A Day in the Life of a Leeds Carnegie Supporter
Resourceful travellers
By Bobba
December 19 2010
It’s 06.30 on the morning of the 28th November 2010. My alarm goes off. It is nice and toasty in bed and I am reluctant to leave its warm embrace, but get up I must, because today, I am travelling down to London to support Leeds Carnegie when they play Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
Showered, dressed and breakfasted, I’m ready to face the great outdoors. A quick check on my outdoor thermometer shows a cool -7C. That should give the players some handling problems today,I think to myself. As it is Sunday, early morning busses are few and far between. With fresh snow crunching away underfoot, I decide to walk across fields the one and a half miles to Thornbury. The exercise and the thoughts of a possible first win of the season are keeping me warm. The bus turns up and I am on my way. It’s warmer in Leeds, Yorkshire Post clock tower shows a sultry -6C.
A quick coffee and I’m on the platform awaiting the train. A train turns up, but it is not in the livery of East Coast Trains. I’m suspicious. Despite the cold we are not being allowed to board. I have a seat reserved in coach F. I notice that seat reservation markers are present on most of the seats and I walk towards mine. I then notice that carriage F has 74 seats. My reservation is 76A. Oh dear! I mention this to a member of staff and she wanders off. Shortly after, we are, at last, allowed to board. Miraculously, all the reservation markers have disappeared and I grab the first seat available. With the train setting off on time, we are on the way. A cheery announcement comes over the public address system. It seems that there was a “late set change” at Neville Hill Depot and the staff have not had the time to allocate the seat reservations. So much for honesty. Perhaps I should have, at that point, realised that it was going to be one of those days.
It is said that every person has, at some point in their lives, a claim to fame. A young lady cradling a small child is sat next to me. In conversation it turns out she had been visiting friends in Ilkley, her place of birth. It transpires that when she was only six months old, she and her parents moved to South Africa. Whist there, she went to school with a certain Brian Habanna and also knew Lucas Radebe of Kaiser Chiefs and Leeds United fame. An interesting conversation ensues, covering rugby, football, apartheid and Nelson Mandela. Surprisingly quickly we are at London Kings Cross.
A quick underground hop to Vauxhall and an over ground skip to Twickenham and I am in the company of a small group of friends and fellow supporters in the Cabbage Patch. Time for a beer and some food. A discussion on our aspirations and hopes for the game. And then onwards to the Stoop.
We visit the recently re-opened Quins Head located underneath the South Stand. Interestingly there are four real ales on offer at, for London, a reasonable £3.20 a pint. Around the ground there are numerous food outlets including hog roast. If you haven’t been watered and fed prior to a match, then there are plenty of opportunities here. Perhaps this could be a model for Leeds Carnegie once the South Stand has been re-developed as it would be a vast improvement on the existing facilities available for the ordinary fan at Headingley. GH please note.
The game is being televised. The small group of Leeds fans, in their fluorescent yellow beanies, are in the North Stand and are hoping for a performance that will show to the world that we do not deserve to be propping up the Premiership.
Martin Fox, our referee for the day gets the game on the way. It’s a promising start. A few minutes of dominance, and then, the first mistake. A loose pass, gratefully accepted, and an un-opposed run for the first try of the day. More follow. At half time it is already an uphill struggle. At 27-6 the score line flatters Leeds. Had overlaps and opportunities been fully taken advantage of, Quins points tally could easily be double! Leeds, on the other hand, in this half, failed to even reach the Quins 22 in 40 minutes of play! We desperately hope for a much improved second half and for something positive to cheer.
The second half follows. It seems that harsh words may have been spoken at half time. There seems to be a bit more of a spring in the steps of the Leeds players. Sadly, this is short lived. Sadly, there are more errors, more basic mistakes, more heads in hands. Despite two consolation tries by Lee Blackett, Quins Romp home with a final score of 51-18. Thankfully the game ends. The small group of “hardcore” Leeds supporters in the North Stand have shouted, cheered and done everything possible to encourage their team on. Sadly, it has been to no avail. We have been comprehensively beaten by an impressive Quins side.
Following the usual post match pleasantries the Leeds players go into a huddle in the middle of the field. What is being said? We don’t know. Could it be that they are trying to establish what went wrong? Could fingers be pointing at players who failed to perform? Could they be trying to pick out the positives from the game? Again, we don’t know. Perhaps the services of Sir Alan Sugar and his famous index finger could have been employed. “You’re fired, you’re fired, you’re fired…” But is that the answer? I don’t think so.
