Modern day success built on Leeds United legends like Peter Lorimer - David Prutton

I saw Villa last weekend against Leicester and they missed him.

Whites head coach Marcelo Bielsa insisted that he wanted Grealish to be fit as he preferred his opponents to have their best players and to add ‘stimulus’ to his own players.

I can see what he is saying and Marcelo is always very effusive in his praise of other people. But it should be a good game and it gives Leeds a big fillip really knowing that Villa’s best player is not playing.

Leeds go into the game following Tuesday’s 3-0 win at home to Southampton in which I thought they put in a cracking performance in the end.

The game was not straightforward for Leeds early doors and Southampton will look back on that and think they missed two very good chances which could have turned the game a slightly different way.

But they didn’t take them and Leeds stayed in the game which shows a growth in what they are about and I just thought they were great.

Marcelo always talks very magnanimously about the opposition but on another day Leeds could have scored five or six.

It was maybe a bit of a sliding doors moment for two teams in the Premier League and for Leeds it was another three points to inch them towards safety which is absolutely paramount.

Anything after that is wonderful.

There was another classy performance from Raphinha and Patrick Bamford again did what Patrick has grown to do.

And there was also a nice touch at the end with the tribute to Kalvin Phillips’ grandma and it was just a thoroughly lovely football match all round with players trying to keep their footing and not sliding around which made for a bit of chat.

Coming off the back of the consecutive defeats against Arsenal and Wolves and the relative ups and downs that Leeds seemed to be having, that was very definitely an up.

Sadly, we have unfortunately learned this weekend that Whites legend Peter Lorimer is battling a long term illness in a hospice. Peter was another from that particular glorious era within the club that I came across during my own time there.

I have always maintained where the era that I featured in stands within the club as it pales in comparison to the majority of what went before and now what has come afterwards which is wonderful.

But Peter is a lovely fella who always had a lot of time for the lads that he spoke to whether it was a match day or in and around a match day or in and around the stadium. To hear that he is now in this position, I just want to wish him and his family all the best.

These men like Peter were revered all over the country and indeed the world.

But when you grow up in a very proud county with a lot of proud football teams like Leeds then you instantly know about people like that. You know about Peter Lorimer and Norman Hunter and Jack Charlton and Trevor Cherry.

We throw the word legend around but these are proper legends who played 45 games a season with one sub, on tough pitches and kicking the hell out of each other but still creating the beautiful game.

When you look at how football is played nowadays, it doesn’t happen by accident, it happens because there is a history and tradition to it and people that have gone before that have brought a lot of ideas that have in turn inspired future generations.

It’s sad news to hear about Peter and we just wish him all the very best. I was at the Leeds game on Tuesday and we were looking around at the renamed stands and the flags with

Norman’s name on and Gary Speed’s name on and Trevor’s name on.

It hits home because there is almost a communion feel to that of the family side of these people because we have lived our dreams by following these people.

The great ones delivered all the time and the great ones were loved and revered.

Peter is still loved and revered and very much part of the Leeds United history and we just wish him all the best.

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/leeds-united-legend-peter-lorimer-battling-long-term-illness-in-hospice-3148604

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins