Good Morning Everyone Great article by Phil Hay discussing the once 'state of the art' Thorp Arch, and a possible move back to Fullerton Park - well it would be a hell of a lot closer. What could go wrong? Thorp Arch was once cast as Leeds United’s forever home: a revolutionary, state-of-the-art concept and the envy of most English clubs. Howard Wilkinson insisted on excellence when he drove the construction of the club’s training ground and established a new standard for coaching facilities. It occurs, though, that Thorp Arch is approaching its 25th year and, for a variety of reasons, is no longer the benchmark complex it used to be. Training grounds are catching up or have overtaken it, a wall of investment in which Manchester City’s Eastlands development supersedes everything. The proposals put forward on Tuesday by Leeds City Council for the regeneration of land around Elland Road has shades of Eastlands and its executive report is explicit in saying that Leeds are ready to embrace a new city-centre base. Visionary former Leeds United manager, Howard Wilkinson. Thorp Arch has suffered in the Football League years, denied significant upgrades until GFH installed drainage in 2013 and United chairman Andrea Radrizzani threw money at cosmetic improvements this summer, but the club’s rationale for relocating is more nuanced. According to the council’s report, Leeds see a training base near Wetherby – almost 20 miles outside the city – as “a barrier” to developing “the best of Leeds’ inner-city young talent” and the cause of a “disconnect between the first team and the community they represent.” No less significantly, Thorp Arch is a rented facility and has been since 2004 when Leeds, after relegation from the Premier League, raised £4.2m by selling it. By the end of their lease in 2029 the club would be paying over £1m a year to use the complex, owing to a deal which increases their rent annually. The current cost is around £700,000. The property belongs to Jacob Adler, the Manchester business who sold Elland Road back to Leeds and Radrizzani for £20m in June. Adler relinquished the stadium with reluctance, challenging the legality of Leeds’ buy-back clause, but was powerless to prevent Radrizzani’s purchase. Thorp Arch was previously subject to a buy-back provision but only until 2009 and Leeds’ failure to raise £6m before its expiry tied the hands of future owners. The land is worth significantly more on the open market and Adler is under no obligation to sell. At present Leeds’ academy holds category two status, the second-highest grade under the Premier League’s Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP), and the council’s report states that the cost of leasing Thorp Arch leaves the club “unable to deliver new training facilities to category one status.” Before relocating, Leeds would need to find a way of breaking their binding arrangement with Adler, something which is understood to have been tentatively discussed while Radrizzani was in the process of buying Elland Road. The plush grass of Thorp Arch might look ripe for re-development but the playing fields are protected by Sport England and the council says it would declare the site Green Belt land if United decide to leave. Two areas in central Leeds have been earmarked for redevelopment: the former site of Matthew Murray High School in Holbeck, which closed in 2006 and has been empty since the school’s demolition, and Fullarton Park next to Elland Road. Fullerton Park served for years as Leeds’ training ground, prior to the opening of Thorp Arch in 1994. Fullerton Park car park. United want the Matthew Murray site to house a new training complex for their first-team and academy squads, bringing their youth development scheme up to scratch and creating a “world class, state of the art category 1 facility”. Their stated aim implies that they are planning a long-term commitment to academy football and will avoid following Huddersfield Town or Brentford in disbanding lower age groups. Radrizzani said at the time of his buy-out of former Leeds owner Massimo Cellino in May that he aimed to improve the landscape around the club’s stadium as part of a scheme he called ‘Elland Road 2020’. He admitted then that leaving Thorp Arch might be necessary and council report talks of United establishing “a brand and a business model that can sustain top-eight Premier League finishes for the long term.” Among the intended facilities is a dedicated matchday pitch for their junior sides. The proposal for Fullerton Park involves the creation of a ‘community sports village’, providing a base for the Leeds United Foundation, United’s charitable arm, and facilities for week-night training. The council wants additional indoor facilities to help “reach across other sporting codes...including rugby as well as providing for local basketball and netball teams.” Its executive report reflects that in a decade of regeneration in Leeds, United have “been in a state of flux”. The council says the club’s stagnant state has “undoubtedly negatively impacted global awareness for the city, international inward investment for the region and ultimately civic pride.” Leeds for their part believe the Elland Road site is “not fitting of a Premier League stadium” and of no commercial or social use outside of match days. It suits both sides to consider ways to overhaul the area. The project, should it go ahead, is a major undertaking but the council wants to deliver both a new training ground and community sports village by 2020. It is proposing the arrangement of a 99-year lease with Leeds for both facilities. The report does not touch on the subject of funding and there are other complications. Councillors in the Holbeck ward favour a sale of the Matthew Murray site for private housing. The construction of a training ground there would see Leeds acquire two playing fields from Ingram Road Primary School, though the council insists the school is “supportive” of the plan and “believe there to be benefits to them.” Concerns have also been raised about parking and transport infrastructure and the report called for a strategy which would “need to be agreed with key stakeholders to include the police, local residents and businesses.” The council’s board will vote next Wednesday, October 18, on whether to approve the recommendations and open formal discussions with United.
