Leeds legend Liam Cooper puts £1,000 behind The Old Peacock bar for locals
'What a captain and leader on the pitch and at the club he was. An even greater gentleman and kindhearted guy who will do everything for anybody top guy. MOT.'
Leeds United legend Liam Cooper was a special guest at go-to matchday pub The Old Peacock this past weekend and delighted fans even further by putting a healthy £1,000 in free drinks behind the bar.
Cooper left the Whites after more than 10 years at Elland Road back in September 2024 after his contract expired, joining Bulgarian club CSKA Sofia on a free transfer, but he remains a welcome face at the pub across the way from Leeds' home ground.
Especially when he gets the round in.
Returning to The Old Peacock for the first time since leaving Yorkshire, not only did Liam Cooper turn up completely by surprise and offered to put £1,000 behind the bar.
A belated Christmas present from ex-captain Cooper. (Credit: The Old Peacock)
Speaking to the BBC, one of the staff members explained how Cooper walked in pretty much without being noticed until beloved bar woman Dawn Oates spotted him and asked him for a picture.
After it became apparent it was indeed the former defender and club captain, the Kingston upon Hull-born Scottish international was insistent on sharing some free drinks with the punters.
Dawn and her colleagues then proceeded to hand out can after can of ALAW Lager ('All Leeds Aren't We'), the popular beer created in collaboration between official United supporters' groups and Osset Brewery, who have owned the Peacock since 2013.
Writing in a post on social media, the busy boozer said: "We would like to send a massive thank you to Liam Cooper for coming into the pub today and putting £1000 over which we handed fans a free can of ALAW Lager on his behalf."
Responding in the comments, many applauded the "classy" gesture and noted it wasn't the first time he'd done similar; one person detailed how he was treated to four free tins of the local brew and everyone echoed the mutual love between him and the club.
Much to the delight of regulars, The Old Peacock has been treated to lots of guest appearances by both present and former players over the years.
Fellow former defender and fan favourite Luke Ayling, who also left the club last year, famously relished popping in to surprise match-goers, even having the pub temporarily renamed as 'The Luke Ale Inn' in his honour.
If you thought his goodbye video was emotional enough, 'Coops' farewell was doubly so after a literal decade as a Peacock.
Where does he rank among all-time club servants and legends, do you think?
A pub in Headingley which failed in a bid to join the Otley Run has applied for later opening hours.
You may remember back in December when The Golden Beam in Headingley requested to join the ever so famous pub crawl, The Otley Run.
The application was denied by Leeds City Council, but now they're focusing their efforts on a different application in a quest to extend their opening hours.
The pub which serves until 10:30pm on weekdays and midnight on Friday and Saturday, has applied to operate until midnight Sunday to Thursday and until 00:30 at weekends.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Leeds City Council will consider the application at a hearing next Tuesday 20 January.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 22 objections have been made by locals and from Headingley and Hyde Park councillor Tim Goodall.
Goodall said in a letter: "Allowing the Golden Beam to open later is likely to lead to increased consumption of alcohol, which is then likely to lead to an even higher rate of drunk and disorderly crime."
At the hearing councillors will have the option of granting or refusing the application, or allowing it with additional conditions when considering the extended hours.
A spokesperson from The Golden Beam said: “The Golden Beam has extensive seating and lavatory facilities within the pub, CCTV throughout, no music, food availability until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm Friday and Saturday and highly trained staff."
Leeds United given green light as Elland Road expansion is approved
Clementine Hall
It's the news all Leeds supporters have been hoping for as planning permission for the Elland Road stadium expansion has been approved.
The best part? It will make Elland Road stadium the seventh largest club stadium in the UK.
The application was put forward to Leeds City Council today (Thursday 8 January), where councillors voted 11 to 1 in favour of the redevelopment.
The application included a detailed plan for the West Stand, along with an outline for the North Stand for the evolution of Elland Road, taking the overall capacity to approximately 53,000 from 37,000.
🏟️ Leeds United Football Club can today confirm that planning permission has been granted for the long-awaited expansion of Elland Road Stadium, a historic milestone for the club, its supporters and the city of Leeds
The Kop and the West Stand will be partially demolished and expanded with The West Stand doubling in size with space for 17,750 fans, a sensory room and even a ‘museum’.
The plans also took into account not only greater general admission numbers but demands for hospitality facilities as well, with approximately 26k currently on the waiting list for a season ticket.
The expansion of the stadium is expected to generate a whopping 600,000 new visitors per year.
There's no exact timeframe for when it will be complete, but it is hoped that it will be complete before the Women's World Cup in 2035.
Concerns about travel, disruption for nearby residents and parking were voiced but council members were still strongly in favour of the planning application.
Announcing the news to X, Leeds United said: "Leeds United Football Club can today confirm that planning permission has been granted for the long-awaited expansion of Elland Road Stadium, a historic milestone for the club, its supporters and the city of Leeds"
This is brilliant news for the city and we can't wait to see the final product.
Danny Jones -
6th January 2025 
