If this window doesn't get used because we can't find cash, we can't get the players because they want too much or they don't want to come .... If BMcD has already spoken to a few players and he said that, yet no action yet. You can take it that some of these players don't fancy it at Leeds, because of money or lack of chance for promotion. Looking on the dark side you can clearly see that our chances of going up are next to zero. There are Leicester, Burnley, QPR, Derby, Ipswich, Forest, Brighton, Watford, Reading, Blackburn, Wigan, Blackpool, Huiddersfield, Leeds, Middelsboro, Birmingham and Bolton who are all in with a chance. Of those clubs there are 5 clubs with rich new owners who want promotion. There are also 7 clubs with parachute payments. So a 17/1 chance as it stands without factoring in the cash differentials. No chance. So nothing gets done and some of us will say, "never mind this time next season we'll be going for it". Wrong my friends because there will still be 14 teams in a better position financially than us, and then please remember that 3 of the following clubs will be going for it too: Stoke, Swansea, Sunderland, Cardiff, West Ham, Palace, Fulham ..... Each season it gets harder as the gap between the rich and the poor gets ever wider, and so a huge club like ours slides down the slippery pole. We need owners with cash before its too late. Ken Bates kept this club down whilst filling his bank
My cup is always at least half full Doc as you know, but you make the point for an alternative view very clear. Time will tell. But I would like to see players in earlier rather than later.
I hope and pray you are wrong Doc. Sadly I fear you are not and I'm not sure Haigh with his lack of footie knowledge has a clue exactly how far we are behind the rest. There was a piece stating the new sponsors deal with our new insurance investor paid for McCormacks new contract. While that was welcome, its an indication of the shoestring operation we are operating
Eire/Boggers I've stated quite openly on here that I'm more optimistic than I've been for years, because anyone is better than the bandit we had for near 10-years. I do however feel that we need cash to get out of this league and believe that history/facts back up this argument. No team has managed to get promoted out of this league without investment for a number of years. The nearest thing to it was Reading under our manager, but there was shrewd investment done, so I hope he can repeat that feat. We dont own our ground or training ground so pay over £2m each year for that in rent. We have an average of 24k fans each home game but the revenue gets diminished by the rent, rates and running costs of the club, plus the wage bill for dross that will never play for us again, due to bad management and panic buying in the past. So no chance of competing financially with a smaller club who has a £12m head start because of parachute payments. They can spend more and pay more on players than we cxan. So we fall further behind all the time. we need some serious cash, and remember only a few weeks ago the bloke who has been trying to buy us for years realsised that he couldn't afford us now, because we're so far behind the rest. He said he would need to spend £100mto buy the club, ground, TA, and £millions on players. he wasn't willing to gamble his families money. Would you. Charlton have today got themselves a new rich owner/ he also owns Standard Liege and other clubs as well as a huge electrical business.
I don't think there should be any parachute payments. Serves them right if they have inflated wages - they've had years to build relegation clauses into contracts so that wages drop to Championship levels if the players are ****e enough to get them relegated. Serves them all right - they should get what they deserve. The 'chute payments just distort competition in the Championship - especially if h sensible club has already included the relegation clauses.
But the players will refuse to sign contracts with relegation clauses in them, because they have so much power and have done for years. Granted that is a result of teams who played fast and loose with money they didn't have and paid the price, giving players the power by allowing them contracts without relegation clauses...
Cojones, you need to understand that many clubs introduced relegation clauses ever since Ipswich killed themselves. Clubs who don't do it will get no backing from their banks and thats a fact. WBA built it into their business plans and why they are so not bothered about bouncing. They have done it enough now that they have been able to assemble a decent squad good enough to stay up. They built a business on parachute payments. Don't be so naive mate. Yes clubs like Bolton thought they would never be relegated because they were arrogant and now in trouble. Stoke, Norwich, Palace, Swansea, etc, etc, etc, even Wigan had it.
Spot on mate,just turns the championship into have and have nots like the prem with champions(?) league cash.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25593273 Swedish international and a German signed from their other club Udinese to Watford. Wonder which freebie we'll get?
January is a dangerous time to do business unless you go after players whose contracts are running down. You can get some bargains but most of the time you will be paying top dollar for average players
I dont think you should be allowed to continue as a club after leaving all your creditors in the ****. Alas, you lot seemed to do it though. Dont say we got a 15 point deduction cause that means jacks**t to the business you ripped off.
Yeah cos Hull have never been in admin and served with a winding up order have they? Or were you one of the thousands of current Hull watchers that were Leeds fans back in 2001? Probably.....
For those of you that think parachute payments are meaningless and bollox, please read this bit from a respected journolist commenting upon Readings imminent new takeover by some yanks. ""Talk of discussions with potential investors first surfaced in October, with formal talks continuing into December. "News of an American consortium's interest may well serve as a catalyst for other interested parties to come forward, but I'm told they are in pole position. "Any buyer takes on a club with a reputation for being well run and with three years of parachute payments due. With prices often over inflated in the Premier League, a cut price deal for a Championship club with Premier League pedigree in the past could prove a smart investment." So why the fook are we not getting investers when we are the best by miles for making serious cash in the future. Massive fan-base, one team city, history, worldwide renown. I'll tell you why: we have been raped by Bates and have no ground or training facilities. Reading have those thinks and at least £36m more to come in parachute payments.
We paid our debts. Nobody has lost out to us. Unless I am mistaken, I do not recall points deductions for going into admin. I don't agree in supporting teams from other cities so why would i support Leeds.
