Greatness in the room - Marcelo Bielsa on the Leeds United legends, their history and how fans should not forget

Marcelo Bielsa has come to learn of the Whites’ history and it makes the club all the more attractive to the Argentine head coach.

He was present, in his customary tracksuit, at Elland Road on Thursday night when more than 50 of the club’s most beloved sons joined family members of Leeds favourites who have passed away, to celebrate the club’s centenary.

Players from the club’s most glorious era, the Don Revie team, were in attendance and three of them – Eddie Gray, Norman Hunter and Johnny Giles – held court during a brilliantly entertaining segment of the black tie gala.

They spoke of the sheer talent of men like Bobby Collins, the belonging they felt to the club and the city and the confidence they had in one another, Gray revealing that he would cast his eyes around the dressing room before a game and feel certain there was no way Leeds were going to lose.

Their jokes about Hunter being, not a hard man, but simply misunderstood failed to distract from the sense of gravitas and historical significance surrounding what these men achieved wearing the famous white shirts, not just for the club but for its city.

Nothing says ‘big club’ quite like league titles, Wembley wins or tussles with behemoths of European football.

Greatness was in the room, greatness that had at long last been officially recognised with the Freedom of the City, at a civic reception held earlier in the day, in honour of the Revie boys and the club they made famous.

Howard Wilkinson was then joined by members of his 1991-92 title winning side to talk about the rebuilding job that preceded that First Division championship.

Second Division winner Vinnie Jones brought the house down with his comedic retelling of some of his favourite Leeds United experiences before Gary McAllister brought the inspiration.

In comments he directed to the footballers of today, the current Leeds United squad who participated in the evening, he said that when this club gets a bit of momentum behind it, it can be unstoppable. That kind of insight, from a man who helped bring glory to Elland Road, holds real weight in Bielsa’s eyes.

“I think that all the messages that arrive to the feeling of the player, that touch the player are important messages,” he said. “If those messages are from legends that left their mark in the club, even more so.”

David O’Leary’s team of marauding European adventurers and Simon Grayson’s League One promotion winners were also represented and had their say on the period of Leeds United history to which they contributed.

Men like Tony Yeboah and Lucas Radebe, who continue to cast long shadows from their era to the present day, spoke with humility about the gratitude they still feel for the opportunity they had to become part of what they refer to as the Leeds family.

The current father figure at Elland Road is a 64-year-old from Rosario. In the same way that the Whites brought Yeboah and Radebe from foreign shores to a new home in Yorkshire, it was Leeds United that first attracted Bielsa to England. The club’s history and its length of service in English football is a source of pride for the current head coach.

“It is by chance that I am the manager in the centenary, but that I have the possibility to work for a club of 100 years old, I am very proud of this,” he said.

“In life I respect a lot the history and traditions of something and football, which is my speciaility, even more.

“Now I know what happened before in the past, in one club like this one, honestly for me it is very attractive.”

Legends of the past will be celebrated again today at Elland Road, but at 3pm all the focus will be on Bielsa and his 2019-20 Leeds United squad.

As emotional and nostalgic as the birthday celebrations will have been for Whites all over the world, it is the football that really heightens the senses and gets the blood flowing.

In his press conference previewing the visit of Birmingham City for the first Championship fixture after the October international break, Bielsa talked team news, his present injury problems and current talking points. But the past, he says, cannot and should not be forgotten by Leeds fans. They should boast of their team’s past exploits to those too young to remember, so they too can appreciate what Leeds United is all about.

“It is about respect for the history of the club. Also the respect for the legends of the club, the old players, that also is very important.

“Don’t forget. Tell the new generation of people what happened before, to know what club we have now.”