Saturday 30 June 2012

Leeds Fans Jumping The Take Over Gun

The excitement is understandable. After so many years in the doldrums on the Bad Ship Bates, there's bound to be unbridled joy at the prospect of a take over, especially when the magic words "Middle Eastern Investor" is thrown into the mix. Suddenly, inevitably, thoughts turn to Manchester City and the Etihad, with flat capped whippet owners dreaming of tabling £50m bids for the best talent around.

The cockiness knows no limits. We are Leeds. Let's all have a disco. Everybody hates us and we don't care. It's hard to sustain even a tiny flicker of sympathy or affection when you read the revolting arrogance being posted all over the web. But we know all about that at West Ham. We came over all West End when the merchant bankers from Iceland bought the club but look how that ended up!

The trouble for Leeds is that, Middle Eastern investors or not, they are in the Championship. Even if they have £50m to invest in a player, a £50m player aint going to join Leeds in the Championship, so immediately they are chasing scraps and cast offs.

And as we discovered when suddenly flush with cash, when selling clubs know you have money to burn, they double the price and add some. And given you are buying second rate anyway, the inflated fee carries no guarantee of success. Look at Dyer, Ljungberg, Quashie, Boa-Morte, Davenport and Faubert!

Want a more recent parallel that's a little closer to home? Look at Warnock's "capture" of Wright-Phillips, Anton, Dyer and Barton!

There seems to be an assumption that Leeds will now be unstoppable, that the Premiership is on the horizon, that Europe is only a couple of seasons away.

Well the owners of QPR are worth a bob or two between them, and they only narrowly missed the drop last season. Look at what Liverpool have spent to achieve mediocrity. West Ham were the big money bully boys of the Championship last season but needed the playoffs to get up.

Of course the take over, assuming it happens, is positive news but Leeds fans should rein back expectations. If the Forest takeover happens too - and that looks more advanced than the Leeds buy out - then there will be two Championship clubs chasing the same limited pool of players, further inflating prices and wages as they compete with each other.

And as we discovered last season, when you are the big fish in a small pond, everybody wants to beat you. Look at how Leeds raised their game when they came to Upton Park and hosted West Ham. Biggest gate of the season at Elland Road? They came to watch the might of West Ham United, the club of Moore, Hurst, Peters and Brooking! It was so much easier for the likes of Southampton and Reading as they were treated as just another team and the atmosphere, in consequence was less intense.

Then there is the danger of a divided dressing room. We experienced that under Turds, with the big money signings on massively inflated salaries, feeding resentment amongst the crude mechanicals living off of salary scraps, with contracts negotiated in advance of the merchant bankers' arrival.

And finally there is that weight of expectation. Our home form last season was dreadful because the opposition set up to frustrate and fifteen minutes in, the home crowd were voicing frustration. As each minute ticked past, so the frustration of the crowd increased, feeding the desperation of the players. You could see our players wilting under the pressure and the opposition growing in confidence minute by minute.

So Leeds fans should calm down and show a degree of humility. The more cocky they become, the more likely they are to end up with a bloody nose. Yes smile but gloating is going too far because the rest of the division, no the rest of foootball, will love it, really love it if Leeds stumble and if the take over gun shoots them in the foot!

80 comments:

Anonymous said...

every team we have played for the last 7 years have raised there game!!! so your comments are as usual a load of crap! m.o.t

Anonymous said...

you are a sad and bitter individual.
why wouldnt leeds fans be over the moon at a possible takeover.
Your just jealous that Wet Spam will never be as big as the mighty whites

Anonymous said...

Leeds are and always will be a bigger club than West Ham premiership or not. Ultimately that's your problem. How does it feel being the 5th biggest club in London?

Hammersfan said...

1124 Man Utd didn't! And neither did we! "It's only Leeds" was our attitude and you still couldn't beat us!

And tell me, what have you achieved over the last seven years? So your observation vindicates my point, does it not? Of course, if you are happy finishing mid table, fair enough, you are right!

Anonymous said...

