense at all, so finding 8,000 genuine supporters to participate was an achievement in itself! 

The results show just how unpopular it has become with more than 97 per cent (ibid) of respondents opposing the statement that VAR makes watching football more enjoyable, while more than 90 per cent disagree that it has made the match-going experience better.

When supporters were asked:

if they support the use of VAR, meanwhile (ibid), 76 per cent said they do not, with more than 70 per cent disagreeing that it has improved the overall accuracy of refereeing decisions.

Fans feel that the time taken to reach decisions “remains a source of great frustration” with fewer than three per cent:

of those polled agree that decisions are reached in a reasonable amount of time, and an overwhelming majority do not feel they are now being made more quickly, despite efforts to speed up the process. More than 90 per cent also feel the technology has removed the joy of goal celebrations.

Supporters surveyed did however come down on the side of goal line technology – not including VAR – which “was backed by more than 93 per cent”. The feelings of supporters are clearly anti-VAR and fans want rid of the infernal nuisance or, to be blunt, the fucking waste of time, energy and space. Will the voice of these supporters be listened to? No, like fuck they will, such killjoys interfere with the huge profits made by technology companies!

One of the major obstacles to the removal of VAR are profits and has little to do with improving the game of football. This pretence of match improvement is what the authorities hide behind to justify the continuation of VAR, a proven failure, claiming to have the fans on side. This is clearly wrong if the Football Supporters Association survey is anything to go by a representative group whose opinions only count, it would appear, if they agree with the so-called authorities. On this and many other occasions they do not therefore their views are ignored, such groups are probably considered a ‘fucking nuisance, trouble makers’ by the football authorities and tech companies when they make the ‘wrong call’.

VAR is highly profitable for the technology companies which is why the football authorities dare not even hint at getting rid of it. Though highly profitable for these companies VAR represents a huge cost to football and the clubs involved. Once again evidence the interests of the game are being “sacrificed on the altar of big business”. Companies providing VAR such as Hawk-Eye innovations, part of Sony, have seen profits surge thanks in no small part to VAR. In 2024 reportedly profits for the firm behind VAR:

surpassed €24 million, approximately £20 million, with revenues exceeding €93 million largely driven by football. While the tech providers make a profit VAR is expensive for those using it. 

The clubs have to facilitate the use of VAR and this expense is passed onto the long-suffering fans at the turnstiles. Put bluntly, and if the above survey is any indicator, the supporters are being forced to pay for something they neither want or can see any benefits from, a little bit like paying for a stairlift in a bungalow! No wonder the huge tech companies who also influence what is said about their product on football magazine programmes like Match of the Day and various satellite television programmes take no notice of supporters' wishes. Commentators increasingly sound supportive of VAR simply because they dare do nothing else. Agree with it or find another job is probably the policy, not perhaps the BBC or BSB but the technology companies who, no doubt, have fingers in the economic affairs of the TV companies.

VAR is a curse to the game, not the only one granted but certainly the worst offender, which should be enough in itself to dispose of it. Do that and the ridiculous offside rules can be modified, liberalised, as can what constitutes a tackle and what is deemed a foul, decisions for the referee and only the referee. With the huge profits made by the technology companies the views of the paying supporters can take a running jump! More fucking fools those who pay to gain admittance to games, matches no longer refereed by humans but technology and the profits generated by such so-called progress. As Artificial Intelligence advances and the use of AI increases the game will soon by refereed entirely by computers and, who knows, perhaps even played by Androids which would avoid the expense of paying players wages!!   

Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist.

VAR ⚽ Will They Get Rid Of It? No, Of Course Not!

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Hundred And Fifty Seven

 

A Morning Thought @ 3131

Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ This morning I was sent a number of texts letting me know my good friend and comrade, Seán Clinton, died.

Seán Clinton
Seán was diagnosed with cancer a number of months ago and when he was up for a yarn I'd call to see him.

I first met Seán in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh where he was on remand and with me being on the camp staff I was able to get around Republican wings. I took to him right away and it may well have been the fact we were two cynics with strong opinions!
 
