Kewell tops the Leeds United hate list

A couple of weeks back I posted a selection of the most disgraced players to have served our club in the last decade. Over 1,000 of you voted with Harry Kewell receiving 58% of the vote in a landslide “victory”. Second place went to disgraced former skipper, Kevin Nicholls with 26% of the vote, followed by Lee Bowyer with 9%.

Perhaps the most suprising result was that of Alan Smith, who received just 6% of the vote. After leaving the club for bitter rivals, Manchester United, the fans were in uproar. Such moves provoke fans emotions. Songs were sang at Elland Road, shirts were burnt and Alan Smith became a victim of hate for an entire city. The abuse climaxed when his parents house was attacked by “fans”.

The fans attachment to Smith was extraordinary. He was one of our own and we loved him. He fought for everything and never let his head drop. He was a childhood supporter of the club and grew up nearby. A true hometown hero. When Leeds were relegated to the Championship, Smith was in tears. He’d fought to save his club, but ultimately failed as the debts spiralled out of control and the players were sold.

But even in leaving Leeds United, Alan Smith tried to help the club out by waiving his portion of the transfer fee. It’s also emerged since that Alan Smith had very little choice in his move to Manchester United. They were the only club that could pay the money upfront and Leeds were desperate. Smith was told of the situation and went to Manchester believing that his fee would help save the club from financial doom. For some fans though, it’ll never be enough. To them, leaving Leeds United to cross the Pennines is unforgivable.

The two that topped the poll are hardly suprising. Although some have fond memories of Harry Kewell in a Leeds shirt, his move to Galatasaray was never going to go down well. As for Kevin Nicholls, his actions will never be forgiven. Many of us will have dreamnt of captaining Leeds as schoolboys. To follow in the footsteps of Billy Bremner and co. should be seen as a proud moment for any footballer.

The poll is now closed and the final results are as follows.

 Loading ...