The Sun Newspaper

DANNY MILLS refused to take his kids to Manchester United v Leeds games because the atmosphere could be so “vile”.
The former England international’s children grew up in Yorkshire as Leeds fans.

Danny Mills in action against Paul Scholes during a match in 2002Credit: Getty Images – Getty

But after his experiences playing for the Elland Road club against their enemies from across the Pennines, he drew the line at exposing them to the toxic rivalry.
Mills, who still lives in the area, said: “The atmosphere was unbelievable.
“The rivalry between the two sets of fans, between the two clubs, and I have to say it, the hatred . . . it was vile in some circumstances.
“The songs that were sung — the songs that still get sung, sadly — are really horrific at times.

“It’s spiteful. It goes beyond banter. There’s a real nasty undercurrent — from both sets of fans.
“To the point where, even after I left Leeds and went to the cup games against Man United as a fan, I wouldn’t take my kids, who were ten, 11, 12.
“I thought, ‘I’m not going to put my kids in that situation’.
“I’d taken them to all sorts of places but Leeds v Man United never sat particularly well with me.”

The rivalry was already fierce by the time Mills joined Leeds from Charlton in 1999.
But after two Leeds fans were stabbed to death in Istanbul before the team’s Uefa Cup semi-final clash with Galatasaray in 2000, another horrible ingredient was added to the poisonous relationship.
Some Leeds fans did, and still do, mock Manchester United about the 1958 Munich tragedy.
Former right-back Mills, who made over 100 appearances for the Whites in a five-year spell with the Yorkshire club, said: “Let’s be honest, Leeds fans have sung all sorts of songs — the Dambusters theme tune, people with their arms out pretending to be aeroplanes . . . You can’t pretend it doesn’t happen. I’ve been there, I’ve seen it.
“Equally, I’ve seen Man United fans with Galatasaray shirts on and Galatasaray flags. I went to a League Cup game at Elland Road when Leeds were no longer in the Premier League in 2011.
“There was all sorts of trouble outside the ground. Police got hurt, a police horse got hurt.
“It’s a real needle match and I don’t think it’s ever going to change.”
Mills recalls how Leeds fans even used to abuse Brian Kidd, who was appointed first-team coach in 2001, because he had been a Manchester United player.

Danny Mills made the move to Leeds from Charlton in 1999Credit: Getty Images – Getty
On the pitch, the rivalry has for a long time been pretty one-sided in favour of the red side of the divide.
But that has only made the rare Leeds wins all the more precious.
Jermaine Beckford scored a famous winner in an FA Cup tie at Old Trafford in 2010.
And Mills was part of the last Leeds team to achieve a league victory in the fixture, on the famous day back in September 2002 when England defender Rio Ferdinand returned to Elland Road for the first time since his £30million move to Manchester United.
Mills, 43, said: “None of us begrudged Rio going at that stage.
“We knew he was an outstanding player and Leeds pretty much doubled his fee in a very short space of time.
“There hadn’t been that many players that had gone from Leeds to Man U.
“There was the Eric Cantona situation where he wins the title with Leeds then goes across and wins it with Manchester United for the first time.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer up against Jonathan Woodgate in 2002Credit: AFP – Getty
“Rio went and got all sorts of abuse.”
Leeds beat a United side that included their current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 1-0, thanks to a headed goal by Harry Kewell.
Mills said: “The atmosphere when you have done your lap of honour after the game and the fans are euphoric . . .
“Terry Venables had just taken over. We had only lost Rio at that stage, it was before we imploded.
“We beat them and were doing well at that stage. But from then onwards, we started on a dreadful slide down the Premier League.”
Leeds did not win again for three months and were relegated the following season amid a financial crisis that sent the club sliding down the divisions.
Tomorrow’s game at Old Trafford will be the first league clash for 16 years and, even without a crowd, it is likely to be an intense affair.
Mills, now a pundit on talkSPORT, said: “I have a lot of friends who are Leeds season-ticket holders.

David Beckham challenging for the ball during a showdown with Leeds UnitedCredit: EPA
“I know Leeds fans that won’t have a red car, won’t have anything red in their house.
“If you said to a lot of Leeds fans, ‘You can finish tenth and we get beat twice by Man United or you finish 17th and you beat Man United,’ they’d take the second option all day long. That’s how intense it is.
“They will all be watching on the telly.
“This is the game that they have been looking forward to.
“This is the game that they want to do well in.
“This is the one game of the season that they want to win more than any other.”
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SERGIO AGUERO admits he is struggling with his return from knee surgery.
The Manchester City legend went under the knife in late June and has started only three games since.

