Onwards and upwards

Another win, still undefeated and moving upwards rapidly.

If anyone had told me at the start of the season that our first twelve games would see us undefeated, with a record of 10 wins and 2 draws, and we'd be just 6 points off the top by mid October, I'd have been rolling about on the floor in laughter. However, that's exactly how it stands, and had it not been for the 15 point deduction, we'd now be 9 points clear at the top.

The achievement is not to be underestimated or down-played either. Yes, we're in the lowest division of our entire existance, and yes we are the biggest club down here, so we're obviously going to attract the bigger players. Plus, with close to 30,000 fans turning out to our home games, we're also sitting in a much stronger position financially than our counterparts.

But, let's not forget what we've had to endure before this season even started. Firstly there was the mass clearout of players, followed by a lengthy and turbulent spell in administration, leaving supporters questioning whether or not they'd even have a club to support this season.

Thanks in no small part to the Inland Revenue, Dennis Wise was left with just a few days to sign almost an entire squad of players and have them ready to play the following weekend, and to top it all off, the Football League somehow re-wrote the rule book, and decided our exit from administration (which they'd already agreed to) was somehow "illegal" and we'd be starting the season 15 points behind the rest of the league.

So, we now sit within reach of the playoffs, and even the top of the table, and yes, we are quite smug about it. And rightly so! No one has had to endure the same fall from grace that Leeds United has. The inept financial mismangement that saw us fall from the highest level of world football to League One in just six years. Endless buyout speculation, the media constantly on or backs and labelling us for every sin they could dream up, dodgy chairman, useless managers, Ridsdales fish, and let us not forget the almighty power that is the Football League.

So, yeah, we're smug. Dennis threw a team together in almost no time at all, that came out only a few days later to claw us back our first three points. 5 games later, we were on 0, and now, just twelve games in, we sit proudly in 9th spot, looking upwards, and knowing this is the first small step on the road back to the Premiership.

Peter Ridsdale, the Inland Revenue, Lord Mahwinney and the Football League, I thank you all. Between you, you've managed to completely destroy our football club, but in doing so, you've created the kind of unity that every other team in the world should be jealous of. The kind of unity that will see us back to the starry heights of the Premiership, and we, the Leeds United faithful will still be here when we rise again. Just as we were when we fell.

Other teams supporters that may be reading this and mocking us, I thankyou too. For all of you that continue to batter the mighty Leeds United with your endless abuse, and kick us when we're down serve only to unite us more, and make us stronger!

"15 points. Who gives a f*ck? Super Leeds, we're going up!"