Clarke fears for Leeds' future

Former Leeds star Allan Clarke fears the club will spend years in the Nationwide League wilderness should they be relegated this season.

Leeds stand on the brink of the drop, with a Manchester City victory at home to Newcastle on Saturday combined with a United defeat at Bolton on Sunday enough for the Whites to plummet.

The irony is if Leeds go down at the Reebok Stadium, it would be exactly three years to the day that they hit the heights by competing in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Valencia.

It is a case of how the mighty have fallen, with Clarke deeply saddened to see the club he still supports in such disarray both on and off the pitch.

Clarke feels Leeds will have no chance of making an immediate return, with the majority of the squad almost certain to be sold in the summer to ease still onerous debts.

“I think it could get worse before it gets better,” said Clarke, who made 364 appearances for the Whites between 1969 and 1978, scoring 151 goals.

“If they do go down then there will have to be a big rebuilding job, by that I mean the club is going to have to produce its own players again.

“You are not talking two or three years, you are talking five years to bring youngsters on and there are going to be hard times ahead.

“I just hope that all the Leeds fans, who are the best in the country for the way they have supported these players, but have still been let down by these players, stick with us.”

Clarke is hoping the players who do pull on a Leeds shirt from next season show more bottle than a number of the present crop, who have undeniably let down the club and the supporters.

“I just hope that when these young lads do come through they are prepared to die for that famous white shirt like the players who put this club on the world map,” added Clarke.

“We would have died for this club and I just hope that any future player who comes to Leeds United has the same attitude we gave, that’s all I ask. They must give everything for the famous white shirt.”