Keep Tackling - The Square Ball 13/2/23

INTO 'EM

Written by: Rob Conlon

Some footballers are crying out to be put in their place by a crunching tackle. It’s no coincidence most of them play for Scum.

Bruno Fernandes is the obvious candidate. Fernandes insisted in the build-up to Sunday’s fixture that he wasn’t intimidated by the Elland Road atmosphere, but seemed upset when the noise meant straining his vocal cords when he was trying to referee the match. Fernandes knows what these fixtures involve, and wisely stayed out of the way on the right wing for much of the game.

In Leeds’ last stand of defiance under Marcelo Bielsa, Fernandes was crumpled to the ground by Adam Forshaw as United scored twice in twenty seconds of delirium. He was having flashbacks within the opening minute at Old Trafford last week, put on the deck by Pascal Struijk with a tackle that led to Wilf Gnonto’s goal. Fernandes has learned from the same school of leadership as Cristiano Ronaldo. He is constantly posturing and berating anyone but himself — teammates, officials, opposition players — and is surely destined to discuss a mutual messiah complex with Piers Morgan in years to come. At Elland Road, he left his teammates to stand in the firing line.

Not that Tyler Adams was bothered about the individuals wearing the red shirts in front of him. They’re all the same. Shortly before kick-off, Adams was standing on his own, eyes fixed on the Scum players in the opposite half of the pitch. Pat Bamford walked over with some final words of encouragement, but Adams kept his focus on the opposition. Whatever Bamford said got a nod and an “oh yeah” from Adams that, with his usual self-assurance, was only missing an “obviously”.

Two clearing headers from Luke Ayling and Robin Koch got the first big cheers of the afternoon. Adams earned the first roar. Two minutes were yet to be played when Jadon Sancho got the ball on the right wing with space to take on Adams. Tyler waited, drawing Sancho towards him, before executing a perfectly timed standing tackle, angling his challenge so the ball was kicked down the line for Gnonto to chase and Sancho was kicked into the air with the aborted trajectory of a front flip. Adams watched Sancho fall, appreciating his own lesson in physics. In LUTV commentary, Tony Dorigo asked without needing an answer: “I think it’s fair to say Tyler Adams gets it, doesn’t he?”

Wow! Tyler Adams taking no prisoners!! #usmnt pic.twitter.com/ecN05r9rvH

— Del Shaffer (@delshaffer) February 12, 2023

Where Adams leads, his impressionable childhood friend Weston McKennie follows. Given the chance to play Crysencio Summerville in on goal, McKennie’s pass sent Summerville too wide, where he lost the ball to Tyrell Malacia. McKennie sprinted back to atone for his error. He was making up too much ground to replicate Adams’ grace in staying on his feet, instead sliding into a fifty-fifty challenge, getting all the ball and a satisfying amount of the player. Malacia had lunged into the tackle with his studs up, but was slammed into the pitch as Leeds looked to attack, only for referee Paul Tierney to halt the game as Malacia was holding the back of his head.

From the North-East corner, I gave it the combo of a come on/fuck off/get into ‘em gesture that’s reserved for the fiercest fixtures. Unfortunately, I lacked the poise of Adams and control of McKennie, and accidentally clouted the elderly gentleman sitting on the row in front of me, right on the bald patch on the back of his head. He turned around trying to work out what had happened, as confused as Sancho and Malacia, while I pretended I had no idea.

Back when Elland Road was becoming notorious for its hostility under Don Revie, some sections of the press blamed Billy Bremner’s behaviour on the pitch, transmitting to the terraces. What was meant to be an insult might be the greatest compliment to how one player’s will to win formed such a huge part of Leeds United Football Club’s identity. Perhaps it has been because of the lack of things to cheer about on the pitch, but I’ve been hearing ‘Billy Bremner’s barmy army’ chanted a lot more recently. If Bremner taught us what Leeds is all about, the crowd has been giving the players a little refresher. Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie are hearing loud and clear. Next lessons: the battle of Goodison, 1964; Leeds 7-0 Southampton, 1972. Thanks in advance, lads.