Leeds United’s new Roman Catholic owner, Massimo Cellino, has reportedly dropped goalkeeper Paddy Kenny because Kenny was born on 17th May.
Cellino thinks 17 is an unlucky number because his previous club, Cagliari, only won once in twenty years when playing on the 17th of a month.
Cellino also hates the colour purple because he is a Roman Catholic, and he associates the colour purple with the robes worn by priests in the weeks preceding the Church’s remembrance of the crucifixion.
I have always argued that football is worse than religion, because you can change your religion but you can’t change your football team, but Cellino has taken this to a new level.
As an antidote to Cellino’s concerns, here are 17 Leeds United victories played on the 17th of a month.
Leeds 10 Lynn Oslo 0, European Cup, 17th September 1969
Leeds 5 Northampton 2, FA Cup, 17th November 2008
Leeds 5 Walsall 2, FA Cup, 17th January 1995
Leeds 4 West Ham 1, Division 1, 17th December 1969
Leeds 3 Manchester City 0, Premier League, 17th August 2002
Leeds 3 Derby County 0, Division 1, 17th November 1990
Leeds 3 Coventry 0, Division 1, 17th November 1973
Leeds 3 Arsenal 1, Premier League, 17th December 1994
Leeds 3 Bristol City 1, FA Cup, 17th September 1997
Leeds 3 Sheffield United 1, Premier League, 17th October 1992
Leeds 3 Coventry 1, Division 1, 17th January 1970
Leeds 3 West Brom 1, Division 1, 17th October 1981
Leeds 3 West Ham 2, Division 2, 17th March 1990
Leeds 2 Brighton 0, Football league, 17th January 2009
Leeds 2 Manchester City 0, Division 1, 17th December 1977
Leeds 2 Bristol City 1, Championship, 17th September 2011
Leeds 2 Swindon 1, Football league, 17th November 2007
Thanks to WAFFL for the statistics!