THE PREMIER LEAGUE IS BACK, BABY!
The 1974 Charidee Shield: Kevin Keegan, stripped to the waist, his middleweight boxer’s build rippling in the Wembley sun with Billy Bremner’s pudgier, milkier frame following him to the sideline after their double sending-off. Brian Clough, already quarter-way through his 44 day Leeds reign, smirking in the dugout. The 1965 FA Cup final: a diving Ian St John heading the winner as teammate Gerry Byrne plays on with a broken collarbone. Tony Yeboah walloping in a Yorkshire pudding-fuelled screamer on the first Monday Night Football of the 1995-96 Premiership season. And, in November 2000, Mark Viduka dinking in his fourth goal of an almighty comeback at Elland Road.
Liverpool versus Nasty Leeds used to be such a fixture to savour. Back in the days of Bill Shankly and Don Revie it was the fiercest rivalry in English football, a hail of muck, bullets, John Giles punches and Tommy Smith reducers. Then, and not for the last time, Nasty Leeds fell away, spending almost the entire 1980s in the old Second Division. The wait has been even longer this time, and Saturday’s prime cut comes 16 years since the clubs last met in the Premier League. In February 2004 a Liverpool team for whom Harry Kewell scored the first to a hail of boos from his former friends in the Lurpak Stand, drew 2-2 with a doomed Nasty Leeds team marshalled by Seth Johnson with an 18-year-old James Milner on the wing.
It has been a long, long road back, taking in the likes of Ken Bates, Massimo Cellino, GFH Capital, Brian McDermott, David Hockaday, Neil Warnock, Steve Evans, Uwe Rösler and Garry Monk plus several vales of Yorkshire tears. But Marcelo Bielsa has led Nasty Leeds back to their promised land and, to keep fans on tenterhooks, the Argentine maestro only signed his new deal – and for one year only – on Friday.
What might greet Nasty Leeds on their return to the big time? Since that 2004 meeting, and via their own dalliance with doom and Mr Roy, Liverpool have become a global superclub run by sharp-suited global financier tech bros and are, for the first time since Peter Haddock was a dependable defender in Sgt Wilko’s Second Division title winners of 1990, champions of all England.
And who is most excited of all? None other than Jürgen Klopp, since Saturday will be his first ever meeting with Bielsa. “I’d love to have a conversation with him, but my Spanish is not so good apart from ordering a beer,” gurgled Jürg. “Apart from that, I couldn’t have more respect for what he’s doing. What a guy!” You didn’t get that kind of thing from Keegan and Bremner.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It would be like I’ve lost the entire midfield just before the start of the season” – Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling gets his chat on with Donald McRae about how the shake up to the show’s lineup knocked him for six, saving someone’s life without knowing it and changing his views on female pundits.
FIVER LETTERS
“You’ve just got to admire Ben Foster’s post-soccer cycling plans (Thursday’s Fiver), but perhaps his ‘Alps, Vuelta, Giro’ wishlist is just a tad overambitious? Wouldn’t that be the same as Chris Froome saying that after his cycling career is finished he’ll play some football; ‘Anfield, Old Trafford, all the big stadiums, Big Cup, Big Vase’?” – Tony Crawford.
“Arsenal made a statement of intent when they brought a player named Magalhães onboard. With a name like that (Magellan, in English), and a crew of swashbucklers they’ll have the wind in their sails as they attempt to navigate their way to Premier League glory. Their first opponents, Fulham, have reason to rattle their sabres, however. They’ve got a Cavaleiro (Portuguese for knight) who’ll be sure to test the seaworthiness of the Good Ship Arsenal. Goals shipped ahoy!” – Peter Oh.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And you can always tweet The Fiver via @guardian_sport. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … Tony Crawford.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
The latest Football Weekly is here!
NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Fresh from breaking the Russian Cup, Branislav Ivanovic is heading back to the Premier League with West Brom. “I hope it’s going to be done quite soon – basically in a matter of hours,” growled Baggies manager Slaven Bilic. “He has done everything, his career is magnificent.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is still confident Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will sign that contract, and is a little tired of being asked, actually. “I can say I’m even more confident than I was at the end of last season when you asked me the same question 10 times,” Arteta sighed.
José Mourinho is back. “I want, I need a striker, but I want to make it very, very clear that the club knows that I need a striker. Are we going to get one? I believe so. The team needs it ... especially after the gift we had from the EFL and Uefa, that gives me after 20 years a unique experience of playing Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday.”
Ronald Koeman has given his thoughts on Lionel Messi staying put at Barcelona. “It’s great, everyone knows he’s the best player in the world,” Koeman beamed. “There’s no question about his quality and it’s fantastic that he’ll be part of the season with Barcelona, everyone is really happy about that.”
The Premier League has told the government there is no reason to delay the return of fans to stadiums.
And Romelu Lukaku has seen his Fifa 21 rating, and he isn’t happy. “Let’s be honest, they just mess with the ratings so we players start complaining about the game and give them more publicity ...” Lukaku harrumphed. “I ain’t with this sh1t. I know what I do.”
RECOMMENDED BUYING
Shell out on Saturday’s Big Paper and get a 40-page companion to the new Premier League season with it.
STILL WANT MORE?
Ten things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend. You’ve missed it, haven’t you? Oh.
Much like taking a road trip with Weird Uncle Fiver, the new Premier League season will be a journey without maps, reckons Barney Ronay. Meanwhile, our season previews have reached their journey’s end, with No 19: West Ham, and No 20: Wolves.
I want a game where the black voice can be heard and respected, writes Kick It Out’s Troy Townsend.
Ben Fisher has the lowdown on the Championship season in this here preview.
Sid Lowe previews the new La Liga season, which arrives with little fanfare.
Callum Wilson looks forward to the noise of a brighter tomorrow at Newcastle, writes Louise Taylor.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO.
