Thanks for voting Bremner the Football League’s greatest captain TSS September 12, 2013 Leeds United 2 Comments Bremner lifting the FA Cup (1972) It’s a little over a month since The Scratching Shed helped Prostate Cancer UK – the official charity partner of the Football League – launch a poll to crown the Football League’s greatest captain and the results are now in. 72 captains were nominated by representatives of every Football League club, and as the chosen representative of Leeds United, our job was perhaps the easiest. Ask any Leeds United fan who the club’s greatest ever captain was and you’ll only get only one answer. While Leeds have had some exceptional leaders over the years, including the likes of Bobby Collins, Gordon Strachan and Lucas Radebe, the late Billy Bremner belongs to a class of his own. Bremner’s campaign started with a post from ourselves outlining the reasons Bremner deserves the crown. Leeds United fans rallied to cast their votes, sharing the campaign across social networks and helping Billy Bremner reach the final five. At that stage, the excellent Jonathan Wilson (author and football writer) penned this piece on our inspirational leader and Bremner’s campaign continued to draw in the votes, leaving Billy Bremner the clear winner. Prostate Cancer UK officially declared Billy Bremner the winner earlier today in a press release you can read here. The announcement from Prostate Cancer UK was accompanied by tributes from Bremner’s former team-mates (Eddie Gray, Peter Lorimer, Johnny Giles) on the Yorkshire Evening Post website, alongside a statement on Leeds United’s official site. Another great tribute can be found on The City Talking where MoscoWhite ponders how a man so devoted to putting the team first, the man who coined the “side before self” phrase which remains a staple part of Leeds United’s philosophy, would react to individual praise. On behalf of myself and the people at Prostate Cancer UK, I’d like to thank everyone who took time to support the campaign and help crown Billy Bremner the greatest of them all. It’s 54 years since Billy Bremner made his Elland Road debut, 37 years since his glorious Leeds United career came to an end and almost 16 years since the great man passed away. But in the hearts of Leeds United fans across the world, Billy Bremner lives on. Leeds United fans don’t forget our heroes, and Bremner stands head and shoulders above them all. MOT.
