smithnjones
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leeds til I die..
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Tämmöistä maalaillaan taas vaihteeksi...
Despite what they might chant from the stands, most fans of the top Premiership teams would prefer to see Leeds United in the top tier. Sure, Elland Road is not exactly the most welcoming place in the universe, but it definitely has atmosphere and it also has tradition. More than that, Leeds always bring a large and voluble support to away grounds – albeit with a somewhat more tribal perspective than most – and it is this, believe it or not, that has actually been missed. Beneath the “We hate Leeds” chorus is a grudging respect, even admiration, for the sheer bloody-mindedness of Leeds’ supporters.
Standing top of the Premiership in January 2002, Leeds were relegated in May 2004. Their rapid decline has been well documented, but the paper trail became blurred once Ken Bates took control of the club in 2005.
For a start, nobody knows who the owners of Leeds are.
Technically, ownership of the club was transferred to “Leeds City Holdings,” with Bates remaining as chairman, but that was merely to avoid Bates being forced by the Football League, or Parliament, to reveal the owners’ true identity.
For the last seven years, Leeds United Football Club has been run like a corner shop, apparently in order to balance the books and seal a reputation for good governance so as to be an attractive proposition in the market place. Presumably, then, whoever “owns” Leeds expects to make a killing. And naturally, Bates will get his commission.
Every so often, newspapers report on potential investors in Leeds, but as the stories always end with Bates castigating or disparaging the suitors, most Leeds fans assume Bates asked for too much money. Then last week a story broke that a Middle East bank, Gulf Finance House, was in serious talks with, and was very close to buying Leeds. A figure of 52 million pounds was mentioned.
For people outside Leeds, this sounds like a good deal. Let’s face it, with their support base, Leeds are probably the only club left in the country who could consistently challenge for a top six place. Only ten years ago, they were listed as the twelfth richest club in Europe. With sound investment, there’s no reason why Leeds could not thrive again in the top flight.
But now here comes the twist in the tale. For it seems that Leeds fans might be in for another bout of déjà vu. Today’s newspapers report that two other parties have entered the fray at the eleventh hour - an American and a Saudi consortium. In other words, Ken Bates appears to be stalling on the deal with GFH so as to squeeze as much money from the sale as he possibly can.
If this is the case, and it is his right, then it would not be surprising to hear that GFH have lost interest in Leeds. It might also not be shocking to learn in time that the Americans are simply window shoppers, and that the Saudis are merely interested in thwarting GFH. They are based in Bahrain, after all.
I hope I’m wrong.
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