You mean fuck all to us

Anonymous said...

IT IS A SATURDAY !
GET OUT OF YOUR HOUS!
AND GET A LIFE

Anonymous said...

You sound like Keenan you chump

Anonymous said...

Who is gloating?? We all know it hasn't even gone through yet and there is no confirmation that it is a takeover. We've had too many disappointments over the last 7-8 years and know never to expect Leeds to do it the easy way. How about concentrating on your own team? MOT

Anonymous said...

I don't agree with a lot of your posts, I do however enjoy reading them. But on this occasion I do agree.
Money is no guarantee for success , leicster being the prime example , spending 5million on the likes of Matt mills , who they now aparently want to offload.
The difference with our club this time though , I believe , is Warnock , he will bring players in who will play for him and players who will have the nouse to get Leeds up.
What ever happens the Coming season promises to be an interesting one

Hammersfan said...

LOL Who is gloating? Read the Leeds comments on here! Off to the beach guys, will post your "Angry from Leeds" rants later!

Anonymous said...

after all the shit weve been through the last 10 years you cant blame us being a bit carried away. its not being cocky, more optimistic.i think theres some jealousy on your part.no shadow of doubt, leeds are sleeping giants. heres hoping the take over wakes him up. mot.

Anonymous said...

scraps or no scraps our manager dont throw silly money away at crap like yours. warnock spent little on a team destined for league 1 and took them to the prem. you spent about 20 times what he did at getting back. i feel fairly confident that whoever our boss wants he will get but like every other northener he knows what he is doin with his cash. good luck with relegation

Anonymous said...

lol bless you, with any luck we will pass you on our way back down lol

Anonymous said...

Yes, have a break from your "Angry from West Ham " rants. Talk about pot calling the kettle black. Let it go and stop worrying about little old Leeds.

Anonymous said...

Why don't you do something more productive with your life instead of writiing about your obsession with us.. I haven't seen one fan say we will be in Europe in a couple of seasons..

Anonymous said...

Off to stare at the kids on the beach are ya ? Bubble bum gimp .

Leeds Mick said...

Ha ha ha,who's a little bit jel? You've got nothing to look forward to anymore. Your shitty little club will never be in contention for any trophies,even the F,A Cup is out of your reach now. Oh and while you're drawing parellels,look what happened to Birmingham city in the aftermath of the 2 dirty old men who destroyed them. Your club are dinosaurs crapping on about the olden days. W,Ham only exist as a team to make the numbers up and as a community initiative to give respite to the families and carers of the deluded and confused on a saturday afternoon.

Anonymous said...

Get some buttons sewn on ya coat , ya chas and dave listening dog fiddler .

Anonymous said...

Bore off middle aged loner.

Anonymous said...

''might of West Ham" ha! Your a funny guy Hammersfan, funny guy. Otherwise some fair points in their even if they were put over in that pathetic antagonistic manner preying on the simpletons that you've grown so accustomed. Can't believe you still get off on this s""t.

Anonymous said...

How many seasons has it taken Leeds to get back into the prem?

Oh! I forget, thay are not in the prem, are they!... Big club, my ar*se.

Anonymous said...

How can the Forest takeover be further on than ours when we announced the exclusivity period first, do your research d1ckhead

nif said...

Good Article, wise words.

Leeds fan

Anonymous said...

What have we achieved well for starters we got to the semi final of the JPT

Anonymous said...

Boyfriend waiting?

Unknown said...

We are Leeds. Let's all have a disco. Everybody hates us and we don't care

Unknown said...

We are Leeds. Let's all have a disco. Everybody hates us and we don't care

Anonymous said...

Were billionaires WERE BILLIONAIRES WERE LEEDS UNITED WERE BILLIONAIRES WERE BILLIONAIRES WERE LEEDS UNITED WERE BILLIONAIRES WERE BILLIONAIRE WERE BILLIONAIRE WERE LEEDS UNITED WERE BILLIONAIRES.

Anonymous said...