Off topic, but interesting... Illegal immigrants who survived Grenfell Tower fire will not be deported, Government announces please log in to view this image The In a written statement, immigration minister Brandon Lewis said illegal immigrants caught up in the tragedy would now be entitled to settle in Britain, after initially being granted a 12-month amnesty earlier this year. Relatives of survivors who entered the country in the aftermath of the fire will also be granted an extension in their residency to six months, to allow them time to arrange funerals. The devastating blaze ripped through the west London high-rise on 14 June killing around 80 people and leaving hundreds more homeless. Illegal immigrants who lived in the block were reportedly reluctant to come forward to access services in the weeks afterwards for fear of being deported, prompting the Government to grant a year’s amnesty. But today the Home Office announced that would be extended. Mr Lewis said: “those who qualify for leave to remain under the Grenfell immigration policy for survivors will now be provided with a route to permanent settlement in the UK. “Eligible individuals, who have already come forward or do so by 30 November 2017, will be granted an initial 12 months’ limited leave which will be extendable and lead to permanent residence after a total period of five years’ leave granted under the policy, subject to meeting security, criminality and fraud checks.” He added that relatives would get “6 months’ leave in order to provide a short period of support to a survivor or to arrange the funeral of a family member". An inquiry into the fire is now underway, headed by retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick who has said he will produce the first report by Easter 2018.
Hamburg have left the door open for on-loan Leeds United striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga to fight his way back into their future plans by admitting an impressive season at Elland Road could earn him a second chance in Germany. Jens Todt, Hamburg’s sporting director, said Lasogga’s prospects at Hamburg were likely to improve next summer if a year at Elland Road gave the 25-year-old “fresh self-confidence”. Lasogga moved to Elland Road on a season-long loan in August after being told that he would not feature in the plans of Hamburg head coach Markus Gisdol. As many as four strikers are in front of Lasogga at the Volksparkstadion and Hamburg’s insistence on moving Lasogga on saw them agree to subsidise around 75 per cent of his salary as part of their deal with Leeds.
Sky Sports have made the sensational prediction that Leeds United will win the Championship title this season. The stats-based Sky Sports predictor has forecast that the Yorkshire giants will end their 14-year spell in the lower leagues and return to the Premier League as champions. The broadcaster has used a prediction system called Elo, which judges the club’s form, their opponents and their performances in previous seasons, to predict the likelihood of where each Championship side will finish. Leeds have been named at the top of the pile, with an 18 per cent chance of finishing as champions, ahead of Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday on 12 per cent. please log in to view this image
Leeds United are reportedly interested in adding Huddersfield Town ace Scott Malone to their squad in the January transfer window, according to Clubcall. The left-back has found himself on the fringes of David Wagner’s side at the John Smith’s Stadium this season, which has opened up the possibility of a move away from the Premier League outfit. The left side of the defence has been a position Leeds have struggled with since Charlie Taylor left for Burnley in the summer. They have been trialling Vurnon Anita there to little effect while Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, brought in on loan from Manchester United, has not had much of an impact either. Malone is no strangers to the Championship having had extremely successful spells in the division with Millwall, Cardiff City and Fulham over the previous five campaigns, form which led to him being signed by Huddersfield in July. The England under-19 international started both matches in the Carabao Cup for the Terriers this season, and has also been used as a substitute twice in the Premier League, but as yet he has not been able to nail down a play in the first team under Wagner. Thomas Christiansen oversaw a large overhaul of his squad in the summer, and with Leeds showing an upturn in form and looking to challenge for promotion from the Championship, he may well look to strengthen further in January with the 25-year-old appearing to be someone he is targeting. Before then though, the Dane will be looking to address a mini-slump in form for the Whites, when they return to action after the international break this weekend.
That must be some very strange formula they are using. Not even sniffer and billy can think thats right? Anyone agree with their prediction?
Good Morning to Matt and co from a slightly sunny Bardsey Thanks for all that information this morning Matt you must have been up with WJ into the early hours to compile all that information . I will add that Danny Rose is about to be sold to MU for £45m we will receive a very nice payout of wait for it.........£6.75m! AR deserves this for the way he is tackling a club that had almost died if shame run by a load of cowboys and wide boys.I for one look forward to the future because whatever the doomsters say we now have a blue print for a very bright future indeed.M.O.T
I think that this is a ploy to up the ante next season by getting Leeds to pay out more money on his salary lets face it it makes sense but from what I read they don't want him back!
Scott Malone was signed by Town for £4m at the end of last season having had a very successful spell at Fulham .We are initially talking of loaning him but with the Rose money we could buy him .He is 26 so the right age
Nice that a big club is willing to help their little neighbours out maybe they'll send you some more of their cast offs
Hope we say thanks,not like you ungrateful fookers,the amount of times we've saved you from Kandol to morison
When the second referendum happens there wont be a problem then. Great cast Matt Leave.Eu were the lot that put the £350mill to the NHS on the side of the bus (scapegoated for it/ UKIP and the Tory nut jobs were all part of the lie). On the basis that not one penny will go to the NHS you know how accurate this poll is don't you.
Nah, they're cutting their wage bill in readiness for the drop. If your mob did any forward planning, you'd realise that it's the right time for you to do the same & pay off some of your plumbers etc.? Our forward planning is so good that we've not only got our signing list sorted for our promotion to the PL, we've even got one for the Champions League the following year. <guess I should insert a 'whistle' emoticon here too, eh? >
we had Malone when he was good and on the way up in his career will be sad to see him fall so low so soon
I am only shocked that your obvious but inaccurate response took so long to appear. Your bait is ****, have you considered buying something fresher?
