Leeds Utd

[palexander]

What does everyone feel about Leeds?

I've got a real soft spot for Leeds - probably because they have always been a dirty bunch of bastards - I like the ground, the kit, most of the players and they way they've rose and fallen so spectacularly.

I'm very interested to see how their next game goes, because apparantly all the fans are going to turn on the players for refusing to take a pay cut or defer payments (they said no and said "you'll have to sell one of us"!! ) - fans that by and large have given the players great support this season, considering the sh*t they have been in.

Whilst the players cannot help the crazy contracts they have been given, I guess I'd be ****ed too if our players refused to help the club. From a personal view - if it was the company I worked for and I was asked to do the same thing, I'd say no. But earning £14k a year, or £60k a WEEK are two seperate things.

Now looks like players are going to be sold...

Smith -> Newcastle £3m
Robinson & Bakke -> Tottenham £5m
Viduka -> Anyone that will have him
Milner -> Man Yoo? £5m?

Apparantly Batty is being named as the ring-leader, but I find that very hard to believe and I'm sure he is just acting as the clubs PFA advisor.

I know its hard to feel to much sympathy I guess, but I'd hate to see Leeds disappear from the league and end up as an AFC Leeds type club...

 

[Vange Shrimper]

I feel really sorry for them at the moment. This shouldnt happen to any club and it would be a disaster if they become the first big club in the Premiership to disappear.

I know it attracts big name players to come to this country to play footie but if clubs didnt offer stupid wages like £50,000 a WEEK to play, then many clubs wouldnt be in this kind of situation. I blame Jimmy Hill who lifted the wage cap in the 60's.....

It's a shame but i hope Leeds will be ok

 

[Matt the Shrimp]

A few thoughts:

1. They're unlikely to sell Viduka right now, since they'll recoup almost no money for him - he's almost entirely owned by the loan-company off whom they borrowed money in order to pay for him.

2. I feel particularly sorry for Alan Smith.  The other players must know that he's a Leeds boy and a Leeds fan, and they knew that the decision was either (a) they defer 30% of their wages; or (b) Smith gets sold.

3. Can you really see an AFC Leeds situation?  If the club goes into administration, they'll have to asset strip, and Leeds Utd plc will almost certainly go into liquidation.  They'll be relegated, perhaps to Division 2, and the money-men will have to write off or re-schedule some of their debts.

However, it would also prove the fans' loyalty.  Leeds best - perhaps only - source of revenue for the next few years is Elland Road (a fabulous stadium, at least that's how it looked from the train as I went past) and the fans that fill it.

Yes, they are going to tumble a long way, and it could be decades before they see the top-half of the Premiership again.  Risdale mortgaged their future on Champions' League success... and lost.

But they'll still be there.

Whether Southend United would survive relegation to the Conference is, however, much more debatable.  And that scares me and saddens me more than anything.

However, we're only "little ol' Southend", so no one gives a flying fcuk about us... except us fans.  So we're the ones who'll need to fight for our future when the chips are down...

Matt

 

[Groyne Strain]

Seth Johnson and his agent walk into Peter Ridsdale's office. They are looking for about £20,000 a week to agree to his transfer from Derby.

"Right", says Peter, "this is the deal. No negotiations or anything. £30,000 a week."

Johnson and agent are visibly shocked. Before they get the chance to say anything, Ridsdale mis-reads their reactions and says "Okay, £37,000 a week. But not a penny more. That's the offer, no negotiation, that's it."

They accept the offer.

The amazing thing is not the mire they're in but how they've even survived up until now.

 

[Shagster69]

I have to say i'm not particularly bothered about the Leeds situation. In my view the board have f**ked up big time, not only by having arguably their best player owned by an HP comapny but also the fact they are still paying Robbie Fowler £0.5m a year to play for someone else!!! They also had to pay £4.5m to David O'Leary when he was sacked, probably should have kept him, as well as paying off Venables and Reid since. With financial management like this i really have no sympathy.

 

[steveh1510]

My mums a Leeds fan, so they are a club whose results I follow, and I am gutted for the fans of the club.

I cannot believe the players will not take a pay-cut, on the money they all earn. The most any of them would lose out on would be £350,000, which although a lot of money, is 6 weeks wages, and even then they may get it back.