When we were released from gaol in the 1990s I'd occasionally meet him and most of our conversations were about the state of the movement and the direction in which they were going. It was a very frustrating time for many of us but we just got on with things.

In more recent years we would meet more often with a few others and discuss everything from Irish Republicanism to Imperialism and of course the genocide in Gaza. He was very well read and although serious he could be great craic.
 
When Seán was diagnosed with cancer I'd call to see him occasionally. He was younger than me and as we sat talking he'd tell me yarns about growing up on the Ormeau Road and like many who lived there he put up with harassment from the cops and Brits. He'd been set up a number of times for assassination by unionist gangs but he was very fortunate to evade them. I found out more about his personal life such as his love for boxing and other sports.
 
It was clear he was very close to his family and no doubt they'll be heartbroken at this time. He had a lot of friends and comrades and we too will miss him. This photo was taken at Lasair Dhearg's commemoration in Milltown cemetery on Easter Monday and although he wasn't well he spoke with others who knew him from prison and his involvement in struggle.

I was looking through my photos and came across this one from three years ago. 


It was a cold, but bright day when the two of us were walking around Milltown and I told him of graves that I'd found recently and one was of Joe McKelvey's father. We often spoke about McKelvey and the many other Irish Republicans buried in Milltown and this grave is the only British war grave I would talk about. The irony is that Patrick McKelvey was buried there in 1919 and his son Joe was in attendance. He was shot dead by Free Staters in 1922 and buried two years later in the Harbinson Plot which is literally a stone's throw away from his father's grave. Seán and I would often talk about that period.

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.


Seán Clinton 🪶 Serious But Great Craic

Jim Duffy ✍ One aspect of the shooting which I had not realised is that the Secret Service have not been paid since February. 

Their budget has not been approved by Congress.
 
The security put at the venue was not the top level security it should have had, but a slimmed down security - possibly because the Secret Service had not the money to do the top level security.
 
The evacuation of cabinet members and leaders was also chaotic. Their secret service were not in the room. They were kept in the back room. So when reports of the shooting came in, they had to rush in, then clamber over people lying on the ground, and tables, to get to the person they were supposed to protect. Had the attempted assassin, or multiple assassins, got into the ballroom it could have been a massacre as senior figures were shot before they were gotten to by the secret service.

The more information that comes out, the worse the security looks. I was wondering why the secret service leaders were pushing the narrative straight away that the performance had been exemplary. It smelled fishy. The only reason people go overboard praising the security in such case is to try to set the agenda and distract from major security failures. They hope the media and politicians buy the narrative and don't ask questions.
 
Another issue was the slow evacuation of Trump. It appears he didn't comprehend what was happening and wouldn't move. They struggled to make him understand he needed to go. It shows the dangers of having a president showing clear evidence of dementia. Dementia patients often can freeze and not know what is happening.
 
Medical issues can cost a president their life. It did with President Kennedy. When hit the first time by a bullet, he should have laid down on the seat, as indeed he was trained to do. However he couldn't as he was unable to move as he was wearing a back brace, given his extremely bad back. It meant he couldn't get down so was a stuck in place, with a frame holding him up, for the next shot. He probably would have survived if he hadn't been wearing the back brace, as he would have fallen either onto the seat or the well of the car and avoided the fatal head shot.

⏩ Jim Duffy is a writer-historian.

The Slow Evacuation Of Trump

Seamus Kearney 🎤 'For who forgives the accursed crime of black treachery?
Rebellion, in its chosen time,
May freedom's champion be.'


The day after the rap at the door from the journalist Greg Harkin on 10th May 2003, Scappaticci was summoned to a clandestine meeting with his military handlers at his holiday home in Portaferry on the County Down coastline.

They suggested strongly that a furniture removal van be organised and sent to the family home to remove him, his wife and children into the safety of protective custody, but Stakeknife was having none of it. Instead he told his handlers that he could 'brassneck it out' and figured that the IRA leadership would aid him in his denials because of the current peace process. He already had an insurance policy in place as he held an enormous amount of sensitive information on the IRA hierarchy and they knew it. Therefore, he was prepared to take his chances in the roll of the dice.

