Jaap Stam pictured watching Leeds United in 1998.
Reading manager Jaap Stam
Jaap Stam will take Reading into battle against Leeds United this weekend, having made his distaste for the Whites perfectly clear.
Stam was rattled by chants from fans at Elland Road this season criticising his team as boring, for their possession based style which did not help them in a 2-0 defeat to Leeds.
The Dutchman knows Leeds well, having played against them with Manchester United in the 1990s.
Leeds were the very first team he saw Manchester United play at Old Trafford after clinching his move in 1998, watching on from the stands.
His face was a real picture…
Manchester United went on to win the game at Old Trafford 3-0, but Stam’s first taste of English football certainly looked like a shock to him.
Leeds’ talented team that day boasted Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Lucas Radebe and Harry Kewell, while Manchester United’s goals were scored through Ryan Giggs, Denis Irwin and David Beckham.
Stam proved perfectly suited to English football in terms of style, and he has also proved an instant hit in management, leading Reading to occupy a Championship play-off spot in his first season.
This is what makes the clash against Leeds all the more important, with two sides hoping to consolidate their positions, and even acting as a potential Wembley warm up.
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