Interesting tweet on Twatter by Ross McCormack. The wanted Leeds man talks about being humbled by all the tweets from Leeds fans but then adds, "Not aloud (sic) to speak about the speculation sorry."
Now, apart from the dreadful spelling error, this is not what Leeds fans want to read. Why, exactly, isn't he allowed (that's the way to spell it Ross!) to talk about a possible deal unless there is some substance in the rumours? How easy would it have been to post, "I'm not going anywhere guys. End of."
And if Leeds aren't entertaining the bid, why would they ban him from making such a clear cut statement? Nice Guy Brian has said how honesty is everything, and how the fans just want to be kept in the loop. So why is Ross not allowed to tell the fans what is going on; unless a deal is in the offing, of course.
And this must be read alongside the profits drop at GFH and their pledge to "extract value from existing assets" as part of their drive to reduce operating costs. Two and two usually add up to four and it would be a foolish man who now bets against the Scot leaving Leeds before the window closes.
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Pressure on McDermott to sell as Leeds United's owners' profits sink lower?
With rumours that Middlesbrough are sniffing around Ross McCormack, the last thing Leeds fans want to hear is that GFH Capital continue to struggle, with profits once again falling.
When word started circulating about the takeover, Leeds fans came on here in their droves, boasting about how oil money would fund an early return to the Prem and then domination of Europe, but as I warned, things were not quite as the misguided numpties chose to believe. This was no oil fuelled mega bank, more a camel pot outfit built on sand.
And apart from the one million capture of Murphy, very little money has been made available to Nice Guy Brian to spend. When Becchio left, Leeds fans took their heads out of their backsides to exclaim, "We've got Morison, we've got the better part of the deal". It always sounded a bit hollow, but with Morison now loaned out to Millwall, the truth of the matter has been fully exposed: Becchio went because Leeds couldn't afford his wages; and Morison has been moved on because he is crap and McDermott has been told to shrink his wage bill.
No surprises there, of course, when you read that GFH are seeking to "extract value from our existing assets" to bolster plunging profits. It is very sobering to see that the whole business made a paltry profit of just $4.2m on the first half year of trading, and that was only achieved by operating costs being reduced by $7.3m. Take away that cost saving, and you can only slash costs so far, and the bank would actually have posted a loss of $3.1m!
So, the bank is struggling, it is on a cost cutting drive and it is, according to its own statement, looking to "extract value" from its assets. Tell me, what are the implications to McDermott and Leeds?
Instead of pondering who Leeds might sign before the window slams shut, the question is, once again, who might they sell? It was Captain Snakeinthegrass last summer, Becchio in January and now? Maybe McCormack. Or maybe, God forbid, young Byram. It has to be a worry when the sale of a young footballer, carrying an injury, could, even if sold at a knock down price, more than DOUBLE the half year profits of the entire company!
Master Bates claimed his sacking was a smokescreen and this latest profit statement lends credence to his assertion. Yes Leeds beat Brighton on Saturday, but Brighton lost at home to Newport yesterday so any cockiness may be a tad out of place. Poor McDermott is doing his best to reshape the squad but he appears to be doing so with both hands tied behind his back, and the fear must be that even if players are sold, the cash will be retained rather than reinvested.
And before Leeds fans go off on one, tell me, what exactly does "extract value from our existing assets" mean? McDermott seems to know given his statement that honesty is everything!
When word started circulating about the takeover, Leeds fans came on here in their droves, boasting about how oil money would fund an early return to the Prem and then domination of Europe, but as I warned, things were not quite as the misguided numpties chose to believe. This was no oil fuelled mega bank, more a camel pot outfit built on sand.
And apart from the one million capture of Murphy, very little money has been made available to Nice Guy Brian to spend. When Becchio left, Leeds fans took their heads out of their backsides to exclaim, "We've got Morison, we've got the better part of the deal". It always sounded a bit hollow, but with Morison now loaned out to Millwall, the truth of the matter has been fully exposed: Becchio went because Leeds couldn't afford his wages; and Morison has been moved on because he is crap and McDermott has been told to shrink his wage bill.
No surprises there, of course, when you read that GFH are seeking to "extract value from our existing assets" to bolster plunging profits. It is very sobering to see that the whole business made a paltry profit of just $4.2m on the first half year of trading, and that was only achieved by operating costs being reduced by $7.3m. Take away that cost saving, and you can only slash costs so far, and the bank would actually have posted a loss of $3.1m!
