Whelan aims dig at Everton as ‘massive’ Leeds footage emerges
Leeds United fans’ unwavering support will be a “massive boost” for Marcelo Bielsa and his players, according to Noel Whelan.
The former Whites striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the Elland Road faithful stand in stark contrast to the “fickle” support at Everton and Brighton.
The Leeds United support was raucous right until the end as the Yorkshire side were defeated 4-1 at home against Arsenal on Saturday (18 December).
Speaking post-match, as quoted by Leeds Live, Bielsa insisted the fans’ backing was a “stimulus” for the team, describing the show of solidarity as “moving”.
Whelan contrasted the Leeds United fans to supporters of Brighton and Everton.
Both clubs have experienced fan displeasure in recent months.
“It’s a massive boost to the players and the manager,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“The Leeds United fans really appreciate the job the chairman and the board did by getting Bielsa through the door. That was the biggest coup of all.
“We’ve come so far in such a short space of time that I’m not sure even the Leeds United fans can quite comprehend how well we’ve turned this club around.
“The fans are so important, they’ve been so very loyal even through the bad times. Now we’ve got a complete contrast.
“The fans understand where we are right now, with the injury problems and the league position.
“Even with a full side we cannot compete with the top six clubs on the pitch. Their wage bill and transfer fee on one player is probably the same as we spent on the whole team.
“In terms of realism, that’s where our fans are at. And that’s what separates our fans from the supporters at Everton and Brighton, who are a bit more fickle.”
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