This is the Louth Branch website. Always Leeds always loyal ! Edited by Gerry Cunningham. Please be be advised that we only attain match tickets for paid up members.  Happy new year to  all of our members and their families. I'm looking for members to contribute opinions anything re Leeds United so it can be posted on our website.

Thursday Jan 26th 2012. Latest News. Apologies, this will be brief because I am travelling currently. Our honest chairman, Kenneth Bates has claimed that Leicester recently offered former hero, Jermaine Beckford on loan to  Leeds. If they did, we should have bitten their hands off, but I presume half of his £20K weekly wage put off Ken or Larry or both. Mind you Ken also claimed that Leeds had the fourth highest budget in the Championship. Bullshit. Ben Parker has completed his loan move to Carlisle United. Leeds have allegedly turned down a £4M offer from West Ham for our best player, Robert Snodgrass. Leeds are chasing the Estonia right full (the guy who played in the 0-4 defeat to Ireland) and are trying to gazzump Glasgow Rangers who have as much money as a D4 land developer. Five days to go before the transfer window closes. Don't hold your breath. 

Weds Jan 25th 2012. Bates weekly phone call to Yorkshire Radio. Bates on money in and money out. "Our wage bill at £9.5 million is one of the highest in the championship. It is not the highest because you have teams like Middlesbrough, West Ham and Birmingham who are still running down their Premiership wage bills and wage contracts because they were foolish enough not to include a relegation clause in the players contract, which is now becoming general practice. "At £9.5 million we are pushing the boat out and I have explained before how the money is spent, whether it is spent on transfers or wages, it doesn`t matter, it is still spent and that is up to the manager to decide. "I thought it is worthwhile pointing out, the wage bill at the moment is going to be £11.75 million instead of £9.5, that is 23% over budget.' Fans have often questioned where the money from the sales of players has gone with most players coming in on free transfers, loans or undisclosed fees. "People ask where the transfer money as gone, Schmeichel`s money went on Lonergan and Pugh and with the 5% levy, agents fees, yes the agents fees, that about evens itself out. "The Max Gradel money, which we got from St Etienne. Well first of all we have only had half of it anyway. Secondly, Leicester City including a 17.5% sell on, so we do not get as much out of it as you might think and as we are being paid in euros, because they are a European club. The pound has strengthened against the euro, so as when we did the deal, it was about 1.10 euros to the pound and it is now about 1.20 euros to the pound, so we have probably lost about 7% of the total value. "That money is still there and that money is in the pot and when it is spent it will be spent wisely," continued the Leeds chairman. Bates on Jonny Howson leaving - "Jonny Howson is 24 in May and his contract ends in June, that means he leaves on a Bosman at the end of the summer because his contract ends in June. We would be entitled to no compensation whatsoever. Nothing for the 14 years we spent nurturing him, training him up, bringing him up and promoting him. "Furthermore, he hurt his leg against Millwall when he fell awkwardly and he has been out action ever since and he will be expected to be back either sometime next month or even March. We were astonished when Norwich came in and offered us, which after a bit of bartering end up at about £2 million, and to take the offer was a no-brainer. "We have been working on Jonny for over 14 months, trying to persuade him to sign a contract and he steadfastly refused to do so, saying he wanted to keep his options open, because he wanted to play in the Premiership and of course we couldn`t guarantee promotion nor can any other club. "It was a bit idiot situation, where the club captain wouldn`t commit himself to the club, but as usual the matter was left to the manager because we had a precedent with Beckford. The question was, do we take the money for him now or say no and with a bit of luck, we get six weeks out of him, maybe eight games and then he leaves for free. "It was left to the manager to make the final decision; he consulted his backroom staff and said take the money. Now we have that fighting fund in the pot to reinvest, which it will be invested in players. "However, we are not going to invest the money for the sake of buying players. There is no point in doing that and we intend to buy players who will commit their future to Leeds United and have the ability to improve on our present squad, to strengthen the squad and not just make up the numbers." "The fans naturally get frustrated and start shouting and bawling and nothing has happened. Bates on Snodgrass and Clayton Neither Snodgrass nor Clayton are out of contract at the end of the season, they are both happy and playing well. "Snoddy`s return after his appendix operation is nothing short of miraculous and he has more than contributed to the team since his return. "Adam Clayton, it said that his contract had stalled or something. I expect the agent has put that out. His contract has not stalled and in any case, his contract runs until 2013, so there is no immediate hurry. These negotiations are better outside the transfer windows, first of all there is more time and it enables people to concentrate their mind." The only players we want are the ones that are going to make an immeasurable improvement to Leeds United. "The funds are there but they are not going to be spent willy-nilly. Fans will have to be patient; I know it is very frustrating, one of the biggest problems causing the frustration is the rumours and speculation that are printed on the websites, Facebook, Sky Sports, Sky Sports News and newspapers." And if you believe all of that the following is also true : JFK wasn't shot in Dallas, it was really at the Square in Dundalk, Leeds new signing will be the Easter Bunny and the last seven years were really only a nightmare, we are still in the Premiership. 

Weds Jan 25th 2012. Ben Parker moves on and conspiracy theories fly. Leeds United defender Ben Parker looks set to join League One set Carlisle United according to reports. Parker admitted himself recently that he would probably be looking for a loan deal to improve his match fitness after a nightmare two and a half seasons, where he has undergone seven operations. The left back has recently returned to training and has building in fitness in behind closed doors friendlies, including 60 minutes against Celtic on Tuesday afternoon. Parker has made just one appearance so far this season in the first week of the season when he started against Bradford City in the Carling Cup. His injuries limited him to just eight appearances in the previous two seasons, four appearances in both 2009/10 and 2010/1. There were all sorts of conspiracy theories flying around that Parker was banished to Carlisle for not towing the party line in the Pavillion before the came. Pure bull. I chatted with the lad in Leeds and I was also present in the Pavillion on Saturday. He said he was desperate to go out on loan to get his fitness levels up and any rumours to the contrary are just that, rumours. Hopefully he can get back to the player that he promised to be after two horrendous years of injuries. (pic of Ben Parker with Sean Cunningham - and the pizza wasn't mine)

Tues Jan 24th 2012. Larry to spend his dosh. Yorkshire Radio -  Simon Grayson says he intends to spend his transfer budget during the January transfer window. The transfer window closes a week today and Grayson intends to spend the cash that is available to him as he hopes to lead Leeds back into the Premier League this season. Speaking on Yorkshire Radio, Grayson said, "We have got a budget to spend and we will spend it. "A large part of the time the chairman has always backed me on the things we need to do. "We have a wage structure that we will not go over and the business is running in a positive manner and if I am given X amount of money I will go and spend it, there is no point in keeping it in the bank." Leeds have so far brought in four players during January. Danny Pugh has completed a permanent deal after spending three months on loan at Elland Road. American international Robbie Rogers is set to sign a 18 month contract once international clearance and a visa are completed this week. Andros Townsend (Tottenham Hotspur) and Fabian Delph (Aston Villa) have both signed loan deals with the club. Grayson admits the signing of Delph on a month`s loan has not come cheap although he is trying to sign the former Leeds midfielder for the remainder of the season. "Any money that comes into the pot we get to utilise. Fabian Delph does not come cheap, whether it is for a month, 93 days or hopefully until the end of the season, which is what we are trying to do. "You spend the money in any way that you can, there may be deals that we do which will involve transfer fees or there might be other deals that are going to be loan deals but are the same quality as Fabian. There is a pot to spend and I will make sure that I spend it all," continued Grayson. Leeds are also looking to move on players before the transfer window closes. So far just youngster Will Hatfield and club captain Jonny Howson have departed the club during January. A number of other players have been linked with a move, with defender Alex Bruce the latest, having been linked with a move to American MLS side LA Galaxy. Do I detect a chink in the relationship between Larry and Pappa Smurf. The chairman backs me " a large part of the time". If I am given "X" amount of money I will go and spend it. It strikes me that he doesn't or didn't know what money he had to spend. It looks like he knows now and he is going to spend it. Let's hope he spends it a lot wiser than he has in the past. More Gradels and Lichajs and less Paynters, McSheffreys and Bannans

Tues Jan 24th 2012. Lonergan is new captain. Leeds United goalkeeper Andy Lonergan says it is the biggest honour of his career to be handed the captains armband. Lonergan has taken over the captaincy in recent weeks following injuries to regular captain Jonny Howson and stand in captain Patrick Kisnorbo. The 28 year old is delighted to have be handed the role following the injury to Kisnorbo in the game with Burnley at the start of the year. Speaking on Yorkshire Radio, Lonergan said, "To come here and to be made captain in such a short space of time. It is a great privilege and probably the best honour of my career. "A captain`s role is not as big as you might think. You should have eleven leaders on the pitch. It is a good role for me and I like to think I lead by example. "The Barcelona keeper is captain, Real Madrid keeper is captain and Reina is the captain at Liverpool. "I don`t know why people will moan about it, the keeper is the most vocal player on the pitch." Leeds have taken seven points from a possible nine since Lonergan took over the captaincy. With club captain Jonny Howson completing his move to Norwich City and Kisnorbo out for the remainder of the season, Lonergan looks set to remain club captain for the foreseeable future. Personally I think it would have been better to give the armband to Snoddie for three reasons : 1. He would revel in the role and not unlike Beckford did for his last game against Bristol Rvs. 2. It would help settle the player and 3. send a message to the fans that Leeds are serious about keeping their best players. Lonergan was our worst performer on Saturday and dropped the head after causing the first goal. Unlike an outfield player the goalkeeper can't influence the side from his location. That's just my view. 

