Time right for Giles to set record straight for Leeds

AS one half of the midfield partnership that became one of the most feared and envied in English football, Johnny Giles played an integral role in the rise of Leeds United.

From the moment Don Revie paired the Irishman with Billy Bremner at the heart of the midfield in the wake of Bobby Collins suffering a broken thigh in 1965, United never looked back.

The next 10 years would bring plenty of trophies, even more near-misses and cement Leeds's standing as a club that few, if any, were able to ignore.

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Thirty five years on from the day he walked away from Elland Road for the last time as a player, the bond formed between Giles and Leeds remains strong and is why he found the club's collapse just after the turn of the Millennium so difficult to stomach.

Back in the city to promote his newly-published autobiography A Football Man, the 70-year-old admits to still finding it hard to comprehend just how quickly United imploded under the stewardship of Peter Ridsdale.

Speaking exclusively to the Yorkshire Post, he said: "It was ridiculous and bad management. In fact, it was so bad that they could not have done it worse if they had tried. One bad season and they started to panic. It was all downhill from there. Luckily enough, there has been a recovery and Leeds are back in the Championship.

"There is hardly anyone left from my time but the supporters are still there and that is who I feel sorry for. They have kept coming despite the last 10 years being a nightmare.

"They still get 25,000 now and if they got in the Premier League it would be up to 40,000 again. The place would be packed.

"The momentum seems to be behind the club now. Getting out of the Third Division was huge, they are now only one step away. What sets Leeds apart is the other clubs don't have the support Leeds do.

"You look at some of the teams that have gone up, such as Wigan and Reading who only got 15,000 or so. It is not their fault but Leeds can get 40,000. Fingers crossed, they can get back there."

Giles joined Leeds in August, 1963, when they were still in the Second Division. The 33,000 transfer from Manchester United seemed a strange career move, especially as just a few months earlier he had picked up an FA Cup winners' medal at Wembley.

But the then 23-year-old had been persuaded by Don Revie that the Yorkshire club were going places.

He was right, as within a year United were back in the First Division and about to embark on a decade that would see the club crowned champions twice, finish no lower than fourth in the table and reach four FA Cup finals. They also lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice and the League Cup under Don Revie.

Giles said: "My time at Leeds is a big part of my life. I was here for 12 years and was 34 when I left. It was brilliant to be part of that team.

"When I was a young lad, all I wanted was to be part of a team like the one Leeds became – professional and good. I wanted to be in a great team with the right values. Don created the right environment for the lads to flourish.

"Don did a brilliant job to build this club up. It couldn't happen today. There won't be a Leeds or Liverpool under Bill Shankly in the future, that is for sure. Manchester City are having a go but doing it very differently.

"Back then, everyone developed a youth policy. When I first signed for Manchester United in 1956, they had the pick of all the best lads in England, Ireland and Scotland. The rest could not compete.

"Don was up against it in that respect but what set him apart was how he could turn young lads into great players. On ability, Norman Hunter, Terry Cooper, Paul Reaney etc would not have got into Manchester United.

"But through coaching and fierce dedication, they became great players. Don played a big part in that. There being no freedom of contract also helped as today those young lads would be nicked by other clubs."

Giles is, understandably, proud of what was achieved at Elland Road during his time as a player. What continues to rankle, however, is the 'Dirty Leeds' perception that has grown up around that side.

He said: "We were a top team and a target, so it meant we knew in the dressing room before a game that we would have to get stuck in. The same happens to Arsenal now and (Arsene) Wenger whinges about it. That only encourages teams to have a go at them. They should get stuck in.

"I don't mind them saying we were rough and ready but so were a lot of teams.

"We went to Chelsea and came up against (Ron) Harris and (Eddie) McCreadie. At Burnley, there was Andy Lochhead. Every side had people who could look after ourselves.

"But we were the ones seen as dishing it out. In 1968, the League Cup final (when Leeds beat Arsenal 1-0 in an ill-tempered game) was a bad one. But afterwards it was as if Arsenal hadn't been playing. It was all down to us.

"Similarly, in one game against Everton, Sandy Brown hit me on the ground. He punched me. The referee was stood right there and sent him off. But, afterwards, it was still Leeds at fault."

Giles feels the release of The Damned United book a few years ago merely served to bring the 'Dirty Leeds' reputation to a whole new generation and is why he now feels the time is right to get across his own story in The Football Man.

He said: "That book and movie was typical of the perception that has grown up around Leeds. We have taken a hiding over the past 35 years. There has been no balance to it.

"I remember a few months ago, Andy Gray was picking his top 10 teams and included Leeds. But he also said, 'I know this will upset some people'. It was like an apology.

"We have taken that hiding for a long time with no-one defending us. I don't mind someone saying to me, 'You were a dirty little sod but you could play'. But, instead, it is left as me being a dirty little sod. That is what irritates me."

JOHNNY GILES;

CAREER NOTES

Born: November 6, 1940.

Playing career: Manchester United 1957-63, Leeds United 1963-75, West Bromwich Albion 1975-77, Philadelphia Fury 1978, Shamrock Rovers 1978-80. (At Leeds, made 527 appearances and scored 115 goals).

Domestic honours (all with Leeds unless stated): FA Cup 1963 (Man Utd) & 1972, League Championship 1969 & 1974, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1968 & 1971, League Cup 1968, Second Division title 1964.

International honours: Republic of Ireland (59 caps).

Managerial career: Republic of Ireland (1973-80), West Brom (1975-77 and 1984-85), Shamrock Rovers (1977-83), Vancouver Whitecaps (1981-83).

Managerial honours: West Brom promoted to top flight 1976, FAI Cup 1978, NASL Coach of the Year 1982.