By George Overhill

6th May, 2022 | 10:40pm

Leeds United legend Allan Clarke fears for fans amid relegation danger as he slams £1bn spenders

Club legend Allan “Sniffer” Clarke fears for the Leeds United fans who he says “deserve” to see the Whites in the top flight through the hard times.

The 75-year-old scored 151 goals across 366 games for the club, including the winner in the FA Cup final 50 years ago, and is described as still being a “fiercely loyal torchbearer” for Don Revie’s all-conquering side.

But with the club once-again locked in a battle for Premier League survival, the former striker has hit out at big-spending rivals amid fears for the future.

Clarke told The Mirror: “I’m worried for the supporters.

“Staying in the Premier League is a big achievement in itself now because it’s not a level playing field any more.

“You can go out and spend £1billion to buy success when you are owned by a foreign government and money is no object.

“But even if Leeds United went out and spent hundreds of millions now, they would never, ever replicate what the Gaffer [Revie] built.

“These fans deserve to watch a team in the top league because they stayed loyal when the club was going through hard times not so long ago.

“I hope they stay up, but they have suffered a lot for those injuries and it’s going to be close.”

Tight

It looked like the danger had been averted a few short weeks ago, but the heat is definitely back on.

Money spent in January, or more wisely last summer, may have helped in the current predicament, but it is the injuries that have been the biggest issue.

Marcelo Bielsa went toe to toe with some of the clubs that Clarke has a big problem with last season, and certainly out-performed expectations.

But this season it has been impossible to replicate such a performance when player after player has gone down.

The appalling luck on that front has continued in recent weeks with both Adam Forshaw and Stuart Dallas both ruled out for the rest of the season.

But the fans, true to Clarke’s word, have been behind the players to such an extent that the noise produced from the Elland Road crowd as the recent 4-0 defeat to Manchester City came to an end suggested the scoreline had been reversed.

They are doing their part in willing the team to safety, but it remains to be seen if the players can remain standing long enough to secure it.

In other Leeds United news, a key Elland Road star has spoken out about the ongoing transfer speculation surrounding him.