Tuesday Jan 24th 2012. So long Jonny, it's been fun ! Jonny Howson is no longer a Leeds United player. The 23-year-old finally completed his three and a half year deal on Tuesday afternoon to join the Canaries in a reported £2m switch from Championship outfit Leeds United. It was Elland Road where Howson rose through the ranks as a youngster before making 227 appearances and becoming captain as United followed City up from League One. But with Howson out of contract in the summer, the call of Premier League football eventually persuaded the Leeds starlet to leave his home town club. “Decision-wise, this is the biggest decision I’ve had to make in my life,” said Howson, City’s first capture of the January transfer window. “There’s so many things I’ve had to look at and think about. I found out on Tuesday morning about the bid and spoke to the gaffer (Simon Grayson), and it’s been a mad week. Decision-wise it’s been so tough. “The reason is Premier League. I am going to a very good club with good support, but at the same time I know I’m leaving a club I’ve loved from being such a young boy. That’s not going to change. The hardest thing was leaving somewhere I’ve been from six or seven years of age, and it’s been hard. “It’s been a massive part of my life, but this is a great chance for me. This is the sort of chance that doesn’t come around that often and it’s a chance I feel I have to take while it’s there. “I can understand why the club has sold me now because it’s better to get something now than at the end of the season. I’m going to a great club, they are flying high, doing ever so well, and they have a great team that we’ve been close to here over the past couple of seasons, and they have a great manager as well.” Howson has been sidelined with a knee injury since facing Millwall at the start of December, but passed a “stringent” medical and could return as early as next month if all goes well. The Leeds captain will now join ex-Leeds colleague Bradley Johnson, who made the same move south as a free agent in the summer. And Howson admits sharing a few words with Johnson helped him make his decision. “He only had positive things to say about the club and the area,” said Howson. “He’s enjoyed it since he came down here and it sometimes helps a little bit. I know Bradley from my days at Leeds and just to have someone else to speak to and ask different things. “It’s my first move and it is all new to me, but it makes it that little bit easier when there is someone down here I’ve spent time with before. I’ve known Bradley for a few years through his time at Leeds and the things he tells me, I know I can believe them.” Howson’s first goal as a professional came in Leeds’ 2007 defeat at Carrow Road – and the midfielder hopes for more of the same, once he earns a place in Paul Lambert’s squad. “It’s always been a good atmosphere,” he added. “The first time I played here I was fortunate enough to score my very first professional goal, so I already hold good memories here. Hopefully I’ve got more to come.” Howson’s move is set to be ratified by the Premier League over the coming days.  

Tuesday Jan 24th 2012. Transfer News/Gossip. Source Coventry Telegraph. LEEDS UNITED are considering bolstering their midfield with a January move for Coventry City captain Sammy Clingan, according to national reports. The Times reports that Simon Grayson is keen to make a new approach for the Sky Blues' playmaker after missing out on the Northern Ireland star in the summer. Clingan is out of contract at the Ricoh Arena and appears unlikely to sign a new deal. Grayson is keen to add more depth to his midfield options with Jonny Howson's move to Norwich City edging closer. The Elland Road boss has drafted Aston Villa star Fabian Delph but admits he's still looking to sign more players before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. He told the Yorkshire Post: “We are not too far away with a couple of deals but things can change quickly. Injury concerns at another club can put you back but if one or two of our targets aren’t available then we move on to other ones. "Hopefully, they will be signings who excite people. There is no point bringing in to make up the numbers. "We need players who can affect the team. That is why it can be hard to conclude these deals quickly.” Sky Sports sources understand that LA Galaxy are in talks with Leeds over the availability of Alex Bruce. The defender is out of favour at Elland Road, making only one appearance for the Whites this season. He was sent on loan to Huddersfield where he made three starts before being recalled by Leeds boss Simon Grayson to provide cover for Tom Lees. English born Bruce switched international allegiance in 2011 from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland but a lack of first-team opportunities mean he has yet to force his way into the international squad. This is a strange one. David Beckham, Robbie Keane and Alex Bruce ? Leicester Mercury. Ipswich Town manager Paul Jewell has given up on signing Leicester City defender Sean St Ledger, but Leeds have been linked with a move for midfielder Richie Wellens. Jewell believed he had landed transfer-listed centre-back St Ledger only for City boss Nigel Pearson to block the move because of the departure of Sol Bamba to the African Cup of Nations. Jewell had hoped to revive the deal and he may have thought it was a possibility if Pearson succeeded in signing Wes Morgan from Nottingham Forest. However, Forest have rejected two bids from City for their 27-year-old and Jewell is now doubtful St Ledger's move will happen. "He's in their team now so, certainly for the time being, I can't see that happening," he said. Meanwhile, there were reports yesterday that Leeds were preparing a bid to sign Wellens. Manager Simon Grayson is looking for a replacement for Norwich City-bound captain Jonny Howson. However, it is unlikely City would consider a deal until Pearson is able to bolster his depleted squad. Having had a plethora of central midfielders, City now look short in that department because Andy King, Matt Oakley, Frank Moussa and Michael Johnson are sidelined while Gelson Fernandes's loan has been cancelled and Japan international Yuki Abe has left the club on compassionate grounds. Abe had his contract cancelled by mutual consent and has returned to Japan to spend more time with his young family. Pearson is out to strengthen his squad and, after making striker Nathan Delfouneso his second signing yesterday, he has been linked with several targets, including Ward and Pearse at Portsmouth. Wellens is 31 and had a great game v United last September at Elland Road for Leicester and three years back at Wembley for Doncaster. Then again Billy Paynter scored three screamers against United for Swindon and hasn't hit a barn door since. WEllens fits the Grayson category, ie he's had him at Blackpool and with six months to go on his contract he should be cheap.

Mon 23rd of Jan 2012. Delph wants to stay. Fabian Delph is hoping to stay with Leeds for the remainder of the season after joining on loan from Aston Villa. Delph made his second debut for the Whites in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Ipswich Town. The 22-year-old's initial deal is due to expire on 25th February, although Leeds want to retain Delph for the remainder of the season. The Bradford-born midfielder also wants to stay at Elland Road until the summer and do his best to help Leeds win promotion. "That would be an absolute dream for me I get the nod to stay till the end of the season. If that happens, I'd be delighted," said Delph. "These things don't come around quickly, you've got to build. Hopefully if we can keep going and the fans can stick behind us then we might end up in the Premier League. "That's the sprit that we've got, the fans were all very vocal today and we just pushed on and kept going. We've got a never-say-die attitude, that's what came across (against Ipswich) and we just carried on going. "I would like to be playing football and if I can play here I'll be delighted, because this is my home club and this is where I've always been happiest."

