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Leeds United new boy Snodgrass raring to go
The strangest week of Robert Snodgrass' life came in 2006 after he was invited into the office of Livingston's chief executive and informed that Barcelona were applying to take him on trial.
The young striker had been headhunted by the Catalan club during an international fixture involving Scotland's Under-19 squad, but a delay in finalising the formalities led Barcelona to withdraw their interest just as suddenly. The following month, Snodgrass was sent instead to for a period on loan with Stirling Albion.
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The contrast between European Cup holders and a Scottish second division club may have been difficult to swallow, but Snodgrass has never been easily seduced by names and reputations.
In his earlier years he is said to have turned down offers from Celtic and Blackburn Rovers, and Leeds United were not the only club interested in taking him away from Livingston this summer. But once an agreement over compensation was reached by officials at Elland Road last week, there was no possibility of a transfer to Yorkshire suffering the fate of his trial in Spain.
"It happened a couple of years ago," Snodgrass recalled about Barcelona's approach.
"The (Livingston) chief executive called me in and said Barcelona had been on the phone and wanted me over for a week's trial, but I think the manager at the time put a hold on it and Barcelona cancelled. You can't expect a team like Barcelona to wait about.
"It was a bizarre week alright, but that's in the past and I'm at Leeds United now, looking forward to the future.
"I had a few other clubs interested but I felt that this was the right move for me. There was no turning back once Leeds came in.
"Gary McAllister asked me if I'd like to come and look around the place, and that was that. I'm obviously a young boy coming down from Scotland and I'm going to give it 110 per cent every time I go on the park."Hopefully the fans will be right behind the lads, and all the players will be doing exactly the same."
The irony of Barcelona's approach for Snodgrass was that it came at a time when the striker was struggling to involve himself at Livingston, but the success of his subsequent loan at Stirling Albion revised the West Lothian club's opinion of him.
Snodgrass scored seven times in 15 games for Stirling, including two in a play-off final victory over Airdrie United which took the club into the Scottish first division, and he was named in Livingston's starting line-up on the first day of the 2007-08 season.
A debutant at Almondvale just four days after his 17th birthday, Snodgrass received the chance to play at both Ibrox and Celtic Park before Livingston's relegation from the SPL in 2006, and his experience of the intimidating atmosphere at both stadiums may prove valuable as he swaps a club who averaged crowds of around 3,000 last season for one whose attendances peaked at more than 38,000 in League One.
"This is a massive step up," the 20-year-old said.
"The crowds at Leeds last year went up to about 40,000 and we were only playing in front of about 3,000 at Livingston. In that aspect Leeds are a much bigger club.
"It's a higher standard as well so it's a big challenge to be honest, but I think I can deal with it. I've played at Celtic Park and Ibrox so I've got experience of big crowds. I'll give it my best shot.
"The players at Leeds were so unlucky last year and this season, with the few signings we've made, we'll be up there or thereabouts. There's always a lot of hype and pressure on the players, and it's all about how you deal with it. When you cross the white line it's up to you. I'm looking forward to the season."
McAllister gave Snodgrass his debut during the final half-hour of Tuesday's low-key friendly at Darlington, which ended in a goalless draw, and it is not yet clear how United's manager intends to use the striker next season.
Snodgrass signed a three-year contract with Leeds last week and is clearly seen by McAllister as a long-term prospect, but 10 goals for Livingston last season displayed his ability to perform at a competitive level.
The combination of strikers selected by McAllister for United's first League One game at Scunthorpe next week is still open to question, and may be influenced by further signings before the start of the season.
"I'll work hard and leave that decision to the manager," Snodgrass said. "There are a lot of good players here.
"It was terrific to play my first game and it was good to get into the swing of things. Unfortunately we didn't get the win, and Darlington made it tough for us.
"But you get all your mistakes out of the way during pre-season games, and that's what they're there for. Hopefully we'll hit the ground running when the season starts.
"We're favourites to win the league so it will be tough for us, but it's going to be enjoyable too."
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