Freddie Scappaticci decided to apply the age old maxim, 'The best form of defence is attack', so made the first move by contacting the Republican Movement himself and arranged a meeting with two senior IRA personnel, one of whom had suspected him thirteen years earlier of being an agent in the Sandy Lynch affair. As he set facing both men the tension in the room began to rise, until Scappaticci blatantly denied the allegation that he was the agent Stakeknife. On hearing this the two senior IRA officers were given an opening and took it by simply advising Scappaticci to issue a firm and public denial in which the IRA would not contest. In other words a 'gentleman's agreement' was reached which served both parties. The meeting ended.

Next in his line of vision was the Republican base in West Belfast, the ordinary men and women who had shouldered and endured the long war. If he was to remain amongst them then he had to dupe them into thinking he was on their side during the struggle. Therefore on the 12th May 2003 he gave an interview with the Andersonstown News and issued a firm denial of the allegations against him which placated a sizeable section of people who accepted he wasn't Stakeknife but just 'a hard working Republican, stitched up by a venomous British gutter press'. As far as Scappaticci and his FRU handlers were concerned the ploy was beginning to work.

On 14th May 2003, a meeting in his solicitor's office on the Falls Road took place, attended by the renown journalist Brian Rowan, with the IRA's Director of Intelligence and the Adjutant of Northern Command monitoring proceedings in a building opposite. As pre-arranged Scappaticci issued a public statement in which he denied that he was a British agent and with that approach expected the latest piece of theatre to bring the curtain down on the press who had hounded him thus far. To copperfasten the dual arrangement between Stakeknife and the IRA leadership a number of statements were issued from senior Republicans who slammed the press for being so gullible into accepting British intelligence propaganda, and by doing so muddied the waters by claiming the allegations against Scappaticci were' bizarre and without proof'.

However, this act of deception was never going to work for a journalist who watched as Scappaticci spewed out his lies to a waiting audience in a solicitor's office on the Falls Road. Stakeknife along with the IRA leadership had carefully engineered the deception and in so doing had duped their own people, but it would take a feisty and courageous woman to finally corner and out manoeuvre this slithering snake who had escaped justice for so long.

Seamus Kearney is a former Blanketman and author of  
No Greater Love - The Memoirs of Seamus Kearney.

Stakeknife 🕵 The Rise And Fall 🕵 Act XVI

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Hundred And Fifty Six

 

A Morning Thought @ 3130

Gary Robertson ⚽There’s a pub quiz question that asks which is the closest rivalry in Scottish football? 

The answer of course is The Dundee Derby. A mere one hundred meters separate these clubs, a two minute stroll for a fit man (they tell me) but there’s a gulf far bigger than distance and this was evident on Sunday as the two came head to head at Tannadice. The three nil score line doesn’t flatter the Arabs, sure Ferrys’ opener was comical, a shot that bounced off him and in it rolled to put the home side 1-0 ahead. From there on superb defending, goal line clearances and but for woodwork this game could well have been over by half time. Dundee did have the ball in the net but up stepped VAR to rule the goal out due to an infringement in the box and much to the away fans annoyance. For what It’s worth I did think it was a tad harsh on Dundee but rules is rules as they say.

Ferry’s second on 70 mins, a shot from 20 yards was no more than United deserved. And with Strain putting the icing on the cake with a third less than two mins later, United cemented their spot as top dogs in the city of discovery for another year. The same city, the same street but very different emotions for the two sets of fans.

Talking of emotions congratulations to St Johnstone who have secured the title and a return to the SPL for next season. Saints have looked strong most of this year and have navigated the tricky path back to the top flight and a chance to rub shoulders with the elite of Scottish football, and The Rangers. A well done and pat on the back to Simo Valakari and his team.

Sadly though there are also commiserations and these go to both Kielty Hearts who found League One tough going this season and are relegated to League Two. A similar fate befell Edinburgh City battling from a 15 point deduction placed by the SFA on the club “due to said club suffering an insolvency event”. It was always an uphill battle and but for that 15 point deduction would find themselves in 9th place above Dumbarton. Cruelly they find themselves dropping out of the league altogether.

