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FINALLY I have the opportunity to amalgamate two of my passions – football and music. For those of you who know me personally, you’ll know I’m an avid supporter of Leeds United Football Club. As you can expect, I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard fabled South American cult hero and “greatest coach of all time“ – Marcelo “El Loco” Bielsa was appointed as the man entrusted to wake the sleeping giants. Bielsa came with a huge reputation – often regarded as the greatest manager of all time by elite players and managers – but was also something of a risk. Notorious for crazed antics, unorthodox methods and completely savaging his teams through his intense regimes and demanding work ethic – many were asking, will the Bielsa experiment pay dividends?
A drawing I did of the boss!
Only a month into the new season and after a blistering start which saw Leeds completely annihilating opposition, Bielsa firmly cemented his place as a revered club icon. It was naturally only a matter of time before Bielsa – with his revolutionary style of high-pressing, intense training sessions, meticulous attention to detail and contentious relationship with the media (which earned him the affectionate appellations ‘El Loco’ and ‘Madman Bielsa’) had an anthem written in his honour.
So, here it is – a reworking of the Queen classic Bohemian Rhapsody, originally released on their 1975 LP ‘A Night At The Opera’.
The ‘Bielsa Rhapsody‘ has rejuvenated the tired old classic, with critics calling it “a triumph“, “better than the original” and “a much needed improvement on the lacklustre Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen”. Joking aside, Bohemian Rhapsody is one of the greatest Pop records ever recorded.
Bielsa performing the “Leeds Salute”
The song further perpetuates the legend of El Loco. However, football fans up and down the country are beginning to realise that “Madman Bielsa” is not just apocryphal tale and folklore disseminated by South Americans as some form of social experiment, and Bielsa is not a method actor portraying his hipster-manager character using the medium of football broadcasting – he is definitely the real deal. The guy even has a stadium named after him – Newell’s Old Boy’s ‘Estadio Marcelo Bielsa’ in Rosario. They absolutely adore him in South America!
“Bielsa is very much aware of it and sees the funny side”
– Matt Bowman
The ‘Bielsa Rhapsody’ first debuted on the ‘Phat Chants‘ podcast which features Pigeon Detectives’ (yes, they’re still touring) Matt Bowman . The song was rerecorded, remixed and eventually went viral around autumn 2018. The song was ultimately released as a charity single with an accompanying video, with all proceeds going to the charity ‘Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice ‘. The song also went viral in South America where Bielsa is revered to the point of canonization after coaching both Argentina and Chile to varying degrees of success.
“[The Club] wanted to get behind it but they didn’t think it would be a classy move with the reference to Heckingbottom”
– Matt Bowman
Musically it’s rather good – using the original Rhapsody instrumental as a substrate for some impassioned vocals and hilariously well-written banter that fits perfectly within the existing bars of the song. This isn’t a “terrace-chant” – it’s a fitting tribute to an enigmatic football manager sung with cordial, unbridled and unabashed vehement! Of course, New Order‘s ‘World In Motion‘ is the greatest soccer anthem this country has ever heard, but the ‘Bielsa Rhapsody’ is a strong contender for runner-up. The moment they break into the rousing chorus of “Marcelo oo-oo-oo-oo” is simply euphoric, and although the song is at risk of the proverbial “egg to the face”, if Leeds do achieve promotion – I’m sure it will be heard reverberating through the lineage of Leeds United Football Club from here to eternity. I also have to highlight the line referencing the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom – a hilariously cruel taunt (that’s probably justified if we’re all being honest) that inadvertently prevented the song being backed by the football club. If you’re wondering what the deal is with the “[I] wish we’d never gone to Burma” line – during the summer of 2018 the team embarked on an extremely controversial pre-season tour of Burma – something Leeds most definitely shouldn’t have done – all things considered. As fans, the Phat Chants lads could have easily chosen to not mention anything about it – so I have to praise them for having the humility to include the line.
The Bielsa Effect – Leeds United’s progress under El Loco
Hopefully the form continues throughout the difficult list of remaining fixtures despite the infamous “Bielsa Burnout Phenomenon” seemingly starting to fatigue the players. I firmly believe Bielsa is the right man for Leeds and likewise, Leeds is the right team for El Loco. I feel this is the time for both Bielsa and Leeds and that something quite auspicious is brewing.
Before I sign off, I have to take the opportunity to share this video clip taken from Leeds against Wigan in November. I’ve never seen defending like it – it’s archetypal Bielsa!
Download the Bielsa Rhapsody HERE
(All proceeds to charity)
Thanks for reading!
Jay's Music Blog 