I dont like West Ham, you or your blogging all the time about Leeds. Howver I have to agree with you for once.

Far too many Leeds fan are counting their chickens way before they hatch. They are very few oil rich arabs willing to pump stupid amounts of money into a football club. Even QPR for their riches took 5 years to get into the prem. even then like you say just avoided the drop last season.

I think we should see who the new owners are and how they spend money before we start shouting about what a big club we are and how were gonna take on europe again!

At least banks wont lend us money at the money so any money spent will have to be their own lol

Kevin in Cebu said...

You really are negative towards us. Why? Maybe an inferiority complex or you were bullied at school by a Leeds fan. Pretty rich, the accusation about "our" arrogance, particularly from a Londoner! I suggest you pick on somebody that is smaller than you. Start in the Football Conferance league maybe!!!

Anonymous said...

Lets hope you drown and your body floats out to sea !!! Twathead

Anonymous said...

I think the writer fails to understand, or wants to bury his head in the sand and is on self denial, that the difference between all the other also rans,and us, is that we are talking about LEEDS, a club with a history, the only reason we are where we are now is because of some tight fisted cockney faggot that doesn't know a good thing when it smacks him in the mush, for the sake of 4 or 5 million we would have been enjoying the high life of the premier league 2 years ago. I doubt any club will be able to hang on to any player once the mighty Leeds are knocking on the door, please feel safe with your own bunch of Sunday League performers as we will be recruiting a different class.
I doubt we will meet up next year as it will be a case of role reversal.

Anonymous said...

Every team needs investment to move foward
difference between leeds and forest and west spam for that matter is LEEDS are a much bigger club and players will fall over themselves to get in the door.

Anonymous said...

‘The cockiness knows no limits. We are Leeds. Let's all have a disco. Everybody hates us and we don't care. It's hard to sustain even a tiny flicker of sympathy or affection when you read the revolting arrogance being posted all over the web.’

The level of schadenfreude knew no limits when we were struggling. Indeed, the rest of football seemed to take delight in standing over the barely twitching corpse of our club when we entered administration in 2007. ‘Oh how the mighty have fallen!’; ‘isn’t it a shame, although let’s face it, that ‘69 side were a weal on the backside of football, eh; an aberration that kicked its way to success.’ The internet was awash with the smug, self-satisfied, feigned sympathy of fans who thought we were finally getting what we deserved.

And through it all, we continued to turn out to watch our team. Even when the rancid, crypto-facsist hobgoblin at the reigns of the club refused to invest in it, and instead poured our money into pointless capital projects; even when he squandered tens thousands on poisonous court cases, and banned members of our supporters’ trust from attending matches, branding them ‘morons’ for having the temerity to speak out against him.

But here’s the thing: last season we had the fourth highest attendance figures in the Championship; the season prior to that, the highest. More than half a million people passed through the Elland Road turnstiles over the course of the 2011-12 season. We’re a big club; we’ve been through a lot, and now it seems someone may actually be tending that light at the end of the tunnel. Is it any wonder we’re excited?

You’re right to suggest we temper our expectations somewhat, and I’ve no doubt some of the crowing from a small section of over-excited fans will rankle, but really, ‘revolting arrogance’? Hyperbole much? I get the distinct impression that for all your talk to the contrary, you quite liked us where we were: penniless, hopeless, and fearing for the future. Well, perhaps not for much longer; and if you and others find that disquieting, then permit me a wry smile.

Promotion or not next season, we’ll see you soon. MOT.

Anonymous said...

You and your like are forever telling us we are "insignificant" "haven't won anything" "nothing special" etc, etc yet you devote all your energies in commenting on our club! I don't think theres anyone who's a Leeds United fan bothering to write a daily blog on the happenings at the oh so mighty Wet Spam. Why? Well thats because you've never really been of any National or World significance. The ironies in what you write will be lost on an insular Londoner, but so far in your blogs you take the rise out of our "arrogance", but fail to see your own. You point out the "dodginess" of Bates' dealings, yet ignore that of the Pimpster that runs your club. Truth is your club is so boring that you yearn to be involved with a club with a great history, (& although the last title was 20 yrs ago what have you won in that time that equals or betters that?) You give your club a terrible image by these postings

Anonymous said...

