http://footy-bible.co.uk/max-gradel-linked-with-shock-return-to-leeds-united Dunno how likely it is but I'd love to have him back even if it is only on loan. I think we'd definitely be in the play offs if we hadn't have sold him. Typical Bates, sell our best players then loan them back. Apparently he hasn't settled in France but has made 14 appearances and scored 2 goals.
Bit harsh, he was home sick and pushed out by bates. I'd welcome him back with open hands, without him our first season in the championship could of been a lot worse.
Tell me where he was pushed out by Bates. We rejected an offer from a french club the day before the deadline day and Gradel got annoyed and said he wanted to go. Thats not being pushed out, thats pushing yourself out.
Let's not pretend Bates didn't have a massive hard on thinking about the money he was getting from the sale of Max, all of which he wouldn't have to put back into the team. Ken Bates and Shaun Harvey's piss poor handling of player's and their contracts is the reason we lose so many of our players.
See this is what annoys me. People hate Bates for whatever reason and then all of a sudden everything that goes on is Bates' fault. Gradel handed in a transfer request before the season had started, we didn't get any offer for him so we played him in the season, by this point Grayson had said that he thinks Gradel wants to stay and so when the offer came in, Bates spoke to Grayson and they decided to reject it. Gradel heard about it and got annoyed because he wanted to go so when the next offer came in, we accepted. I personally am against keeping a player that doesn't want to be there but others are not, thats not what we are discussing though. I also don't believe this story anyway
Gradel stated for months he wanted to stay but was not being offered a new deal. You can do an internet search for those reports unless you dont want to believe those either Josh.
Bottom line - he put in a transfer request. Got his wish. End of. bugger off. you didn't want us, now we don't want you.
Gradel didn't hand in a transfer request at the start of the season, he handed it at the end of the window and who can blame him. I don't hate Bates for no reason, I hate him for many many reason such as he sells our best players (Gradel, Howson, Delph ect) and replaces them with freebies and loans. I hate him because he's an embarrassed to the club and I'm embarrassed every time I see his pathetic notes in the matchday program. I hate him because he has no respect for the fans who he considers to be morons if they oppose him and treats us like cattle who he can farm for cash without objection. I hate him because he's a crook and has been since the 60s and 70s during which he scammed investors out of lots of money. I hate him because he blames everyone else for the problems he cause (fans scare away investors, players are greedy, agents are crooks ect ect). I hate him because he takes us for idiots and thinks he can shut us up by saying he spends 9.5 million on wages & transfer fees (including non playing staff aswell) which only works out to £6,089 average salary (of a group of 30 players) not including transfer fees and wages of non playing staff. I hate him because he hires a manger after the transfer window ends so he can stop him complaining of lack of funds. I hate him he purposely runs down contracts so he can eventually sell the players without complaint (because of course a player sold with 6 months on his contract is good business). I hate him because he spends 7 million pound developing a stand of a stadium we don't even own because he let the original buy back clause expire and then he claims it didn't come out of the transfer budget (well why the **** wasn't it in their in the first place then). I hate him because he thinks opening a hotel and a museum will attract more profit than getting in the Premier League (which it won't). I hate him because he's a liar and badmouths anyone who get's in his way (Killkenny's greedy, Johnson is aswell, Howson wants the Premier League), oh and I suppose Ben Parker is a liar aswell according to Bates. I'm just waiting for the excuse Snoddy wanted more money or Snoddy wanted to play in the Prem ect because let's face it last 6 months of his contract, highly rated, no contract negations, remind you of anyone (Howson, Gradel ect). History repeats........Elland Road: Home of the Norwich City Feeder Team. So yes maybe Bates did have less to do with Maxi leaving than he did with the other players who left but I certainly don't blame him because if I was a player, manager, investor ect I would want nothing to do with what ever that crook Bates ever owner or was involved in. Sorry about the rant..........I just felt like getting down my views on Bates so I can copy and paste them if I need them on a later date
KGIG, concisely and well stated other than "... I hate him because he spends 7 million pound developing a stand of a stadium we don't even own because he let the original buy back clause expire..." Actually may not be bad business doing that and many businesses with medium to long leases do it all the time on properties thay don't own, if they can make more out of it than it cost them. However, Leeds United still has a buy back option for Elland Road that has not changed. The part that you may wish to add is that you hate KB for failing to buy back Thorp Arch during the time we had a "bargai-purchase-option," which has now expired, he stated it was a priority to do so and then failed with a last-minute attempt to get the Leeds City Council to fund it for him.