Mon 23rd of Jan 2012. Grayson says Snodd's not for sale. YEP- Simon Grayson today denied claims that the Leeds United winger Robert Snodgrass has withdrawn from contract negotiations. United’s manager attempted to quell fears of an imminent problem following a report that the 24-year-old had walked away from discussions aimed at extending his deal. Grayson rejected suggestions that efforts to tie the wide man down had stalled due to a breakdown in the relationship between Snodgrass and Leeds, but Grayson revealed that talks have been on hold for a number of months with the agreement of both parties. Snodgrass, who scored Leeds’ first goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Ipswich Town, signed a four-year contract in 2009 and is 18 months away from the end of that deal. The Scotland international is arguably the most valuable and influential player in the squad at Elland Road and the claim that negotiations had collapsed sparked talk of another high-profile departure from the club. United courted intense controversy last week by agreeing to sell captain and leading appearance-maker Jonathan Howson to Norwich City, six months before the end of his deal at Elland Road, but Grayson stood by his claim that no other major asset would leave the club before the end of January. Norwich submitted a bid of around £3m for Snodgrass last summer – an offer which Leeds refused – and the winger turned down the offer of a new contract from United soon after, leading to what Grayson claimed was an amicable and temporary suspension of negotiations. Grayson said: “His contract talks have not got going since the summer. We turned down a bid from Norwich and both parties agreed then that we would leave it until it suits us both. It’s not as if we’ve got round the table in the last 10 days and things have stalled. “There’ve been no negotiations for four to five months and that was agreed in the summer. He still has 18 months on his contract so we’re in a good position. We’d like to keep him longer, which is why we offered a new contract, and when you turn down a fee from another club it’s courtesy to offer a new deal. “We didn’t have to do that in the summer and that’s why we’ve left it. Whoever’s come up with the story saying talks have broken down is talking rubbish.” Snodgrass has been United’s outstanding player this season, scoring 10 league goals, but it is widely expected that he, like Howson, will seek a move to the Premier League if Leeds fail to win promotion. Asked if he expected the club to reopen talks with Snodgrass in future, Grayson said: “We’d like to keep all our good players and we’ll try to do that. The rest of this season will probably determine how easy that will be. “Players want to play in the Premier League and I want to manage in the Premier League. If the club gets there then there’ll be no problem keeping them.”  Grayson on new arrivals : "We now have a week or so. Signing Fabian was a positive move as there had been a bit of negativity round the place during the week. "It gave everyone a lift. Hopefully, we can bring in another few players and then people will see we're being positive. "We're not too far away with a couple of deals but things can change quickly. Injury concerns at another club can put you back but if one or two of our targets aren't available then we move on to other ones." Grayson added: "Let's not forget, though, that we have some good players here. Sometimes it's about keeping hold of players that other clubs are allegedly interested in. They won't be going anywhere."

Sun 23rd 2012. Ken's programme notes v Ipswich Town. (to be updated)  He really is some piece of work. The  team  : “After a slow start this season we got into our stride, looked comfortably in the play-offs, but had a lousy Christmas once again and fell out of the top six. We have 20 games and 60 points to go and 11 of these 20 are at home. However, we need everybody at Thorp Arch to take a good look in the mirror and ask themselves – what can I do differently, whether it’s training, fitness, tactics or discipline – to go that extra mile and deliver that little improvement to achieve the results that Leeds United and the fans deserve. To say nothing of the huge bonuses and hopefully new contracts, that the Premier League will deliver to them”. We have one of the largest squads in the Championship, which will be helpful in March and April when we have no less than 13 games in 8 weeks, The numbers will be a cushion against suspension, injuries and loss of form". Backing the manager with funds. " In Leeds case we have bought Danny Pugh, obtained the loan of Andros Townsend, extended Maik Taylor's contract and are in contract negotiations with a few players at the club. "Where's the money gone ?" is the latest chane from the vociferous few. Well, I'll tell them. Simon Grayson's player budget was £9.5M for the year. As I write we have so far committed £11.722M, over budget by nearly 23%. It's a bad business practice but a demonstration how e have backed the manager and continue to do so."  His East Stand. "With the exception of the museum, that completes the rebuilding, refurbishment, and improvements of Elland Road with approximately £20M having been spent on the clapped out, decaying stadium that I inherited".  

Jim Keating : "I agree until we start spending money we will struggle to get promotion this year. I'm not surprised Howson was sold to Norwich. He would probably have gone in the Summer for nothing anyway. We seem to play better away from home for some reason". Thanks for that Jim. 

January 21^st 2012. Leeds United 3-1 Ipswich . 01 Lonergan, 16 Pugh, 22 Lees, 29 Thompson, 48 O'Dea, 15 Clayton, 17 Townsend (White 58) 25 Delph, 18 Forssell (Becchio 58 YC) 23 Snodgrass, 44 McCormack. Unuse Subs : 24 Taylor, 04 Bruce, 08 Brown. Ref: Geoff EltrighamAtt: 22,84. It was always going to be a tense occasion. The first game since the controversial sale of home grown captain, Jonny Howson. In the Pavillion before the match Peter Lorimer and John McClelland (two employees of Ken Bates’ Leeds United) tried in vain to spin what a great deal it was for Leeds United and Jonny Howson. A packed Pavillion was in no mood for twisting of the facts and the booing, heckling and shouting up at the stage was unavoidable. Lorimer threatened to stop the performance and Ben Parker was the squad player who had to face the music and add to the spin created mostly by Lorimer, a player who had three testimonials all organised by the forgotten Leeds United Supporters Club. Parker in fairness received rapturous applause when he said “if I’m being honest, it shouldn’t have come to this and the contract should have been sorted sooner”. It was on the to the game, were seven Louth branch members were present. Larry surprisingly elected to drop Aidy White to the bench and Danny Pugh played left back. Snodgrass was recalled to the starting eleven (after his appendix operation) and played on the right wing, with Andros Townsend occupying the left flank. Forssell started alongside McCormack as Leeds went with a 4-4-2. Fabian Delph, settled into the holding role in midfield with Clayton allowed to get forward. Jewell did his homework well, by placing pacey winger, Carlos Edwards as a right full back to thwart the attacking prowess of Townsend. The conditions were difficult as a gale force wind blew into the Revie end the whole game. The Tractor Boys won the toss, and foolishly I felt, elected to play against the wind in the first half meaning Leeds attacked the Kop.  United started poorly, with “Bates Out” shouts echoing around the crowd were they all but stopped around the West Stand. Up front for Ipswich, the big  Emmanuel-Thomas was causing the Leeds defence problems by holding the ball up and bringing Lee Martin into the game. Leeds didn’t need a midfield in the first half as every ball was played too long, and McCormack and Forssell (neither very good in the air) were getting little quality service. Time and time again balls were over played and into the hands of McCarthy, Leeds former on loan keeper. Leeds only real effort on goal fell to Townsend when he found himself unmarked three yards from goal. He elected to take the strike early and totally miss-hit shot. Lonergan made a fine save when Martin found himself one on one with the keeper. On 35 minutes Ipswich took a short corner and Drury’s strike didn’t look like it would cause Lonergan any difficulty but he misjudged the ball and it went through his hands tamely for a gift of a goal. The “Bates out” shouts reverberated around the goal, as the 200 to 300 Ipswich fans in the West Stand taunted the Leeds fans. Right on half time Emmanuel-Thomas from all of 35 years fired a ferocious drive that dipped at the last moment and hit the corner of the upright between post and bar with Lonergan well beaten. United began the second half on the front foot with much more pass and movement. It was Ipswich’s turn to play the ball too long, and in the 49th minute Scotland nearly got in but Lonergan was alert to the threat. Snodgrass on the right wing started to cause Ipswich problems as Delph and Clayton began to control the midfield. The referee was over fussy and continued to stop play. McCarthy was lucky numerous times with his kick outs that were continually taken from outside the area. On the hour mark Grayson (who surprisingly was very motionless on the sideline) withdrew Townsend for White and Forssell for Becchio. This lifted the crowd. White moved into the left wing position but kept swopping with Snodgrass which seemed to unsettle the Tractor Boys. So often for Leeds the final ball was misplaced. Ipswich played deeper and deeper and were taking longer and longer with throw ins and kick outs, but Becchio was winning headers against Sonko and the on rushing midfielders were causing Town problems that they did not have in the first half.  White was getting past Eswards with ease and  whisked in a super low cross which Snodgrass was within inches of converting. The Ipswich Town keeper was having trouble dealing with high crosses and on 67 minutes, he fumbled one which White perhaps should have converted.  I watched McCarhy have a poor game in a Leeds shirt v Barnsley and when another ball over the top caused the Tractor Boys trouble, Sonko failed to see McCarthy race out of goal as his header was saved by McCarthy yards outside the box. It was a clear red card offence. Scotland was withdrawn and Lee-Barrett came on as substitute keeper. Snodgrass wasted the free from 20 yards, but he  made it 1-1 after a mix up in the Town defence. It was all Leeds. “We all love Leeds but hate Ken Bates” was ringing around the ground. Lee Barrett made a decent save from O’Dea who was pushing further forward after the withdrawal of Scotland. On 81 minutes Clayton played a decent ball forward. It seemed to hold up in the wind. The keeper hesitated and McCormack touched the ball past him to walk it into the net. The game was all but over. Choppra and Bullard came on but neither got a kick. Lee Barret made a decent save at the feet of Becchio on 90 minutes but a minute later, it was all over as Becchio won a header and slid home from a wide angle. Some may say that the 3-1 score line  flattered Leeds. I don’t share that view. All four goals were scored against the wind in difficult conditions, and United all but dominated the second half, but not always with quality. Ipswich are a poor side and on another day a better side would not have collapsed so easily. How Paul Jewell can keep his job after the money he has spent and the big names and salaries he has brought in, I don’t know. To those who say Leeds were lucky to play against 10 men, I say two things. McCarthy stopped a certain goal and had to go. Back in August Leeds were 1-0 up and dominating against Ipswich at Portman Road when White was wrongly sent off. There was little sympathy for United that day. The three points will be welcomed, but we still need two to three players in as soon as possible. In summary, O'Dea and Lees are probably our best two centre halves. Thompson and Pugh did little wrong as full backs. Clayton and Delph did much better in the second half. Delph is decent in the air and can beat players, plus stick his foot in. Townsend struggled and Snodgrass improved as the game went on especially after Becchio's introduction. Forssell and McCormack foraged away but had little ball to play with. Larry cut a lonely figure on the touchline and there were cross words exchanged  between Lonergan and Snoddin after the game. We are a small team. We need bigger players, and players with pace, but most of all we lack an experienced leader. We are one point off the play offs and the right investment with the right players chosen could make a hell of a difference to our current side. I hold out little hope certainly of the former and some also have doubts regarding the latter. Simon Grayson   “We were poor in the first half - there is no getting away from that. “We went behind to a soft goal but the sending-off changed the game. You could sense the anxiety of our players until our first goal went in. They were a different animal after that and showed their character. The players found an extra yard and were sharper. They were better to second balls and looked like scoring more. "The game just mirrored a bit of what happened down at Portman Road where we dominated the first half, the sending off changed the shape of the game and they went on and won the game when they probably didn`t deserve too based on the first half performance. This was very much the case. We are obviously delighted to have won the game. We were fortunate with a couple of things, but on the positive side we’ve taken seven points out of nine. “It still doesn’t detract away from what we know we need to do better. We’re not daft enough as a staff to realise that as well and we will be working hard on the training pitch and while the window’s open working hard to recruit players. We’ve brought Fab (Delph) in and he did okay – he will get better with games. He gave us a little bit extra that we’ve been missing. It’s been a frustrating week with Jonny about to leave, but it happens at a football club and we’ve got to dust ourselves down. It’s all about what can happen in the future and my glass is always half-full. We’ve taken seven points in the last three games, which is a real good start to the new year, and we look forward to the game against Birmingham when we hope to get another victory to make it back to back home wins.” Paul Jewell said: "We were in control of the game until… Well I don`t what the goalkeepers (Alex McCarthy and Arran Lee-Barrett) were doing. "You had to be here and see it to believe it really. "For 70 minutes, or whatever it was, we`ve restricted Leeds to very few chances and then one long ball and our goalkeeper (McCarthy) decides to handle outside the box. "With 10 men we`re always going to be up against it, but to then give the goals away in the fashion that we did was just calamitous. 'I know I`ve said it so many times this season but today was just another level. If you look at the red card it`s a clearance that`s got to be dealt with, the first goal is an error from Sonks, the second goal is a long ball the keeper (Lee-Barrett) should collect, while the third we allow to just bounce on the edge of our box. "That`s why we are where we are isn`t it?" He added: "Having said that I thought Tommy (Smith) did well and as a team we didn`t look in danger for 70 minutes. Leeds were getting frustrated, we passed the ball better than them, we created more opportunities and looked in control of the match. We were dictating the tempo of the game, but the gifts we give to them. They just haven`t had to work hard for their goals at all. It`s the same old story. As a manager there are certain things you can affect, but there are certain things that have happened to today that are just bad, bad decisions. I`ll always take responsibility because I pick the team, but when people see the goals on TV they will scratch their head. It wasn`t even as if we were coming under severe pressure, it was just one long ball that our centre-half is going to deal with and for some reason Alex just decided to charge out.  It`s just a catalogue of errors." This was what he said back in August after the Ipswich v Leeds after his side was fortunate to defeat the Whites : “Let us be honest, Leeds are a good team and outplayed us first half,” said Jewell. We got a couple of decisions that went our way and a deflected goal. “Thank Christ for that, sometimes you have to just take the victory.. “Larry (Grayson) seems to think it might have been a nudge but a nudge ain’t a foul. One’s 6ft 3in (Jay Emmanuel-Thomas), the other kid (White) is 5ft 7in. He lives just around the corner from me in Leeds actually, he’s a friend of my kids, a lovely kid as well. “I was more interested in trying to get a penalty rather than getting the lad sent off. Once he’s last man and brings him down though he had to go. “Their penalty appeal looked a penalty to me though I have to say, I didn’t have a great view but it looked a penalty to me even though Carlos claims it was 50/50. “They’ll feel a bit hard done, but last week we had three or four decisions which went against us and today we’ve had a couple that went our way and a deflection. “We know it’s not all rosy in the garden and we’ve got a bit of work to do but I think tonight is not a night to analyse. It’s a night just to think ‘phew, thank Christ for that’. “If it says in the paper that we were lucky we won’t care! Paul, Glen Hoddle would call it karma. 

