Despite being 207 miles apart, Chelsea and Leeds United are bound by the unbreakable bonds of a football rivalry which stretches back decades.
Old rivals do battle once again on Saturday as Leeds welcome Chelsea to Elland Road for the first time in nearly a decade – live on talkSPORT.
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The Blues have only played at the Yorkshire ground once in the last 18 years and the historic ill-feeling between the two clubs has cooled over that time.
Yet, even without fans on Saturday afternoon, the ferocity and intensity of the passionate Leeds supporters will radiate through to the players.
In the 2003 Football Fans Census, the Elland Road faithful named Chelsea as their second-biggest rivals, behind only Manchester United.
So where does the vitriol and genuine dislike come from?
Battle Ready
In his book, 'Chelsea FC: The Official Biography – The Definitive Story of the First 100 Years', Rick Glanvill says this of the north/south rivalry
‘It always rears its ugly head, even when we’re nowhere near them. As predictably as the late plod of Corporal Jones’ foot, when Leeds fans gather in any stand, they will sing their song about their Cockney rivals. ‘Fetch your father’s gun and shoot the Chelsea scum’. Chelsea fans still sometimes reciprocate with an elegy to the hatred of Leeds over the tune of ‘The Dambusters March’.
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Many fans would point to the brutal 1970 FA Cup Final (more on that later) as the genesis of this bitter feud which transcends location.
In fact, it was the 1960’s when the rivalry began as the two sides started to simmer along nicely as both sides enjoyed renaissances of sorts. Don Revie built Leeds into an incredible machine by the end of the decade, while Tommy Docherty led a revolution at Stamford Bridge.
During the 1964/65 season, Chelsea and Leeds were locked in a three-way tussle for the First Division title and the two sides met in a bruising affair at Stamford Bridge in September.
A reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post remarked: “‘Never mind the ball’ seemed to be the order of the day as scything, irresponsible tackles ruffled tempers.”
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Bobby Collins was involved in a running battle with Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, while Eddie McCreadie left Leeds’ Johnny Giles crumpled in a heap to reduce the visitors to ten-men.
Two years later, the sides met in another brutal game in the fourth round of the FA Cup which saw Chelsea progress, but only after their young side took a proverbial beating from Leeds.
The following season, Chelsea again knocked Leeds out of the FA Cup, but this time at the semi-final stage at Villa Park. Clive Batty, who wrote Kings of the King’s Road: The Great Chelsea Team of the 60s & 70s, described the tackling as ‘frighteningly ruthless’.
Leeds goalkeeper Gary Sprake kicked Chelsea midfielder John Boyle in the face, with the Yorkshire side gaining further revenge when they trounced the Blues 7-0 at Elland Road in the league fixture.
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The game which really cemented the rivalry was the 1970 FA Cup final, which ended in a draw and needed a replay – the first in the final since 1912.
The replay at Old Trafford attracted a UK television audience of 28 million, making it the sixth-most watched television broadcast in British history. The game itself would go down in infamy for the barbarism and violence on display.
‘Chopper’ Harris rendered Eddie Gray practically useless with his scything tackles, Jack Charlton kneed and headbutted Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson and Norman Hunter had a fist-fight and McCreadie flattened Billy Bremner with a ‘kung fu’ kick.
David Elleray, who later officiated in the Premier League, reviewed the game years later and determined he would have issued SIX red cards and TWENTY yellow cards.
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It did not help the on-pitch rivalry that tensions off the pitch were also simmering towards boiling point. The ‘North vs South’ divide in the country played a huge role.
Chelsea were regarded as the flamboyant socialites from the King’s Road, while Leeds epitomised the cynical and ‘dirty’ reputation which their squad had perhaps incorrectly accrued over the years.
John King wrote in the ‘New Statesmen’: Leeds were… portrayed as dour Yorkshiremen with a reputation for playing dirty… Chelsea, on the other hand, were the wide boys of London, dedicated followers of fashion.
“While Leeds were drinking tea and playing cards, Chelsea were out boozing and chasing girls [but] when it came to games between the two, however, war was declared.”
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As the 1980’s arrived, football hooliganism reared its ugly head as the two sides entered a period of decline which coincided with nastier battles off the pitch.
When Leeds joined Chelsea in the Second Division in 1982, 153 hooligans were arrested after fighting erupted at the tube station at Piccadilly Circus, with a further 60 arrests around Stamford Bridge.
In April 1984, Chelsea smashed Leeds 5-0 to clinch promotion back to the First Division; several fan invasions took place and a section of Leeds supporters destroyed the Stamford Bridge scoreboard.
The Premier League era resulted in more X-rated tackles and brawls on the pitch, in December 1997 Gary Kelly and Alf-Inge Haaland saw red for Leeds to join a further eight players in the book during a rather feisty 0-0 draw.
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A bad-tempered League Cup tie in 2001 saw Chelsea progress thanks to a 2-0 win. But it came at a cost to the Blues as Graeme Le Saux was stretchered off after being hit in the face by Alan Smith.
The last meeting at Elland Road between the two sides again occurred in the 2012/13 League Cup, with Chelsea running out 5-1 winners at Elland Road in front of 33,816 fans.
Although you could not rule out an equally large scoreline, Thomas Tuchel will have to drill the importance of this fixture into his players.
Failure to perform will certainly go down poorly in SW6, regardless of the Blues manager’s current high status. When Leeds are in town, anything can happen.
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