So, the bank is struggling, it is on a cost cutting drive and it is, according to its own statement, looking to "extract value" from its assets. Tell me, what are the implications to McDermott and Leeds?
Instead of pondering who Leeds might sign before the window slams shut, the question is, once again, who might they sell? It was Captain Snakeinthegrass last summer, Becchio in January and now? Maybe McCormack. Or maybe, God forbid, young Byram. It has to be a worry when the sale of a young footballer, carrying an injury, could, even if sold at a knock down price, more than DOUBLE the half year profits of the entire company!
Master Bates claimed his sacking was a smokescreen and this latest profit statement lends credence to his assertion. Yes Leeds beat Brighton on Saturday, but Brighton lost at home to Newport yesterday so any cockiness may be a tad out of place. Poor McDermott is doing his best to reshape the squad but he appears to be doing so with both hands tied behind his back, and the fear must be that even if players are sold, the cash will be retained rather than reinvested.
And before Leeds fans go off on one, tell me, what exactly does "extract value from our existing assets" mean? McDermott seems to know given his statement that honesty is everything!
Will Liverpool fans turn on Suarez now?
They backed him when he racially abused Evra - but what's a bit of racism between friends, when Hitler is rumoured to have lived in the city for a while, and Liverpool was built on the slave trade anyway?
They backed him when he admitted cheating to win a game against a team from the third tier of English football. But if the city turned its back on cheats, Iain Duncan-Smith wouldn't need to reform the benefit system and Britain would be one giant stride closer to escaping austerity.
They backed him when he turned cannibal, but how can a bite compare with Lucas Neill's attempt to break Jamie Carragher's leg like?
They even cheered him in Stevie Gerrard's testimonial despite his refusal to commit to the club ahead of the new season. Show him the love, make him feel one of our own, and Suarez will never walk away alone.
After all, this is Anfield! We are Liverpool! Like that matters now Liverpool can't even qualify for the Your Ropey League. And anyway, why should any Liverpool player show loyalty to the club after the way Reina was treated?
But now Suarez has come out and said what everybody knew. He doesn't just want to go, he is more desperate to get out than Ryan Giggs was when his brother walked into his marital bedroom.
How galling must this be? Like a stereotypical Scouser, Suarez has been drawing benefit without working throughout his extended close season, and now with the action about to start for everybody else, he is squealing to get out.
And we all know that he will go because if Liverpool are foolish enough to make him stay, he will be as committed to the cause as Blair was to socialism. He may dress up in a red shirt but he will be blue blue blue and will play like a velvet fist in a velvet glove.
But then Liverpool the club and its myopic fans deserve everything they don't get from Suarez. The club has demeaned itself appallingly ever since King Uncanny ordered his players to wear those infamous shirts in support of Suarez after the Evra incident. The failure to condemn the bite and to kick him out showed that the club no longer has any pride.
It's time to change that sign to "This is Shamefield!"
They backed him when he admitted cheating to win a game against a team from the third tier of English football. But if the city turned its back on cheats, Iain Duncan-Smith wouldn't need to reform the benefit system and Britain would be one giant stride closer to escaping austerity.
They backed him when he turned cannibal, but how can a bite compare with Lucas Neill's attempt to break Jamie Carragher's leg like?
They even cheered him in Stevie Gerrard's testimonial despite his refusal to commit to the club ahead of the new season. Show him the love, make him feel one of our own, and Suarez will never walk away alone.
After all, this is Anfield! We are Liverpool! Like that matters now Liverpool can't even qualify for the Your Ropey League. And anyway, why should any Liverpool player show loyalty to the club after the way Reina was treated?
But now Suarez has come out and said what everybody knew. He doesn't just want to go, he is more desperate to get out than Ryan Giggs was when his brother walked into his marital bedroom.
How galling must this be? Like a stereotypical Scouser, Suarez has been drawing benefit without working throughout his extended close season, and now with the action about to start for everybody else, he is squealing to get out.
And we all know that he will go because if Liverpool are foolish enough to make him stay, he will be as committed to the cause as Blair was to socialism. He may dress up in a red shirt but he will be blue blue blue and will play like a velvet fist in a velvet glove.
But then Liverpool the club and its myopic fans deserve everything they don't get from Suarez. The club has demeaned itself appallingly ever since King Uncanny ordered his players to wear those infamous shirts in support of Suarez after the Evra incident. The failure to condemn the bite and to kick him out showed that the club no longer has any pride.
