Leeds United heroes reveal £2.2m training ground barbs, imaginary ball story and snorkel surprise

When you're in the company of Leeds United greatness you quickly realise that some stories will never get old.

During the club's centenary celebrations they held a swanky ball in the Pavilion so everyone could get dressed up in their black tie best and feel good about being Leeds. The absolute highlight was a segment that brought Eddie Gray, John Giles and Norman Hunter back together on the stage. What followed was an unscripted flow of tales and memories of the 24 Karat golden days that they could have taken on tour to theatres across the globe, playing to adoring audiences of Leeds fans. Everyone in attendance lapped it up, punters and ex-players alike. John Sheridan summed it up, saying: "I could listen to people like Eddie Gray, who I have massive respect for, and Johnny Giles and Norman Hunter all day, about how they talk about the old days and how they used to get stuck into each other in training and how they picked people out when they were not doing something. I love all that."

Nostalgia plays well to a football crowd. Especially a well lubricated one. Earlier this month Elland Road played host to another celebration of the past but this time for an individual. The latest event in the WILKO92 campaign to raise the necessary funds and build a statue for Howard Wilkinson was a lunch in the refurbed-for-this-season Hisense Lounge. Fans who lived and still probably live that glorious era packed into the room to relive it again with many of their heroes.

A nice lunch and a few drinks is all well and good. An auction and a raffle are fine. But what the people came for was to hear from the men who took Leeds back into the top flight and then went and won it, under Wilkinson's guidance. They did not go home disappointed.

"Howard had some really good ideas and was ahead of his time but sometimes he would go a little too far," said Tony Dorigo, kicking things off. "He decided to have a passing drill with an imaginary ball. So Howard is walking around the pitch, rolling it to Mel [Sterland], he controls it and passes it to a team-mate. Everyone is going 'he's lost his mind.' Mel controls it and passes it inside to Chrissy Fairclough and he passes it to me, I pass it to Speedo [Gary Speed] and he passes to David Batty. David Batty with this imaginary ball flicks it up, onto his thigh, shoulder, shoulder and boots it over to the next pitch. I swear Howard chases after it. Playing under him was the highlight of my career. I'm very thankful to him. We achieved something we'll never forget."

Noel Whelan followed up with his gratitude that Wilkinson granted him the honour of being able to clean the gaffer's car twice a week, and said he was always pushing players for more. Simon Grayson thanked Wilko for releasing him. The laughter continued when it was suggested that Wilkinson was unhappy with Imre Varadi coming dressed in jeans.

John McClelland said it only took Wilkinson two years to trust him. "Howard was a very honest person but at times I found him very difficult," said the Belfastman. "And he found me very difficult. He was very stubborn but I was too, I wanted to stay and prove what I had and I believe I did that."

Jon Newsome recalled just how well Wilkinson treated him and his father, even if there might have been a slight ulterior motive. "I was at Sheffield Wednesday under Ron Atkinson," said Newsome. "My contract was up, Ron offered me a new one. I wanted to play. Ron didn't take it very kindly that I turned his contract down. I went home that evening, told my parents I was unemployed and that didn't go down very well. Mick Hennigan rang me and said the gaffer wanted to see me. I drove up, Mick asked where my dad was because the gaffer wouldn't speak to me without my dad. That was the difference between the two managers. My dad came straight from work. Half an hour later he's sat at the Hilton with a steak in front of him and he nudges me in the ribs and says 'you're signing here.' All you want is to be given a chance and he did that and I'm forever thankful."

Nigel Martyn also told a signing story, of how he was off to Everton until Leeds matched the bid and he went to meet the gaffer and Bill Fotherby. But the keeper's best tale was from pre-season in Germany. "I got new gloves. The gaffer decided to hit some volleys at me from four yards away. He hit one very fiercely and it came off my fingertips onto the crossbar and he said '£2.2m for that' and walked off."

Perhaps the greatest mark of respect was in the glowing tribute paid by Eddie Gray, from one all-time legend to another. "I am grateful to Howard for everything he's done for me," said the Scot. "Howard had this vision of getting a lot of top class young players. Players like Woodgate, Harry Kewell. I had just heard things about him and when he said he just wanted players to get you off your seat that meant everything to me. I'm so pleased with the number of people paying tribute to him for what he did for our football club."

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Then the room heard from the man himself accompanied to the stage by his captain, Gordon Strachan. Wilkinson spoke of his honour at being guest of such an event and paid his own tributes to the club's fans, the board at the time and his players.

But it was Strachan who really brought the room to life with his tale of being told to 'go forth and multiply' by Manchester United, with a 7am send-off at his front door by Alex Ferguson.

"It was one of the worst afternoons of my life," he said. "Three days later my life changed when I met this man [Wilkinson]. We're here for the memories. We were a group who were drifting. I was drifting. We didn't have a purpose. He gave us a purpose. That's what this man has done for us. The memories. We got well paid but it didn't make any difference. It's the people we met, won with, got beat with. He changed people's lives. Its a wonderful thing. No matter where you go in the world you meet a Leeds fan."

Strachan's evidence for the last point was an anecdote about snorkelling in Thailand when he became aware of a great white presence in his periphery. Upon returning to the surface he was greeted not by a shark or giant fish but a Leeds fan saying 'you alright wee man?' and doing a Leeds salute.

The big screen behind the two men had been replaying some of the goals and moments from the top division title-winning season all afternoon. Strachan couldn't help but take some of it in again. "I forgot how decent a team we were. Some wonderful skill. But we were so lucky. Mick Hennigan was a wonderful man. He would tell you seriously straight what he thought of you. Howard says he enjoyed himself. He disguised it very well. They were wonderful. It was an honour to be in a dressing room with them. I've never been at a club where everyone was at one. I've never had that feeling before or again. I had it for that one season. Everyone who played and supported it. This man did it."

Strachan could say those words again in five or 10 years and the same audience would laugh, cry or applaud. The point is not the material itself or even the delivery, as honed and polished as it becomes over the years. It's the people who lived to tell the tales and what they mean to Leeds United.

Dave Tomlinson of WILKO92 said the event took the campaign closer to its ultimate goal. "The response was overwhelming," he said. "The warmth for Howard Wilkinson, the enthusiasm of the players, and the support from the fans showed just how much the WILKO92 campaign matters. It was a hugely important step towards giving Howard the permanent tribute he deserves. To see 17 Leeds legends plus Howard under one roof, sharing stories and laughter with supporters, was incredibly special. Days like this are why football matters - it’s about people, pride and shared memories. I am very proud to have been involved."