'Something seismic' - Ex-Leeds United man offers verdict on Premier League controversy

Leeds United should have been playing Nottingham Forest at Elland Road on Monday and it's a tricky one as to whether or not the Premier League should have called off this weekend's games following Her Majesty The Queen's passing.Given the age of The Queen and the length of time that she has reigned, what is deemed culturally acceptable now is quite obviously different.I think generationally there will be a certain demographic that thinks it's absolutely right that the country should come to a standstill and there should be that period of mourning.But I think perhaps a younger element disagrees with that and I can absolutely see that.

Let's put it right, it's very sad that a woman as iconic as The Queen who has been in everyone's lives for as long as we can all remember and who has been a great source of comfort to millions, not just in this country, but around the world, has passed away.

And on the flip side of that, we are talking about a 96-year-old woman who has had an extraordinary life and who's been, done and experienced things that no other person can by virtue of the very unique position that she's found herself in in her life.

It's been a life that has been lived to full, it's been one that has been of service and of selflessness and we have all seen at Buckingham Palace and across the country and across the globe that sombre reaction which the BBC and other news outlets have dealt with very very well.

There is a real air of sombreness to it but on the flip side there is that air of celebration of that particular life.

Places such as football stadiums can be hostile and brutal and mean spirited places.

But the greatest stadiums that I've ever been in and the greatest games and occasions I've ever witnessed have been ones of celebration and of communion and of sharing an emotion together.

I've got no doubt at all that that's what would have been the case pretty much universally with regards to games being played this weekend.

I can see the absolute emotional benefit in that but I can also see that we are talking about an institution here.

The monarchy is 'the' institution in our country, and has been for hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years. It is world renowned.

At one stage it was obviously the reason why a lot of the world was British in the empire and obviously there's a debate about different regimes and different ruling sectors of history.

But here we actually have something which is a little bit old fashioned and a little bit traditional.

You can buy anything nowadays at any time of day. That only used to be possible during a certain section of time during the week and good luck on a Sunday trying to find something type thing.

That's just a small example of the way that tradition has changed and maybe there is an air of traditionalism needed in this just to remind us of where we've come from but also how we've evolved and changed and adapted to the ever-changing world that we live in.

I can absolutely see both sides of the argument as to whether or not games should have been played and I probably fall somewhere in the middle.

I'm sure that celebration of The Queen's life will come in due course, a life like any others on the planet.

I can also see traditionally what she stood for, what she meant and what monarchy means to people here and around the world and to everyone who has ever come in contact with it or been touched by it.

There is an element of doing it 'properly' and having a proper mourning of a head of state. We are going to see a state funeral for the first time since Winston Churchill which is just mind boggling.

The Queen presented Leeds captain Billy Bremner with the FA Cup all those years ago and Bobby Moore with the World Cup which is crazy to think about. It's multi-generational.

To even attempt to give it perspective is pointless really because I would say she was possibly the most recognisable woman on the planet in this age of what fame and celebrity is.

The first Prime Minister she had was Winston Churchill who was born in the 1800s which is absolutely ridiculous.

There is a generation of a football fan that would have loved watching the FA Cup final and the build up to the FA Cup final and that winner being presented the FA Cup by the Queen.

It was all part of the pomp and ceremony and a little bit of that reflects on us all getting a bit old.

That constant has gone and now we all find ourselves in a slightly different world.

The practical argument for having the games on is by virtue of how convoluted and congested this season is given the World Cup and with what we have seen over the last couple of years. That's a purely practical way of looking at it.

But sometimes, practicality has to go out the window when something seismic and history-making happens and that's exactly what we are living in right now....