Brenden Aaronson is stealing Billy Bremner’s backheels - The Square Ball 27/10/22

BILLY BRENDO

Written by: Rob Conlon

Jesse Marsch and the board’s insistence that the Red Bull handbook promotes the proudest qualities of Leeds United’s history — grit, fight, intensity — misses the point. For all Don Revie’s Leeds team were up for a scrap with anyone who dared to start with them, the opposition only resorted to such desperation because they were so frustrated by being played off the park by Billy Bremner, Johnny Giles, Eddie Gray and co.

While Leeds are locked in an energy drink induced existential crisis, Brenden Aaronson’s hopes of becoming a “legend” at Elland Road sound nothing more than the wishful thinking of an American dreamer. But the Yank Badger probably didn’t realise that for a brief moment in the defeat to Fulham he was subconsciously channelling the spirit of Bremner.

Trying to backheel a bouncing ball over a defence probably isn’t something Marsch is asking his players to practise in training. After Aaronson attempted the trick against Fulham, the defender’s clearance when Leeds’ forwards failed to attack the ball suggested this had not been worked on at Thorp Arch. Still, that didn’t stop me enjoying the ambition of his improvisation.

Bremner probably wouldn’t have had much time for Aaronson being regularly knocked to the ground on the ball, and I would have loved to see his reaction to Brenden’s chest bump with Rasmus Kristensen after winning a tackle against Arsenal. But the backheel was a piece of invention that would have got Billy’s approval — because he did exactly the same at Elland Road fifty years ago.

 The FA Cup triumph of 1972 was one of the greatest examples of Revie’s Leeds matching grit with grace. Thanks to the help of Paul Trevillion, Dirty Leeds became Super Leeds, and even the previously scornful press had to accept there wasn’t another team in the country as brilliant as United.

The Liverpool Echo’s Chris James was one of the doubters. In the build up to Leeds’ fourth round tie with Bill Shankly’s Reds at Anfield, James talked up the hosts’ chances by deriding United as ‘the best runners-up in the business’. Shankly shared James’ confidence; when asked about a potential replay at Elland Road, Shankly replied, “What replay?”

Leeds put an unexpected date in Shankly’s diary by holding Liverpool to a 0-0 draw. The replay kicked off at 2.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon after a miner’s strike caused a national power crisis, so Leeds were anticipating a ban on floodlit matches. Children at Paul Madeley’s former school in Hunslet were given the afternoon off, because the headteacher knew they were only going to truant and go to Elland Road anyway.

Echo reporter James was among the thousands locked out of the sold-out ground as the match kicked off, alongside members of Leeds’ staff, Stoke boss Bob Stokoe, Grimsby’s Lawrie McMenamy, and Manchester United director Matt Busby and his successor as manager, Frank O’Farrell. James eventually got inside in time for the second half after mounted police arrived to clear the crowds and he hitched a ride in Busby’s Mercedes.

Researching the game for our 1972 special, See You Win, I was wondering whether James was the victim of a practical joke from fellow journalists deliberately misremembering the build up to Allan Clarke’s first half opener when they were telling him what he’d missed. Newspapers credited the first of Clarke’s two goals — Leeds won 2-0 — to ‘a typical piece of Bremner genius’, but only James’ report contained the detail that the opportunity arose, ‘after Bremner, with the cheeky flick of his heel, had laid on the chance.’

If James missed the first half, how could he be sure Bremner created the goal with a backheel? I was dubious, given none of the other reports mentioned it. It feels like the sort of thing you’d mention, and backheels are the sort of thing we’re conditioned to believe were invented alongside the Premier League in 1992. Turns out James wasn’t kidding:

A very rarely seen Leeds United goal! #lufc
One of Allan Clarke’s two goals against Liverpool in the 2-0 FA Cup 4th Round Replay victory at Elland Road.
The game was played on a Wednesday afternoon 9th February 1972 because of the power crisis due to the miners strike. #FACup pic.twitter.com/gWuH0BAVcl

— LEEDS UNITED MEMORIES (@LUFCHistory) December 1, 2021

Hopefully Brenden Aaronson can become a legend at Leeds. Let’s face it, even if he does, he isn’t going to be Billy Bremner. But if Billy Brendo is taking inspiration from our greatest ever captain, maybe Jesse Marsch could do worse than dusting off the VHS tapes and showing Pat Bamford some videos of Allan Clarke.