Thursday 18th of January 2012. Check out "Why lie Kenny ? song on you-tube - Fantastic !!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAPBWJehBfk  -You said things would have to change – You’ve gone too far Kenny it’s deranged – I know that your wrong – We’ve known all along – You said that you’d keep us safe – League One football was a huge disgrace – I know that your wrong – We’ve known all along – You said the sale of Delph would bring us Thorp Arch wealth – We didn’t want to hear you lie - Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ? – There seems to be no rush for a promotion rush - Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ? Why lie Kenny ?-  Absolutely ace ! Check it out

Thurs 18th of Jan 2012. By Dominic Matteo YEP Published on Thursday 19 January 2012 12:58. I’m not shocked by the news that Leeds United are selling Jonathan Howson to Norwich City. Reading between the lines, you could see this coming a mile off. He was into the last seven months of his contract and clearly wanted to play in the Premier League next season. It was pretty clear too that he doubted whether he’d get Premier League football at Elland Road next season. As soon as someone stepped in with a bid, it went without saying that Leeds would consider it. Deep down I thought Howson would leave when his deal ended in the summer but it’s no surprise at all to see Leeds cashing in on him now. They’ve done it before and I’m not the only person who believes it will happen again in the future. The question at times like this is always ‘who’s next?’ The issue with Howson isn’t really the effect his sale will have on Leeds United’s season. He’s injured at the moment and wasn’t going to be fit until March. If Leeds don’t win promotion – and at the moment that’s hardly a given – then it won’t be because they chose to take Norwich’s offer midway through the transfer window. But the sale of Howson is disappointing on so many levels. No matter what you thought of him as a player (and for the record I’ve always rated him) you can’t deny that he’s the sort of lad Leeds should be building their squad around – homegrown, talented and squeaky clean. He’s as good an ambassador as the club could ask for, and the maturity he’s shown by captaining Leeds at the age of 23 is outstanding. It is frustrates me, as I’m sure it frustrates the supporters, to see Leeds struggle time and again to hold on to players of Howson’s ability and reputation. It worries me too to hear the club say that he’s moving on because he doesn’t think they can meet his ambition quickly enough. That’s a pretty worrying message and something Leeds should think about. You have to ask whether other high-profile players will now take the same attitude. To see things from Howson’s point of view, the attraction of Norwich is obvious. They’re a Premier League club with an impressive, emerging manager who will pay him a far bigger wage than he’s earning at Leeds. Knowing what I do about Howson, it’ll be the level of football rather than the money which appeals to him most. I’ve made the point before that Bradley Johnson’s success in the Premier League this season is an eye-opener for every professional in the divisions below. I thought a lot of Johnson in his time at Elland Road but I’d be lying if I said he was outstanding in the Championship. Howson is a more naturally gifted footballer and if Johnson can make a go of the top flight then I’d fully expect Howson to do the same. And in reality, what prospect is there of Leeds being in the Premier League next season? Or the year after for that matter? They’re 11th at the moment and they’re going to need a storming second half of the season to make sure that a play-off place is tied down in April. Howson’s a local lad with Leeds United in his blood but I’ve no doubt that if he genuinely felt that the club were heading for the top flight in the near future, he’d have signed on the dotted line a while ago. There’s no point in pretending that Leeds should be able to compete financially with a club who have the benefit of Premier League income. In a straight fight, Norwich can beat any offer from Elland Road hands down. But I don’t believe that this is down to hard cash, on Howson’s part anyway. For him, this seems to be about his career. He’s basically saying that Leeds don’t offer the immediate prospects he’s looking for. It’s a sad admission from a lad whose ties to Elland Road are stronger than most – and sad to think that Norwich are better placed to give him what he wants. If I was a player at Thorp Arch today, I’d feel absolutely gutted. The squad are losing their club captain and an influential player (albeit one who’s injured at the moment). I can’t imagine any of Howson’s team-mates think Leeds will be better off without him next season. Howson scores goals and he creates them. He’s a 100 per-cent performer and a match-winner on his day. The fact that he’s appeared so many times over the years and so much under Simon Grayson tells you how big an asset he is. Yet again, Grayson is losing someone he must have been desperate to keep. He’ll understand why Howson’s being sold, and the reported fee of £2million is not bad money, but it’s difficult to see the positives in this. It might be slightly better if we hadn’t been here before but Leeds have a track record of losing good players – Johnson, Jermaine Beckford, Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny for example. As I said earlier, you can only wonder who’s next. We’ve seen speculation about Ross McCormack and Adam Clayton this week and reports linking Luciano Becchio to other clubs. Opposition managers will be looking at the sale of Howson and thinking deals with Leeds are possible as long as the price is right. My honest fear is that there’s more of this to come. If a decent offer comes in for Snodgrass, can the club honestly say that they won’t listen to it or accept it? We’ve heard in the past that players aren’t for sale but circumstances keep dictating that decent assets are sold or leave the club on free transfers. It’s hard to build a settled, successful side while rival clubs pick away at your squad. All in all, this hasn’t been an enjoyable season so far. I can feel apathy and disillusionment among the supporters and selling someone like Howson won’t help. Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably the right decision in the circumstances and it’s better than losing him on a free in the summer but you really feel that it shouldn’t have come to this. A club like Leeds must be able to convince a prospect like Howson that they’re going onwards and upwards at a rate of knots. It’s vital now that the money raised is invested in the team. It’s also vital that Leeds get to the end of the transfer window with the rest of their top players intact. I’ve got a horrible feeling that Howson might not be the last to leave this month – or the last to attract a bid. And if lads like Snodgrass don’t go now then what chance of them being here in August if Leeds aren’t promoted? Assuming he signs, Howson will be excited by this move. He’s right to be excited. But he’ll be disappointed too – disappointed that he’s gone as far as he feels he can with Leeds. Some will criticise him for turning his back on his hometown club. Personally I think he’s making a hard decision and getting it right. Soon he’ll be a Premier League footballer and no-one at Elland Road can guarantee him that.  

