leedsunited.com 28/5/10
UPS AND DOWNS - JERMAINE'S 'AMAZING' TIME
Departing striker Jermaine Beckford reflected on his Leeds United career on Friday morning and said "it has been an amazing four-and-a-half years."
Having scored 85 goals in 150 appearances since joining the club from non-league Wealdstone in March 2006, the striker is now free to take up the challenge of Premier League football after establishing himself as one of Leeds United's most prolfic modern-day marksmen.
"I've enjoyed every single moment," said Jermaine, speaking exclusively with LUTV.
"The ups, the downs, the relegations, the Play-Off final, the Play-Off semis. I have had an amazing time here.
"You don't see as much as I've seen in four and half years at Leeds and I'm so proud to say I was here. I really loved it.
"The fans have been amazing and they have opened up my eyes to what football should be about. I want to say thank you for everything because it has been amazing.
"The management are amazing, the staff behind the scenes...this club will always have a special place."
Speaking with LUTV, Becks talks candidly about his Elland Road during one of the most dramatic periods of the club's history.
Becks on his debut..."Going from Wealdstone to a place like Leeds United where I made my debut in front of 30,000 fans. I can't remember anything about the game, adrenaline took me through it. The sound was amazing. There's some feelings you can't explain and that was one of them."
Dennis Wise..."With me and Tres it felt like we needed somebody to speak to us and tell us what we were doing wrong and what we were doing well and with Dennis and Gus it definitely helped."
The start of the 2007/08 season..."Nobody else could see it. Everyone from the outside was writing us off, but inside the camp you can't describe the confidence we had. In a strange kind of way, we knew we wouldn't have a problem wiping out the 15 points."
Simon Grayson's arrival..."A few of the boys were feeling slightly down. He came in and lifted confidence. It's always nice to get someone else's views and it definitely helped the boys. He brought a new way of doing things and freshened things up. He's done very well."
Manchester United in the FA Cup..."I remember everything from the beginning to the final whistle. I remember Jonny's pass, Casper's save from Rooney, Jason Crowe's tackles, Doyler in the middle bullying them...It was an amazing, amazing day."
Captaincy on the final day of the season..."I thought the gaffer was having me on in the changing room. He kept trying to give me the armband and telling me to go see the ref. Then, he took me to one side and said 'seriously, I want you to captain the side.' It was one of those feelings, like your first goal. My body started tingling and the nerves kicked in - I don't usually get nervous, but something was different."
On winning promotion..."I got in the changing rooms and put my head in my hands and the tears dripped down my face. I can still feel it now talking about it. It felt like such a weight had been lifted. It's what we've been searching for, for the past three years."
UPS AND DOWNS - JERMAINE'S 'AMAZING' TIME
Departing striker Jermaine Beckford reflected on his Leeds United career on Friday morning and said "it has been an amazing four-and-a-half years."
Having scored 85 goals in 150 appearances since joining the club from non-league Wealdstone in March 2006, the striker is now free to take up the challenge of Premier League football after establishing himself as one of Leeds United's most prolfic modern-day marksmen.
"I've enjoyed every single moment," said Jermaine, speaking exclusively with LUTV.
"The ups, the downs, the relegations, the Play-Off final, the Play-Off semis. I have had an amazing time here.
"You don't see as much as I've seen in four and half years at Leeds and I'm so proud to say I was here. I really loved it.
"The fans have been amazing and they have opened up my eyes to what football should be about. I want to say thank you for everything because it has been amazing.
"The management are amazing, the staff behind the scenes...this club will always have a special place."
Speaking with LUTV, Becks talks candidly about his Elland Road during one of the most dramatic periods of the club's history.
Becks on his debut..."Going from Wealdstone to a place like Leeds United where I made my debut in front of 30,000 fans. I can't remember anything about the game, adrenaline took me through it. The sound was amazing. There's some feelings you can't explain and that was one of them."
Dennis Wise..."With me and Tres it felt like we needed somebody to speak to us and tell us what we were doing wrong and what we were doing well and with Dennis and Gus it definitely helped."
The start of the 2007/08 season..."Nobody else could see it. Everyone from the outside was writing us off, but inside the camp you can't describe the confidence we had. In a strange kind of way, we knew we wouldn't have a problem wiping out the 15 points."
Simon Grayson's arrival..."A few of the boys were feeling slightly down. He came in and lifted confidence. It's always nice to get someone else's views and it definitely helped the boys. He brought a new way of doing things and freshened things up. He's done very well."
Manchester United in the FA Cup..."I remember everything from the beginning to the final whistle. I remember Jonny's pass, Casper's save from Rooney, Jason Crowe's tackles, Doyler in the middle bullying them...It was an amazing, amazing day."
Captaincy on the final day of the season..."I thought the gaffer was having me on in the changing room. He kept trying to give me the armband and telling me to go see the ref. Then, he took me to one side and said 'seriously, I want you to captain the side.' It was one of those feelings, like your first goal. My body started tingling and the nerves kicked in - I don't usually get nervous, but something was different."
On winning promotion..."I got in the changing rooms and put my head in my hands and the tears dripped down my face. I can still feel it now talking about it. It felt like such a weight had been lifted. It's what we've been searching for, for the past three years."
