Leeds United wanted me out because of my big wages but I have emotional wish for diehards.
Leeds United fans left their mark on Eirik Bakke.
Many years have passed, but you would not know it. Not by looking at Eirik Bakke. The lithe Norwegian looks like he could still slot into Leeds United’s midfield. At 47.
You will find Bakke in the dugout in his homeland these days, but it only takes one message in a WhatsApp group packed with his former team-mates to transport the Asane boss back. To unforgettable Champions League nights at Elland Road. To rowdy lock-ins in the Bingley Arms. To some of the happiest times of his life.
“It says something that we still keep in touch,” he told Leeds Live. “Not many teams have that. It’s a special bond.
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“Leeds will always have a special place in my heart. It’s a big part of me. Leeds gave me the chance to be a player in the Premier League and I’ve got so many friends. I felt part of something there and was proud of it.”
Understandably so. In an era where money was thrown around recklessly, Bakke was a snip at £1.75m, an often underrated player David O’Leary once told was better than a young Frank Lampard, which ‘put the pressure on me’.
Pressure never seemed to affect Bakke, though. You certainly would not have known that Bakke did not have much time to catch his breath after the new arrival was quickly parachuted into the starting line-up in 1999.
Bakke made an immediate impact as Leeds finished third in the Premier League and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals, and the Norwegian ended up winning Leeds’ young player of the year award. It was a noteworthy individual achievement in Bakke’s debut campaign, particularly when this was the youngest side in Premier League history.
“It was a very hungry group,” he recalled. “Nowadays, everyone is watching the other team and how they’re playing. We just played our 4-4-1-1/4-4-2 and went against all the teams.
“We were on the front foot all the time, attacking quickly and pressing high in the pitch, and had so many different good players and athletes. No teams liked to play against us because we were so hard to play against and didn’t fear anyone. When we played in England or Europe, we just played our own game and thought we could beat anyone.
We also had the best stadium in the world. That atmosphere, that 12th man behind us, made if feel so easy to be on the pitch. The way we played suited the crowd. That’s what Leeds supporters want to see. They want to see high energy. They want to see us going against teams with tackles flying in. We were a tough team. We had David Batty.”
Batty was one of Bakke’s heroes, which shows the esteem the Norwegian held his team-mate in, while he also had a lot of respect for Lucas Radebe, ‘the chief at the back who kept it all together’. Radebe was among those who set the tone as Leeds trained the way they played – Bakke never forgot how assistant manager Eddie Gray, still so fit in his ’50s, would be at the front of gruelling running sessions – but this group also knew how to play hard, too.
Bakke soon discovered the delights of the Bingley, and sing songs with Gary Kelly, and the former midfielder was the first to admit ‘it wasn’t easy for the manager’ – not least when a group of the players went out following a memorable 4-3 win against Liverpool in 2000. It was just a few days before a trip to the San Siro yet the players managed to shake off any lasting hangovers on a night Dominic Matteo scored that goal.
“Look at all the good teams we played,” Bakke recalled. “Lazio. Sven-Goran Eriksson. A really strong team. When you look at the team sheet now, it’s like, ‘Oooof!’ Real Madrid. Barcelona. AC Milan. Some great nights.
“The group was so good together both on and off the pitch. We stood up for each other. We had the talent. The team and the spirit we had was something special. If you get that into the team, get results and start believing you can win games, you don’t fear anyone. We could play against Milan or Barcelona and think, ‘We can beat anyone.'”
This fearless side went on to blow Deportivo away and reach the Champions League semi-finals. It felt like just the start. In truth, it was the beginning of the end.
