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leedsunited.com 18/5/11
I LOVED PLAYING FOR LEEDS - NAYLS
Richard Naylor says farewell at QPROutgoing captain Richard Naylor looked back on his two-and-a-half years as a Leeds United player this week and admitted: "I just loved playing for the club." The 34-year-old, Simon Grayson's first permanent signing following his arrival in December 2009, will move on to pastures new after first skippering the club to promotion then playing a part in the club finishing seventh in the npower Championship.

Richard had represented Leeds City Boys as a youngster, but it took a 15-year stint with Ipswich before he finally got the chance to represent the club he supported as a boy.

"I couldn't believe how it had worked out coming here," said Richard. "Having played for so long at Ipswich I never expected to come back and play for Leeds and for it to happen so late in my career was fantastic."

Richard made 76 appearances during his time with the club and, unsurprisingly, lists promotion from League One and the FA Cup success at Manchester United as the highlights of his time with the club.

Richard Naylor celebrates


Last season proved frustrating for the centre-back as he made just 15 appearances and watched from the sidelines until he returned for the final four games of the campaign.

But, Richard had stated his ambition was to help the club out of League One and to re-establish itself in the Championship, so how does he view his time at Elland Road?

"I think it's been a successful time," he said. "The first season we laid a platform, winning promotion was fantastic, and last season was maybe a missed opportunity, but when I look back on it I can have pride that I have made a positive contribution and helped the club move forward.

"It is a tremendous football club and is everything I thought it would be. The fans are tremendous home and away and I just loved playing for Leeds United."

Now the skipper is preparing for life after Leeds. He is weighing up options of a career elsewhere and is also preparing for life further in the future.

"I'd like to play for another couple of years," he said.

"Of course I'm disappointed to be leaving, but I'll see what's out there and make a decision from there, although my family are settled in Leeds and that's important.

"I'm doing my UEFA B licence this summer as well and it may be that I can come back to Leeds and do some coaching with the kids on a night. I don't know if that would be possible, but it would be nice to keep that connection."

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