'The same way they played' - new Australian director explains Leeds United connection and compares Marcelo Bielsa's side to Whites greats

Australian Lowy is one of three new faces to United's board of directors alongside Aser Ventures chief executive officer Massimo Marinelli and former Fiorentina CEO Sandro Mencucci.

Lowy is the principle of the Lowy Family Group private investment business and was formerly the CEO of the Westfield Group.

Lowy is also a lifelong Leeds United fan, despite being from Australia, after being bitten by the Whites bug when listening to the club's games on the radio.

Lowy, Marinelli and Mencucci join chairman Andrea Radrizzani, vice chairman Paraag Marathe and CEO Angus Kinnear to complete the club's Board of Directors.

Asked about being a Whites fan at the club's end of season awards evening, Lowy explained: “I was a young lad. The first time I heard, I didn’t see Leeds play, I heard them play on the radio.

“You didn’t have satellites in Australia. I used to listen to Match of the Day on the BBC on a short-wave radio.

“When you hear attacking football, beautiful football and wingers, I love wingers.

"When the ball goes wide and a winger goes down and he cuts behind a full-back and he cuts it back: most beautiful football I ever heard.

“That’s what I fell in love with and that was Leeds.”

Lowy was present to savour United's first top flight game in front of supporters for over 16 years in Sunday's season finale at home to West Brom.

The country's ongoing battle against coronavirus had prevented Whites fans from being in the Elland Road stands since March 2020 but Leeds were able to welcome back around 8,000 followers for the clash against the Baggies.

As Lowy looked on, newly-promoted Leeds ended a superb first season back in the Premier League in style as goals from Rodrigo and Kalvin Phillips before a Patrick Bamford penalty sealed a 3-1 victory and a ninth-placed finish.

"It was spectacular for me,” said Lowy.

“It was a dream come true. I’ve been watching Leeds my whole life, ever since the 60s and I love football.

“To come to the stadium and be able to walk on the pitch without getting kicked off was just a dream come true.

“It’s like a young lad walking to heaven on earth for me.”

Hailing United's return to top flight football under Marcelo Bielsa, Lowy said: “Like everybody else, when you’re in the wilderness you’re never sure you’ll get there, but once the change happened and Marcelo came along as a coach, you watched the first couple of games and thought ‘this is going to work.

“I’ve been around football a really long time. I believe football teams have a personality and Leeds lost their personality and that’s why they were in the wilderness.

“The way they play football today is the same way they played football in the 70s and 80s. They play attacking football, they play to win, they’re aggressive and they got their mojo back.”

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/kalvin-phillips-fitness-latest-raphinhas-thoughts-on-his-future-and-whites-eye-uruguay-midfielder-leeds-united-key-headlines-3251864

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/leeds-united-likely-to-swiftly-add-to-their-magnificent-seven-3251669

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/yorkshire-evening-post-launch-leeds-united-only-digital-subscription-ahead-premier-league-campaign-2967964

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Thank you Laura Collins