Welcome to the daily Leeds United comment feature, today we reflect on our eternal divide.
The re-enforcement of the adage that being a Leeds United supporter is no easy ride is never a comfortable moment, particularly after a decent run of relative success. Losing at home to Walsall, god that’s annoying and so very typical of the last 8 years. Sometimes however the micro analysis of what went wrong needs to be delayed, tactics, players, referees whatever, it’s neither the time nor the place for that with two home games against teams we should beat. Instead we should reflect on how such things leave us as fans and the answer is alas always the same, divided into two camps, Optimists and Pessimists. These two distinctive positions have existed as long as I have followed Leeds United, this site discussed them back in August. They show no sign of dissipating or merging, they are a feature of our football life.
First I shall publically declare (again) a prejudicial interest; I am a card carrying member of the fundamentalist end of the Pessimism tendency on all matters Leeds United, was before the present owner shanghaied the club and probably will be after he goes. Yet I intend to appraise the present state of these two warring tribes with equal fairness (or distain), well mostly. How can I do that you ask? Well because on this blog we are consistent at stating the reality, I am happy in the camp I choose even after the season we have has so far, I feel no need to argue the case, I moderate this place so tightly if you stuck a piece of coal up my bottom it would be a £1m diamond two weeks later. This allows me to be true to myself and even handed at the same time, aren’t I the lucky one?
Traditionally a result like last night is where Optimists become surprisingly at their height and vocal, re-appearing from the glow of believing all you have to do is trust and proclaiming “don’t panic, don’t panic”. As soon as they start the Pessimists are on them like a rash, disillusioned by having stayed quiet all season and recognising some who claimed they would keep being realistic but have instead bought IGWT. Tensions will now run high, forums will buzz with accusation and counter accusation, it all starts as an opinion exchange it finishes up as cyber bile. Optimists can’t cope with the questioning, the rational, the harsh realities; they thrash out at unbelievers with all the zeal of the Spanish Inquisitor. Pessimists demand to be heard, oblivious to timing, it’s a real non meeting of minds and it’s happening everywhere Leeds United supporters gather.
As you can imagine both sides don’t need too much evidence to start but each new week brings something to spark the fire. This week is now our first home defeat of the season in L1: the Pessimists see the continuing culpability of Bates (with some justification), the tightness in the January transfer window and his continued verbal inaccuracies; they then extrapolate that to mean play-offs at best. The Optimists are even worse, they quickly and readily dismiss defeat as a “minor blip”, not really a problem to promotion (like we can afford to take 6 points out of 21), the contortions they do are bewildering. Factor in Beckford’s future (not exactly kicking on to claim that PL contract his he?) and reasoned debate quickly becomes simply a sideshow to bear-baiting.
To the outsider the whole thing must look like a obscure episode of Star Trek, you know the one where the Enterprise finds a planet that has just committed nuclear holocaust on itself, a war between peoples who both have one side of the face Black and one side White, but the difference between having a Black left side and a Black right side is what feeds the hatred and ultimately the destruction. Unfortunately the analogy needs to end here as in the television show the wanton waste of life brings the survivors together whilst in real life LUFC the Armageddon has happened more than a few times, recently and a while ago now and we are even more further apart. The feel good factor of the Old Trafford/White Hart Lane and before has gone (if it ever really overcomes the Leeds United cynical streak).
Optimism v Pessimism has been around for years, like the Israel/Palestine question, capitalism or co-operative, Real Ale or lager pop, all these great questions have beaten better people than me. By coming together again on Saturday, hopefully with more than 19k to show for our loyal support reputation (although to be fair Bates and his “stinging the occasional fan” clearly doesn’t help) each of the tribes knows it’s about to create an atmosphere of mutual distrust, but they will do it anyway and woe betide anyone who takes them both on. Luckily for both sides nothing gets resolved against Brighton, win lose or draw, it simply alters the date, one way or other, when one side can proclaim (if that’s the right word under the circumstances) their perspective was right.
There is a third way, a position both sides could take up (but to be fair probably fits in to the Pessimist way of thinking easier) and one I always think hits best our Northern roots. The “take it as it comes” position, 16 games in which we can be promoted the easy way, be promoted the hard way (with an additional 3 games), stay down the painful way or just stay down. We can’t really influence who Grayson plays (that is his job), the amount of money he can call on (it has no meaning till June) or his ability (he either has what it takes to get us up or he doesn’t). IGWT or the dissecting the tactics to stemcell level is not going to add or subtract a point to our final total come season end (although Clarkeonenil will continue to be brutally honest). Now is the time for a pragmatist approach, temper the expectations, remember the past but use it as a driver, chant your heart out at Elland Road for the next two games and subsequent run-in and leave the Optimist and Pessimist positions back at home, because in a bizarre twist of fate, both are valid today.
Editor Michael.
