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22<br />
DERBY DAY! DERBY DAY! D<br />
Huddersfield return to Elland Road; LEEDS UNITED V HUDDERSFIELD TOWN<br />
MATCH PREVIEW<br />
HISTORY<br />
CROWD TROUBLE<br />
In typical Leeds United fashion, this season<br />
has unsurprisingly not lived up to the fans’<br />
ambitious expectations. Although starting<br />
fairly well having not been defeated in their<br />
first six fixtures (all be it 5 of them were<br />
draws) it was a sense of false hope for the<br />
loyal whites’ fans.<br />
As it is every year the Leeds United faithful<br />
were rejuvenated with hope that maybe this<br />
year would be theirs, but four months and<br />
a manager down the line yet again, it does<br />
not seem to be the case. Having mustered<br />
together only 8 wins since the start of the<br />
season the fans are certainly very frustrated<br />
as yet again Leeds sit 14th in the table. Not<br />
only do the on-pitch issues frustrate the fans,<br />
the constant lack of stability off the pitch has<br />
been a huge problem at Leeds for years and<br />
it doesn’t look like improving any time this<br />
soon.<br />
At the start of the season Huddersfield<br />
started with 4 wins but then suddenly dropped<br />
when they started falling back and losing<br />
quite a few games. The manager Chris Powell<br />
was then sacked and was replaced with<br />
David Wagner. With the top goal scorer for<br />
Huddersfield Town Nahki Wells has scored<br />
11 goals for the terriers. Compared to last<br />
season Huddersfield are more on form than<br />
last season, however, they’re currently 17th in<br />
the Championship table. They’re very close to<br />
relegation with 11 points away. David Wagner<br />
has made a few loans for the Terries hoping to<br />
make a difference.<br />
The day after Chris Powell was sacked the<br />
club appointed David Wagner as head coach<br />
who has previously worked with Liverpool<br />
manager Jürgen Klopp. Wagner is the<br />
first person born outside the British Isles to<br />
manage the club in its 107-year history. So far<br />
David Wagner has brought a lot of success for<br />
Huddersfield as they have won 5 games, drew<br />
3 and lost 6 while he has been manager. Huddersfield<br />
won the league successfully three<br />
times in a row which only three other teams<br />
have done that in the history of the game.<br />
They also won the FA Cup in 1922. Leeds<br />
United is considered to be the club’s main<br />
rival, with Huddersfield having the better<br />
head-to-head record of the two teams. Only<br />
21.2 miles separate Leeds and Huddersfield<br />
but it is always a fierce affair when it comes<br />
down to the football.<br />
Both clubs fly the flag for the Yorkshire<br />
Rose and have an incredible history between<br />
them. Between 1963–1975, Leeds became<br />
feared across the country and in Europe. Revie<br />
guided them to two league championships,<br />
an FA Cup, a League Cup, two European<br />
Fairs Cups and a Charity Shield.<br />
Leeds continued their dominance in<br />
Europe for decades to come most recently<br />
reaching the Champions League semi final<br />
in 2001. This was then followed by possibly<br />
the greatest declline of a football club in the<br />
history of sports. 15 years, two relegations<br />
and a promotion later, Leeds sit hovering<br />
above relegation zone in the Championship<br />
which is quite familiar for all Leeds fans.<br />
With the continuous off-pitch protests over<br />
the ownership at Leeds it does not look to improve<br />
anytime soon... When will the sleeping<br />
giant awaken?<br />
The West Yorkshire derby is a massive game<br />
for both teams so it has very high security<br />
at the football game. The police force have<br />
a “Sport” budget which covers all sports<br />
so they can’t estimate how much the police<br />
spend on football. It’s not possible to estimate<br />
what they spend on football because it’s impossible<br />
to estimate how well or bad a local<br />
team is doing which affects the cost of the<br />
police force.<br />
Matty, 19, Huddersfield fan said: “I am<br />
perfectly fine with how the system is now because<br />
they should be no violence as so many<br />
children attend the games, you’re meant to<br />
enjoy the game not cause trouble.”<br />
At Elland Road they make the Huddersfield<br />
Town fans go to the stadium and get escorted<br />
there. On derby days there’s a lot more police<br />
force at the game due to previous violence.<br />
The police prepare very early for these types<br />
of games because there are so many of them.<br />
Football fixtures utilise a combination of duty<br />
staff, and SPS9 Special Police Services staff,<br />
and are utilised when external bodies request<br />
the services of the Police and pay for those<br />
services.<br />
The police do not want the fans drinking if<br />
there’s a 12:30pm kick off as they don’t want<br />
violence. They monitor the city centre eg with<br />
sniffer dogs at the train station, horses at the<br />
ground and even on the motorway.<br />
Scott, 23, Leeds United supporter said: “I<br />
think when it comes to the West Yorkshire<br />
derby I understand why it is so strict but the<br />
rivalry isn’t like it used to be so, it’s not as<br />
violent. When I go to Huddersfield away I<br />
have to go straight to the stadium and then<br />
straight back home because they don’t let us<br />
interact with the Huddersfield fans. I don’t<br />
enjoy much as I used to.”
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