Gavin Evans in London English Premiership
When I ask my South African friends what they think of Lucas Radebe they tend to come up with words such as “underperformer”. A Johannesburg lawyer chum of mine said, “The odd thing about Radebe is that he doesn’t look so good in Bafana Bafana.”
Until very recently, the apposite term in England was “underrated” – unless, that is, you happened to live in Leeds or followed the game with serious intent. But while he still may not get the same media attention as some of the French World Cup stars, there’s an emerging belief that Radebe is the premiership’s top central defender: solid, reliable, with great flare and far stronger than he might appear. And with Leeds now perched – however temporarily – at the pinnacle of the league, his number continues to rise.
Another comment heard frequently these days is “it couldn’t be happening to a nicer bloke”. In contrast to the petulance of so many other imports, Radebe is very much the mature adult. He has acquired a gravitas over the years that sits well with the easy, confident charm he exudes.
Part of it, no doubt, relates to the conditions of his upbringing. I recently listened to him telling of his fraught transition from a Soweto Young Lion throwing his heart into the school boycotts, to the point of career path decision-making, and from there to becoming a Kaiser Chiefs stalwart. Then came the transition to the more demanding English game in a city he’d barely heard of.
“When I watched my first game I thought, hey, maybe this is not for me,” Radebe recalled, adding that the gap between the “part-timers” of Chiefs and the English Premiership professionals was far wider than he had anticipated. “It was so fast and hard, and the players were so big. At the time I weighed only 68kg and everybody seemed so enormous, but then I thought I’d better give it my best shot, and eventually it worked out.”
After a couple of depressing, lonely, left-out seasons he went on to become a Leeds regular and, eventually, its captain.
“I couldn’t do without him and wouldn’t swap him for anyone in the premiership,” says team manager David O’Leary, although he retains a tiny caveat of criticism. “He’s an inspiring captain, but I wish he would talk more on the field.”
Radebe chuckles at this, and says he’s trying to be more vocal, but his natural tendency is to lead by example. “If I talk too much I worry it affects my game negatively.”
His role in Leeds has clearly had the spin-off of raising the club’s profile in South Africa. This is particularly true among players, for whom, Radebe claims with a wry smile, Leeds is now the most desired destination. “Nowadays most of the players want to come and play in England,” he says. “And when they look towards the top clubs, they want Leeds – not Manchester United, but Leeds.”
O’Leary, a young manager in his first premiership job, has developed a firm but gentle style, very different from what went down in the tougher George Graham era. It’s a caring, sharing, paternal approach typified by his remark at the start of the season: “None of the sharks will be getting at my babies for the time being, and I’ve told my babies that.” Radebe’s steady, grown-up approach to life sits well with O’Leary’s style.
Not that the northern side is without its weaknesses. Aside from inconsistency – a problem associated with youth – Leeds has only recently started to recover from its past reliance on Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to set the goals.
Last season, with Hasselbaink, they came in a respectable fourth, rounding off the season with an impressive 1-0 win over Arsenal that killed off the Gunners’ hopes of outlasting Manchester United for the second time.
But despite the return of their icon, David Batty, and inspired signings (like full- back Danny Mills from Charlton for 4- million) their start to the season was a bit shaky. However, under O’Leary and Radebe’s leadership they have been moulded into an impressive combination, and on Saturday should extend their temporary dominance at the top of the premiership table by beating Sheffield Wednesday at home.