Championship play-off defeat to Derby County felt like the end of the world, says Stuart Dallas - YEP 7/12/21
Stuart Dallas insists the only way is up for Leeds United after bouncing back from their “terrible” failed promotion bid.
By Flora Snelson
In the 2018/2019 season, the Whites came tantalisingly close
to their long-awaited promotion before faltering form in the latter stages of
the campaign denied them an automatic promotion spot.
The hopes that were then pinned on play-off qualification
were shattered in the semi-final, as Derby County came back from a 1-0 home-leg
defeat to put Leeds out of the running in a dramatic reverse fixture.
In footage from Take us Home, the Amazon series which
documented the club’s journey to the Derby loss, Dallas is one of several
players visibly emotional after the game, wiping away tears as he embraces
chairman Andrea Radrizzani in the tunnel.
This week, the 30-year-old has shared how it feels to
recover from the campaign which came to nothing.
“The first year we failed in the play-off semi-final it was
as if the world was ending, it was terrible,” Dallas said. “For us then to
bounce back and get the club back to the Premier League a year later is
unbelievable. It’s been incredible, this club’s only going to get bigger and
better as well.”
Though Leeds supporters waited 16 years for the club to be
restored to its former top-flight glory, Dallas recognises that fans’ appetite
for success won’t stop now that his side have achieved Premier League status.
“We’re at a club where the expectations are huge,” Dallas
told Carl Frampton’s podcast, A Different League. “And now we’re back in the
Premier League, they’re even bigger, but if you can’t deal with that then
you’re in the wrong game.
“The pressure is massive at this club, of course it is.”
Following two successful seasons, first sealing promotion
from the Championship then exceeding expectations in their first season back in
the Premier League, Leeds’ recent poor form has prompted sections of the Whites
fanbase to voice concern.
But Dallas says that these critics form a minority, while
most supporters are behind the team all the way.
“Players are going to go through times when they’re not
playing well,” Dallas said.
“Of course there are some supporters, as there are wherever
you go, who will give you abuse if you’re not playing well - but one thing
about this club is that the fans will always back you.
“As long as you give 100 per cent when you pull on the
shirt, that’s all they ask for.”
YEP 18/6/19