League One, and Inverness Caley despite their own 5 point deduction for going into administration are now 2 points clear with the title in their hands - avoid defeat to Hamilton Accies on Saturday and it’s a return to the Championship
.
So to the SPL and the race for the title.

First up Celtic and a chance to close the gap and keep the pressure on both Hearts and Rangers.
 
An early evening kick off and with Celtic Park bathed in spring sunshine the scene was set for battle. I was a little more confident going into this one. Not because I don’t rate Falkirk but because there was a spring in the step of the players that had been missing for quite some time. That said, it was Falkirk with the best opportunity in the 21st min to open the scoring when a rocket from the foot of Spencer was touched around the post by a - at full stretch - Sinisalo. A shot from Ralston was dealt with adequately enough by the Falkirk keeper before up stepped a rejuvenated Daizen Maeda. Now the most cynical among us could question whether this upturn in form is to put himself in the spotlight and a move away from Celtic but whatever it is if it helps us lift the title I’m all for it.

For the second week in a row his pace closing down caused mayhem, and having robbed the defender slotted past a hapless Hogarth in the Falkirk goal - and the Celts were one nil up. Falkirk continued to press but to no avail and Celtic were rewarded in the 44th minute when “Mr Celtic”, Kieran Tierney, fired home Celtic's second, and into the break they went. In the sunlight and strains of Depeche modes’ “Just can’t get enough” amongst others the attending fans were certainly in joyful mood.

So to the second half and the 70th minute and the ghosts of Celtic past raised their heads briefly as Wilson fired home from a difficult angle and suddenly Falkirk were back in the game. However this time Celtic refused to buckle and were in no mood to relinquish their lead and the points were sealed by Maeda in the 83rd minute when his second made its way into the net and for 24hrs Celtic were alongside Hearts at the top of the SPL. A job well done and it’s over to the Rangers and Hearts to continue the chase.

First up on Sunday and the Edinburgh Derby with Hearts facing Hibernian at Easter Road. A ground that recently hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Jambos and so it seemed to continue when in the seventh minute a header from soon to be elsewhere Bowie slammed home into the net and Hibernian were one nil up. My prediction of a home win looking good or at least for a few mins til the Hibs keeper Sallinger inexplicably handled the ball outside the box and with the intervention of VAR was shown a red card by Don Robertson and Hibs task was made much more difficult. However to their credit the home team battled and battled but tempers flared and Passlack of Hibs saw his second yellow on 49mins and the home side reduced to nine men. Magnificent saves from stand in Hibs keeper Smith and the woodwork managed to repel the onslaught as Hearts desperately sought an equaliser. This finally came in the 65th minute when a shot from the darling of the Scottish press, Shankland, bounced off Hibs defender O’Hara and the scores were level. Hearts of course, much to the delight of Ian Crocker (a man so impartial that I’m sure sleeps under a Rangers FC duvet) restored Hearts 3 point lead at the top of the table.

Over at Ibrox however things weren’t going to plan for the boys in blue. Having lined up against an inconsistent Motherwell. I, along with many others felt this was a “given” for the Rangers. Danny Röhl's boys have looked ruthless recently and are the team I personally fear most, or at least did, in this title battle. To the strains of Tina Turner and a “Keep believing” tifo the scene was set. Motherwell however clearly hadn’t read the script and were there not simply to make up numbers but instead to dent hopes. Askou has said he’s tired of the “Kingmaker” tag that has been thrown around his club recently but like it or not Jens’ it’s going to stick particularly after Sunday's performance.

So to the game and as I said Motherwell didn’t turn up to just play out 90 mins, walk away and leave 3 points on the Broomloan Road. After a spell of early Rangers pressure it was Motherwell who took advantage of some poor defending and Fadinger fired past Butland in the 16th minute to put the Steelmen 1 up. A goal applauded by his manager, it was clear to see Motherwell aren’t on the beach just yet. Despite their pressure Rangers created little in the way of chances from open play and again found themselves punished again by sloppy defending as Longelo fired into the net and sent the Fir Park side 2 up. The small contingent of away fans filled Ibrox with noise but not the noise the Rangers needed to hear. Longelo should probably made it 3 but for a deflection off a Rangers boot sent the ball looping over the bar and out for a corner. Despite their best efforts the Rangers couldn’t find a way to break through the Well defence and the fans made sure the team were aware of their disapproval at half time.

