AT a time when Leeds United fans need to hold onto everything that is good about the great Yorkshire club, David Saffer has brought out another book on the Elland Road outfit.
As they appointed Dennis Wise as their latest manager at the club, Saffe
r was inviting the media and supporters to attend a signing session for the book, entitled Match Of My Life, at the Leeds United store in the White Rose Shopping Centre this afternoon (Thursday) at 2pm.
Following yet another bad result for them on Tuesday evening in the Carling Cup as Wise watched on from a private box with his assistant Gus Poyet, the club was preparing-and I am being naughty here-to send out invitations to their 'End of Season' party!
To lose to newly promoted Southend Utd, whose away record this season is not a pretty sight, must have had Wise wondering what he was taking on.
It isn't as if he can go straight into the transfer market as the window on transfer movement is firmly shut until January 1. To turn around a team lacking so much confidence at this moment in time over the next two months is going to be a mammoth task. I can only assume his chairman Ken Bates has promised him a fair kitty for players come January and also a salary to match.
He will have a honeymoon period, all big name managers do; outgoing caretaker manager John Carver didn't over his five games or so and must be kicking himself now for not taking the Carlisle job in the summer.
The best thing he had out of it was a weekend of talks in cash rich Monte Carlo where Bates resides as a tax exile.
In Saffer's book fourteen of the United greats relive their most magical memories in Leeds' history and right now what would the United faithful give for the contributors, namely Allan Clarke, Peter Lorimer, Terry Cooper, David Wetherall, Chris Fairclough, Eddie Gray, Brendan Ormsby, Johnny Giles, Mel Sterland, Paul Reaney, Paul Butler, Norman `Bite your Legs' Hunter, Len Browning and Dominic Matteo turning out this coming weekend for them.
It will make a lovely Christmas present if one of your relatives or close friends is a beleaguered United fan and the cost is £16.99.
l STILL with football and I am hearing on the grapevine that Sir Trevor Brooking has made a move for the executive chairman of the Rugby Football League, Richard Lewis to chair a committee on the ways of improving the academy system in English football.
It appears they are desperate to see more Theo Walcotts coming through to drastically cut down on the overseas imports and at the same time then improve the England international team.
This comes at a time when former Davis Cup tennis player and British Lawn Tennis CEO Lewis is looking with his Super League chiefs in Harrogate this week at reducing all overseas players in clubs to just five from 2008.
That will, one feels, be two overseas on work permits and three Kolpak players, those from the South Sea Islands who have this employment treaty with Brussels. It will not affect those who have been here in England that long they are virtually naturalised Brits.
It will stop, however, the likes of 12 players being on the books of clubs, something that was highlighted as Wakefield Trinity Wildcats saved their bacon in Super League and Castleford Tigers with double figures lost theirs.
l I SEE also that there are little hints being dropped that the football heirachy could have put forward axed England skipper and current Real Madrid benchman David Beckham for a knighthood come January 1.
I have nothing against Beckham, he has been a good role figure for the youngsters and a great marketing tool for the game and his own bank balance, and he also possesses talent, however, I feel it is a little too premature if the rumours are correct.
l LAST Saturday evening I popped over to Halifax for the second successive weekend to see the Songs From The Shows concert, which was superb by the way, and bumped into old friends.
Following the huge turnout last week for ex-RL player and coach Alan Kellett's funeral service at Coley, I was informed that on a roundabout way back to Keighley, Cougars RL coach Peter Roe called in at Morrison's supermarket at Illingworth and there working on a checkout was the former manager of Sportsworld on Bethel Street, Brian Hendy. Come Saturday evening when the interval lights went up who should be sat in front of me but Brian who was my physio at Mansfield Marksman RL Club, also an ex-Halifax Town player and physio and a physio at Halifax RLFC. I was delighted to see he had worked his way back to full health apart from a slight limp after the stroke he suffered in the shop several years ago.
Also on leaving in the foyer I saw my old school mates, twins Brenda Worthington and Jack Wood, and Halifax Cricket League sponsor and local engraving specialist David Armitage, who was in their party plus Brigusser Margaret Coyle (nee Firth) and her family, who is also the partner of ex-Ovenden RL player and committeeman Tony `Waspy' McElroy.
Back to the Crown for a couple of pints with her indoors and the mother-in-law and then off to bed after a great day.
l FINALLY, I was pleased to hear from avid Echo reader John Bould on Tuesday to inform me that his youngest grandson, Peter Lopag, a pupil at Rastrick High School, had finally been given his passport to play Under-14s rugby league.
He was now also playing with his local club, Brighouse Rangers, and they were looking for more players to join them.
You may recall that over a protracted two years after Deighton Juniors folded his elder bother Richard and he, himself, were prevented from joining the club of their choice, King Cross ARLFC, as it was deemed by League officials they were just `pot hunting'.
They were almost lost to the game. Richard, by the way, armed with 10 GCSE results of the highest order from his time at Rastrick High, has joined Huddersfield Giants fulltime on an academy contract and will further his education going for a sports science degree as well as first team selection down the line.