Man City star Sergio Aguero is yet to score this season and admitted he’s struggling with his return from knee surgeryCredit: Getty Images – Getty

And the Argentina striker, 32, says he does not know from one day to the next how the knee is going to feel — which will strike fear into the hearts of City fans.
Each time Aguero has returned to Pep Guardiola’s side, it has been followed by a setback. And the Etihad club’s 256-goal all-time leading scorer said: “It’s difficult. Sometimes my knee is good, sometimes a little bit bad.
“I am doing everything to help the physio and medical staff to help me improve — I need a little bit of time.”
Guardiola revealed Aguero had missed a day of training this week after playing the final 14 minutes of Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw with struggling West Brom.

But the City boss is adamant it was nothing to do with the knee problem.
And City will leave it until the last minute to decide if Aguero can play some part against in-form Southampton at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Guardiola said on Friday: “Sergio could not train on Thursday and today he trained really well but I don’t know how many minutes he can play.
“It’s important he can make training sessions.

The Argentine was a late replacement against West Brom this weekCredit: Reuters

“After the game it was nothing about the knee, it was another thing — but today he was training.”
Pep also warned born-again John Stones he must not let his standards drop again.
The £47.5million defender, 26, lost his way at the Etihad early in 2019 and is only just recapturing his best form.
Guardiola added: “His personal life, now it’s settled, is much better.

If he can avoid injuries he can be the player we’ve always believed he can be
Pep Guardiola

“What he’s gained in the way he lives his life and takes care of himself — his body, mind — he’s got to keep for ten years, 12 years.
“If he can avoid injuries he can be the player we’ve always believed he can be.
“He’s given us a good feeling but it’s just two or three games.”
Stones has 18 months on his City contract and now has the opportunity to earn an extension beyond summer 2022.
Pep said: “His attitude was always the same but we see him happier and stronger now and that helps a lot.”

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FRANK LAMPARD has gone family friendly in his battle to beat fixture congestion and fatigue. Chelsea’s manager has binned the policy of making the squad stay in a hotel the night before home games in recent weeks because the schedule has been so hectic. The players are instead allowed to stay in their own beds […] More

MARCUS Rashford’s mum has revealed she skipped meals to make sure the England striker and his brothers got by.
Melanie Maynard would go without but pretend she had eaten if her three boys asked.

Marcus Rashford with his mum Melanie holding up his Man Of The Match gong

She tells a BBC1 documentary: “As long as they got something to eat that was more what I was worried about. Sometimes we didn’t even have a loaf of bread in the house. But I wouldn’t tell somebody I was struggling either. It was embarrassing.”
Man Utd hero Marcus, 23, forced a Government U-turn on free school meal vouchers and has since been made an MBE.
When he was a kid his mum worked three jobs — at bookie Ladbrokes, as a cleaner after hours, and washing pots. Mel said: “I was working for Ladbrokes and worked there for 21 years. The cleaning job at Ladbrokes, I took that as well. I’d do my shift and go back and do the cleaning. Then I used to do pot washing on a Saturday as well.
“I used to say to the kids sometimes that I’d already eaten because they used to say to me: ‘Have you had yours?’ and I’d say: ‘Yeah’ but I didn’t have anything to eat.”

Melanie went hungry so that Marcus and his siblings could eat while growing upCredit: Refer to Caption

Marcus, now 23, has been campaigning to feed Britain’s poorest kids

She added: “I was just doing my best to survive. Now Marcus has provided me a home and I sit in my room sometimes and just cry. You’re thinking about where you’ve come from to where you are now.”
Marcus tells the show, which airs on Monday at 7pm: “Nevermind an MBE or being a football player, it just wouldn’t have been likely if I didn’t have somebody like her behind me.
“A lot of the work is Mum’s. She brought me up with these morals and expectations.”

Marcus and his mother Melanie visit FareShare Greater Manchester Credit: AP:Associated Press

The Man Utd hero forced a Government U-turn on free school meal vouchers Credit: PA:Press Association

The Sun Says

IS it any wonder Marcus Rashford’s heart is in the right place?
His ­single mum Melanie worked long, gruelling minimum wage shifts to support him and his brothers — and even skipped meals to ensure they got fed.
Marcus’s MBE at just 23 recognises not his football talents so much as the ­values Melanie imbued in him.
Most of us make sacrifices for our kids.
But her selflessness is still an example to every parent in the land.

Man Utd star Marcus Rashford takes on child food poverty in new BBC documentary Feeding Britain’s Children
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