George Edmundson, thanks for coming — Square Ball 12/12/24
Why, George? Why?
Written by: Chris McMenamy
Max Wöber headed the ball backward into his own goal and a
gaggle of Middlesbrough players popped off to the South East corner of Elland
Road to celebrate. Dan Barlaser had put the ball onto Wöber’s head and cupped
his ear to the South Stand. Boro centre-back George Edmundson, who had been
enjoying a pretty good game to that point, fist pumped towards the South with
all the conviction of a man who had seen coins and lighters lobbed onto a
football pitch before. He used to play for Rangers, so it tracks.
That little gesture caught the eye from my vantage point in
the upper section of the Cheese Wedge, and proceeded to live in my head rent
free for the remainder of the game. Why, George? Why couldn’t you have just
been a boring centre-back and picked the ball up as you ran toward the centre
circle while gesturing to your teammates to follow? He just had to be enough of
a prick to get me going, more than I was already on a night when Boro showed up
with a full away end and a team with the joint-best attacking record in the
division alongside Leeds.
After Dan James smashed the ball past Boro’s Seny Dieng and
the dust settled from the chaotic scenes on the terraces, my immediate thought
was, ‘I hope that was Edmundson’s fault.’ It’s petty, but it’s why we stand in
the cold for two hours and exchange libellous chants with people we’ve never
met and will probably never see again.
Boro’s sizeable away following actually participated and did
so loudly. It added a sense of occasion that made Tuesday’s eventual victory
taste all the sweeter. It’s been difficult to generate much of an atmosphere at
home, and I’m not inclined to blame Daniel Farke’s more pragmatic football.
Sometimes we can make our own fun, but it takes two to tango.
And tango we did. The away fans dabbled with the predictably
unoriginal and unsavoury chants, Leeds fans responded predictably, and there
began the verbal jousting. There was just enough needle in this match to
consider it a proper contest by the time Edmundson made a faint attempt at
pantomime villainy.
It wasn’t quite Brentford’s Neal Maupay taunting the South
Stand in 2018, having scored a penalty after one of the most blatant dives
you’ll ever see from Ollie Watkins. But it couldn’t be. Moments before
half-time, Edmundson almost spooned a header into the same goal that Wöber
found in the 54th minute. Perhaps he was still sheepish from his almost own
goal, perhaps not.
Either way, it provided some of us inside Elland Road with a
villain for the final twenty minutes. Just before James’ goal, Edmundson was
booked for a clumsy foul on the edge of the box which prompted this masterpiece
of a reaction:
George Edmundson getting booked by the referee
Just excellent work all round. It was the only foul
Edmundson had made all night, but it served him right for having the gall to
celebrate a goal in a semi-cheeky manner.
And it was Edmundson again who played a key role in the goal
that killed the game off. His stray, tired pass into midfield fell short of its
intended target and found an energetic Ao Tanaka who, after passing to Joel
Piroe, found himself in the right spot to deftly square James’ cross for
Brenden Aaronson to finish. 3-1 Leeds, game over.
Football is a results business and I spent more time than I
care to admit wondering what effect the silly little celebration at 1-1 might
have on George Edmundson after this game. In totally unbiased hindsight, his
strong defensive performance began to unravel after that moment. In reality, he
probably thought nothing of it and is just frustrated to have lost to the
Championship leaders. He can also take solace in the fact that he’s still not
as hateful a Boro centre-back like Daniel Ayala was.
Ah well, thanks for coming, George. You made that victory
all the sweeter.