HONOURING PAUL MADELEY

Brilliant that this is happening but the website is an embarrassment, arguably our greatest played doesn't have a first name, Allan Clarke and Paul Reaneys names are spelt wrongly, someone needs the tin tack,

for the article.

Agreed Don, that is an absolute disgrace!

The website itself has a dreadful layout, what do you expect when it is programmed by the New Generation !

It saddens me that the club can't get the basics right. Particularly given the background of some of our custodians.

Madeley was a loyal, enduring servant of our club, perhaps the most versatile we'll ever see. He was also part of what was, arguably, the greatest ever team to grace this sport.

I was lucky enough to watch him play.

RIP

I'm delighted to see there is an obituary in The Times today.

When Brian Clough arrived at Leeds United in 1974 and infamously told the champions of England that they could throw all their medals in the dustbin because they had been won through cheating, he singled out Norman Hunter, Johnny Giles and Eddie Gray for criticism. The upshot was that he would hold the job for no more than 44 days — and the fate of this most controversial of managers was settled by the quietest member of the team, Paul Madeley.

Madeley said little, but every word counted. When the directors called a crisis meeting of the team after a string of bad results, he told them bluntly that the manager was “no good”. He did come to appreciate his talents, as did the more vocal Giles, when Clough twice won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest, but what he could not abide was someone doubting his honesty. He played his football fairly.

According to his son, Jason Madeley: “My father was a private man of principle and respect. To be told he had been cheating did not go down well with him. He did not talk about Clough afterwards, believing this was no one else’s business . . . but he would not have liked anyone questioning his integrity.”

As with virtually all the Leeds players of the 1960s and 1970s, Madeley adored Clough’s predecessor, Don Revie, who had left to become manager of England after Sir Alf Ramsey was sacked.

“The ten Pauls”, as he was known for his astonishing versatility in playing in every position in the Leeds team bar goalkeeper, was booked only twice in a remarkable 724-match club career. He also won 24 England caps, and there would almost certainly have been more had he joined England’s squad for the 1970 World Cup, and settled on playing in two rather than ten positions.

Paul Edward Madeley never moved away from Leeds. He was born in Beeston, a suburb near the club’s football ground, Elland Road, to John Madeley, a book-keeper who worked in the family’s DIY business, and his wife, Gladys. At Parkside School he played football and rugby. He was approached by several clubs when he was 15, but his parents were keen for him to take his O levels. He then started work at a Leeds insurance brokers before Revie spotted him playing for a local team.

The Leeds manager, who took the club from the old second division to the summit of English football, described Madeley as his “Rolls-Royce” in reference to the way he appeared to glide elegantly over the ground.

“Paul worked harder than anyone I have seen in football,” said Giles, who added: “We called him ‘Mr Spock’ because he never seemed to get excited about anything. He was a strong character with a mind of his own.”

In 1972, when the team recorded a song to mark their appearance in the FA Cup final, the lyric included the line: “The 11 Pauls are never far away.” The 11th referred to Paul Reaney, the right-back and Madeley’s lifelong friend, who withdrew from the England World Cup squad in 1970 because of injury. Ramsey asked Madeley to take his place, but the offer was rejected (because he had not been included in the original party, Madeley felt it would be a waste of his time to spend a month in Mexico and not play).

Jimmy Armfield took over from Clough as Leeds manager and during contract negotiations with Madeley proposed a figure for the player’s new salary. Madeley said he had no intention of leaving Leeds, so the boss could fill in the details after he had signed. Armfield asked if he wanted a two-year or three-year deal. “Either way, I’ll leave it to you,” Madeley told him. “I just want to play for Leeds.”

Such a footballer, so compliant and so versatile, was a manager’s dream. “He never drank, he never smoked,” said his team-mate Mick Jones. “He looked after himself perfectly.”

Madeley retired in 1980 and continued to support Leeds from a season ticketholder’s seat rather than the directors’ box. He had worked for the family business when he was a young player — fans were delighted when he delivered paint in person to their front door — and he also set up a sports shop. When the DIY chain of 13 shops was sold for £27 million in 1987 (about £75 million today), Leeds were struggling financially. There was speculation that Madeley might invest some of his new-found wealth in the club, but he emphasised that reports of his own share were exaggerated. There were plenty of other shareholders, including his brother Nick, who had been the driving force in the business.

He had met his wife, Ann (née Telford), through mutual friends when he was a young footballer and she worked in sales at The Yorkshire Post. The couple had two sons: Jason, who owns Hatch, a Yorkshire-based public relations firm; and Nick, who is a chartered surveyor.

Madeley, perhaps surprisingly, suffered from ill health. He had a heart attack, a brain tumour and in 2004 was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. In 2003 he collaborated on a biography, Leeds United’s Rolls- Royce: The Paul Madeley Story. The proceeds were donated to the National Heart Research Fund. In retirement, he remained modest and patriotic. He took holidays in Devon, loved animals and followed many sports. When Jason asked him before this year’s Grand National what he would like to bet on, Madeley’s response was typical: “A horse, obviously!”

Paul Madeley, footballer, was born on September 20, 1944. He died of pneumonia on July 23 2018, aged 73

Awful.
The other point is, why does SSS, whoever they are, have to raise money to get a mosaic to honour Paul's memory. I know it's nice that there is supporter involvement but without their input would it have happened?
I wonder whether some form of memorial garden where lost heroes are remembered could be constructed within the grounds. Where's the memorial to the likes of Albert or Grenville or Frank Buckley. These may not be the most apposite choices but surely Leeds history doesn't just involve the Revie boys and surely the fans shouldn't have to pay.

Lovely write up, thanks for posting Jack.

Thanks for sharing Jack.