O'Leary proving far from `naive'

David O'Leary, Leeds United, Arsenal and Valencia: a four-part play in three acts centred on a Saturday soliloquy by the passionate lead performer, the man himself, Mr O'Leary.

Previously on "LUFC - the Europe Years", O'Leary, 43 on Wednesday, had continually referred to himself as a "naive young manager" and to his emerging team as "my babies". For a while people believed it and O'Leary generated some sympathy for a club usually detested outside west Yorkshire. Always immaculate and polite on television, and with a side playing exciting, fast football, O'Leary altered the perception of Leeds at home and, especially, abroad.

Leeds have strutted on the Continent's catwalks from Milan to Madrid this season and while the wheels came off in Barcelona, they earned deserved praise for regaining composure and style quickly. Leeds are this year's European models. Now for the next instalment.

On Wednesday, O'Leary's birthday, in the semi-final of the European Cup they entertain last season's new contenders, Valencia. Valencia won their place in this season's semi-final by overcoming Arsenal. This coming Saturday Leeds travel to Arsenal to try and win a Champions' League position for next season. O'Leary, of course, played for Arsenal. For decades. The plot, it thickens.

Last Saturday it became a stew with O'Leary stirring it while adding meaty chunks. He needs a big meal to start a big week.

O'Leary had just seen his Leeds team conquer Chelsea, supervised by a former Valencia manager Claudio Ranieri. Two late goals from Robbie Keane and Mark Viduka had taken Leeds's unbeaten Premiership run to 13 games. O'Leary was pleased, but he had other clubs on his mind besides Chelsea. Bear in mind Arsenal and Liverpool are rivals for Champions' League places.

"The Arsenal game is at the wrong time for us," O'Leary began calmly. "If we get a great result on Wednesday, I will put my hands up, our priority is to get into the Champions' League final on the following Tuesday [date of the second leg in Valencia] and we don't need to play Arsenal on the Saturday in between because I don't have the squad of Liverpool and can leave seven out."

Fair enough. But was part of the reason the Arsenal game was occupying his thoughts because of the tempestuous affair at Elland Road when the two met there in November and O'Leary blew spiteful kisses at Robert Pires, Arsenal's French winger?

Leeds won the game 1-0 but it was the animosity between the clubs and what was said subsequently that made the headlines. Pires could scarcely believe O'Leary's behaviour on the bench.

"Arsenal got beaten that day," O'Leary replied, "it was what they said afterwards - a few people can be very sour down there when they get beaten." By "a few people" we assumed O'Leary meant Arsene Wenger, a Frenchman. It was quite a spiky statement to make seven days before a huge Premiership match. And O'Leary did not stop there.

"I am the type who was brought up that when I get beaten I hold my hands up," he continued. "Arsenal were beaten that day." Then, without any hint of a prompt, O'Leary said directly to a reporter whom he knows has a talkative relationship with the Arsenal board of directors: "I hope that gets back." Then O'Leary smiled. He could not have been happier.

So, basically, O'Leary was happy that a barbed reference to Arsenal's current managerial regime would be delivered to the ears of the Arsenal chairman and his fellow directors. What does this tell us about naive, young David?

It tells us that, far from being naive, O'Leary is actually a fierce political animal with, at present, a twisted relationship with the club he loved so well. The origins of this appear to be in O'Leary's attitude toward Wenger and how Wenger has changed the culture of Arsenal - in O'Leary's eyes. This first surfaced a couple of seasons ago when Wenger complained about the number of matches in England and O'Leary responded emphatically in the press that if Wenger did not like it then he could go back to where etc, etc.

Then there was the Alan Smith-Tony Adams confrontation. Adams was O'Leary's old partner, Smith is O'Leary's protege. O'Leary picks Smith every week. Publicly O'Leary has said he has told Smith to contain himself on the pitch, but that could be very different from what O'Leary says in private. On Saturday Smith's malevolence was staggering. O'Leary may not have noticed, he was too busy winding up Dennis Wise from the dugout and hurling abuse at the linesman. When that was done it was Arsenal, as usual, who came into focus.

Both Valencia and Arsenal will know they have met a force when O'Leary walks away from them this week.