Now I’ve said before this team can battle and we’ve also been aware that a two goal lead is a dangerous one and so when changes were made by Röhl the team emerged with a renewed vigour and it didn’t take long before Chermiti, helped by a slip by Motherwell's McGinn, halved the deficit in the 51st minute. Game on and from there on in I felt a Rangers victory was the only possible outcome. I’m glad I’m wrong more often than I’m right.

Rangers did battle and they did add a second on 70 mins as Raskin headed home from close range 2-2.The star of the show however was Motherwell's Longelo, the 25 year old left winger from Barking, found the back of the Rangers net in the 90th minute to once again put Motherwell ahead.

Despite playing ten mins of the advertised seven of injury time the Rangers couldn’t find an equaliser and at the final whistle the boos rang out. Rangers fans clearly far from happy now find themselves in third spot in the league a point behind Celtic and four points behind Hearts. With four games to go and next up for the Rangers a trip to Tynecastle on Monday May 4th at 5-30 (Sky or Premier Sports I imagine will carry this game) losing there could put them seven points off the top with three to go and at kick off four behind Celtic assuming of course they take care of Hibs in a tricky trip to Easter Road. Any points dropped now can be crucial and sure things can change quickly this is a blow the men from Ibrox didn’t need.

Next weekend will see champions crowned, play off places assured and relegations confirmed but in the SPL it’s another must win for all 3 at the top of the table. A Rangers win means Hearts lose and if Celtic beat Hibs on Sunday the gap could be one point and goal difference between the three. This is certainly shaping up for a powder keg finish.

Til next time …

🐼 Gary Robertson is the TPQ Scottish football correspondent.

Is Your Motherwell Danny Röhl?

Real News Network ★ Written by Jane Slaughter.

In 2011 Frank Bardacke published an 800-page history of the Farm Workers union: Trampling Out the Vintage: Cesar Chavez and the Two Souls of the United Farm Workers. It opened many eyes to the reasons the UFW became a shadow of its former self.

Bardacke starts the book with an epigraph, a quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “O what a fall was there, my countrymen! Then I, and you, and all of us fell down…”

Bardacke was a farmworker in the fields of the Salinas Valley for six seasons in the 1970s. When he decided to write his book years later, he went back to his carpool co-workers, finding them still at work in the fields. In 1994, the union had been thoroughly defeated for nearly 10 years—but his old friends were afraid even to mention its name where the foreman might hear.

I interviewed Frank Bardacke after a New York Times investigation revealed evidence that Chavez had sexually abused young girls who were volunteering with the union, and the allegation that he had also assaulted union co-founder Dolores Huerta. – Jane Slaughter

Continue @ RNN.

A Lack Of Democracy In The United Farm Workers Gave Chavez Immunity

Barry Gilheany ⚽ The conventional narrative that is being told about Leeds United’s narrow loss to Chelsea in the second of this weekend’s FA Cup Semi Finals at a gloriously sunny Wembley on Sunday past is that once again we didn’t turn up, froze, were overcome by nerves etc, etc. etc. 

Yes, we failed to break our Wembley duck for the fourth successive occasion since an Eric Cantona hat trick won us the 1992 FA Charity Shield in a 4-3 victory over Liverpool. Yes, we were outclassed in the first half thanks largely to the five back formation that Daniel Farke decided to start with and off days by Ao Tanaka and Ethan Ampadou in particular. 

Yet the statistic that I have just given should indicate just what a momentous occasion this was for Leeds United Football Club. For this was our first appearance in an FA Cup semi-final in 39 years, since a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Coventry City at Hillsborough in which we were just 24 minutes from reaching what should be the only club fixture reserved for Wembley – the Cup Final. I cannot help but feel that we would have had a better chance at a ground like Villa Park or Old Trafford which are shorter in pitch dimensions and less of a psychological occasion than Wembley.

