There's always something going down at Leeds United isn't there?
Some might say an element of our support has almost become immune to it. At the same time I've heard elements being accused of living in the past, recalling how it used to be under Revie, you know, when we were famous.
I was at Elland Road yesterday and i experienced emotions on both sides of the divide in the space of a few hours like most of the 27,000 plus crowd.
Losing a game that we could have and should have won was bad enough, watching a team that exercised control for 45 minutes and then essentially lost its way for the second half was galling. To be told as I was hurtling home that Milanic had been sacked just about put the seal on a thoroughly miserable trip to ER.
Like many others I fork out a small fortune to watch Leeds United, I don't take matters at my club lightly. A fact that seems lost on certain individuals.
My view. From a financial perspective this club is in a better state than it has been for a while. I certainly don't see many references to us being in a parlous state on here or in the media. If we were it would most certainly be reported upon. Leeds United, famous or not, is always newsworthy.
Credit for that lies with Cellino. Had he not stepped in just where do you think we'd be now? Other bids seemed entirely dependent on funds not yet realised. Flowers, for example, needed to sell his business.
GFH was sending Leeds United into a financial abyss, potentially back into League One too. That crisis was averted.
Rather than dwell on the convictions & trials, we have an expert on that after all, let's address the positives. He's a football man. He wants success. He's most certainly not, a la Bates and GFH, simply here to rape and pillage.
The club was in a mess from top to bottom. You can tackle it two ways as you would in any other business. Piecemeal changes over a prolonged period of time or wholesale changes in one fell swoop.
We've had years in the wilderness. We aspire to be in the Premier League. We're not a Rochdale or Burton Albion after all. Huge unwavering support across the globe, the history, the potential, the revenue all point to a higher plain. The undoing of previous regimes was the requirement for success with little or no budget.
So which way do you go? Piecemeal or wholesale. 5 year plan or two year? Either way it's a gamble.
We wanted new players, we have them in abundance. We wanted rid of the deadwood, mostly gone. We wanted an end to financial uncertainty, it appears to have gone. We wanted ER under home ownership, well he's made a vow on that too.
Now for the negatives. I don't like the constant supply of titbits to the press. Laundygate & Sandwichgate were massively misreported but still could have been avoided. Hockaday was a left of centre appointment which I was willing to accept as part of a European management structure. Sadly it didn't work and he was despatched.
Redfearn rode his luck and secured a good run of results. Players were, to be fair to Hockaday, looking more close knit and we're playing a better brand of football before Neil took over and they continued to improve under his guidance.
Football is a results-based business but you also have to look at the base product too. We took a creditable point away from Norwich in the midst of an onslaught and the controversy surrounding Bellusci. I'm not so sure a team under Warnock or McDermott would have faired so well.
Despite the protestations of the knowledgeable few, there are signs of improvement across the team. If you understand football you'll understand what I mean. Yesterday a few players went missing I grant you.
The sacking has hugely disappointed me. Was he right for the job? I don't know. I don't buy this lack of understanding about the English game. It's about getting the best out of the team and ensuring that the best XI are in that team. It's about understanding your opposition, scouting covers that.
Whoever gets the nod needs the rest of this season. It's a season of transition with many changes occurring in every corner of the club, we need some consistency now. If it is Redfearn and I'm not certain he has been appointed, then give him the season. Personally I don't think he's the right man.
Does Cellino exert influence over selection? I genuinely don't know. No one does either, just speculation. He's bought 15 players in, maths will tell you that they can't all play and they don't all appear in the 18 match day places up for grabs.
Thus far I'd give Cellino 8/10 for off-field affairs, Cellino/Salerno 8/10 for the influx of players, definitely better than we've had in recent years in my opinion, 4/10 for his coaching appointments mainly for despatching Milanic too readily.
We need a coach to get the best out of what we have. If they do we'll progress.
Leeds United
posted on 26/10/14
Harj, there's nothing cheap about hiring and firing. More about lack of patience.
I'd have given him more games personally.
posted on 26/10/14
Stevie
People used to say the same about bates, there no alternatives.
Cellini has turned down 3 offers for the club, for all we know, they could have been Man City type people.
But the worse thing is, Cellino would never the sell because his ego is too big
posted on 26/10/14
3 offers LIW ?.....who from ?
posted on 26/10/14
I didn't.
If Cellino wants success, and i believe he does, then he'll persevere with his project, so on that basis you're right. If we're not knocking on the door within three or four years the I suspect he'll be looking to exit.
His ego will either be our success or his undoing. So yes, agree in part but equally believe it could work too.
You and others paint me as a Cellino lover, I'm not. I'm not going to rant on about what we already know, I'm grateful he came in and I think overall he's done a good job.
posted on 26/10/14
Sorry four
http://asia.eurosport.com/football/championship/2011-2012/cellino-turns-down-four-offers-for-leeds-united_sto4330237/story.shtml
posted on 26/10/14
So we believe him on that story but not on others it would seem.......
That's what gets me about the views on Cellino's statements, no consistency.
posted on 26/10/14
excellent balanced article but will not go down well with the chosen few who know everything and are always right, among who the opinions of others are unimportant, you will all know who I mean
posted on 26/10/14
This is an interesting portion of the article (dated July this year) provided by Mr Sweary
"...Italian businessman Cellino, who completed his £35million buy-out in April, said he turned "four big companies" down because he wants to be the one to take Leeds back into the top flight..."
And this is the bit I like in particular
"..because he wants to be the one to take Leeds back into the top flight..!!"
A small point but one that needs highlighting
posted on 27/10/14
Well, if Cellino sells after achieving his dreams with leeds, and he gets 1 billion for it, then we'll be bigger than the cheapies competing for the PL title.
1 Billion? in all honesty, I would'nt be surprised with Cellino.
It does ponder the question, why are 4 big companies interested in a team that haven't achieved success yet, and are not in the PL, so soon after Cellino bought it?
Is Harvey trying to drum up business for himself again.
posted on 27/10/14
If Cellino turned down a billion for Leeds United even I would start to question his sense...!