Thurs. 18th of Jan 2012. By Gary Walker Yorkshire Eveniug Post. So it’s official – Leeds United are now, first and Incidentally, before Howard Wilkinson’s £3m spending spree finally ended United’s previous eight-year absence from the former Division One attendances at Elland Road had ebbed away to the low teens. If you take away hope and ambition from your fans, what’s left? foremost, a selling club. The decision to accept an offer, believed to be around £2m from Norwich City, for club captain Jonny Howson merely confirmed what many fans have suspected, and feared, for a number of years now. I don’t expect the Elland Road heirarchy to understand it but to supporters, cashing in on your club’s playing figurehead – even one with just a few months left to run on his contract – reeks of a lack of ambition. And when you’re asking supporters to part with hundreds, of pounds of hard-earned cash in these difficult times the very least they expect of their football club is a show of ambition. The owner and chairman Ken Bates continues to insist that Leeds United will be a big club again but as far as match-going fans are concerned it is a big club, will always be a big club and one which needs to be in the top-flight. They grasp the fact there’s no God-given right to Premier League status and they know, from long and bitter experience, that splashing the cash is no guarantee of success, but they expect to return to English football’s top table sooner rather than later. What makes yesterday’s decision worse is the fact that Howson, aside from having his best years ahead of him, is a local lad, a product of the club’s academy who is proud to wear the famous white kit. In short, the 23-year-old is all the things that should ensure he has a long-term future with Leeds and, in turn, perfect for the club’s marketing men and women to cash in on – the United fan on the pitch. While many other clubs are absolutely desperate to retain and promote, or in some cases find, their local identity, from the outside looking in it seems that Leeds United are as much concerned to turn it into cash. Judging by the outcry – emails began flooding in to the Yorkshire Evening Post sports desk just after 9am yesterday after the news broke – many of United’s long-suffering supporters feel this is a sale too far. The club will, quite rightly, argue that Howson was showing no signs of agreeing, never mind signing, a new contract but, unlike the hordes who follow United home and away, the powers that be don’t seem to be asking why? Not enough money on the table? Not enough ambition in the boardroom? Not enough quality on the pitch?  You could speculate forever really but my guess is Howson, an England Under-21 international, expected – like most fans – the club to set their stall out to ensure that last season’s play-off near miss was turned into a determined charge for promotion in 2011-12. Yes, he wants to play in the Premiership but which professional footballer wouldn’t? And I suspect the lad from Morley would have preferred – like his manager Simon Grayson – to do that with Leeds. The club’s inability to agree new deals with players is an ongoing and maybe even a worsening problem with the likes of Jermaine Beckford, Bradley Johnson, Neil Kilkenny, Max Gradel and now Howson all departing because United were unwilling, or unable, to meet their demands and retain their services. Where Mr Bates sees sustainable, fans see tight; where he sees profitable, supporters see a lack of investment in the playing squad and when he talks of trying to find investors, fans now switch off. He’s coming up to seven years in charge and no white knight has ridden over the horizon waving bundles of cash in the club’s direction despite lots and lots of talking about it. Talk, as the old adage goes, is cheap. And what good are expensive ground improvements while the team shows very few signs of real progress this term? any supporters who contact the YEP still point to what they saw as a catastrophic failure during last January’s transfer window when the club failed to capitalise on second place in the Championship table at Christmas by making a couple of quality permanent signings to enable Grayson’s charges to kick on. Fast forward to last summer and Gradel, United’s player of the year the season before, was sold on the final day of the August transfer window and no adequate replacement was brought in. That, as far as fans are concerned at least, confirmed that Grayson was going to have to compete for promotion – against rivals like West Ham and Leicester who were throwing money at new signings – with one arm tied behind his back. Is United’s budget big enough or could more money be hived off to help Grayson bolster his squad the YEP’s chief football writer Phil Hay asked the chairman last August, as anti-Bates protests threatened to take hold. “Our wage bill is one of the highest in the league,” he replied. “I’d estimate that it’s in the upper levels of the top six and only lower than two or three clubs – West Ham for example. “But I’m told that Leicester City, for all their billions, have imposed a wage cap, and their owners have said that they simply won’t spend more than ‘x’. “FIFA are implementing rules on financial fair play and clubs are starting to realise that they have to live within their means. We already do that and it’s how any successful club should operate. It’s a proper financial system which is starting to catch on. “At the moment we’re spending as much (on players) as we can afford. If we spend any more and lose money then who covers that?” No Leeds fan wants to see a return to the dark, desperate days of League One, but if your existing playing assets go and you don’t add to the squad, can you really expect any team, or any organisation for that matter, to progress? Little wonder that many United fans are losing faith and see the sales of talisman Robert Snodgrass, Aidy White, another local lad who has so far turned down a new contract, popular midfielder Adam Clayton and leading scorer Ross McCormack as almost inevitable this summer. The loss of Howson – days before the expiry of a season-ticket renewal offer from the club – looks like another own goal and will surely only deepen the unease that already exists between the slowly dwindling number of fans and Mr Bates.