But this really was an occasion pregnant with history, both club and personal. It took place on the 34th anniversary of the achievement of our last major honour – the old First Division Championship on Sunday 26th April 1992 which has earned us, in the words of the music journalist and author Dave Simpson, The Last Champions. It was a reprise of, and another opportunity for Leeds to gain revenge in a Cup tie for one of the many injustices suffered by Don Revie’s Legends – the 2-1 defeat in the 1970 FA Cup Final replay by Chelsea at Old Trafford. Played in front of a then record tv audience of 26 million, this match was perhaps the emblem of the brutality of 60s and 70s English football as feuds developed over the years were played out in technicolour savagery with virtually no intervention by the referee for whom, in the words of the legendary sports writer Hugh MacIlvaney, “only the production of a death certificate” would have been grounds for a booking, a sanction that that was only imposed on two occasions. 

A contemporary Premier League referee would have dished out seven red cards to Chelsea and four to Leeds; with Chelsea defender Eddie McCreadie being sent off twice. Two incidents remain seared in the memories of Leeds fans of that vintage; the scything down of Eddie Gray who had virtually conducted proceedings in the drawn Wembley match with virtuoso wing play by Ron “Chopper” Harris and a high kick on Billy Bremner by Eddie McCreadie in the penalty area near the end of normal time (Chelsea got their winner in extra time). Not that Leeds were shrinking violets. A cynical barge on Chelsea keeper Peter Bonetti early doors may have hobbled him sufficiently to prevent Mick Jones’s mazy opener for Leeds. 

This match established a specifically football related hatred among Leeds fans of Chelsea to be, as all tribal feuds are, handed down the generations though cultural factors such as the London media’s adoration of the King’s Road fashion style association in contrast to the gritty Northern character of Don Revie’s side which they loathed. The rivalry was to be fought out on terraces and service stations throughout the 1970s and 1980s by their respective hooligan firm; the Chelsea Head hunters and the Leeds Service Crew with a particularly infamous denouement at the end of the 1983-84 season at Stamford Bridge when after a 5-0 victory had secured promotion for the home side, Leeds fans charged across the pitch to take apart and smash their scoreboard. Historical antagonisms were to be exacerbated by the controversial stewardship of Leeds by former Chelsea Chairman Ken Bates in the same capacity between 2005 and 2013 who had publicly nursed a desire to have Leeds expelled from the Football League over the Scoreboard incident and his presiding over our first ever relegation to the third tier of English football, the placing of the club into administration and a subsequent 15 points deduction for exiting administration without following insolvency procedures did feed conspiracy theories about his intentions. Master Bates was a thoroughly toxic influence on the club.

The 1970 Cup Final was my introduction to and initiation into the, as our club anthem Marching on Together, the “ups and downs”, with rather more of the latter, of the life of a Leeds United supporter. As the club went into its post Paris 75 robbery decline, the excitement of following Northern Ireland’s two World Cup Final tournaments in the 1980s partially displaced loyalties to a club which suffered relegation in 1982, and which developed a particular reputation for the thuggery and racism of more than a small minority of its following. However the semifinal run in 1987 and another near thing when promotion to the Old First Division was snatched from our grasp in extra time of a play-off final replay against Charlton Athletic who came back from a John Sheridan free kick classic to win 2-1 (the Russian Roulette torture mechanism of the Penalty Shoot Out had yet to be introduced into domestic competitions yet) rekindled the fires of a dormant passion. I became a born-again Leeds United fan; the year I became a self-imposed exile from Northern Ireland.

But now let me move from the future past to the future present. We actually started the brighter side and almost took the lead when a flick on from Dominic Calvert-Lewin presented Brenden Aaronson with a glorious opportunity, but his well-aimed shot was brilliantly saved by Chelsea keeper Sanchez. Had Norah Okafor opted to slot the ball through to an attendant Calvert-Lewin in the box rather than draw out a freekick which Tanaka disappointingly fluffed then we may have had another gilt-edged chance to score. 