Agree with Matt about Alan Smith, the boy's Leeds though and through, you're almost guaranteed that he would have been willing to take the pay-cut but got outvoted by the others. ANY team in the country that could put 11 Alan Smiths in a team, that were good enough and played with that much passion, wouldn't go far wrong IMHO.

There has to be a dressing room split now, which is bad for morale, if they had all agreed to the paycut, they would have been united for a cause, if only for personal reasons (if they stay up they get the money back).

 

[palexander]

Yea, you'd guess Smith (and probably Batty) would probably play for nothing and also James Milner agreed to give some of his £2000 (ah, bless) a week - whilst obviously some of the bigger earners arent interested.

The other sh*t to come out of this is Gordon Taylor - someone who has been under the spotlight with the Rio fiasco and now the Leeds players. In my opinion his single-mindedness in these two situations have left him with little creditability. I know he has to support his players, but there are times when they are beyond any support - these two situations are two such times.

I know they are in the sh*t, but I am amazed nobody has stepped forward with a rescue package. Relatively, to a mutli-millonaire businessman, whats £60m worth of debt?

My guess is, once they can offload some of the bigger earners now to 'save the club' - somebody will come in. If you think about it, anyone taking the club on now, gets all the debt to pay off - plus the players contracts would be valid. If the earners get sold off, then it makes the club a little more attractive, even though its looking like it will be Div1 next year.

Strange times...

 

[steveh1510]

Quote[/b] (pboreham @ Jan. 22 2004,12:20)]Yea, you'd guess Smith (and probably Batty) would probably play for nothing and also James Milner agreed to give some of his £2000 (ah, bless) a week - whilst obviously some of the bigger earners arent interested.

Milner wouldn't even have been included in the paycuts either as it was only the players earning 10k+ that were asked to take the cut.

Eddie Gray has taken a paycut, I bet he's disappointed that the players couldn't do the same.

 

[palexander]

The trouble with what happened with the players now is that it will totally alienate the fans. Where as before, they may have hated the board or other cicumstances, they always had a bond with the players. Once thats gone, well, I can only see bad times ahead.

Will the fans react by staying away Saturday? Obviously that will make things worse - but then they must be thinking if the club wont help itself, what chance have they got of surviving, its just throwing good money after bad.

The strange thing is, they've got some really top players that would do wonders for most clubs in the Prem - look at Smudger, Viduka, Milner, Robinson - even Harte, Kelly and Doobs. Its an incredible situation really and I cannot see any way out of it now - its gone too far...

No manager is going to want to touch them for the time being, their best players are going to leave, nobody can come in. Think for Eddie Grays sanity, the best thing he can do is get out!

 

[steveh1510]

I don't think Alan Smith will be as good for anyone else as he is for Leeds though. His game relies on passion, and I can't see him playing with as much passion for another club.

I can't see the club staying in the premier league now - I just think it will get worse as the season progresses.

 

[palexander]

I thought that driving to work this morning Steve - can you imagine if Smith went to Newcastle and they played Leeds - wouldnt suprise me if Smith shyed away from that match...

But, yea I see your point. I think Smith is a great player though, apart from the aggression. As a target man, I doubt there are many better at the moment - to me, he is the ideal replacement for Shearer (apart from the total lack of goals!!)

 

[steveh1510]

He is capable of scoring goals though - didnt he get close to 20 a few seasons back?

 

[The General]

"In June 2002 Halifax Town were relegated from the Football League and went into administration with significant debts. In part these debts were caused by the ITV Digital fiasco, but years of mismanagement by the board and a spendthrift manager also played a significant part. The club was rescued by a consortium of local businessmen, along with the newly-formed Halifax Town supporters trust, and entered into a CVA (creditors voluntary agreement).

Unfortunately the club is still suffering because of these financial problems. We are paying around £4,000 a month - a significant amount for a small club like Halifax - to pay off our debts, and we plan to continue doing so for the next four years. Our ground has a half-built stand with no money to finish it, so unlike other clubs we get little or no income from the stadium. We are also being treated as a pawn by the FA (who want all money owed to them to be paid off in full) and the Inland Revenue (who claim that by law we cannot do this). As a result of all this, the club is in a perilous position.

However, there is hope. The directors and fans are digging deep in their pockets to raise money for the club. And that is where you too can help.

We're not just asking for donations which will go straight to the Inland Revenue, or into the pockets of players. One way the club can raise finance is by selling any unissued shares, and the Halifax Town supporters trust is looking to buy these shares. The money invested goes into the club and helps it financially, and at the same time the trust gets issued with shares so Halifax Town eventually becomes a club truly owned by its fans. This helps build real stability for the club.