We remain in the now deserted North Stand hoping to show some encouragement for our players, hoping to help them to lift their chins up. After quite a few minutes the huddle breaks up. We start cheering for all we are worth. The players start warming down but not a single one acknowledges our presence. To his great credit, an ill looking Gary Hetherington comes over to us. I’m not quite within earshot, but I later learn that he has come over to apologise. No one, in his position, in my view, should feel the need to have to do that!
Time to reflect. For me the low of the game was easy to pick. We win a penalty in the second half. It’s on the Quins 22, 10 meters from the right touch. A kick to the corner is the obvious choice of play. The ball is kicked directly at a Quins player on the line at just over head height and is easily kept in play! Possession and advantage lost! Likewise the highlight was easy to choose. Lee Blackett. His two tries standing out, but more particularly, when we lost our flanker to injury with no replacement available, who steps up to the mark? Lee Blackett. This man has the heart of a lion. He may not be the most accomplished player in the Premiership but for his attitude and willingness to give all for the cause, I wish we had another 14 like him on the field of play!
It takes a certain amount of humour to follow Leeds. Even during a pretty dismal performance, when the second try was scored by Lee Blackett, a chant of “easy, easy, easy” was started up in the North Stand, much to the amusement of the locals.
A few of us retire to the bar in the main stand. There is a band playing. They are belting out an old Rolling Stones classic “can’t get no…satisfaction…” How appropriate. The song well and truly sums up the Leeds fans point of view. “And I try, and I try…can’t get no…”
We try to pick the bones from the performance. Who is to blame? Coaching staff, players, management, the club, the weather? We don’t have the answers. In the past we always we have always had players capable of barking out orders, encouraging, cajoling, in the ref’s ear, questioning, arguing, admonishing, praising. This year that does not seem to exist. Are there clashes of personalities in the camp? Is there a hierarchy problem? Why do we appear to be like sheep to the slaughter?
Can the fans help? The Club has often said that they wish to see the fan base growing. However, does the club encourage this growth? I think not. Fans more often than not recently, have to find their own way to away matches. The Club promise to have a coach for every away fixture has fallen by the wayside. “Use it or lose it”. It is hardly encouraging to a supporter when registering an interest to travel when a few days before a match the coach is cancelled. As a result, disappointed fans have, either to forgo the match, or find alternative means to get to a match. At short notice, this is usually at inflated prices. I recall recently at Birmingham New Street Station meeting up with some Exeter Chiefs fans. ‘How many of you are coming down.’ ‘How many coaches?’ I was asked. I can’t describe the disbelief when they were told that any fans turning up will have made their own way there. How is it that Exeter can send one, two or three coaches, with fans paying a fixed price, anywhere in the country to support their team? How is it that clubs in the lower leagues manage to get their supporters to away matches? Why, therefore can’t we?
Today, again, there was no coach. There had been a suggestion of a coach being made available. With past experience, are fans prepared to risk it? There was a package available for fans to come down to watch the England V South Africa match on Saturday, followed today by our match against the Quins. At a cost of £350 how many ordinary fans could afford that luxury. It would be interesting to know how many takers there were for this package and how many of those actually paid! How many were corporate and how many were “hospitality”. It seems as a paying supporter, I am, along with others, second class and ignored by the Club.
I remember recently in Reading, on the way to the London Irish game, wherever you looked, there were posters promoting and advertising the club and its forthcoming matches. It is similar situation with other clubs, small and large, up and down the country. Where are the posters and adverts in Headingley, in the centre of Leeds, in the outlying areas of Leeds? After all, we are the Premier club in Yorkshire. Or are we? The odd bill board on the approaches to Leeds hardly promotes or encourages people to attend. Texts and e-mails to existing fans is a case of preaching to the converted. It is the 5 million or so that live in Yorkshire that needs to be converted!
Are fans views being heard? Over the years there have been opportunities for fans to express their views and concerns to the powers that be at Headingley. There were the fans forums, held with Phil Davies and Gary Hetherington. Brain storming sessions with Stuart Lancaster. These have dried up. There is no doubt that there are likely to be the occasional criticism, some positive and negative comments and suggestions. Surely the Club is big enough to accept that the fans are an integral part of the club, and that, in the main, the fans have the best interests of the Club at heart. Surely, the fans brains could be picked. Not all of the ideas are likely to be bad. The club have proposed a presentation on the stadium development. Rhinos fans had theirs ages ago. Were we forgotten about at the time? Will our views make even the slightest difference to the plans? After all, Carnegie is the minor partner at Leeds Rugby. Or so it would seem! We have a way of expressing our views on the Leeds Tykes unofficial website. Does anyone apart from Phil Daly read this? Does anyone take notice?