Some times a well put together blog looks very impressive, but it's content is still complete crap and is blowing bubbles out of his ar*e mot

Wearee said...

You just can't seem to stop talking about us can you? When will you get it into your small little mind that no Leeds fan gives seven shades of shizer what you think and never will because what you think is usually complete and utter bollocks. We don't expect instant success so I don't know where you've got this from, the reason why we're so happy is because we're finally getting that cancer, Ken Bates, out of our club. He has internally destroyed us and every Leeds fan hates him with a passion, so yeah we're excited but next time instead of writing a complete bollocks article about a club that is no way related to you or cares what you think, try find something else to do instead. BATES OUT

Anonymous said...

Every team we have played since we went down has played out of their skin because we are LEEDS so nothing new there.
Regards paying over the odds for players that comes with the territory,I think Warnock having been there with QPR in similar situation is not daft and will know how to handle that.
We are calm collected and ready for what ever comes our way WE ARE LEEDS

Anonymous said...

You are a sad man - your owners have no money and you will be back in the Championship next year.

Anonymous said...

Your blog, as ever, lacks insight, and real critical thought. You just regurgitate other sources with pro west ham sentiments. You anti Leeds sentiment is hardly inspired or hard hitting. However on the plus side, I'm sure if you actually spent some time on it, you might be able to write something worth reading. Good luck, we all believe in you!

Anonymous said...

You sir are a proper bellend, we always sell our away allocation whether it's west ham or west brom. You talk shite please for the sake of football fans across the globe take your closet Leeds bollocks elsewhere

Anonymous said...

Your post are actually quite funny and that's coming from a Leeds fan, but do yourself a favour and go out on a saturday and get drunk and get yourself a shag instead of written a blog on a team you dont support

Anonymous said...

Westham have never been a 'Big Fish' in any pond, always have been and always will be in the shadow of Arsenal or even Millwall. It seems obvious that you are fixated with everything Leeds United; carry on blowwing your bubbles, the have about as much substance as your opinions

Anonymous said...

Haha what a tool, it's not about spending 50million on a player it's about building the team up bit by bit, working ur way to the top

Anonymous said...

F##k off U west ham eejit, we are Leeds and ye'l never be as big. Wer not saying dis takeover is gonna win us the champs league, just excited that instead of letting every player that plays well for us leave for free, we might actually be able to bring in sum quality and actually keep them for a change. And just excited that we mite be challenging to get back to the big time, instead of being the laughing stock of football. That's all we want is a team we can all enjoy watching, playing good football, sumthing ye haven't seen since the days of appy arry. Takeover or no takeover, that's all we want and no matter where it takes us, prem league or Vauxhall conference we'l be there, cause we are Leeds, best supporters in the land and it's about time we had a team to match our wonderful support, just as you'd know urself as your Leeds in disguise.

Anonymous said...

Think that was the point you retard.

David said...

I think you're missing the point.

I don't think many Leeds fans think the way you suggest. I think Leeds fans know that it's unlikely that a club the size of Leeds United would be bought without a definite plan and the cash required to return the club to the Premiership. It's not like buying a smaller club with lower expectations. Our joy is not about 'Europe tomorrow', it's because we know our long term future is likely to be assured, we will very likely be returning to the Premiership in the fairly near future.

Yes, all types of things COULD go wrong but why not wait till they do before making negative comments eh?

Anyway, the clubs for whom it does go wrong are generally those clubs that are given an initial cash injection which can't be sustained every season, and the club isn't often big enough commercially to generate the required funds to sustain their initial success. They end up with a much higher cost base and without the funds to sustain the business after the intial cash injection from new owners.

Leeds is a large one club city and LUFC has a huge and global fan base. If well run, we CAN generate the necessary funds to sustain a successful long term future. The key is 'well run'. In the past we have not been well run by successive owners, my personal joy at this take over is mainly because we will hopefully get a set of owners who know how to run a business for the long term.

