just found this little gem on truelad (no idea if any of you have ever been on it before!) 'Mate of mine at work is a massive Leeds United fan, unfortunately he also has a muscle wastage disease called Muscular Dystrophy, which will end up being terminal. Despite this, he is still the most upbeat, optimistic LAD you could ever meet. He was asked to write an article for a Leeds Utd blog about being passionate and going to games despite having a terminal disease, the club got hold of it, and about an hour ago my mate got a call from club chairman Ken Bates himself saying that he loved it, he's going to '****ing pin it to the changing room door for the players to ****ing see passion', then made my mate and his wife life members of the club, and offered him to be guest of honour at any match of his choice next year. So pleased for the LAD. KenBatesLAD StayingPositiveDespiteAdversityLAD' nice to see that for all his alarming faults, he's not entirely evil.
but he won't arrange transport for the 700 year old man who's been going to Elland Road since before Jesus was born.
it's a case of trying to guilt trip the players because bates puts the blame of the past season on the players lack of passion, which initially comes from the "not really bothered about football" attitude from above. He's a massive hypocrite, he's constantly suggesting players get far more than they are worth and constantly blames them for the failings of Leeds for not putting the effort in to earn their money, yet it was him that sealed the deal that saw the massive cash injection into English football in the first place. It was greed that lead to that deal and he seems bitter that it all ended up going to the players, which in sport is more than predictable. Call me cynical all you want, I can't see this as anything other than bates trying to shift blame again. He's not made any effort for the old man who can't get to Elland Road anymore because it takes him two buses and his arthritis has made it too difficult, so what's the difference here?
I didn't know about the elderly man that couldn't make it to games, sorry. Just liked the story tbh. Guess I'd like to think he's done something relatively nice without looking for ulterior meanings all the time...
kiwi - everyone has "some" good in them. Even Hitler set up the Volkswagen company and turned round a country that was dead on its knees and with little confidence into a race that was able to believe in itself (even if it was bad beliefs). Bates has a philosophy for LUFC that I purely and simply disagree with. I think it will put our club in jeopardy, while he keeps pulling the wool over people's eyes by telling them that something is happening that isn't. That is my opinion on it. It doesn't mean he is a generally bad person 100% of the time. But I do believe in the end he will be proven to have been genuinely bad for LUFC.
The important part of this story is not Bates' involvement, it's the heroic writer, Martin Hywood. You will be impressed if you read, and possibly have a lump in your throat .... http://rightinthegarykellys.com/2012/05/11/my-love-for-leeds-united-not-your-average-fans-story/
You're dead right, I've a serious lump in my throat after reading that. It's remarkable, the trivial stuff we consider important, it's all bullshit compared to what this guy is going through. Well done Bates too cos if that article doesn't motivate a player, he must be totally ****
It's not Bates' role to motivate the players, not his role to decide they aren't motivated enough. That's the job of the manager and the responsibility of the player. Bates is the chairman. If he wants to undermine the manager and some of you lot are happy with that, so be it
to me it just stinks of "they aren't doing what I pay them for" and he's getting arsey and shifting blame. The hypocrisy is just sickening.
like I said Eire, it's all very well praising him for this but where's the same treatment for the old man who can't make it to Elland Road any more? Why aren't the club arranging transport for him? Little things like this would get so many fans on board, show the club cares about the fans.
Fair play to Ken for calling the lad up personally, I like the human touch in the way he did it himself. PS: Marko, its starting to wear me out, leave of the gloom until we are given a reason for it please.
You don't get it Marko, do you? Do you ever get out? There are loads of little old men who can't make it to Elland Rd any more. If you read the link I posted (and I'm being generous in suspecting that you haven't), then you'll see that this guy is in AGONY to follow Leeds, and yet he still does it. Completely sets him apart from your little old man. If you have read the link I posted, then I think there's no hope for you. I despair. You're a heartless bastard who lives on another planet. I can't believe your post. We should be praising this guy, not turning it around to slagging off Bates. There are other emotions other than hate.
And not forgetting Bates' wife phoning him, asking him about the family etc. Very nice personal touch from the woman. She didn't have to do it.
Except the little old man has struggled to get to Elland Road on 2 buses for years and it's finally become too much for him. He's been going for 50 years or something mental and the arthritis he's suffered with for **** knows how long has made it too difficult for him to do it on his own. Keep in mind the bloke in this article does get driven to the ground.
Marko, you have the advantage over us re. your little old man. Haven't heard the story, and a link would be appreciated. However, your heartless side is there for all to see. You can't see that it's a heroic act for Martin to go to ER, 334 miles and gawd knows how many hours, all of it in terrible agony. And instead of making a positive remark, all you can do is attack Bates once again. Then ask us to keep in mind that Martin gets driven to ER - does that stop the pain for him??? Sick bastard. You really do need treatment. You're just a selfish **** that can only think of himself and his psychotic hatred of Bates. Your obsession has stripped away your humanity.
Of course it's heroic, it's ****ing beautiful and heartwarming. I am just in a ****ing furious state with regards to the club and it's going to take more than this to repair the damage. I am sceptical about everyone jamming their noses between bates buttcheeks over this when the little old man who can't go to Elland Road any more (meaning the club is MISSING OUT ON HIS SEASON TICKET MONEY) doesn't get the same treatment. It was all over the YEP a couple of weeks ago, I'm too tired and lazy to dig up the article but I think it's just a case of you missing it, it was a quite well circulated story. The story is beautiful and should humble us all, but what it will not do is make me rethink my decision to avoid matches at all costs until I don't feel like I'm getting shafted, and what it will not do is make me think the actions of bates are anything other than a publicity stunt for a failing business.
Marko, honestly, this is a new low dude. You fail to understand what is happening I feel. Just because he won't do the same for this 'little old man' makes this not worth mentioning does it? Even if he did do the same for the 'little old man' (which i might mention I havn't heard about this story either) you would still find fault in that as well. Its just something for you to complain about, you look only for things to complain about and disregard everything else, give credit where credit is due for **** sake. Even if there is a twist (which I don't believe there is one bit) its still hugely helped this guy out no end and is still doing good
Whether or not my motives are justified, I refuse to give any credit to ken bates. Giving credit to him for things like this would give me a false impression that he has any humanity, only for me to be later disappointed when he shafts us, again. I have just told you I think the story is beautiful but on principle I can't get behind what the club has done because I just think, considering the timing and that they just ignored the other very relevant "fan with boundless passion" story that came up just the other week, it's just... I don't even know any more. Why ignore one and not the other?