Thursday 18th of January. Chatrooms re Jonny leaving. It's fair to say that there is fire coming off the texts from the blogs blaming bates for ruining our club and some also slamming Larry for being complicit in what is happening. Here's just a flavour of the better ones : "Found this comment on another site and it makes the most sense from all the madness that is going on. I Thought i would share it with you all, take it as you will. Where we as supporters can take umbrage is with the clubs stance on contracts, its a worrying trend that has developed in allowing players contracts to run down,players obviously see it as a lack of ambition by the club. there has to be a fine balance on what we offer as contracts in the first place, look at the example of barn door billy whos happy to sit around and do nothing because hes obviously not good enough to make the team,this is not new remember andy robinson,so nothings been learned on that score has it,as things stand at present 3 weeks into the window we have not been able to offload ANY deadwood we have, once again a worrying trend... People may say bates is a good business man and support him, and lets face it he is, for ken bates !! certainly not for the benefit of leeds united and its loyal fan base who are being bled dry with extortinate ticket prices and false promises to feather the bates nest.. then lets look at the fabian delph situation, and the appearance of a season ticket scam, lorimer lets slip ??? that the deals as good as done, only for us to find out later that the club havent even been in touch, interesting ploy at season ticket renewal time,? and lets look at that time, some six months before we even have a idea of which division we will be playing in, seems a cynical exploitation of the supporters to the benefit of only one person bates !..can we honestly see money flowing back into the club in the form of significant transfers ,i think not !! the future looks bleak to say the least, any potential investers will be put off by the devious self interests that bates operates,it would i think be virtually impossible to unravel the bates empire to actually see what your getting for your money, Would you own the club ? the ground ? thorp arch ? who would know, dealing with bates is i imagine like dealing with the KGB, totally clouded and more smoke and mirrors than a fairground.!! I dont think getting rid of grayson is the answer, hes done ok but there are major question marks against him, and i personally think hes taken us as far as he can, BUT its the regime in general and grayson is part of it,following the bates line like a little puppy wanting to impress its owner, the ONLY way forward in my opinion is a complete overhaul of the club from top to bottom, but it AINT going to happen, bates will go when he wants,if he expires then mrs bates will no doubt take the reins,in the meantime our once great club,continues to talk a good talk (remember the "when we want someone we get them" quote )whilst overseeing the demise into obscurity. this particular time in leeds uniteds history sums up all the frustrations of being a leeds united supporter, we have lost our way as a football club and become the plaything of bates building company plc++++++++++++Somerset, to answer you question yes...there are still good managers that would relish the chance of managing Leeds. Let's remember that we have the best supporters in the world. To be honest, I believe there are also managers out there who could motivate the current squad better than our nodding dog regardless of a transfer budget. Bates will continue to do nothing while Grayson supports him and therefore let's sort out one problem at a time. As MPMLEEDS has said there are many many managers with smaller budgets than Grayson getting far better results. I bet Ian Hollloway and Blackpool paid a fraction of our current wage bill to get out of the Championship. If we protest against Grayson the mood will change and we'll force a response..it can't get any worse and if you listen to Grayson he's improving the squad for the long term...he's compeleted deluded. I wouldn't give him a tenner to buy a round of drinks let alone a couple of million to spend on players ++++++++++All this nonsense that is being written about Howson being sold makes the mind boggle. He has wanted to go for the past year, that is why he would not sign an extention to his contract. The only thing that has surprised me is that it was done when he was injured. I am no great fan of Bates, but I would not waste my time bawling for Bates Out, he will leave in his own good time. I do believe he should be more open with the fans, the people that really own the club, because without them Leeds United are nothing. Supporting the team is what is required now. I have lost faith in Grayson, I thought when we got into the Championship, he had done a good job. But thinking back and analyzing the season we were in fact lucky, gaining automatic promotion in the last game of the season, if we had gone into the playoffs? Then our first season in the Championship we set off at a fast pace, only to fall away alarmingly, and again this season which is as winable as last year we are dithering, and it must be down to the manager and his staff. Would any manager worth his salt let the chance that we had slip so badly. That is why sadly I believe Grayson with his personal problems is not the man to finish the job and get Leeds United back to the Premiership. I have supported the team all my life and will continue to do so. Still I hope that a couple of good results in the next days will give the team the impetus to make that push for the playoffs at least ++++++++++David Wilson, it's a fair point but can you see anyone wanting to become the next manager of LUFC when Bates is in charge. All this business about the quality of signed players and selling players is based on one thing only and that is no investment from other parties and that is again is because of Bates. We can not say we are a big club any more, it is clear the fans are not going anymore and that includes me, as I don't do to home games and after 40 years of ups and downs will shortly stop going to away games. The facts are Bates is a business man of a 'big' club with-out any money or investors and as long as that stay that way we will remain a 'has been' club. I picked up my ticket from Coventry yesterday and got back home in Somerset and my wife asked me about the Howson situation and my first thoughts were - he's only human - and I would do the same. Then she asked me why do I still go a watch and then it hit me - why do I do it? Coventry will now be my last game until Bates is out of the way and we have a team worth watching. The first Divsion days were better than this.

Jan 18th 2012. Who is Ken Bates ? Posted by Lucifer and up to the time he left Chelsea. I have not met Ken Bates so it is difficult to say what I think of him. Based on stories in the media, he appears to be a brash, aggressive egotist who delights in breaking every rule he can get away with in order to put two fingers up at ‘the establishment’. I, kinda, admire him for this. Coming from a disadvantaged background, he is a bit like a ‘working class hero’ in the Joe Lampton, ‘Room at the Top’, character mould. I can imagine sitting in a pub with Ken and talking football but, as a person, I do not think he is someone I would ever trust… I have compiled a potted history of Ken, prior to Leeds (below), so you can draw your own conclusions.  Ken Bates was born in Ealing, London on 4th December 1941. Two months later his mother died. Abandoned by his father, he was cared for in a council flat by grandparents. He grew up supporting Queens Park Rangers and aspired to be a football player but was unsuccessful. In his late teens, he worked with his father in a haulage and quarry business near Manchester.  In 1963, aged 22, Ken married Theresa, the daughter of a wealthy Irish squire (and he bought his first Bentley). The quarry prospered by supplying ready-mix concrete to the ever-expanding construction industry and soon Ken was running the company. On 28th January 1965, Ken launched ‘Howarth’, a construction and property development company based in Burnley, on the Manchester Stock Exchange.
Also in 1965, he becomes chair of Oldham Athletic. A member of Oldham’s board resigned saying, “Bates believes in a committee of two, with one absent” In 1966, Ken began a building project in the British Virgin Islands. It involves the reclamation of several acres of land on a small island called Anegada. The British Foreign Office supported the project. However, in 1967 Howarth was in trouble. At a shareholders meeting, Ken said, “We have put the worst of the troubles behind us. I am not getting out.” In July 1968, some of the bankers who helped Ken finance the British Virgin Islands project refuse to work with him, citing his “appalling manners”. At the time, Ken admitted to the Financial Times that he earned his money by “breaking the rules”. Ken, his wife, and their 5 children moved to the British Virgin Islands. Ken resigned as a Director of Howarth and as Chairman of Oldham Athletic. Vice-Chairman, Harry Massey said, “Bates was too ambitious, too quickly. His pace was too fast.” On the 24th July 1969, Howarth revealed debts of £1.8 million and called in the Receiver. In 1969, one year in to the British Virgin Islands’ project, locals complained of Ken’s' “vulgar behaviour”, especially to local female politicians. A town was flooded, allegedly as a direct result of the land reclamation, and locals threatened violence against Ken for his “cavalier attitude”. In 1970, concerned about Ken’s continued presence in the area and the level of civil unrest, the British Government intervened. Kan said he wanted $10million to go “or I'll get mean”. On the 21st April 1974, Ken accepted $5.8 million from the British Government to leave. During this time, Ken met John Papi, a Kuwaiti, employed by Stoy Ayward as an insolvency expert. Acting on advice from Papi, Ken took over ‘Kemp Directories’ for £1 (earning him over £1 million) and ‘Owen Press’, also for £1. Meanwhile, in Dublin, Ken opened his own bank – the ‘Irish Trust Bank’, focused on small savers in Ireland. It attracts 1,400 customers in its first year of operation - customers included George Best and Bobby Charlton.  In 1971, Ken’s bank advanced a large sum to ‘International Trust Group’, which also, curiously, owned 20 per cent of the bank. Then, on the 17th April 1972, following concerns from the Irish Central Bank, Ken resigned as a director to be replaced by Freddie Pye (a former wrestler, scrap merchant and Chairman of Stockport County).’Pye Metals’ immediately secured a loan of £200,000 from the bank. By 1975, Irish Trust Bank was in difficulties. The Irish Central Bank cited ‘too many loans, not repaid, to anonymous offshore entities as the cause of the difficulties’. Ken, even though he was not officially a shareholder or director, fought a court action to revoke the bank's license. On the 23rd March 1976, Ken and two other men (described as “heavies”) walked into the bank's premises and seized documents. Despite an ‘arrest warrant’ being served on Ken and him being ordered by a judge to return the papers, his application to close the Irish Trust Bank was, nevertheless, granted. Across Ireland, many small savers faced the loss of life their savings. However, this was during an election year. The Irish Government intervened and promised to repay all the lost savings in full. A subsequent investigation could not prove that “any loan was made directly to Bates or any company Bates was directly associated with”. There were however some remarkable coincidences. Ken emerged from the 70s with about £5 million - much of it accumulated following the advice of John Papi. Ken grew his hair long and moved to Australia. In November 1981, Ken resurfaced in London and met with John Papi again, who informed him that he could buy Chelsea Football Club for £1. Interestingly, when submitting his ownership of this and at least one other company, Ken gave an incorrect date-of-birth. Without sufficient cash, Ken made a massive mistake and did not buy a second company, which owned the stadium and surrounding land. This went to Marler, a property development company that gave the club notice to leave the stadium in 1989. The 80s were not great times for either Ken or Chelsea. Fighting for control of the ground and Chelsea's problem with a hooligan element dominated Ken’s life. In response to the hooligan problem Ken applied for permission to erect an electric fence, an application rejected by the local council .However, in 1991, Ken and Chelsea had a bit of luck when Marler became insolvent. The freehold went to The Royal Bank of Scotland who granted Ken a 20-year lease and an 'Option to Buy'. In 1992, Chelsea announced further losses and a widening deficit. It was unable to pay many creditors, including a £1.75 million unsecured loan with The Royal Bank of Scotland. Technically, Chelsea was playing football while insolvent, an infringement of FA regulations. John Papi noticed a mistake in the players’ contracts issued by the FA. – The contracts were in the name of 'Chelsea Football Club' rather than the 'Chelsea Football and Athletic Club'. Papi created two new companies: Chelsea Village Ltd and CFAC Ltd. In June 1992, Papi (and Ken?) transferred £620,000 to Chelsea Village Ltd, leaving Chelsea Football and Athletic Club with debts of £418,000. Maybanks (Chelsea's printers), unaware of these transactions issued a formal winding-up order for Chelsea Football and Athletic Club. On 14th August 1992, Ken and Papi transferred the assets of Chelsea Football and Athletic Club to the new legal entity, CFAC Ltd.  Chelsea Football and Athletic Club was then renamed CFAC Ltd to protect the 'Chelsea Football Club' name. They transferred all assets belonging to Chelsea Football and Athletic Club to Chelsea Village Ltd. Then they placed Chelsea Football and Athletic Club in receivership. Papi also transferred Chelsea's player assets, worth £7M, and season ticket sales from Chelsea Football and Athletic Club to Chelsea Village Ltd (whose shareholders were anonymous offshore trusts). These transactions were criticised by accountants Touche Ross as “unlawful”. In May 1993, with Chelsea Village Ltd being the largest creditor of Chelsea Football and Athletic Club, Papi became the official receiver. He announced that Chelsea Football and Athletic Club had “no option but to cease trading.” Creditors were outraged that the liquidator had favoured Ken and in late 1993, at the request of the creditors, the Football Association investigated him. However, Ken won a High Court judgment to cease the investigation, although he had to guarantee to repay creditors. In 1994, John Papi's had his license withdrawn and, four years later, he was jailed for cheating the Inland Revenue. Ken's marriage to Theresa, his heiress wife, collapsed after he was discovered having an affair with a model called Pam. In the meantime, Ken appointed Glenn Hoddle as Chelsea manager and the once mediocre Premiership club began ascending the table. Hoddle's Chelsea reached the FA Cup final in 1994 and further success followed under Ruud Gullit and Gianluca Vialli. Chelsea won the FA Cup in 1997 and 2000 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in1998 and reached the semi-finals the following year. The sudden sackings of Gullit in 1998 and Vialli in 2000 showed Ken’s ruthlessness .Ken, the Chelsea chair, though, was struggling to tame the club's debts, believed to be in the region of £80M. From nowhere came one of the richest men in the world - Roman Abramovich. His takeover of Chelsea secured the club’s long-term future. Without him, many believe Chelsea may well have been in the same position as Leeds United.Ken received a reported £17M for his original £1 investment. http://www.lufcloaded.com/general-lufcloaded-forum/869-ken-bates-chairman-leeds-united-football-club-3.html (Source: Tom Bower, author of ‘Broken Dreams: Vanity, Greed and the Souring of British Football’) And the rest is history being repeated.   