Anonymous said...

Of course we're arrogant WE ARE LEEDS we can afford to be we are superior to any team in English football you southern oaf

Anonymous said...

Why are u always goin on about leeds concentrate on your own shitty little club

Anonymous said...

West ham = shit club shit fans!! Millions or not we will always be a bigger club than you and our fans smash yours a thousand times over!! Concentrate on your own shit club jealousy will only make u a bitter nobhead!!... Opps! Sorry u already are!! Haha! MOT!!!!

Anonymous said...

lets just see what happens.fresh investment and Warnocks experience will take us further than recent times.we are a massive one club city with a worldwide following and a history to be proud of.The premiership will be enhanced by our presence,so lets get behind the team,manager and new owners and shout out loud Leeds,Leeds,Leeds.

Anonymous said...

Let's just clarify thing's shall we.
Leeds United-one of the biggest club's in the country,fielded the greatest team ever and will again.
West Ham-not and will never.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you mate I hope we're not jumping the gun...

Hopefully the take over goes trough...

Anonymous said...

I have heard that Sheik Mahat Macoat is a very rich bloke and a Loveley Geezer too - he will pump £millions into Leeds in an attempt to bring them level with the other Yorkshire giants Carnsley and Doncaster!!
Who knows - In 5 years time they might be as big as the 2 Sheffield clubs!!

Anonymous said...

support your own club you sad little man we have and always be a bigger club than west spam a small little team from london MOT

Anonymous said...

go blow some bubbles - out of your arse.

Anonymous said...

I think you got the reaction you wanted, I think you are just jealous and fear lufc because you know we will be back to being a top 4 team in the premiership. As for teams raising there game, we are already used to that, every team we play its their cup final and also their biggest gate of the season. United are coming back. As for whfc always will be a small family club.

Nige Co

Anonymous said...

I think you got the reaction you wanted, I think you are just jealous and fear lufc because you know we will be back to being a top 4 team in the premiership. As for teams raising there game, we are already used to that, every team we play its their cup final and also their biggest gate of the season. United are coming back. As for whfc always will be a small family club.

FISH said...

Interesting post. Having been watching Leeds since 1980 (memorable 3-3 draw v Hammers one of my earliest games!) I am fully used to the fact that a number of Leeds fans can be cocky - they'll be the ones whose "revolting arrogance" is "all over the web" Not read it myself, but then I haven't looked.

You say people will not have "even a tiny flicker of sympathy or affection" for us. So what's new? And more importantly, We Don't Care. (but then I think you know that)

We're used to being hated. In fact we revel in it. The fact that people still talk about us on a wide scale possibly makes some Leeds fans more arrogant. (This might even mean that you have to take some of the blame for this!!)

However, the comment in your second sentence is why Leeds fans are getting so excited - "Bad Ship Bates." We can't wait to be rid of him. We don't care who takes over and no matter how long it takes for things to change, the first step, getting rid of Bates, is the hardest one. After that, the world is our oyster (or probably in Leeds case, "the world is our salsify" - google it, I did!)

Most Leeds fans will not be expecting overnight success - we know it could take years, but anything is better than losing our best players because Bates won't offer the going rate. And that's when our best players aren't all that good in the first place!

The arrogant Leeds fans you mention are probably the ones who mostly abuse you on here. However, in an attempt to re-dress the balance, most of us just want to see something to be positive about. Ken Bates leaving the club is something to be ecstatic about. Personally, I'll believe it when I see it, but we are all hopeful.

Generally enjoy your posts and it's nicer to be talked about than ignored.

Cheers, Fish

Anonymous said...

Hammersfan, We at Leeds have such a big big big club that we will have a wide and varied cross section of reactions from our huge fanbase. Not everyone is gloating and not everyone lacks humility....Please stand on a Jellyfish...

Anonymous said...

