On Sunday, February 27, the next day Leeds United to be drunk 4-0 at home arrive Tottenham Hotspur inside Premier League, Ashleigh Ross asked her nine-year-old son Riley to sit down in the living room for an important talk. She dreaded it all day.
Riley has a very rare condition called Wieacker syndrome and is one of a few people in the UK to have it. Similar to cerebral palsy, Riley uses a metal framework to walk and needs to be fed through a tube in her stomach. He is also speechless, using a special iPad at school to read aloud what he wants to say. At home, his mother can understand his noises. He has such a positive personality that he will smile after the surgery.
Riley is a season ticket holder for Leeds, attending both home and away games. His attention span was short, and teachers at his school began teaching him math using the Premier League board. Ashleigh learned on a recent evening with parents that his school had also password-protected his iPad – instead of using it to reply to teachers, he was surfing news websites. to find out who Leeds United will sign next or read stories about the club’s logo. Argentinian coach, Marcelo Bielsa.
The 66-year-old coach and Riley have a special relationship, which began with a chance meeting during a pre-season game at York City in July 2019. Ashleigh and Riley walked back to their car. , and Bielsa spotted them from the other side of the car. Park. He made his way through a crowd to greet the boy and pick him up. The moment, captured by bystanders in the photo, covers Ashleigh.
They have met numerous times since then, and Riley, who cannot stand without his frame, often relies on Bielsa for balance – now everyone in the Riley family calls him “Grandpa Grandpa” Bielsa.”
But on this bright Sunday afternoon, bad news hit. Leeds, who have enjoyed four wonderfully happy years under Bielsa – including promotion to the Premier League – have conceded 19 goals in the past month and are sliding dangerously down the relegation zone.
On February 26, the home defeat to Spurs came to down 6-0 in Liverpool and 4-2 defeat at home for bitter opponents Manchester United. News began to appear that the manager would be fired. At 11 a.m. the next day, confirmation came: Bielsa was gone.
Completely gutted #LUFC pic.twitter.com/Q6ruf7FvZx
– Ashleigh Ross (@ashleigh_rosss) February 26, 2022
Ashleigh decided to play straight.
“Grandma Bielsa doesn’t manage Leeds anymore,” she told her son.
Riley, usually a happy ball, started crying.
Metaphorically speaking, so is the city of Leeds.
Bielsa holds a special place in the hearts of the people of Leeds. In 2018 he came to the fame of a maverick, having managed 10 clubs in places like Argentina, Mexico, Spain and France, and earning himself the nickname “”El Loco“(“The Crazy One”) for his dynamic style and explosive personality. When he arrived, Leeds, one of the biggest clubs in the country in the late 1960s and early 1970s and were England’s last champions in 1991-92, had progressed in the EFL and had been relegated in 2003-04. Within two seasons, Bielsa had led the club back to the Premier League. for the first time in 16 years.
“He made people believe that Leeds United was special again and he did it with his integrity,” Jamie Lawson, co-owner of The Old Peacock pub, told ESPN.
Everyone in Leeds seems to have a Bielsa story. The club enjoyed its best success in over a decade, but the man in charge did it with the fans in mind. Nothing too much to ask for. Once, a fan sent Bielsa a WhatsApp message to tell him about a boy whose mother had cancer. Fans asked if he could do something to cheer him up. Bielsa immediately wrote back, telling him to take the boy to the club’s training ground, where he would deposit every bit of cargo he could find. He also asked for the family’s phone number so he could call the boy and ask how he was.
For 3 years I have been bringing Marcelo his favorite teas and cookies from Argentina 🇦🇷 & Chile 🇨🇱. I always leave them on his apartment doorknob, knock, and leave. Today he called my house to say thank you and goodbye. It means the whole world to me. Adios amigo 🏻 #lufc #bielsa pic.twitter.com/sHCBmoclWK
– James Rowlands (@JamesMRowlands) February 28, 2022
Jamie Ralph, who runs the English-language Twitter account for Newell’s Old Boys (Bielsa’s hometown club in Rosario City) says: “Nothing is too much for Bielsa, and always hears stories about crushes. good of Bielsa. “He intends to become a football manager. I don’t know how he finds time for it all.”
