Dave
Tomlinson is the webmaster for the mightyleeds.co.uk website, and
Leeds, Money, and Misery Me is his third and most ambitious book
to date, much more expansive than the ones he's tried before, Leeds
United: A History and Billy Bremner
Fifty Defining Fixtures. It runs to almost 600 glorious pages
and is a must read for anyone interested in Leeds United.
The subtitle, Twenty Years of Hurt, 23 Mistakes and the Tale of Toma
pretty much says it all.
For the die-hard followers of Leeds United, the last 20 years
have brought far too few reasons to be cheerful. There was the
legendary Champions' League campaign; 2010, when the club enjoyed
the Twin Peaks of promotion from League One and putting one over
the despised 'other' United (Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney et
al) at the Theatre of Dreams; a seemingly endless conveyor belt
of precocious young talent streaming out of Thorp Arch; and the
Genius that is Bielsa; but that was about all there was to celebrate.
Far more prominent were the depressing lows: an unprecedented
tumble into the third tier just six years after being in the last
four of the Champions' League; countless dalliances with financial
ruin; a despondency-laden decade being (mis)led by Ken Bates;
Neil Warnock's abysmal hoofball; a succession of journeymen, has-beens,
and never was-es being told in no uncertain terms that they were
not fit to wear the shirt; the savage beating of an Asian student
and the controversial trial that followed.
There were too many Roque Juniors, Tomas Brolins, and David Hockadays
squeezing out the memory of Lucas Radebe, Gary Kelly, Nigel Martyn,
Jonny Howson, and Jermaine Beckford. We had Trevor Birch and Andrea
Radrizzani, but we also had Peter Ridsdale, Professor John McKenzie,
Gerald Krasner, and the hapless representatives of GFH Capital;
and, oh yes, we had the eccentric Italian, Massimo Cellino, and
the devil incarnate that was Ken Bates.
The lot of the United fan is not a happy one, but still they
come, week in and week out, with their fervent chants of 'Marching
on Together' and 'Champions of Europe', hoping that this will
finally be the year, but recognising in their objective moments
the improbability of that dream.
Mistakes were made along the way, there always are, but the ones
that were made at Leeds United were more crucial than most and
did far more lasting damage. This book picks out the most telling
of these, the 23 Mistakes and what might have happened if they'd
been avoided. This could so easily have been a very different
tale if a wiser course had been followed. But that would have
been far, far too simple for the many-headed beast that is Leeds
United Football Club!
This book tells the tale of the last two decades, the hopes and
dreams of one of the most committed sets of fans in Europe, the
men who let them down and abused their trust, the financial albatross
that dogged the club, the controversies, legal disputes, faux
white knights, and false dawns. It is a story that simply must
be read, whether you're a fan of the Whites or not.
'We've had our ups and downs', indeed! Enjoy the ride …
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Independent editorial
assessment - 'Leeds, Money, and Misery Me is an exceptionally
well-written history of Leeds United with an astute emphasis
on the role of finance. The author's understanding of how
play shapes a community, along with his insight into broader
socio-economic forces, makes this book a rousing good read
even for the most casual of football fans. The manuscript
was a pleasure to work with.'
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This is a must-have for any fan of the 'Mighty Whites' and football
finance in general.
Get a copy at Amazon.
Author signed copies are available by e-mailing dave.tomlinson@gmail.com.
| Published by: Authorhouse UK (10 October 2019) |
| ISBN-10: 1728393930 (Paperback) |
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ISBN-10: 1728393949 (Hardback)
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| Paperback: 596 pages |
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