Leeds United will keep motoring on in the Premier League next season if they get over the finish line in the Championship this term. That’s the verdict of club legend Vinnie Jones, who has been delighted by their improvement under Marcelo Bielsa.
Bielsa led the Yorkshire giants to the brink of promotion in his first season in charge at Elland Road and has the Whites well placed this time around too.
Jones cites the 18 months he spent at Leeds helping the club out of the second division into the top flight among the best of his career.
And he’s desperate to see the current crop repeat the feat he achieved back in 1990.
“My two career highlights were winning the FA Cup with Wimbledon in 1988 and then getting promoted with Leeds two years later,” he said.
“What Wimbledon achieved was a fairytale but going up with Leeds in 1990 was a must.
“Bill Fotherby brought me to Elland Road when I signed and said ‘This is s*** or bust’, so there was a lot of pressure on us.
“After I was signed and John Sheridan was let go, some Leeds fans tore up their season tickets in protest. When we went to Bournemouth for that final day in May 1990, we simply had to win.
Jones is desperate for Leeds to get over the line – and thinks they’ll be fine in the Premier League if promotion is secured.
“I had taken a risk by dropping down a division to come and play for Leeds but I couldn’t believe the loyalty and passion from the fans,” he told The Sun.
“I pray to God they don’t f*** it all up again, which they have done for quite a few years now. It’s a mental block we need to overcome.
“But once they get back to the Premier League, I don’t think there will be any stopping this club.
“I recently attended the Leeds’ centenary dinner and the reception I got from fans was unbelievable.