LUSS return to Leeds
LUSN group LUSS organise their annual celebration trip
Leeds United Swedish Supporters have many members who travel to Leeds United matches on a regular basis but once a year we take advantage of the 30 tickets that we are allocated by Leeds -often using hospitality to increase our numbers and have a group trip over.
It is said that the Finns are the happiest people in the world. The reason for this is that they assume that everything will go to hell and when it then only goes very badly, they become very happy. The undersigned, who has previously been to five Leeds matches and only experienced 3 Leeds goals, did not have high expectations for the match against Cardiff but went “Finnish”! The 29 other LUSS supporters probably had slightly higher expectations for the match than I did - I hoped!
As usual, the trip began with the “mandatory” bowling at Tenpin. As the beer disappeared from the cups, the results improved. Jens Davidsson almost reached 200 points in one series and probably had the best result overall. The competition committee will soon be convened for a meeting where the most important issue will be to introduce a handicap system, just like when skier Stenmark was at its best. We also need to change the conditions to create excitement in the competition. After the bowling, the group split up to find something to eat as it is difficult to find a restaurant that can accommodate 20 people on a Friday night.
The next day was match day. The excitement had been building as we had a “pre-game” at the Clayton, the same hotel as the Cardiff City players. The Clayton had arranged a separate area in the bar for us and all 30 participants showed up. Steen Hansen had organised a quiz about Leeds. Two participants managed to get 8 out of 11 questions right. On the deciding question of how many spectators were at the FA match against Harrogate, the youngest participant, Alexander, was the one who was closest and could collect the prize of a Leeds scarf and a cap. After that, the group set off in a united squad to Elland Road.
What a match we experienced! A total dominance with a varied game from Leeds that really utilised cutting in from the wings and the low shots from the wings where we hit goal after goal from close range. The fact that it was the biggest victory in a league context since 1972 made the match an unforgettable memory for us participants. It was a hundred times better than last year's match experience.
Many of the people took the opportunity to look at the mural painting on Gordon Strachan in Holbeck, and to seek out the pub to quench the thirst in their throats after all the celebrations.
As always we like to visit other parts of Yorkshire on our trip.
On Sunday, 9 brave souls braved the weather for an excursion to Knaresborough. Not even a cancelled train could dampen the cheerful mood. After a 45-minute train journey, we walked together and looked at the houses and buildings. What a beautiful place it is. The houses feel like they are hanging from the mountain wall and in terraces, and then at the bottom they are met by a beautiful meandering river. The river flows through the town and is lined with beautiful greenery. The beautiful arched bridge and the small typical alleys really give the town a beautiful setting. We couldn't resist the photo of Margareta with the town behind her.
We could not find a trace of an American franchise company anywhere!
We shared lunch at the Mother Shipton Inn pub. A typical old half-timbered house with a long history. There we discussed loudly and happily about yesterday and Leeds future possibilities. After lunch, the participants split up to explore the surroundings. Included in the surroundings was intending to watch a Premier League match in a pub before taking the train home!
It goes without saying that the match result reflects the experience and I think most people were satisfied with the trip. As usual, we would like to thank Mr. Steen Hansen for his work in distributing the tickets and handling everything around the match. The association would also like to thank LUSN for giving us the opportunity to secure 30 tickets for a match. Something we hope we will also be able to get in the future.
Anders Westermark
Treasurer - LUSS
