The everlasting legacy of Leeds United legend Billy Bremner - Leeds Live 7/12/22
In a piece originally published in 2018, Jon Howe remembers Leeds United's greatest-ever player, 25 years on from his passing
It should be easy to celebrate the life of Billy Bremner in
writing; after all, there is no shortage of words to accurately describe his
importance to Leeds United. But then how do you write something different?
What has changed since the last time we eulogised the club’s
greatest ever captain and pored over his impeccable legacy of leadership,
spirit and durability?
Nothing has changed, except young fans are learning their Leeds United history, and developing fans are beginning to understand what is behind the impenetrable spirit that prompts people to get up at ungodly hours and spend half their lives navigating the various obstacles presented by the UK’s transport network, all in the vague pursuit of an indefinable ‘something’.
For Billy Bremner was far more than just a footballer. He remains the benchmark for how we assess standards and manage expectations, and probably always will. It is why we cherish Bobby Collins for showing a young Bremner how to lead by example, it’s why we celebrate Gordon Strachan as the nearest thing we have seen in terms of an inspirational leader, it’s why we revere David Batty, because Bremner saw so much of himself in the precocious youngster. And it’s why we still judge any Leeds United player by the standards Bremner set.
There’s nothing wrong with having expectations, particularly
when you’ve seen the very best, and this goes some way to explaining why we
persist with the many barriers that make supporting a club like Leeds United so
challenging. The midday Kick-Offs, the train strikes, the inflation-busting
ticket prices, the insultingly indifferent presentation of “that’ll do”
catering at almost every football ground you visit. It’s all in the hope that
today we will see a bit of Billy Bremner in one of our players. We might just
see someone clench a fist, rally a teammate, get up off the floor and carry on,
and come back stronger, and run and run and run. All in the name of Leeds
United.
We see it in young players and it brings us cheer. Because
that might just be the next Billy Bremner. It never is, but then how could it
be? All you can do is show them the template and let them follow their own
path. And if they have the heart, the spirit and the sense of responsibility of
Billy Bremner, then they won’t go far wrong.
Bremner was the heart and soul of Don Revie’s great Leeds
United side. The captain for 11 years. He only ever missed a game through
injury or suspension and in 773 appearances he was only a substitute once. He
played over 50 games in a season on eight occasions, five of those
consecutively. He dragged Leeds United up off the floor, dusted them down and
made them carry on and what he expected of others is only what he would put in
himself. He wanted it and he made others want it too.
If it is hard for a younger fan to truly appreciate Bremner’s spirit without seeing it and breathing it, then his words remain as a reminder of what is expected. His famous quote of “every goal Leeds concede is like a bullet to my heart” was actually said when he came back as manager for a spell between 1985 and 1988. But it perfectly reflected how he carried himself in the number four shirt between 1960 and 1976. And what more could a fan ask of a player than this?
Bremner hated losing, he refused to accept it, and it’s what
made him indestructible. But more than that, he hated to see Leeds United
losing. In the modern game we perhaps judge players harshly for the money they
earn and the detachment and indifference that has created huge barriers between
players and fans. There is no reason why Kalvin Phillips can’t come out with
the same quote, or someone like Alan Smith before him. But the trappings of
football in 2018 don’t allow us to identify with players in the same way.
In 1965 when Billy Bremner became Leeds United captain, he
wasn’t earning much more than you and me. You could see him in the same social
clubs we frequented, in the snooker halls, in the café opposite Elland Road. He
was one of us, and yet he was Leeds United captain. We were the same, but we
were completely different. But Billy Bremner wasn’t just Leeds United captain
on the pitch, he was Leeds United captain everywhere. It wasn’t just a job or
an empty gesture, it was a responsibility.
And people looked up to him because of it. Bremner defined
the role of captain for generations that followed. He was a galvanising
presence on the field, even when he was having an off-day technically. Just
being there was enough to incentivise his teammates.
So when we talk about Billy Bremner each time the
anniversary of his death in 1997 comes around, maybe it isn’t important that we
offer anything new or rake over the same highlights again. We could talk about
his symbiotic relationship with Johnny Giles, we could talk about how many of
his 115 goals were crucial ones and included six in major semi-finals alone. We
could talk about when Revie claimed an unyielding Bremner played the role of “five
or six players” when an under-strength Leeds overcame Hibernian in the UEFA Cup
in 1973. Or we could talk about how his ultimately unsuccessful stint as a
manager did at least wrestle the spirit and ambition of the club from a
critical mid-80s malaise.
But most of all we just need to ensure future generations
understand what Billy Bremner stood for, and why ‘keep fighting’ resonates
today as a mantra to live by whilst Leeds United’s many opponents lie in wait
to trip us up. If you understand Billy Bremner, then you understand why Leeds
United fans feel immortal. Because that kind of spirit never dies.