But Chelsea, playing under caretaker boss Rob McFarlane - after the virtual refusal of their team to play for “supply teacher” Liam Rosenior led to their worst since 1911 of five defeats on the bounce and five clean sheets up front and the departure of the hapless Liam - soon asserted control as the law of the new manger bounce dictates. The malfunctioning of usually solid midfield partnership of captain Ampadou and Tanaka attracted the attention of Steven Gerrard making his debut as an analyst alongside Darren Fletcher and Ally McCoist in the TNT commentary box, and it was no surprise when Chelsea took the lead in the 23rd minute with a glorious header by Enzo Fernandez on his return to the side after being dropped for the last two games by Rosenior, after a pin point cross by Pedro Neto. I was frankly relieved that we went into the half-time interval just the one goal in arears.

The case for a change in formation was unanswerable and, as he showed at that crucial juncture at half-time at the Etihad in late November, Leeds manger Daniel Farke again displayed his tactical nous and flexibility by bringing on Anton Stach and Joe Rodon in place of Sebastien Bjiol and James Justin for the second half. It nearly paid immediate dividends as a fierce top corner bound pile driver was tipped over by Sanchez. Now a rejuvenated midfield and wing back pairings were really getting into their groove, and further chances came the way of Calvert-Lewin, but both efforts were dealt with relatively comfortably by Sanchez. 

It has to be pointed out that, despite the volume of well merited praise that has come DCL’s way, he has only scored once in open play in his last 18 games, and this statistic underlines the absolute necessity for Leeds to sign a younger, hungrier, and proven goal scoring forward in this summer’s transfer window. Gnonto and Nmencha came on to inject extra pace up front but there was a growing inevitability to the ultimate outcome; that we had seen this movie before. Controversy was injected into the proceedings by an increasingly common and egregious act of gamesmanship when Sanchez on the advice of a teammate sank to the ground with a phantom bout of cramp/muscle strain/thigh injury in order to enable an informal coaching session on the pitch. When Sanchez rose to the grounds in no apparent physical distress it triggered on field player confrontations and a chorus of boos from the 32,000 Leeds fans in attendance.

Such manoeuvres are clearly contrary to the laws of the game but the reluctance of referees to clamp down on these acts of, frankly, cheating are the cause of much fan outrage. Pep Guardiola employed similar dark arts during the Ramadan break at Elland Road in February with the successful aim in disrupting our rhythm. Such offences may not rank on the scales of criminality of a Ron Harris or an Eddie McCreadie but are becoming associated with the modern Chelsea and other ‘elite clubs’ for whom the normal rules of sporting probity on the pitch and financial probity seem to apply on an a la carte basis.

And so it was. A Wembley hoodoo remains uncracked, but it does not have to be a monkey on our collective shoulders. In what was more of a Premier League fixture than the genuine Cup atmosphere of the other Cup semi-final when for three magical minutes Championship Southampton dreamed of beating Manchester City after an exquisite 20 yard strike by Irish international Finn Azaz in the 79th minute and reaching the Final for only the second time since their victory also as a second tier side over Manchester United half a century ago in 1976. As it turned out, a cruelly deflected strike by Doku and a sensational long-range goal by Nico Gonzalez sent City to their fourth Cup Final in a row.

Defeat in a Cup semi-final always used to be seen as the most bitterly disappointing of all football experiences. As an attendee of two play-off final defeats and tv viewer of one other and two semi-final defeats, I can testify to the crushing, numbing devastation of these defeats. No such distress was, for me, attached, to Sunday’s loss. We again showed we are, as a promoted club, competitive at Premier League level. We now have to secure our topflight place by beating relegated Burnley at home on Friday night and then getting perhaps another point in the remaining three games after that. Then we can build a squad that can make use more of a permanent fixture in the Premiership and finally lay that Wembley hoodoo to rest.

Marching on Together.

⏩Barry Gilheany is a freelance writer, qualified counsellor and aspirant artist resident in Colchester where he took his PhD at the University of Essex. He is also a lifelong Leeds United supporter. 

Disappointment But Not Distress ⚽ FA Cup Semi-Final – Chelsea 1 Leeds United 0

Lynx By Ten To The Power Of One Thousand Nine Hundred And Fifty Five

 

A Morning Thought @ 3129

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