Ruben Amorim is ready to experience Manchester United and Leeds’ rivalry for the first time, but should heed Sir Alex Ferguson’s words to prepare for the future
When Ruben Amorim needed solace and solace, the Manchester United manager ended up reaching for his tin hat instead.
Because Amorim will not receive a warm welcome at Elland Road on Sunday. In return, the Portuguese will get something red-hot, full of venom and malice that Sir Alex Ferguson will never understand.
Unless Amorim has ever been in trouble, he will be aware of the genuine animosity that exists between United and Leeds. Both may have “United” in their names, but nothing could be further from the truth. This will be Amorim’s first trip to Elland Road since taking charge of United, but nothing can fully prepare him for what lies ahead.
That’s especially because he travels to Yorkshire at a time when Leeds are full of confidence and adrenaline after a six-game unbeaten run, including a home win against Chelsea, and two draws with Liverpool, including a point in the midweek trip to Anfield.
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There’s a reason the game kicks off at 12:30pm on Sunday. To limit the amount of time both supporters indulge in alcohol. West Yorkshire Police have canceled all holidays and extra officers are now routinely patrolling matches. Executives from both clubs are known to have met with police in the past to discuss safety measures.
Former United chief executive Ed Woodward once considered not attending the match at Elland Road because he genuinely feared for his safety. If this isn’t enough for Amorim to brace himself for a cauldron of hatred, he should consider what Fergie once said about the United-Leeds conflict.
In 2011, a large group of Leeds fans gathered outside the United team hotel in the city center ahead of a Carling Cup match at Elland Road. The atmosphere became so toxic that Fergie was afraid to leave the building.
And he thought the level of anger between both supporters exceeded that which existed between United and Liverpool. Fergie said: “Historically, it’s been around for a long time. I’ve always said that the Liverpool vs Manchester United game is intense in many ways.
“Sometimes the supporters play the villain in those games. But it never reaches the level of Leeds United. Never. It was a horrific incident in our hotel. There were seven police vans around the hotel protecting the team. I don’t know why it would happen. I don’t understand it. But it’s there and it’s not good.”
This hatred is historical and is due to geography and the envy of different generations of supporters towards the success of their respective clubs. Leeds, who have no such rivalry with other Yorkshire clubs, dominated the 1970s, with United ruling the roost in the 1990s and 2000s.
Leeds supporters have been mocking United over the 1958 Munich plane crash for decades, but more recently United fans have been trolling Leeds over the two fans killed in Istanbul in 2000. Now that Leeds have returned to the Premier League, football’s long-running War of the Roses will be restarted once again.
Amorim then crosses the Pennines and finds himself on the front lines of a battle unlike any he has seen before.
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