When you say that there is a bit of justification for it but there are much better, more effective methods.
What would you say would be more effective? We obviously rattled him with the protests earlier in the season, but even some of our own fans who for some reason think he's a good Chairman laughed at our efforts, as did he. Protesting is a good outlet for our anger, and might get the media to heap some pressure on him, but it's not as direct as trying to get at the root of the problem, which is the old scumbag himself.
sorry, couldn't say for sure. i'm only going on what i've been told and haven't seen the figures myself. i don't think it makes a killing but certainly it is doing better than i would have predicted, although i'm not alone in thinking the money would have been better spent on accommodating some more fans rather than tourists, seeing as we sell out every week.
The differences between the two hotel schemes are quite stark. Yours cost 9m quid and was built on its own - ours will cost between 70-90m in a scheme which will also include leisure developments which won't make any money. Yours is run by InterContinental Hotels (who run Holiday Inn), and their average British hotel makes about 1.2m profit a year. Still not a great margin. We don't know who will even be interested in ours yet. Yours has 150 rooms, ours will have 350. Half of yours have pitchside views and are actually affixed to the stadium, none of ours will be. Yours is a short walk from the city centre and in a nice area, ours is a driving distance and in a red-brick dystopia. Even if the hotel does make 1.2m a year at Elland Road (and it sure as hell won't!) it will take absolutely years to recoup even a measly profit.
I read a report that said most of Norwich's revenue which wasn't from the usual sources (TV, tickets, merchandise) actually came from Delia's catering and banqueting, so I don't think the 150-room hotel will really give you that much of a financial advantage. Like I say, Chelsea, Sheff Utd and Bolton can't do it, so I doubt Inept Leeds can either.
i've been to elland road a couple of times - even seen us relegated there - so i know the area a bit. maybe he is trying to regenerate the area, a bit like what man city are doing at eastlands but on a much grander scale of course! who knows.
He's literally just bolting a hotel, a mall and a nightclub onto the East Stand. This is how it will look as a best case scenario! Tell me this is regeneration!
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Degeneration more like.
seems pretty pointless to me as what leeds really need is a new stadium. no offence, but entering elland road is like entering a time warp.
I think our fans appreciate that Elland Road's an old-fashioned stadium, and we're the sort of fans that enjoy history and atmosphere rather than crusading against it like Reading, Doncaster or Leicester. Thing is, the stadium has practically unlimited potential for expansion and redevelopment - we could have a 100,000 seater Elland Road if we wanted one, as long as no-one buys up the council's land around the stadium and builds on it (and frankly, they won't because they're not as stupid as Bates in thinking property development in Beeston equals profits!) I wouldn't mind someone modernizing Elland Road and making it more presentable, just not with money that the fans generate for the manager to use. Use outside finance if you have to, but get your priorities right. Team first, stadium second. I'd also suggest we should rebuy our stadium and training ground before we make improvements to them. Or even just put the money in a pot for that purpose. Waaaaay more important than this bullshit.
i'm not defending the man - i can't stand him - but i do think it is inevitable that bates will be cast as a bad guy by leeds fans for numerous reasons, but with all due respect, i very much doubt you would have a club to support were it not for him.
Every bad chairman and corrupt politician makes this claim: "I've saved you". Like that should engender some sort of eternal loyalty. Bates does the same. But it doesn't give him carte blanche to wreck our football club and make our lives miseries. He should have moved out long ago when it became clear that he's incompetent, self-serving and more than anything, just hates the fans of Leeds United. He said he wanted our club to die in the 80s. He's doing a bloody good job of making it happen.