Can you help? Could you make a donation, however small, into this account? Even if it's only a small amount, 500 people giving just £1 a month soon adds up. There are a number of ways you can do this:

By cheque: Just send a cheque to Halifax Town Supporters Trust, Haddock & Co Solicitors, 62 Gibbet Street, Halifax, HX1 5BP. Mark your cheque 'for share purchase'.

By bank transfer: You can directly transfer money into the account, the sort code is 08-92-99 and the account number is 6508918953. The account name is Halifax Town Supporters Trust.

By standing order: Using the account details above set up a standing order into the account. Alternatively you can download a standing order form from www.clayhousemedia.org.uk/Share-Standing-Order.doc and send it to us, and we'll set it up.

Thanks for reading this far. For further information, please feel free to visit the Halifax Town Supporters Trust website at www.htst.org.

By the way, there's one other way you can help. Halifax Town FC have a deal with EMS financial services. If you have a mortgage why not ring EMS on 01924 461442 for a quote to see if they can save you money. Then put some of the money saved in to this account, that way both the club and you benefit, the club from commission from EMS and share purchase and you from saving on your mortgage! Let EMS know you want the commission to go to Halifax Town when you talk to them."

Taken from SHRIMPERS.NET ....

Kev

 

[palexander]

Didier Domi and Zoumana Camara have been asked to sign an agreement to release them by Leeds... both have refused...

 

[McScriven]

I'll get slated for this but I HOPE it does happen.

The FA, Premiersh*te and Football League won't stand up a listen to the concern of all us small clubs unless a big club does go to the wall. Then the rest of football might just be able to get out of this mess.

It's like shooting down a plane on september 11th. You kill those on board but you save many more.

 

[Wessex Blue]

I don't give a flying fcuk about Leeds as a club but I do feel for their fans.
I hope the club gets shafted. They're just another one of the greedy big boys who were more than happy to maximise their income at the expense of the smaller clubs.
The financial mismanagement has been awesome. The sort of money they have squandered could've kept several lower league clubs comfortably afloat.
It'll take a crisis at one of the big clubs before the FA, FL and the Gov't finally force clubs to balance their books and live within their means. They wouldn't give a sh*t if it was one of the minnows that went bust!

 

[Wessex Blue]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 22 2004,13:54)]I'll get slated for this but I HOPE it does happen.

The FA, Premiersh*te and Football League won't stand up a listen to the concern of all us small clubs unless a big club does go to the wall. Then the rest of football might just be able to get out of this mess.

It's like shooting down a plane on september 11th. You kill those on board but you save many more.

Agreed, see my post for my comments!

 

[steveh1510]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 22 2004,13:54)]I'll get slated for this but I HOPE it does happen.

The FA, Premiersh*te and Football League won't stand up a listen to the concern of all us small clubs unless a big club does go to the wall. Then the rest of football might just be able to get out of this mess.

It's like shooting down a plane on september 11th. You kill those on board but you save many more.

I can see your point Dave, I just wish it was any other premiership club than Leeds!

Whoever it happened to, it'd be a tragedy for the fans, and that's who this is really about...

 

[Wessex Blue]

Quote[/b] (steveh1510 @ Jan. 22 2004,13:59)]

Quote[/b] (McScriven @ Jan. 22 2004,13:54)]I'll get slated for this but I HOPE it does happen.

The FA, Premiersh*te and Football League won't stand up a listen to the concern of all us small clubs unless a big club does go to the wall. Then the rest of football might just be able to get out of this mess.

It's like shooting down a plane on september 11th. You kill those on board but you save many more.

I can see your point Dave, I just wish it was any other premiership club than Leeds!

Whoever it happened to, it'd be a tragedy for the fans, and that's who this is really about...

The thing is do the Premiersh*te fans feel the same way about us or are they indifferent to the plight of smaller clubs. There's exceptions I know but my money's on on the latter. We're too small to register!

 

[McScriven]

Yeah of course I mean no body wants to see this happen to the fans but the FA have made a rod for their own back by allowing this to happen in the first place and the only way they will care is if one of their so called "elite" goes bust.

They only care about the top 20 clubs in the country and the rest are just there to make up the numbers in their eyes. Well without the sh*t clubs there would be no good clubs.