Hf everytime I post in it seems to pis# you right of. We are leeds and we love to be hated, I no you have trouble understanding that because you havn't had enough success to be hated. Also the past 7 year we gone through 3 administrations hence not much glory, two play off final places a 7th and 2nd not bad though and that with no cash. The man who bought west ham was a biscuit barron we have an oil barron big difference. You all thought the takeover was a bates blag but it isn't and now a deal virtualy done you are running scared, trying to play on our worst fears but unlucky WE ARE LEEDS AND FUC#ING LOVE IT

Anonymous said...

Another boring post.

Anonymous said...

Spot on.

Anonymous said...

West Ham fans are bitter and twisted, letys hope they enmjoy there 90m premier windfall in paying off their debt of 120m, they will be back in the championship at the end of next season.

Anonymous said...

and you sir, are a c*nt!

Anonymous said...

Why does this guy keep writing about Leeds? I'm sick of clicking on his articles thinking it's going to be an interesting piece of news only to find a rant about Leeds and their fans.

Anonymous said...

I think that the take over of Leeds, is by that rich bloke "Mahat Mahcoat"... Ha Ha!

Anonymous said...

can you stop slagging off one of the biggest clubs in the country, your a complete, ignorant, cockney tosser.leeds leeds leeds.

Anonymous said...

Whaat you do not seem to realise is that we in past seven years have kept Papa Smurf away from the rest of the football clubs.No thanks do we get.Now he has money he may invest in your club.

Anonymous said...

Our biggest gate of last season was against Hull whereas yours was against our small family club.

I think that fact alones proves that you and most of the other deluded Leeds fans on here are talking out of your collective arses.

Dream on guys!

CRUSHER said...

SHUT UP YOU BORING SAD COCNEYS !!!

Anonymous said...

I'm a Leeds fan and I couldn't agree more. I cringe when I read the garbage our fans have been writing on blogs/Twitter etc. "Dirty Leeds, filthy rich" etc, talking like we're in the Premiership already, some even talking about sacking Warnock to bring in Redknapp!

Just goes to show you what a set of flatearthers our fans are. The club still very much belongs to Bates, and I wouldn't put it past him to put a spanner in the works at the last minute just to spite everyone, all the while distracting from our lack of transfer activity.

Sir Trevor Brooking's private butler. said...

The Leeds fans are out in force tonight.
Where is their effing sense of humour?
Jesus don't take it so seriously,lads.

Anonymous said...

Keep on dreaming of your beloved total football, which will no likely emerge near to or after the next ice age, I wouldn't mind if West Am teams of the past had ever played great football but you've always been a bunch of cloggers....

Leeds are shit at present, for how long no one knows, but at least we know it unlike you deluded fuckwits.

Anonymous said...

Hammerfan how can you compare oil rich arabs buying us, to west ham getting bought of a man who made his money selling broken buiscuits and a toffy dodger. You pittyed us with a wry smile knowing we were never going to be a force under bates and loved it. I think its dawned that were going to be a force to be reckoned with once again and you hate it. yes we dare to dream, I can remember the idiotic statements west ham fans were coming out with when you got tevez n mascherano(of the black market) we will win everything. Biscuits will only take you so far though, we are taking the man city and chelsea route oil money. WE ARE LEEDS M.O.T

billy Bremners barmy army said...

Were Leeds united we're billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire were billionaire. B R A M L E Y WHITES

an observer said...

In a desert full of crap, the post from 'FISH' is an oasis of reason.

Stan said...

at least this Blog's year long obsession with all things QPR seems to have waned.

Now Leeds are the target. I approve of this new target. Reading all these Leeds fans whining like little bitches is very amusing.

WE R QPR

Anonymous said...

To rite mate. Who are west ham tiny club in a big city

Anonymous said...

I've had a lot of neutrals last season say Leeds were the biggest team in the Championship, bigger than West Ham, neutrals that were Arsenal fans etc.

Once Leeds are in the Premiership they will attract players. A lot of players want to play for Leeds, but the wages that are currently been offered they'd be better not been a pro footballer.