KGIG. I love a good rant myself, and largely agree with your thoughts. However, I repeat, bottom line - he put in a transfer request. End of.
I wasn't saying people hate him for no reason, I said for whatever reason. Be it transfers in and out or high ticket prices but Gradel wanted to go, so we sold him. he handed in the request at the start of the window and then again at the of it because we rejected a bid (which I think was exactly the same figure as what we sold him for). Gradel was offered a new deal in february but he said he wanted to wait until the season was up to decide on his future. We didn't offer him a deal at the end of the season because we do not offer new contracts to current players during transfer windows (and rightly so)
My mistake I fought it was the stadium that we failed to get the funding from the Leeds City Council from. To my knowledge wasn't the council willing to fund it if Leeds revealed their true owners.
"To my knowledge wasn't the council willing to fund it if Leeds revealed their true owners." I believe that was one of the obstacles.
“Since I came to Leeds, I’ve always said that I want to be at this club. My contract finishes at the end of this season and I’ve been waiting for another contract but I haven’t been offered one yet. I don’t know what’s happening and I’ll wait and see. “My wish was to do it as early as possible but it’s not down to me, it’s down to the club. I can’t sign a deal if there isn’t any deal to sign. But really, all I want to do is concentrate on football and play football. “There’ll be higher expectations of me but I love pressure and it makes me play better. My aim would be to score more than 18 goals this season.” Max Gradel, To me it looks like he wanted to stay, he wanted a new contract but obviously Bates was more interested in the transfer fee he was going to get for him than offering him a contract. Either that or Gradel is incredibly two faced but I don't believe that (I've met him in person and he seemed a genuinely nice bloke who was loving his time at Leeds). It's a big change of mind to go from wanting to be at Leeds, wanting a new contract, and loving life here to wanting to move different countries. Tbh I'm not naive enough to believe any of Master Bates progaganda that is spewed from the club's official sources. Bates has already lied about the motivations of Howson leaving (according to Jonny's long time mate Ben Parker) so it wouldn't surprise me if he did for Gradel.
Thank you KGIG for sharing those quotes - I remember them well. I don't undertand how these player departures play out virtually the same way and yet so many fans still don't see this as a club pattern.
I also remember them well which was why I got pissed off when he handed in a transfer request and shat on leeds fans
I don't think he wanted to leave Leeds, nor do I believe Jonny wanted to leave. And I think Neil Killkenny would rather have stayed at potential promotion candidates Leeds rather than player for relegation fodder Bristol city. I also know Kasper wanted to stay at Leeds ("therefore it is with great disappointment that I have learned that Leeds United have accepted an offer from Leicester. "I want to put on record that I have never asked to leave Leeds United, nor did I reject an offer for a new contract, since one was never put to me. "I was enjoying being a Leeds United player and was looking forward to winning promotion this season with the club") And although we did make a profit and improve our goalkeeper in that deal and maybe Killkenny wouldn't get into this seasons midfield but it shows Ken Bates pushes players out and then blames the players for leaving and we shouldn't be losing midfielders that played the majority of last seasons game even if they aren't our best players. It is Ken Bates who is ****ting on the fans not the players who are kicked into an difficult position.
I believe Max Gradel is a two-faced bastard who wanted to leave leeds I believe Howson wanted to stay but also wanted prem football. It was a risk keeping him but I think we shoulda kept him as it woulda been quite easy to make him sign a new deal I believe Kilkenny wanted to stay and the club wanted him to stay but was probably being offered lowish wages. He wasn't good enough anyway imo I believe kasper was sold against his will because he was not good enough and grayson made this decision. And he wasn't good enough and we now have a better keeper that we spent less on and is probably on a lot less wages. I didn't like how the club went about this transfer though Bates isn't the only person who deals with transfers. Grayson woulda had a say as well and I don't know why people forget this