Time moves on. We have been told that there is a London Transport strike tomorrow and that services will start running down after 19.00. We move out, all going our individual ways homeward. Reversing my previous journey I arrive in plenty of time to catch the 20.03 to Leeds. I’m looking forward to getting home. It’s been a long day, full of frustration and anger. There are a few Leeds fans at the station. Again we are discussing the game, the season, the future. Where will we be next season? Can we turn things round? Will we remain as season ticket holders? Will we carry on supporting the team away from home? Are Otley, Wharfedale, Doncaster, Rotherham…going to have their support swelled next season by disillusioned Leeds fans?
The clock is ticking. The destination board show the 20.03 train as being a few minutes late. Not a problem. However, the delay is creeping up and is now up to some 40 minutes and there are now other trains being delayed and I’m getting worried about my connections home from Leeds. There is no information being offered for the possible causes of the delay. I decide to go to the ticket office and try and find out what was happening. Speaking to a man at the counter, I explain my possible difficulty in getting home and the lack of information being offered to the now hundreds of passengers waiting patiently. ‘It has nothing to do with me.’ ‘I have no contact with East Coast Trains. It is their problem.’ ‘You have a choice, wait for a train or travel tomorrow.’ With helpful advice like that, and not wishing to drag the man over the counter to have a quiet word in his ear, steaming, I walk away and rejoin my friends.
Shortly after my visit to the ticket office there is a message on the departure board. Is seems that the delays are due to a train failure at Newark. At least we now know why there is delay. Hopefully this will be sorted sooner rather than later.
It is cold in Kings Cross Station. There is nowhere to sit down. The few seats in front of the destination board are all occupied. It costs 30p for a p. We are being irritated by the regular announcements giving the location of platform “0”. Some kind person runs over my foot with a suitcase being dragged through the crowd. “Carry it” I growl. The destination board is now showing that there are two trains delayed to Newcastle and five to Leeds. The 20.03 is being shown as a direct train, stopping at Wakefield Westgate and Leeds only.
The projected delay now has crept up to nearly two hours. I have a word with a nice lady at the customer service desk. She reassures me that, if there are no other normal means for me to get me home, then East Coast will provide me with a taxi to get me home. Suitably reassured, I return to my waiting duties. There are finally signs of some progress. A train to Newcastle is loaded and departs. I wander off to see if there are other trains being prepared for departure. As I do so the Leeds departure is announced! It’s a stampede! Reservations do not apply, so it’s everyone for themselves. On the way, two female East Coast staff are stood in the doorway of a first class carriage. They are laughing and taking photographs of the chaos unfolding before them on the platform. Choice words are spoken. I find a seat. We finally depart at 22.16, which, by sheer coincidence, is exactly the time we should have arrived at in Leeds.
The “direct train” stops in Peterborough. Then an “additional” stop is announced. We stop at an empty Retford station causing further delays. Unsurprisingly, no one bothers to check passengers’ tickets. Perhaps the staff on the train are worried that they may be asked some searching questions by the not so happy passengers. The air conditioning on the train is pumping out cold air. It’s a cold and miserable journey home. At last, the train pulls into Leeds City Station. It is 00.42. We are a mere 146 minutes late! It does not sound too bad when said fast enough.
I am surprised to find an open ticket office window. After asking about onward transport, I am advised to go to Customer Service opposite platform 5. This I do. But, no surprise here, the kiosk is closed. I spot a group of people gathered round an office with lights inside. There are members of staff beyond the locked door. After a while a person emerges. Barrages of questions fly towards her. She examines a few tickets and discovers that most show a destination of Leeds. On that basis she tells us that East Coast have delivered its passengers to Leeds and that is the end of their responsibility. Despite the fact that, at Kings Cross I was assured that transport would be provided, we are told that it has nothing to do with East Coast and it is up to us to find our own way home! It is because the train did not run on time, that the problems have arisen. Had the train arrived when it was supposed to, the problems would not have arisen. It is therefore East Coast responsibility. It falls on deaf ears.
I leave the station. With hundreds of people getting of the train there is a massive queue for taxis. For whatever reason, perhaps just to collect my thoughts or to calm down, or perhaps I have reached the point of beyond caring, I wander over towards The Headrow. There is not a soul about. Nothing open, No busses. Only taxis flying about. I try to hail one, but no luck. I start walking in the direction of home some 10 miles away. After a while I’m on Kirsktall Road and I have had enough. I ring my local taxi firm and they agree to come out and pick me up. It will be at least 15/20 minutes before they turn up.
