I just don't understand how anyone can read that and your first reaction be 'oh well, Bates is still a ****' etc I posted it purely on the basis that Martin is an absolute hero in my book, and Bates has accepted this quite willingly. I don't want this to change your views on Bates and the club as a whole, and I'm sick and tired of getting in arguments about him - we KNOW he's no good for the club, just accept the story for what it is - a heroic effort by a man in complete agony his entire life to support the team we all love.
talking to Martin yesterday and he said he received a letter from Shaun Harvey, then a phonecall from Bates then one from Susannah Bates asking how he was.
I've stayed silent on this for a while, but I'm ready to say what I think. I read this article a while, and this guy is an absolute hero, and what he got from Bates is the least he deserves. However, I can't look past this being a publicity stunt over a well circulated article to draw exactly the reaction it's got on this thread. I have no doubt Bates has some good in him, and I often hear he's a nice guy in person, but he's a (bad) businessman first, and I think he's seen this as an opportunity to win the fans over, which he should be doing by backing Warnock. This should be standard treatment for fans like this.
Agree that this should be standard treatment. Tbh, I don't think Bates was behind it being made public in any way. In fact, Kissa & Pags had more to do with that! If, somehow, Bates was trying to win me over, he failed. And will continue to fail until he leaves. I don't think anyone is fooled, if indeed that was his intention. I have no idea. All that concerns me is that we have a story about a hero, and all we've got on this thread is the usual unremitting Bates abuse. Do all of our threads have to be tainted in this way? As my Granny used to say: "There's a time and a place for everything", and this wasn't it!
All the best to the poor lad, hope Bates will put his money where his mouth is and make Leeds United a club that will bring him some happiness rather than the misery he's been driven to in writing this letter due to Bates' seven years of failure. But come on, "KenBatesLAD"? Bates telling the average players he signed to 'show passion'? Do me a favour. It's insulting to all Leeds fans, the lad who wrote the letter included.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who shares the idea that this is a publicity stunt by bates to try and get the fans on board. The pinning of it in the dressing room and handing a copy to the manager and the players is just a case of him shifting blame before we've even got started. It's a sad state of affairs when a man is so horrible that we can't see past an act of kindness on his part being anything other than a PR stunt or a means of shifting blame from himself. But that is the kind of man he is.
For fcuk's sake Marko, can't you just shut the fcuk up? You're really pissing off a number of people with your obsessive and at times inappropriate (like this thread, for instance!) rantings. Why can't you just wash your hands a dozen times like all other OCD sufferers. Why has it got to be a dozen rantings per thread? Fcuking moron. Yes, Bates was right about you.
whitejock, stick it up your ****ing ass. I don't give a flying **** what you think. I'm not the only one on this thread making the EXACT SAME POINT AS ME, you're just having a go at me because you like to have a go at me. If you don't like it, **** OFF.
Wow. I've not read any of the stories but I am reading the posts here, AND GUESS WHAT - IT STINKS OF HYPOCRISY Marko is not showing the slightest shred of heartlessness against the guy. You are bang out of ****ing order with your **** straw-man arguments solely used to castigate a member of this forum because you disagree with his anti-Bates stance. Marko is not anti-the-guy who is in pain. It just shows how low you will go that you insinuate he is.
My opinion is the same from the other side, but you will most likely dismiss it as heartlessness or being pessimistic or anything else to ensure you don't have to admit that the fat old **** has an ulterior motive. I can't believe anyone would read this and their first reaction would be "ah, I guess bates isn't a **** after all!".
Wow WhiteJock, you need to lay off the White Lightning. Bang out of order and bang out of left field.
I don't dismiss it as heartlessness, I'd just like, for once, to look at it and think 'wow, there's a genuinely incredible man and an unbelievable story' without hinting at ulterior motives which may or may not be there. My first reaction wasn't 'ah, I guess bates isn't a **** after all!' - I'm sure he's a nice guy in person, but he's not really doing us alot of good, we KNOW that. It's just nice to know he's not as vituperative as some of you make him out to be. I just like looking at that story and thinking good things - even if that does include Bates.
For me it was a nice story until the "I'm going to pin it to the dressing room door". That was a cheap jab at the players.
See, that's understandable. Personally I think the players needed a bit more passion last year, but I can see where you're coming from on that one.