 Weds 18th of Jan. Liar Liar Liar (Updated). We’ve seen it all before. The fire sales. The living the dream. Woodgate, Bowyer and even Smith, a local boy come good, all had to be sold off. We didn’t like it but we understood that we would have to take the pain. There were the excessive wages paid to below average Premiership players. £7M spent on Seth Johnson on wages of £42,000 per week when he would have happily settled for £15 grand a week. £4M on Michael Duberry,  £12M on a half crocked Robbie Fowler, £7M on Darren Huckerby. The list goes on. We had something tangible to show for it. It wasn’t worth it but we had the great nights against Anderlecht, Lazio, Barcelona, Valencia and co to whet our appetite and linger on as memories. Later we had local nuggets, like James Milner and Aaron Lennon fresh off the Thorp Arch production line, players who weren’t quite the finished article but match winners with that something special to make it at the highest level of the game. Leeds got £3M for Milner. He was sold by Newcastle to Villa for £12M and a further £18M by Villa to Man City with £8M worth of Steven Ireland going the other way. No sell on clause. Aaron Lennon was sold to Spurs for £1M in 2005 and Spurs have already turned down bids of £17M for him. That was the old regime. What would they know about sell on clauses ? Krasner and Professor McKenzie were amateurs in the cut throat business of professional football in England. How thankful we were  seven years ago when the greatest wily old rogue of them all stepped out of the shadows to save our football club, Kenneth Bates. The genius who bought Chelsea for £1 and sold it for £17M was going to resurrect Leeds United, one of the biggest sides in world football, and he was up for one final challenge. Initially we had to take more pain. Match tickets had to go up. Season tickets had to go up (now the fourth highest in England)  and by the way you guys in the Supporters Clubs can piss off also, even if you were formed in 1919.  Members clubs were formed at the tune of £45 per person. Leeds fans had to take more medicine to pacify our creditors, to pay back the debt and financial restructuring of Elland Road and Thorp Arch. Lovable Dennis Wise was appointed after Blackwell and duly managed to take Leeds into the third tier of English time for the first and hopefully only time. Of course Ken being Ken managed to piss off almost every Football league side in the three divisions and his fast track into receivership only managed to get Leeds docked 15 points before the season started. Two clubs voted for us, Leicester and Peterboro. Would you go to Milan Manderic and Barry Fry for a reference ?  Crafty Ken succeeded in getting £4M for Taiwo, Woods and Rose who were poached from his beloved Chelsea and another £500K for Luke Garbutt who chose to further his fledgling career with Everton instead of Leeds United. This was to get Leeds trading “in the black”.  McAllister failed at the Play-Off final and succeeded in losing to Histon in the FA Cup. Step forward Simon Grayson who had developed a decent reputation at Blackpool. There were great days (and wealthy koffer matches) notably Man United at Old Trafford, Arsenal and Spurs away in the cups until we limped across the line versus Bristol Rovers to gain promotion to the Championship. The cup matches at Old Trafford, Arsenal and Spurs away were thought to have earned Leeds £8M. Yet, still the austerity continued that would make Michael Noonan look like Father Christmas, unlike the old buzzard living in Monaco. Delph was allowed leave Leeds for £6M and a 28 year old Michael Dolye was employed from Coventry as his on loan replacement. Beckford was followed out the door by Johnson and Kilkenny, all deriding the offers of improved contracts as insulting . Freebie Paynter came in to replace Beckford. United finished a creditable 7^th back in the Championship but many of Grayson’s rag tag bunch of freebies and loanees struggled to make the difference and Grayson struggled in matches tactically. The fans waited with anticipation for a pre-season of top notch arrivals to help make a concerted push in the 2011/12 season for promotion and  back to the promised land of the Premiership. After all, Ken enjoyed proclaiming how profitable the club had become with it's 17 different forms of revenue all producing nicely for him.  Schmeichel was forced out the door for £1.1M and on deadline day in August, United’s player of the year and top scorer Mad Maxie Gradel was sold to St Etienne because he “refused to sign a new contract” for £2.2M. Of course the player denied that any offer of a new contract was ever made. That was two years in a row that Leeds sold their highest goal scorer. Bates called the fans who protested as “morons” who failed to see the bigger picture of £7M worth of executive boxes in a half full East stand with a museum thrown in for good measure. More freebies and loanees were drafted in like Nunez, O’Dea, Forssell, Varynen, Lonergan, Rachubka and Keogh (to name but a few) and expected to keep Leeds in the top six. For a while all was rosy in the garden as McCormack scored with everything he touched whilst Snodgrass, Clayton, Lees, White  and Howson produced the goods to keep United as a constant top six side. Suddenly the inspirational Lonergan broke a finger and Grayson went to his second stopper (the third choice keeper from Blackpool) to continue the good work. The back four did what they did best, concede goals but the goals up the other end started to dry up. United failed to beat Coventry and Blackpool put five past Leeds at home. Howson got injured, Larry struggled with his tactics and Snodgrass was hospitalised. United went into free fall and plunged to 11^th after defeats to  Barnsley (twice) Reading and Derby. Many fans called for Larry’s head but Bates gave him the dreaded vote of confidence whilst chastising him over a poor Christmas.  Bates waxed lyrically :  ‘if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen’.” “We have 17 cost/profit centres and everything is okay. We have 220 full-time staff, 700-800 part-time staff and I think we also employ half the police in West Yorkshire – or that is what it looks like when I see the bill coming in. “We do our budgets. I add up all the income, deduct all the expenditure, use it as a credit balance, take off a sum for contingencies and then say to the manager, ‘That’s how much we have to spend, wages and transfers”. Except the maths doesn’t add up and it never has. Leeds were linked all week with a move for former hero, Fabian Delph to rescue our season from Aston Villla, all the time hoping that Delph would arrived before Jonny Howson left. Even for Leeds fans so adept at losing our better players, this was a massive bolt out of the blue. Howson, the player every Leeds fan could identify with. A lad who would be in the Revie stand, watching,  if he wasn’t a player. A lad who had said just two short months ago :" It's a dream come true just playing for the club, never mind captaining them, ( And on the subject of contract talks, he added): "I'm sure they'll be finalised and I'll sign soon". Leeds issued the usual tripe about not being prepared to lose a player in May for nothing, but really were more annoyed that it leaked out before Delph had arrived. I often disagree with Greg over Larry and his complicity in the whole thing, and we have our own opinions, but like Jonny Howson we are Leeds through and through just like all the other Louth SC members. Jonny was one of us. More than Smudger and Woody and Gary Kelly, Jonny was one of us. In 2008 when we travelled to Carlisle 1-0 down in the play-off semi final, it was Jonny who scored the two goals to get us to Wembley. In May 2009, 1-0 down at home to Bristol Rvs in the final game of the season, it was Jonny that came off the bench and scored that priceless equaliser. The lad would walk on broken glass to play for Leeds United and I accept that he wanted to play in the Premiership…..but he wanted it to be in a Leeds jersey. He has been driven out of Leeds. Howson has two sporting loves in life…..playing for Leeds United and fishing. Bates has thrown him into the river. I can live with Kilkenny, Schmeichel, Johnson and Gradel (Very reluctantly) leaving but not  Jonny Howson. Now for the sad thing. Will the money be reinvested in our playing squad ? I believe that at least eight clubs in the Championship and probably ten have a bigger budgets than Leeds United. There will be no money from the Gradel, Schmeichel, Howson, and Kebbe deals, at least no tangible money. Budgets include wages and fees for players leaving and coming. So far £500K has gone out (Pugh) and possibly £6M is on its way in. Leeds United are only "disappointed" because the news leaked re Howson leaving before Delph arrived on loan to soften the blow with supporters. I suspected something was up last night when there was no Tuesday night show on LUTV. I'm disappointed and disgusted  (but not surprised) for a variety of reasons. Disappointed - because Howson is a genuine footballer who loves Leeds United and is/was my favourite player. This is a player who could easily make the step up to the Premiership and I wish him well. Secondly if I hadn't Sean coming with me on Friday to the Ipswich game, I certainly would have stayed at home. Sickened and annoyed because this will have a huge impact on morale in the dressing room when the locally born Leeds captain is allowed leave over a few grand per week. White, Clayton, Snodgrass, Lees, McCormack etc will rightly question their future allegiance to Leeds with Snodgrass in particular who will be looking at the remaining 13 days of the window before moving to Stoke, Norwich, QPR, Wigan or wherever. For Jesus sake we've got a lucky bag bunch of castoffs from TNS, South Africa Meltdowns, and Yanks trying to fill Jonny's shoes and Max Gradel’s also. Whatever you think of Grayson, and I can understand many people wanting him to go also. Do you really think it would be any better if Grayson resigned and Bates employed someone else under the same constraints and regime (and willing to work for football's biggest tyrant) to manage Leeds United ? Remember we've had Eddie Gray, Kevin Blackwell, Dennis Wise, Gary McAllister and Larry - not a great track record is it ?  Will I stop going to Leeds ? No and neither will probably the majority of   members reading this. But then again neither of us would be surprised if at 9PM on Tuesday 31st of January, Sky Sports show pictures of Robert Snodgrass walking through the gates of the Britannia proclaimed as Stoke's (or some other PL's) new signing. Until Bates goes there will be no future for Leeds United. No ambition ! No pride in the club ! Seven years of misery is enough for any fan and it's Bates who churns around the pit of my stomach with a stench of putrid bile that is the attention of my fury. Having thought about it over the past few hours, I do think that this will be a bigger problem for Ken Bates than he can possibly have imagined. He may languish in his tax exile in Monte Carlo for a number of weeks and criticise all and sundry through his propaganda £4 programme notes, but his footfall to Elland Road will suffer and I suspect a relatively tolerant crowd to him thus far will turn and it will get nasty, especially if results continue to deteriorate. Is he the man we want to chair our football club with his foul mouthed rants and Father Jack like behaviour ? He has turned Leeds United into a comic feeder club, ambitionless, and has fed off our glorious name, whilst throwing a few crumbs to the masses....crumbs of reject nomadic trialists. Anything will do as long he can make a fast buck But wouldn't it be nice if the quietly spoken ex Leeds captain was to be the one who had the last laugh. Best of luck Jonny, I'm sure you'll do well for the Canaries, and no doubt Delia will be easier and nicer to work for than Kenneth Bates." Sickened and Disgusted but will still be Leeds when that 80 year old vulture is gone". Gerard Cunningham Dundalk.