It's time to change that sign to "This is Shamefield!"
Surely Middlesbrough must sack Mowbray now!
How much longer can this go on? Up until Christmas, Boro were genuine promotion contenders, tucked nicely into the play off pack waiting for the inevitable Leicester slip up. The Foxes inevitably obliged but, oh dear, Mowbray's misfits nosedived faster than a drone on an Afghan wedding party.
Middlesbrough's form in 2013 hasn't just been bad, it has been catastrophic. I have money on them to go down on the basis that without an immediate change of manager, they are doomed; but Gibson seems as committed to the ugly Mowbray as Richard is to the even uglier Judy.
The money I pocketed from Leicester's win on Saturday was a gift from the bookmakers, who, like Gibson apparently hadn't woken up to the fact that the Smoggy patient wasn't just critical but terminal. And last night's home defeat against Accrington Stanley simply confirmed what anybody with any footballing sense understood at least four months ago. Under Mowbray, Middlesbrough are going nowhere other than down.
But incredibly, Mowbray retains the support of a fair section of the Boro fans, as does Chairman Gibson; presumably because, as The Platters sang, smoke gets in your eyes. Just up the road, Blunderland showed what a change of manager can do when the form of the team collapses, and O'Neill's record was nowhere near as bad as Tony Nobody's.
When even Kieron Dyer calls time after a spell in the Mowbray treatment room, you know the end is nigh!
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
Leeds United's McCormack to Middlesbrough? Why trade a run down semi for a squat?
So the latest rumour - propagated by Sky no less - is that Miserableboro have tabled an offer for Ross McCormack as Tony Nobody desperately flails around looking for a way of saving his job. But the immediate reaction is, why on earth would the Scottish international swap a promotion push with Leeds for a relegation struggle in what a Tory Lord recently described as the North East wasteland? This is surely a fracking non starter from the off!
Apart from anything else, McCormack appears key to Nice Guy Brian's plans. He can play up top or he can play out wide. And he is better at both than Reg Varney who would be much more in Miserableboro's league and who is well used to relegation struggles after his stint at Portsmouth.
I have money on Boro to go down. Their form since Christmas was dire - except when they played Leeds! - and they will continue to struggle for as long as Mowbray stays in charge. He has lost the plot. He has lost the dressing room. He has even managed to lose Kieron Dyer, and he is more difficult to shake off than AIDs!
So tell me, if you were McCormack, why would you agree to the move, even if the Arab Bank Built on Sand fancied cashing in? He's escaped Scotland once, so why move closer to the border? And why agree to play for a team as fashionable, outside of Glasgow, as tank tops and loons?
But if he does go, what will that say about the new owners at Leeds or about McCormack's sense of ambition?
It's a non starter for me! Leeds fans will be praying that GFH Capital agree!
Apart from anything else, McCormack appears key to Nice Guy Brian's plans. He can play up top or he can play out wide. And he is better at both than Reg Varney who would be much more in Miserableboro's league and who is well used to relegation struggles after his stint at Portsmouth.
I have money on Boro to go down. Their form since Christmas was dire - except when they played Leeds! - and they will continue to struggle for as long as Mowbray stays in charge. He has lost the plot. He has lost the dressing room. He has even managed to lose Kieron Dyer, and he is more difficult to shake off than AIDs!
So tell me, if you were McCormack, why would you agree to the move, even if the Arab Bank Built on Sand fancied cashing in? He's escaped Scotland once, so why move closer to the border? And why agree to play for a team as fashionable, outside of Glasgow, as tank tops and loons?
But if he does go, what will that say about the new owners at Leeds or about McCormack's sense of ambition?
It's a non starter for me! Leeds fans will be praying that GFH Capital agree!
Leeds United Board Treat Bates Shoddily
Well I am flabbergasted! I returned from two months travelling, taking in Bulgaria, Dubai and Italy, expecting Nice Guy Brian to have completely revamped last year’s tepid Leeds squad, and what did I discover? The biggest news coming out of Leeds, apart from the narrow win over Brighton and the usual homophobic chanting of the ironically named Marching On Together fans, is that Master Bates, life President and saviour of the club, has been given the big heave ho. Outrageous.
Who can forget that epic giant killing defeat of Manchester United? Impossible without Bates. Who will forget last season’s giant killing triumph over Gareth Bale inspired Spurs? Impossible without Bates. Who will forget the glory of winning promotion from the old Division Three? Impossible without Bates.
