Foot in mouth pete's been at it again on the radio .... http://lwmyd.tumblr.com/post/21706694958/peter-lorimer-supporters-trust-leeds
I read about this on twitter but couldnt find a link to the interview to post (probably because I was using my phone) So to clarify, Lorimer is saying theres no future for LUST & the club wont work with them at all? Sorry cant listen to the link at work. Be interesting to see Cozers response
"no that's never worked" nope. The entire German League is in complete disarray because the clubs are forced to have 50% fan ownership. Those bastards!
It's an interesting question though, if taken in a historic context (and frankly, Peter is neolithic). Back in the 70s and 80s and 90s, there was no internet to allow supporters to connect to each other 24 hours a day and discuss every aspect Leeds United. Back in those days, was it just simpler? Supporters just supported (or rioted), and bitching about the team and the owners/chairman took place down the pub and ended with a shrug, "what can you do?" The nearest you came to being part of a group was by joining your local Supporter's Club and taking the coach with all your fellow supporters to matches, singing along with the local compere. Arriving at a local pub 3 hours before kick off was also part of the day. But that was as far as it went. And that is probably as far as Lorimer is prepared to understand it, Bates and Harvey too. But they are living in the past. The world changes. Communication has changed. The power of social media has helped people to topple their countries' regimes - Tunisia, Libya, Egypt - and further disruptions are takingt place - Syria, Bahrain, Iran. If Galloway is to be believed, Bradford will be next. Even FIFA and UEFA have developed, taking into account change, and they propose that supporters' trusts should be part of the model football club. There is an attempt to do that at LUFC, and to work with the club, but there is complete antagonism towards the Supporter's Trust. Our problem is that people do not put their money where their mouth is. Or rather, supporters continue to give money and backing to Bates and this directly prevents the development of a community club, for and on behalf of the community of Leeds, where the people of Leeds can be proud of their home club, and feel prooud to purchase its products and make it successful. The only way to do that is for the people at the top to have respect for the supporters. They do not have this. For the long-term good of Leeds United, stop giving Bates and Harvey your money. Get them out of our club by strangling their financial reason for being there. And get Lorimer out too. He can live on in video and in books as a great player. In the same way that the O'Leary and Ridsdale era is blanked out in the pre-match videos on the big screen, the Bates, Harvey and Lorimer era should be assigned to the wastebin as soon as we have got rid of them. And "we" is how they will be got rid of, but only if the unthinking pro-regime idiots start understanding the harm they cause by backing these tyrants.
@666 excellent point well made!! Ignoring the power of social media is either very naive or just plain stupid, and Lorimer and Harvey certainly fall into the latter category. Personally I am not going to any more games home OR away, I will not renew my membership, LUTV subscription or Matchday Programme subscription, I don't stop at the club shop anymore where I used to find it easy to spend £50 on any crap with a Leeds United logo on....no more money to Leeds United until the club takes its supporters seriously and also provides a proper team on the pitch. Bates will only react favourably if the money dries up, much like any other dictator. Once the army realised that the downtrodden are in ascendancy, the regime topples as has been clearly proven in recent years. Football clubs are no different, and one thing is a certainty, chairmen, managers and players come and go but the fans are forever. We are the lifeblood of the club, and the club can't exist without us.
I'm now getting a little embarrassed that I gave in and renewed my season ticket. I wish I had the resolve that a lot of you guys have. My only defence is that I'm an addict, and I can't help myself. Perhaps if LUST could organise a concerted boycott next season (if required), I might be convinced that we'll see a swift reaction from Bates & co (I suspect if we continue to trickle away, there may be a long and lingering death).
I want another protest before the game on Saturday but I think there's not enough time to organise it.
Whitejock - don't worry about it. A further year of total dross next season, flirting with relegation, promises of explosions of activity and seeing nothing, and then a demand for a renewal at 10% increased prices by mid-January might persuade you next year, and then when the next accounts show we have lost up to £5m, the signals from bates may well be different
I nearly did it this year, but bottled it. Missed out on the really cheap renewal. Cost me £70 or so to piss Bates off, and was probably just cutting off my nose to spite my face. I'd love it id LUST could help organise a huge chunk of season ticket holders to act in concert next year if things are still so bad. I'm absolutely convinced that Bates would get chatty if a petition of several thousand ticket holders was presented to him, indicating that they were to boycott ER. Hell slap it in to him if he ignored it. Another reason for wavering is that my plan B was to get another Partick Thisle season ticket, and take by punshment (bigstyle!!) up there until things improved down here.
I was thinking a proper protest outside the ground as well. I'd imagine there'll be some bates out up there to really piss off all the corporates up there.
If the numbers are right, Saturday is the last game for 3000 season ticket holders for a while so a large number may be more willing to voice their opinions Problem is the season has been so dire and there is nothing on the game that few may be in the mood for protesting, they'd rather cheer every Beckford touch and sing about his goal at Man U. That would annoy the corporates the most, the fact that LUFC fans are not even singing to one of their own players If the top shelf is open, I very much doubt it has been sold out, and I doubt if there will be stewards preventing people going up there. L37 is where the party with LUST is - and there won't be enough stewards to do anything about 1000 fans singing and dancing.
What arrogant rubbish!!! 20 - 30 million pounds!! How much does he think supporters have put into the club? About that every single season!
and bates hasn't put that in. He's taken it out, but he hasn't put it in. If there was investment coming in from him then we wouldn't have to cut down our wage bill to accommodate his vanity projects. Instead we're paying for them and his legal costs.
True, as best I can recall, the club was bought for 10 million of which he had 50%. Am I correct? If so that's it, he has put 5 million in.
5 million in 7 years, ye that's a lot of money! definitely gives you more say than presumably about £100 million of fans money.
