[ad_1]
When David O’Leary goes to church on Sunday, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is also part of the congregation. Later, if you stop by your favorite restaurant or wine shop, you often come across England’s Gareth Southgate.
Prayer and alcohol, now there is a survival guide for driving. Is it any wonder O’Leary has enjoyed a quiet life in rural North Yorkshire for the past decade?
He appears in the new film Finding Jack Charlton – he scored the penalty to lead the Republic of Ireland to the Italy 90 quarterfinals – and the premise for his afternoon with Sportsmail, we suggest, could well be Finding David O’Leary.
“That’s how I like it,” says the former Leeds manager and Arsenal legend, whose former clubs meet on Elland Road on Sunday.
We found the 62-year-old in the spa town of Harrogate, where he lives with his 40-year-old wife, Joy. Shop the coffees at the iconic Bettys Tea Rooms (you’ve seen Bielsa here too) and take a walk through Montpellier’s tree-lined neighborhood. A Leeds supporter, pushing a stroller, walks past.
“You did a great job for us,” says the fan. “Thank you,” O’Leary responds. “I’ll fix you later with the £ 20 I promised.”
Between 1998 and 2002, O’Leary led Leeds to the semi-finals of the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. They finished fourth, third, fourth and fifth in the Premier League. His young and exciting side were title contenders. Your reward? Dismissed by President Peter Ridsdale.
But the goals and games alone don’t capture the full story of O’Leary’s tenure. There was the trial of Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate, accused of assaulting an Asian student. And then there was the Ridsdale excess, the spending camouflaged as ambition but so reckless that it would eventually put the club on a downward spiral. Leeds made front and back cover stories.
“It was crazy,” says O’Leary. ‘I was exhausted at the end. But do I think I was good for Leeds? Yes, without a doubt. Do I think I was unfairly fired? Absolutely.
“Maybe I’m a dreamer, but he reminds me of Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs. He reached a European final. I made it to two semi-finals. We both challenge for the league. However, we did not gain anything. So close but, in the end, so far.
“We qualified for Europe on the last day of 2001-02. From what they told me, they already fired me. But they delayed it when the crowd gave me a good reaction afterwards. I saw Peter before I went on vacation in June. So it was a shock when he said, “David, we’re going to change managers, someone to take us to the next level.” I called my lawyer. “Everything is fine?” he said. “No, I just got fired. Here’s Peter ”. I gave him the phone and went out.
‘Listen, that was his decision, I accepted it. But they couldn’t just get rid of me, they had to turn against me. They told people that they had lost the players, which was not true.
That was sad. I’m proud of what I accomplished in Leeds and I think the fans appreciate it. ‘
During his final season, O’Leary wrote a book, Leeds United On Trial, published after Bowyer’s acquittal and Woodgate’s conviction for skirmish. The title, in particular, was controversial.
We inform you that, in an interview last year, Ridsdale said that the book should have been classified as “fiction” and claimed that he did not know it was being written. O’Leary pauses. Finally, he answers: ‘Typical of Peter’. Another pause. “When he’s face to face, it’s like a rash around you:” David, it’s nice to see you. ” It’s quite embarrassing. But that’s one side and that (his interview) is the other. He would probably say that he never meant what he did. Would you like to see it now? Not particularly. ‘
Would O’Leary write the book now, in hindsight? It probably wouldn’t. But people forget, I did it with someone inside the club, not on my own. It was meant to be about Leeds for Leeds fans, not something for everyone, which is what it became. ”
It would take another book to chronicle everything that happened on Elland Road and he has no appetite for it.
We meet her daughter, Ciara, walking through the park.
“I’m glad you shaved,” he says. Yesterday I had this beard thing.
“I only shaved because you told me to,” he says. It’s a snapshot of O’Leary’s happiness here and helps explain why his last job was in 2011, in Dubai.
‘They grow so fast. I missed a lot during my career. It’s lovely to have that time now with my son and daughter. I am very grateful.’