And what’s the guy’s final crime exactly? Signing a contract for a private jet to fly him from his home in Monaco to Leeds United games! How did GFH Capital expect the poor old sod to make the journey, on his Senior Citizen bus pass perhaps?
Some might say that the new owners of Leeds have demonstrated a complete lack of class, reneging on their promise to the man who trusted them to run the club he saved. The Bates Haters might like to consider the plight of Portsmouth (as many league titles as Leeds) and Coventry (more recent winners of the FA Cup than Leeds) when evaluating what the former owner did for their club. They might also reflect on the fact that it is not so many years ago that the now mighty Manchester City were in the third tier of English football. And Bates has followed the Sky Blue Print by selling to Arabs, albeit Arabs seemingly on their uppers.
But Ken knows exactly what GFH Capital are up to, courting popularity by slaying the big bad dragon whilst they try to hide the mess they have been making of running the club. Thatcher had the Argies, Blair the Iraqis and, if you believe The Dethroned Master Bates, GFH Capital are parading poor Ken’s bearded head around on a wooden stake to win the popular vote. It’s not right. It’s not just. It’s not fair.
Is it?
Don’t be surprised if Bates asks a Judge to decide. And how much might that cost Leeds exactly?
True not every Leeds supporter is a fan of Papa Bates, but surely he deserved better than to be stabbed in the back without so much as a “Hello Ken, can you come into the office for a chat please?” They sacked him in a letter! This is the man who took the club through the pain barrier, into administration and the third tier of English football, and then part way back up again. You wouldn’t have stabbed the Grand Old Duke of York in the back part way through his journey would you?
Who can forget that epic giant killing defeat of Manchester United? Impossible without Bates. Who will forget last season’s giant killing triumph over Gareth Bale inspired Spurs? Impossible without Bates. Who will forget the glory of winning promotion from the old Division Three? Impossible without Bates.
And what’s the guy’s final crime exactly? Signing a contract for a private jet to fly him from his home in Monaco to Leeds United games! How did GFH Capital expect the poor old sod to make the journey, on his Senior Citizen bus pass perhaps?
Some might say that the new owners of Leeds have demonstrated a complete lack of class, reneging on their promise to the man who trusted them to run the club he saved. The Bates Haters might like to consider the plight of Portsmouth (as many league titles as Leeds) and Coventry (more recent winners of the FA Cup than Leeds) when evaluating what the former owner did for their club. They might also reflect on the fact that it is not so many years ago that the now mighty Manchester City were in the third tier of English football. And Bates has followed the Sky Blue Print by selling to Arabs, albeit Arabs seemingly on their uppers.
But Ken knows exactly what GFH Capital are up to, courting popularity by slaying the big bad dragon whilst they try to hide the mess they have been making of running the club. Thatcher had the Argies, Blair the Iraqis and, if you believe The Dethroned Master Bates, GFH Capital are parading poor Ken’s bearded head around on a wooden stake to win the popular vote. It’s not right. It’s not just. It’s not fair.
Is it?
Don’t be surprised if Bates asks a Judge to decide. And how much might that cost Leeds exactly?
Monday, 5 August 2013
Leeds United Fans Smiling At Long Last!
I’ve just checked and it isn’t December, but all Leeds United fans' Christmases seem to have come at once! Ken Bates has gone. GFH Capital are muttering about buying back Elland Road, and to top it all, Leeds didn’t just kick off the new season with a home win, they scored TWICE and new million pound man Luke Murphy scored the winner!
True, the victory was against a Brighton team which,
following the departure of Poyet, appears to be in disarray. True too, Oscar
Garcia reckons the winner should have been disallowed for handball. And true
too, that Leeds fell a goal behind and left it late to plunder that winner. But
let’s not be churlish. Leeds are off and running, Nice Guy Brian is smiling,
and everything suddenly looks rosy.
Mind you, talking Rosie, QPR’s victory over Sheffield
Wednesday must be a worry. As must be Wigan’s thumping of Barnsley. And Reading’s
victory over Ipswich. And Leicester’s win at Miserableborough. And Udinese Calcio's away win. And the away
points for Bolton and Blackburn. It is a stronger Championship this year so
Leeds will have to improve considerably to figure in a promotion push.
But back to the positives. Leeds won without Byram. Poleon
came off the bench. And 33,000 fans flooded into the Bateless Elland Road.
Happy Days!
For now at least!
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