Club Statement: VICE-CHAIRMAN: THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

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My goodness Eire

We wouldn't celebrate the club going bust and folding don't be so ridiculous. We're not just throwing in the towel before the beginning of the season. We're also aware that we can not throw stupid money around in this division and expect results. Look a Leicester who have done that and got nowhere. Stop writing thing off in the summer. Yes we've only signed one player but there are many clubs (About 10) who haven't signed anyone and there are a few clubs like us who have signed one.

GFH haven't written the season off. Look at who been relegated from the Prem. Wigan and Reading will more than likely get the top 2 places then there will be any number of teams trying to get the play off places. McD and the board will be fully aware of this league is bloody hard to get out of. They have their heads screwed on because a lot of fans out there would like to get promted but will be fully aware is will be rather hard to do.

They've said they'll back McD and when we see the player coming in in the next few week, I'll start to judge how the season will progress but don't expect big names and £3 million signings cos that's not McD's style. He likes to scout players. I'd rather have hungry young players like Smith and if the rumour is true Forester instead of Brown who has nothing really to play for.

For me O'Leary's team was great but the business plan failed and almost put in to administration. I'll take these 'chancers' and their long term business plan instead of the Chelsea, Citeh ideas of lets throw money at the situation and it will automatically bring us success. It doesn't always work like that.

I don't particularly look on o learys team as a great one because at the cost at which it was assembled. The great teams I refer to are Wilkos and the Dons. But then again, sadly that was a different club in my eyes to the one I see today
 
"backing the manager" is pure fluff.

What does it REALLY mean?

Patting him on the back and saying "go on son, go for it?"

I'm not being funny but everyone has said they are all silent and not communicating with fans. They have come out and said everything that a fan could possibly want to hear and they get criticised for it, it wasn't like a Bates interview for example was it. What do you want them to say? How much exactly they are willing to spend? They are not going to discuss club plans with fans because they don't want it to become public knowledge which to me is the most sensible thing
 
Hmmm ... as has been stated, at least they are trying to communicate something, even if it says nothing. The thing is, it's one thing saying "long term strategy", but what does that actually mean? If you sat down with a CEO (and I often do) and asked them about their plans, they wouldn't just say "oh, we have a strategy, in fact it's a long term one", because they'd sound stupid and get shot down in flames. What they do say is "we have a plan to increase production by X over Y years, which will realise revenue growth of Z for the company. We expect to achieve this through investment in tow new factories and seven new Fangly Dangly machines". I would have expected GFH to at least state their vision, for example, "we are taking a long term view on our investment in Leeds United, and as such we have discussed a viable plan with the manager. Our goal is to bring in some exciting young players with potential, and mix them with experienced talent. This should place us in a great position to gain promotion to the Premier League in two seasons' time, and help us to sustain a place at the top. We will achieve this through working within the Fair Play rules, supporting the manager financially to get him the players he wants, managing our debt effectively and also focusing on making sure our academy is delivering the type of players who can go on to contribute to the success of our club. If this means that in the short term we have to sell some players then so be it, however we will endeavour to make the majority of any incoming transfer funds available to the manager to help him achieve our goals on the pitch".

Billys, you repeated a huge amount of what they actually said just reworded when you stated your example.... <doh>
 
I don't particularly look on o learys team as a great one because at the cost at which it was assembled. The great teams I refer to are Wilkos and the Dons. But then again, sadly that was a different club in my eyes to the one I see today

For someone who can't remember the Wilko reign and wasn't born when Revie was in charge (They were both Greater than O'Leary) I'm sadly stuck with O'Leary as Great.
 
I'm not being funny but everyone has said they are all silent and not communicating with fans. They have come out and said everything that a fan could possibly want to hear and they get criticised for it, it wasn't like a Bates interview for example was it. What do you want them to say? How much exactly they are willing to spend? They are not going to discuss club plans with fans because they don't want it to become public knowledge which to me is the most sensible thing

I don't think it is funny either and I am not a fan who has spent hundreds of pounds on a season ticket.

My point is platitudes and niceties still end up being obtuse phrases which really don't inform us of anything.

They can tell us all they want to say but it does not necessarily give us any more information about their plans.

If their style of managment is going to be "wait and see" then can hardly blame fans for doing the same, can we?

As for the Bates interview comparison, the only difference for me is the absence of vulgarity, arrogance and condescending tone he was so good/bad at doing.
 
For someone who can't remember the Wilko reign and wasn't born when Revie was in charge (They were both Greater than O'Leary) I'm sadly stuck with O'Leary as Great.

Possibly why views differ so much between some of us. Your age group only have only witnessed one good Leeds era and that's been horribly tainted. All the talk of overspending to the point some see even modest spending now as potentially catastrophic. Old lads like me have been blessed to see us at our height when signing a player meant something. On the odd occasion it would happen, they were invariably top class. Unlike the constant conveyor belt of trash passing through the club for the past decade. Dozens of average journeymen footballers. I can't and won't accept the poor standards we are being offere by successive owners and will,remain critical until I see concrete proof that my club is heading in the correct direction
 
I don't think it is funny either and I am not a fan who has spent hundreds of pounds on a season ticket.

My point is platitudes and niceties still end up being obtuse phrases which really don't inform us of anything.

They can tell us all they want to say but it does not necessarily give us any more information about their plans.

If their style of managment is going to be "wait and see" then can hardly blame fans for doing the same, can we?

