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Being a Hambidge Fan by Frances YES – Frances is back. For the past year she's been writing a novel that will be published during 2003. "Sharing Sean" will be on sale at booksellers and through GOALCOAST magazine. This month she sympathises with Leeds United fans, something she never thought would happen. I there have been too many instances of when feel never thought I would say this but I they went down to the Second selling had to continue. too would Division, sorry for Leeds United fans. I think a lotthirty thousand peopleunprovoked violence on the field, In the last month, four more first the City one thing up of football supporters do. It s still turn to each week to watchmany unacceptable songs sung on players have gone. Olivier Dacourt t and Hull another wish for your opponents to lose;playing teams like Chesterfield terraces Leeds fans have a nasty habit Bowyer to West Ham, Robbie Roma, Lee Munich of of and to want them to see them fall apart.Rochdale. Teams I suspect most taunting Man United about theFowler to Manchester City and now disaster, for instance - for opposing fans you haven t even heard of, let alone There are a number of teams that are Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle. And popular with opposing supportersconsidered giving up a weekend most to feel any affection for them. bar Woodgate at knock down prices But now, somehow, it of us, for instance, have a softafternoon to stand in the cold and driving feels different. Watching Leeds is concerned, it is defi spot for where last rain to watch playing football. night as groups of their supporters stood market. Terry Venables, th Manchester City whose amazing fans a buyer s outside their stadium in the midst of the left with the bare bones continued to support them in huge But Leeds isn t one of those clubs. manager is worst snow Instead, it and its supporters have been a storm England has seen in he took over in the summer. And numbers when they found themselves team SOCCER SOCCE R TUTOR TUTOR years, and of the relegated from the Premiership. pet hate for many of us. Over the yearsprotesting the situation none calling money received for the s Even Powered by rechargeable battery for portability for the chairman, Peter Ridsdale, to is likely to be used to pay for resign, it was impossible not toreplacements. The future that once feel for them. seemed so bright is now looking Two years ago, they were in the semidecidedly ordinary. The Premiership final of the Champions League. Justway out of reach and though Leeds is over a year ago they were top of the still in the F.A. Cup, winning that Premiership. Their team was glittering what their fans have been dreaming with stars. The sky appeared to about. be the limit. Every supporter expected trophies what their chairman And not to arrive and soon. Instead, they won expected. He wanted Leeds to rival nothing. And now are mired in mid to low Manchester United and tried to buy table obscurity. At one point this seasonBut Leeds have no large success. they even flirted with a relegation battle. international support. Their stadium And why has all this happened? Because relatively small, their income limit their debts were so huge that they They gambled on staying in the couldn t continue to operate unless they League .. and they lost. A Champions recouped some of their losses. And did their fans. I look at Leeds a so there • Ideal for skill building - Headers - Traps - Goalie practice 1-800-448-8867 for FREE brochure was only one way for them to do can think is there but for the grace that. Over the summer the big sell off God, the sense of the board and the started. First Rio Ferdinand to intelligence of Gerard Houllier go Manchester United. Then Robbie Keane Liverpool. And I suspect I am not al to Spurs. The fans hoped it would stopAny fan of any team apart from that. there. Surely £36 million would Manchester United and perhaps Arsena be enough? But it turns out it wasnhas to be concerned about the levels t. If they had been close to the top of thespending at their club. Leeds are an $ 999 www.sportstutorinc.com Sports Tutor, 3300 Winona Ave., Burbank, CA 91504 Premiership, perhaps the promiseexample none of us wants to follow. of Champions League football next season hard to believe that there are it is with all the millions of income more debacles on this scale waiting that brings would have satisfied their debtors and The only question is who wil happen. they d have been able to hold onbe next? And we are all crossing our to more of their stars. But they weren t. And thehoping it won t be us. fingers, Goal Indoor • March 2 003 • 19