I’m stood, shivering outside Aldi on Kirkstall Road. A police van passes me. It passes me again, slowing down, the officer in the passenger seat peering at me. Any minute now he is going to stop and ask me what on earth I am doing. Thankfully there is a cash point nearby and I wander over towards it to avoid being conspicuous by my presence. At last the taxi arrives. I jump in. Warmth at last!
I get home just after 02.00. I’m wound up so I make a cup of tea. I have recorded the match and I switch on the TV. I watch the preamble but can not bring myself to watch the match itself. The TV is switched off.
Why do I do it? Why do I and others like me put ourselves through this sort of hardship, this sort of anxiety, this sort of torment? The answer is quite simple really. In the time I have been following Leeds Tykes / Carnegie I have met and become friends with several people who have, I believe, become life long friends. When I travel away with Leeds, I meet the same group of hardcore supporters and all of us have the same aspirations, go though the same heartaches and joys and somehow I feel there is a bond between us. Every week I meet new people. Win or lose there is always friendship at home and away. That to me is worth more than a day of disappointment and discomfort. On that thought I go to my bed.
It seems no sooner my eyes are shut, there is an almighty racket going on in my head. I realise that it my 06.30 alarm going off. By switching it off it concludes the last 24 hours. I console myself with the fact that yesterday is now history and today is - another day!
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The above was sent to Gary Hetherington. As a result he has invited a few of us to meet him for a chat. Provisionally this will be in the evening of the 4th January at a venue in Leeds City center.
If possible, if you were at the Cabbage Patch, Twickenham, or later at Kings Cross and could attend please send me a PM. You know who you are! Sorry, but places will be limited. Having spoken to Gary, there could be the possibility of resurecting the forums of old.
All is revealed Bobba. May I say it was worth the wait. I know one or two on here knock GH for being a "RL" man, but I think he does a lot more for us than people realise.
I hope your meeting is constructive
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010:12:19:09:29:21 by Wildwillie.
Funniest thing all day if there was anything to laugh about, was you growling 'pick it up!' to anyone foolish enough to ram their suitcase into your legs whilst moving past! Hilarious!
Very good account on the day. I am still reeling in shock from the £10.50 car parking charge at Grantham station!
Zandra YaPoI
YaPoI - Yorkshire and Proud of It
'proficiscor in una'
and good on gh for meeting up with you all. as said above, i think he does more than folk realise. and he's always ready to stop for a chat on matchday if you see him walking along the back of the south stand.
GH is a good guy. I am sure you will leave your meeting feeling much, much better than you did at the end of that trip.
It's people like you who make this pilgrimage of supporting Leeds Tykes worthwhile.
I don't know you personally yet, but hope I will do soon!
Newcastle maybe, on Boxing Day?
Up the Carnegie TYKES !
Zandra YaPoI
YaPoI - Yorkshire and Proud of It
'proficiscor in una'
I wrote to GH because I hoped that at some stage the letter may filter down to the players and, if it prevents a similar situation in future, it has been worth the effort.
The response from GH, was unexpected, and I am grateful for his offer to meet up with us to chat, as he puts it, "about the life and times of Leeds Carnegie".
I hope our meeting will be constructive and hopefully improve relationships between ordinary fans, like myself, and the Club.
Although it may have been a little impolite of the players not to acknowledge you, I can understand it. The players probably felt extremely embarrassed and couldn't face looking at you hardy supporters. Plus, if the players knew that supporters needed recognition, I'm sure they would give it. But I suppose at the moment they're just concentrating on the actual rugby and of winning a game.
My second point is that I just want to re-emphasis something which I'm sure you all know very well - Leeds is a rugby League town. I'm sure that is the reason for many of the issues raised - the stadium's packed out on league days and I bet the league away supporters have plenty of coaches etc. etc.
Basically, I think we should all be proud to support the underdog. It shows dedication to rugby. We don't need wins, coahes or recognition to support the tykes! And, despite our complaining we need to look at the reason why we put ourselves through this cos we do it off our own backs - no-ones forcing us to support Leeds.
Some say he has a Tykes flag with team signatures on.
Others say that he's doing the same to the Carnegie flag,
All we know is that he's called Leeds carnegie signed flag.
Not wishing to hi-jack the thread but perhaps you could ask GH what happened to the supporters shirt we were told about back in September, what happened to the supporters poll on merchandise and did the club take any notice. Admitedly I don't go into the shop that often for reasons that are well documented, but the last time I did there was no sign of any new merchandise for sale.
"A witty saying proves nothing."
- Voltaire (1694-1778)
Many Leeds fans have criticised the PR of the club recently, and in my opinion, this is another occassion when the fans have been left in limbo.
Hope you had a good Christmas BL, and a Happy New Year. See you Saturday, (maybe).