This'll cheers some of you up. Not me. I'm sorry to see Gary go & wish to extend my personal thanks for all he's done for LUST. Statement from the Chairman Dear Trust Shareholder, Since October 2009 it has been my privilege to serve as Chairman of the Leeds United Supporters Trust, working with some of the most honest and genuine people I have ever met. It has been a tremendous journey, and in more ways than I could have ever imagined the experience has mirrored the ups and downs that as Leeds fans we understand better than most. I have always done my best to voice the opinions of our members to the club, to the media and to anyone who has had an interest in Leeds United, and I have done so with purpose and conviction. I hope that the members of LUST appreciate that. Back in 2009 the Trust had 224 members, was disregarded and discredited by the clubâs owner Ken Bates, and while it had good people on its board it didnât feel like it was realising its potential. It was with that in mind that I joined and became Chairman, with a refreshed board and a determination to rebuild the Trust into a strong, credible organisation fit for the purpose of tackling the circumstances that the club and its supporters found themselves in. I am very proud to have been part of the team that built the Trust into what it is today: an organisation with a membership of over 9,000 and the ears of the local authority, local MPs, central government and the media, but most importantly with the ear of the club. We have achieved everything we set out to achieve and more. As a board our members could have asked little more of us, and as Chairman I couldnât have hoped for more than we have achieved. In this respect I feel that my journey has come full circle and that now is as good a time as any to stand down, take a rest and hand the stewardship of one of the largest and most respected supportersâ trusts, not only in the UK but across Europe and the world, to someone who can continue to raise its profile, serve the best interests of its members and work with a new owner. The Trust faces new challenges, and having represented our members under two former owners to the very best of my ability I feel I can stand tall and proud of my efforts, and hand over the job to someone else. To my fellow board members I would like to express my sincere thanks for all of the time, the effort, the hard work and the dedication you have shown and given freely. It has not always been easy - we have tested each otherâs patience at times, and the differences in opinion have often been as great as the results we have achieved. But quite simply I could not have wished for better people to support me and serve our members than all of you who have served on the board with me for the last near-on five years. My thanks to you all. To our members, who in their thousands have given us support, it has been an honour to serve you. I have not always agreed with the mandate you have asked us to follow, and I have had strong reservations about some of the opinions you have asked us to voice on your behalf, but the purpose of the Trust is to give you a voice - one voice, your voice - and I have always tried to make sure my personal opinions have not deterred me from making your opinions the priority and making sure they are heard. For giving me the opportunity to do that, and for giving me the kind of support that has been a source of great strength to me, I will always be so very grateful. You truly are the best supporters in the world. In many respects I got a lot more than I bargained for when I came to the chair. I knew it would be difficult, I knew that with my head above the parapet I would get shot at, and I expected to be the subject of a fair amount of personal attention, but I had no idea how much my family would be affected by it all. Had I realised the extent of the suffering I would be putting them through I probably would not have taken on the role at all. To my soul-mate, Kirsty, who has suffered more than most and paid a price for my ambition and for the ambitions of thousands of Leeds fans, I can only say thank you for supporting me all the way through this. Nothing can ever repay the debt of gratitude you are owed. To my kids, who have lost out on my time, my attention and often my patience while I struggled to serve our larger Leeds United family, I am forever grateful to you and love you all dearly. To those who have sniped, snarled, lied and judged from afar, and who will probably take a great deal of pleasure from my decision to stand down, I hope one day you have the pleasure of realising what âMarching On Togetherâ actually means. The Trust will go from strength to strength long after Gary Cooper is gone and will continue to represent its members - Leeds fans - which is a source of great comfort to me. Thank you to all who have supported me. I will always be proud to be a LUST member, and will continue to fulfil the duties of Chairman and to support the board in any way I can, but will stand down at this yearâs AGM satisfied that I have achieved all I set out to do, knowing that LUST is in great shape and ready to face new challenges. It really has been emotional. Gary Cooper Proud âmoronâ and âdissidentâ
I'm with you on that Shako. I'm not knocking LUST, I just haven't seen them do anything to make me give a ****.
Gary, you can hold your head high. You got off your ass and did something constructive, in a selfless way -----------------------------------
Gary Cooper wasn't a likeable character, I wish him no harm but let's be honest, LUST never really did achieve anything did they, a bit of trumpet blowing, a few claims here and there that were never backed up, the promise of some proof once Bates had gone which never materialised, in and out of bed with Haigh, I could go on but won't.
I agree with shako,nowt new there,lol Never really understood what they were aiming for,fair play for trying GC.
Even the resignation was overblown bollocks. WJ will use a full box of Kleenex cleaning up after reading it. Not sure if he Was lurking here for the last hour for compliments or arguments either way it was always about him! Wish him good health a happy life but glad to see his limelight turned off.
We need a fan who shows 100% commitment - Minnie Mighty has my vote What did LUST achieve? I was never a member but applaud them for annoying Bates, and at least articulating some legitimate concerns. Less effective recently imho
The one thing Leeds fans should be great at by now is how to spot pr bollox. On reflection Coopers resignation was full of it and so typical of him. Let me make an educated guess: how many members were critical or worse of the publicity seeking lettuce dodger in the recent member survey? It's a given that WJ will have proposed to him. At what point did other board members say Gary you are a problem, and either resign or get turfed out? Hopefully lust will be transparent and stop playing politics long enough to let us know. Oh and how about releasing all that proof they had about the Bates sell out. Or at least now that the liar in chief has gone just admitting it was bullshit inspired by Cooper to boost his profile.
Its been such a pleasure to serve you mate knowing you could be so utterly wrong and bitter, enjoy and don't forget to buy the book when it comes out, I need the money to buy more burgers now I don't get them for free you see
Whatever I am just glad you have gone...... And a book wouldn't surprise me, it's always been about what you could get out of it..... You are no better than those you claimed to be against. Ps you never once served me. I only hope that you haven't had to stand down due to health reasons, I don't like how you did your business but I bear you no ill.
http://www.not606.com/showthread.php/264699-LUST-Members-Survey-Results I was waiting for an explanation on this thread and my post #26 where Mr Cooper blatantly contradicts himself on an open forum.