Such sentiment brings O’Leary back to a night in March 1998. After a 3-0 loss at West Ham, the plane carrying the Leeds team crashed shortly after takeoff from Stansted Airport. He had risen to 150 feet when an engine exploded. Later, an investigation revealed that the pilot’s actions – aborting takeoff rather than continuing ascent – saved the lives of everyone on board.
But O’Leary was also hailed as a hero. “It was next to the emergency door,” he recalls. Just as we took off there was an explosion, this awful shudder. We fell again and slipped through a field. It felt like everything behind you was getting ahead of you.
‘The engine was on fire. We had to get out pretty quickly. People later said, “David O’Leary did really well, kicked the door open.” But let’s be honest: the other side was on fire, mine was not. I didn’t have too many options! ‘
O’Leary hurt his shoulder while forcing the door open, climbing over the wing and falling to safety. ‘We were standing in a muddy field, all the fire trucks running towards us. I will never forget a team member who asked Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink if he was okay. “Am I okay? You call that takeoff?” It made us laugh but we were lucky. If we had been at Heathrow we would have been on the M25. At Leeds-Bradford, already in the hills.
“My daughter saw the news on television before I had a chance to call home. She was shocked. A few years ago I went to see the movie Sully with her (about a plane landing on the Hudson River in New York) and she was crying. It reminded him of what happened. It brought home how lucky we were. ”
O’Leary considers himself very fortunate to be involved again with Arsenal, where he is now an ambassador for the club and, prior to Covid-19, he traveled with the team.
‘They do not pay me. I don’t impact anything, but if they ask me, I can give an opinion, ‘he says.
Well then, what is your opinion?
“I was on the flight home from Olympiacos in February when Mikel Arteta got on the plane. I felt like the boss was in the building. There is fear, respect. I never understood that with Unai Emery. He seemed overwhelmed. Saw it spin out of control a mile away. Now, I think they are on the right track. Arteta should have replaced Arsene Wenger.
O’Leary’s 722 appearances are an Arsenal record. He won two First Division titles, two English Cups and two League Cups in 18 years. But his relationship with fans became strained during his time in Leeds.
“We beat them 1-0 in 1999 to deny them the title. Who did you want to win the league? Arsenal. They are my team. I understand there was a rivalry but that is gone.
“ I’m going to London now and if it’s an Arsenal taxi driver, they’ll open the doors to close them, in a nice way, and we’ll fix the world. ”
One story he likes to tell is that of his relationship with his centermate and roommate Tony Adams. “ I would scold him all the time for drinking. But he could take it out, put on a plastic bag, and sweat.
‘He said it was big too early. He was cheeky. “You’re always stretching,” he said. I got a text message from him the other day. It is very deep now. But underneath it all is a very decent guy. He received dog abuse after Euro 88 with England. But I said to George Graham (Arsenal manager), “If you leave him out now, he could sink him.” George listened and then read to the team. Tony was playing … and I fell. I was fuming. It was meant to shut out Steve Bould!
When their decisive game for the title came in Liverpool in May 1989, the three center-backs played. Arsenal got the 2-0 win they needed in the 91st minute. You know what I enjoyed the most? After years of listening to Pat Rice (coach and former player) talk about how his Arsenal team went to Spurs and won the title, this finally silenced him! ‘
After almost 10 years in the shadow of this quiet parish, is there any regret?
“I should have taken the Newcastle job in 2009. I’ve always loved the fans there. Reminds me of Leeds. I loved the Friday night in Newcastle before the game, the jokes they had on them. So yeah, that’s my only regret.
“ I would have loved to talk to Mike Ashley and comment on him. I didn’t know if Derek Llambias (managing director) was telling me all about Mike. Something just didn’t add up. ‘
And now?
‘For the right offer, then yes, I would go back in. But I don’t have an agent pushing me and the offers have stopped a long time ago. But it’s okay. I am happy. I still go to the games and tomorrow I’ll be on Elland Road. I’m lucky.’
Church, football, family and good wine, O’Leary won’t give up those Sundays in a hurry.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
[ad_2]
