In the process of selecting his all-time Chelsea XI on Thursday's Off The Ball, John Giles had cause to reconsider some of the battles his Leeds United side had with the London club. 

John Giles couldn't stress it enough as he recalled some of Leeds United's battles with Chelsea across the 1970s on Thursday's Off The Ball; these were different times.

"They had players that could get stuck in between Eddie McCreadie and 'Chopper' Harris," recalled Giles, "but that's the way it was with most clubs in those days.

"They could dish it out as well as we could, but 'Chopper' Harris didn't get the name 'Chopper' without any reason."

Across a series of battles with Chelsea, Leeds, who remain a significantly better side if John Giles does say so himself, nevertheless came unstuck a few times.

"They used to have a go at us because we were supposed to be the goody-goody boys where they were the London boys," explained Giles. "The implication there being that we took everything too seriously, which was a load of nonsense."

Memorably in one case, this antipathy spilled over.

Chelsea's Eddie McCreadie leads out the side. He would have a few run-ins with Giles.

"Ron 'Chopper' Harris was very clever with how he did that dangerous stuff," explained the former Republic of Ireland manager. "Eddie McCreadie was wild."

A Scottish left-back who played over 400 times for the club, John Giles recalled one particular clash between the pair not long after he had joined Leeds United.

"I was playing against Eddie in 1965, out on the right-wing and I passed it to Norman Hunter who was coming up from the back," he recalled. "I saw Norman getting a shot in before Eddie McCreadie actually tackled me.

"It was more than just a tackle really, he just did me. I don't think he was even booked though and there's me having to be carried off. I did my knee ligaments and was out for six weeks."

A "terrific player" who didn't quite make it beyond Ashley Cole in Giles' reckoning for Chelsea's all-time XI, the former Ireland central-midfielder, much like a man who would later fill that same position, kept that tackle from McCreadie in mind, nevertheless.

"These games were always a bit of a kicking match," recalled Giles, "but what I was told to do in my career was to take your time if you have to have a go at somebody. Be patient and wait.

"In 1972, we played them again and as the ball was running out of play I saw that Eddie was just there. This was something that I'd have dreamed about when you want to get your own back.

"And I did. I'm not bragging about it but I caught him."

Leeds United celebrate with the League Cup after their 1-0 victory: (back row, l-r) Gary Sprake, Peter Lorimer, Eddie Gray, Jack Charlton, Paul Madeley, Rod Belfitt; (front row, l-r) Jimmy Greenhoff, Terry Cooper, Paul Reaney, Norman Hunter, Johnny Giles, Billy Bremner

Such was the time, Giles' indiscretion went largely unpunished and as the teams made their way off the pitch at half-time, the Scottish full-back had a few questions.

"What the f*****g hell was that all about," he questioned. "And I told him that that was for doing me at Stamford Bridge. He just said: "That was seven years ago!"

"That's being extra patient. There was more to football then that, but that's how you had to be in those days."

Rewatch John Giles on Thursday's Off The Ball in its entirety here. 

Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!

Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.