As for the Bates interview comparison, the only difference for me is the absence of vulgarity, arrogance and condescending tone he was so good/bad at doing.

But my point was what did you want them to say? Taking realistic expectations, that was the exact thing I expected them to say. They can't be too open because football clubs don't operate in public knowledge for good reason. It just makes me laugh that people are complaining there is no communication and then get annoyed when there is. IMO they couldn't have said much more than they did and to me it was all positive sounds
 
Think people are wary because

Manager announces seven players have agreed to join Leeds (Posh almost begging on Rowe's behalf) yet all quiet on the western front

GFH selling off bits of their stake to raise "much needed" money to keep the club going

Harvey and Bates still at club

Fix these three things and people will feel a lot better, I know I will
 
Think people are wary because

Manager announces seven players have agreed to join Leeds (Posh almost begging on Rowe's behalf) yet all quiet on the western front

GFH selling off bits of their stake to raise "much needed" money to keep the club going

Harvey and Bates still at club

Fix these three things and people will feel a lot better, I know I will
Thats it in a nutshell <ok>
 
I've said it all along Eire there is a generational divide between fans and I'm sure it's the same at many clubs and I'm sure it was the same when we were younger.
I've 42 years under my belt supporting this great club and in our youth we didn't have the internet and all the other forums and technology, so we weren't told about the runnings of the club or who the board was. I was only interested in the team and manager and if I'm honest I still am today.
Sky wasn't around to saturate the football coverage, there wasn't as much money floating around either and most teams started on a level playing field.
Now you can google everything, there is information overload....oh feck it I've forgotten the point I was trying to make...:grin:
 
I've just read through the announcement again. It has still given me no new information, but I do wonder who in their right mind is in the least bit interested in what the vice-chairman thinks of our opening fixtures, or the quality of the competing teams. Clearly not a fan priority or of any particular interest to us, but takes up vital column inches. I think someone somewhere mentioned that this carefully worded release looked as though it was prepared by a lawyer, and I'm in full agreement. It's very sterile, and quite frankly, I'm not convinced that the v-c has any clue about our opposition.

I do believe that they've actually slipped up, and have either missed an opportunity for clarity, or are deliberately obfuscating. A politician's answer to a key question, and it's left us working out the answer for ourselves (which I expect will be negative in most cases - i.e. as usual, the manager will not get all the dosh he generates from player sales). Same old. Read the reply again & see what you think ....

If the club sells players will the funds be used for team strengthening?
Our over-riding aim in the transfer window is to strengthen the squad and to increase its value to the club while at the same time keeping wages under control. This will be our guiding principle in all transfer dealings both in and out of the club.
 
But my point was what did you want them to say? Taking realistic expectations, that was the exact thing I expected them to say. They can't be too open because football clubs don't operate in public knowledge for good reason. It just makes me laugh that people are complaining there is no communication and then get annoyed when there is. IMO they couldn't have said much more than they did and to me it was all positive sounds

I expect that you will live longer than the rest of us as you seem to be easy to make happy.

Good for you.

Billy and WhiteJock have pretty much written what I would have in response to you.
 
Possibly why views differ so much between some of us. Your age group only have only witnessed one good Leeds era and that's been horribly tainted. All the talk of overspending to the point some see even modest spending now as potentially catastrophic. Old lads like me have been blessed to see us at our height when signing a player meant something. On the odd occasion it would happen, they were invariably top class. Unlike the constant conveyor belt of trash passing through the club for the past decade. Dozens of average journeymen footballers. I can't and won't accept the poor standards we are being offere by successive owners and will,remain critical until I see concrete proof that my club is heading in the correct direction

I have no problem at all with this statement. It is the specific bit that says

On the odd occasion it would happen, they were invariably top class. Unlike the constant conveyor belt of trash passing through the club for the past decade. Dozens of average journeymen footballers.

that I particularly hope is true in our current situation. If the player is not good enough to substantially improve the team, or does not have the potential to do that, then don't buy them.

I would prefer it if we did not buy one player all season because none good enough were available to us and had a mediocre season than spending shedloads of money on people who don't add anything and having a mediocre season.
 
I would prefer it if we did not buy one player all season because none good enough were available to us and had a mediocre season than spending shedloads of money on people who don't add anything and having a mediocre season.

My goodness, we're in violent agreement again!
 
Sheldon, you're on fire here. Like Eire and Shako, I've been Leeds long enough to remember the great times in the 60s and 70s, but the reality is things are different nowadays and I'm stuck with it. I'm still going to be Leeds in 5 years if I'm spared, so I'm all for getting it right, even if it takes a while. If GFH are skint as it appears, at least they have the redeeming quality of not being Bates, so they get a bit of grace to make things work. Likewise, I believe in McD and I like his approach, and I don't think he'll be buying s**** for the sake of it. I'm content to take a view here. I'm Leeds in the end, what else would I do? MOT.
 
Sheldon, you're on fire here. Like Eire and Shako, I've been Leeds long enough to remember the great times in the 60s and 70s, but the reality is things are different nowadays and I'm stuck with it. I'm still going to be Leeds in 5 years if I'm spared, so I'm all for getting it right, even if it takes a while. If GFH are skint as it appears, at least they have the redeeming quality of not being Bates, so they get a bit of grace to make things work. Likewise, I believe in McD and I like his approach, and I don't think he'll be buying s**** for the sake of it. I'm content to take a view here. I'm Leeds in the end, what else would I do? MOT.

Respect to you Davy...<ale>