Bielsa is known for her simple life, sitting in her club tracksuit for a cup of coffee at a local chain in Leeds and walking the city 45 minutes to a workout each day.
Last season, in the club’s first comeback in the Premier League, Bielsa finished ninth. But, amid the injury crisis and tactical stubbornness, this season has been different. The slide towards the relegation battle was considered too much and after Spurs’ defeat, their fifth loss in six games in which they conceded 21 times, said Jesse Marsch, an American coach. position, has been reinstated. The reaction to pay tribute to Bielsa began immediately.
Within an hour of learning of his passing, about 100 fans had gathered at the statue of 1970s legend Billy Bremner, chanting Bielsa’s name. The Old Peacock Pub, which is across from the stadium and originally named the venue before it was called Elland Road, later announced that it would be renamed “The Bielsa” until the end of the season. .
Leeds United Supporters’ Trust launched a digital platform called “Gracias, Marcelo” and within the first hour its website manager had to turn off his phone to stop its noise. . More than 1,000 messages were posted within the first 24 hours since Bielsa was fired. Almost every response was a variation on the same message, each response an appreciation of the impact a football manager has had on a city.
“In essence, it becomes a virtual book of condolence,” Trust Chairman Peter Emmerson told ESPN. “It’s a place where Leeds fans can write their feelings and thoughts about Marcelo, and help with their grieving process.”
The English website for Newell’s Old Boys – the club where Bielsa played briefly, then led three consecutive championships and whose stadium bears his name – ran out of Bielsa’s jerseys by the evening of the same day. Since then, they have been trying to ship goods from Argentina.
Monday afternoon, Ashleigh picked up Riley from school. She had heard about the Trust’s message board and thought it would be good for Riley to send his own thank-you message. All messages sent are written submissions. They decided it had to be a video message, with his iPad able to read it – that way, the message would actually come from Riley.
Ashleigh helped him type it out, then hit record on her phone.
“Hi, my name is Riley. I wanted to say thank you to Marcelo for everything. You lifted me out of my wheelchair and gave me the biggest hug. I’m sad to see you go, but thanks. You gave me the best memories.
“Lots of love from your biggest fan, Riley.”
He then looks down at the camera lens, wears a Leeds badge to his chest and kisses the camera.
This is season ticket holder Riley, 9, he doesn’t speak and the only way to communicate is through his iPad. He really wanted us to send this special message to Marcelo after he stole his heart by stepping out of his car to pick him up and give him a hug! Let’s do it! pic.twitter.com/f5zM66n4T9
– LUFC Trust (@lufctrust) March 3, 2022
The Supporter trust accepted the video message out of thousands of written notes and tweeted the video. Ashleigh, who was training to be a paramedic and had to wake up for an early shift the next day, was awoken by a call from her brother at 11:30 p.m. that evening to say the text was Riley’s went viral.
The following weekend, Riley said that he did not want to attend the match against Leicester City, it was the debut of the new manager Marsch. Ashleigh had to beg him to go.
“They need your support, otherwise they might come down,” she told him. Riley, reluctantly, went along. Leeds lost 1-0And after that beaten 3-0 by Aston Villa on Thursday in their first home game since Bielsa’s departure. They still have two points and three more places to go than the bottom group with 10 games left, but they face a real battle to avoid relegation.
More messages to the Trust’s message board continued to flow in from around the world. In the six days that followed, the message board had more than 11,000 submissions from 120 countries on most continents. Even the Trust supporters, who have always understood how Leeds fans feel, were stunned by the reaction.
“We were completely surprised,” Emmerson told ESPN. “In total what holds me back is love and respect for an individual.”
Staff at the Trust asked around and was told Bielsa’s address in Rosario. They plan to create a single hardcover book with all the messages and send it to Bielsa’s house.
Riley’s message will be front and center, and when Bielsa opens the book, he’ll be greeted with its title: “Gracias, Marcelo.”
