was my destiny to lead Leeds United; I feel I was born to be part of what I consider the greatest club in the world. How fortunate was I to hail from a great nation, too. I accepted the role and told the boss that I would maintain the high standards expected of an individual, given such an honour. I thought to myself, âNow I've got the captain's role I am not relinquishing it to anyone else.â I was rightly very proud â what an honour to captain Leeds United. It wasn't long after that I had the âKeep Fightingâ number plate hanging above my dressing-room peg. I wanted it to be a constant reminder to the rest of the lads that no matter what we are faced with in life we will keep fighting until we can fight no more, and even then, defeat wasn't an acceptable option for us as individuals, as a team, or for Leeds United.â
The following season was in many ways less eventful. In the League Cup, West Ham United inflicted a 7-0 thrashing at Upton Park, and a few days later in a league game, Leeds went down 5-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. The FA Cup offered some solace, as the team battled through to the semi-final stages. Chelsea were the opponents in a game that took place at Villa Park. Trailing 1-0 to a Tony Hateley goal, Leeds mounted serious pressure on the Chelsea goal, yet, as was so often the case, they were denied by some poor refereeing decisions, one of which, to this very day, defies all logic and evidence of common sense. Leeds had reasonto feel aggrieved when a Terry Cooper strike was disallowed for a player being offside, yet worse was to come. Later, in more dramatic circumstances, a Peter Lorimer âspecialâ, with just two minutes of normal time remaining, was cruelly ruled out. No one, not even the Chelsea players, knew why the goal had been dismissed by referee Ken Burns. The Leeds players remonstrated with the match official, but he would have none of it. He later said that he âwasn't ready for the free kick to be takenâ. This despite the fact that Chelsea were lined up in a defensive wall, whilst others took up positions marking the Leeds attackers in the penalty area. Clearly, the goal was a good one, yet incredibly, Leeds were punished for what should have been a free kick to their advantage. Billy recalled the game and the poor refereeing decision, with some harshness:
âFââ Chelsea again, fair play to them, they did get at us in their usual dirty way. Name calling, over the top tackles and elbows in your ribs were very much part of their tactics. We just couldn't find a way through them. The free kick that Peter [Lorimer] fired home was as sweet as you will see anywhere, nothing wrong with it. Chelsea thought it was a good goal, so did everyone else, even the television commentator. The one bastard that mattered though, the referee, well he had other ideas. He was a bit of a larger than life character was Ken Burns, but I always thought he cheated us that day. I never forgave him for that and would never miss an opportunity to ask him if he had his spectacles with him whenever he refereed us after that. He would say, âWe all make mistakes, young Bremner.â If that doesn't tell you something about what he realised, then nothing will.â
In Europe, it was once again the Inter Cities Fairs Cup competition. Aggregate victory over DWS Amsterdam (8-2) brought another tie against Valencia. All supporters of Leeds had been concerned about the return of Valencia to Elland Road, and the potential clashes that may occur on the pitch. I always recall my uncle telling me how the local police were apparently preparing for a situation not dissimilar to a war. They typicallyover-dramatised the whole situation, something that still often occurs to this day, but now affects kick-off times and dates. Thankfully back then policing was usually a bit more sensible and individual officers took responsibility, part of which was ensuring that the crowd enjoyed
The following season was in many ways less eventful. In the League Cup, West Ham United inflicted a 7-0 thrashing at Upton Park, and a few days later in a league game, Leeds went down 5-0 to Liverpool at Anfield. The FA Cup offered some solace, as the team battled through to the semi-final stages. Chelsea were the opponents in a game that took place at Villa Park. Trailing 1-0 to a Tony Hateley goal, Leeds mounted serious pressure on the Chelsea goal, yet, as was so often the case, they were denied by some poor refereeing decisions, one of which, to this very day, defies all logic and evidence of common sense. Leeds had reasonto feel aggrieved when a Terry Cooper strike was disallowed for a player being offside, yet worse was to come. Later, in more dramatic circumstances, a Peter Lorimer âspecialâ, with just two minutes of normal time remaining, was cruelly ruled out. No one, not even the Chelsea players, knew why the goal had been dismissed by referee Ken Burns. The Leeds players remonstrated with the match official, but he would have none of it. He later said that he âwasn't ready for the free kick to be takenâ. This despite the fact that Chelsea were lined up in a defensive wall, whilst others took up positions marking the Leeds attackers in the penalty area. Clearly, the goal was a good one, yet incredibly, Leeds were punished for what should have been a free kick to their advantage. Billy recalled the game and the poor refereeing decision, with some harshness:
âFââ Chelsea again, fair play to them, they did get at us in their usual dirty way. Name calling, over the top tackles and elbows in your ribs were very much part of their tactics. We just couldn't find a way through them. The free kick that Peter [Lorimer] fired home was as sweet as you will see anywhere, nothing wrong with it. Chelsea thought it was a good goal, so did everyone else, even the television commentator. The one bastard that mattered though, the referee, well he had other ideas. He was a bit of a larger than life character was Ken Burns, but I always thought he cheated us that day. I never forgave him for that and would never miss an opportunity to ask him if he had his spectacles with him whenever he refereed us after that. He would say, âWe all make mistakes, young Bremner.â If that doesn't tell you something about what he realised, then nothing will.â
In Europe, it was once again the Inter Cities Fairs Cup competition. Aggregate victory over DWS Amsterdam (8-2) brought another tie against Valencia. All supporters of Leeds had been concerned about the return of Valencia to Elland Road, and the potential clashes that may occur on the pitch. I always recall my uncle telling me how the local police were apparently preparing for a situation not dissimilar to a war. They typicallyover-dramatised the whole situation, something that still often occurs to this day, but now affects kick-off times and dates. Thankfully back then policing was usually a bit more sensible and individual officers took responsibility, part of which was ensuring that the crowd enjoyed
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