Weds 18^th of Jan. YEP. Wigan Athletic are the latest club to be linked with Leeds United’s leading scorer, Ross McCormack. The 12-goal striker is rumoured to have attended Monday night’s Premier League match between Wigan and Manchester City and the DW Stadium, prompting speculation that Latics boss Roberto Martinez is lining up a bid for him. McCormack, a Scotland international with 18 months remaining on his deal at Elland Road, has already been linked with Wolves this season. Grayson has not commented on McCormack

Weds 18th of Jan. Lancashire News. According to reports Bolton Wanderers are interested in Leeds United midfielder Adam Clayton. The Sun claims Wanderers boss Owen Coyle is set to bid £2 million for the playmaker.Coyle is expected to push for the ex-Manchester City player after the breakdown of talks over a new Elland Road deal. However, he is expected to face competition from Stoke City, Fulham and neighbours Wigan Athletic.

Weds 8th 2012. Louth Branch reaction that I can print -"I usually wouldn't rant too much but it has now come to the stage where you have to question what direction our football club is going in. My morning ritual of checking the Leeds news has now ruined my day and probably the rest of my week. The news of Howson's departure for around 2m has taken me by total surprise. I stand to be corrected but did our captain not always say that he wanted to help lead Leeds back to the PL? Larry had said at the start of the transfer window that he was going to strengthen the squad by taking in quality players. He also mentioned that he may be letting a few fringe players go. This in my opinion has not happened at all, we are still carrying all the dead wood and now we have lost arguably one of our best players over the last few seasons. Its very hard to see any positives at the moment. There are more players been linked with a move away from Elland Road than there are coming in ie Clayton, Bechio and McCormack etc. The facts are we need to invest and we need to do it now. We have to get someone to replace Howson. This may be Delph with Grayson supposed to be holding talks with Villa but that will only be a temporary solution. I agree with Paul Martin, Gradel still hasn't been replaced and we are lacking up front. These issues must be addressed if we are going to make progress. At the end of the day we are still only 3 point outside the play off places and we can hopefully start to pick up a few points. We have the experience of the last few seasons and we need to use that to help us push on and get promotion. I am going to the Brighton game in early February and I hope to see our beloved Whites stride to get back to were we belong! Trying hard to keep the faith, Antoin Watters -Cooley. "Two month’s ago he said this "It's a dream come true just playing for the club, never mind captaining them, back in November. And on the subject of contract talks, he added: "I'm sure they'll be finalised and I'll sign soon. And now we are meant to believe he wants to play premier league football ASAP. More Bullshit from Bates and very very ably backed up by his puppet Larry. We all know Bates and we are stuck with him,but Larry has choices. He can leave with what little stock he has left in protest or he can re-balance his player budget by getting rid of Brown, Varynin (the Finn) and offer Johnny a premier league contract where he can play with Leeds next year or Larry can go along with Bates and accept the situation and ensure the message goes out to Team and Fans that he does not see us in the Premier league next year. This Bullshit policy I expect from Bates, but yet again I have to accept it from a compliant Larry also, and this annoys me more. Glad I am not going over this week because I would be up for what I would be saying to Larry !!! Rant over, and its good just to get it off the chest !! Greg Tipping (a little edited) "Not going up this year either. Thanks Master Bates". Gerry Kirk. "We're down to a selling club and that's all. Padna Lane, Dunleer. Sick ! Paddy Kettle. "We're going nowhere". Liam Quinn Dundalk.  "A disgrace. W****s !" Steven Quigley Carrick. "It's a joke !" Terry McQuaid Monaghan. "How many clubs chasing promotion would agree to sell their captain with 4 months of the season remaining ? Yes Delph would be a great pick up on loan but the recent run has shown we need depth to the squad". Allan Quigley, Cellbridge Numerous more but not postable as we have no money to fight the libel bills. Thanks for the contributions, all of which are heartfelt and sincere. 

Weds 18th of Jan 2012. The following is taken from "The Square Ball" transcript of Ken Bates interview with Yorkshire Radio. Taken from Yorkshire Radio’s interview with Leeds United owner Ken Bates today…‘Mr Chairman’ speaks to Ben Fry about everything other than the £2million bid accepted by Leeds United for captain Jonny Howson. Palace, Snoddy, trialists, Robbie Rogers, Fabian Delph, transfers, his seven-year anniversary at the club, Ipswich and season ticket renewal forms…Ben Fry: Chairman, first up, a point on the road at Palace. I suppose if you were offered that beforehand, I would have been a good result. Ken Bates: Erm, I’m not sure. I think we’d say ‘no, we need to win these games rather than draw them’. A point’s a point. I suppose you could argue that in 2012 it has been 4 points out of six but against 10 men we should have beaten them. That’s disappointing. Nevertheless, we’re keeping up with the pack although we are still outside the play-off places, albeit by one point (TSB-three points, Mr Chairman). BF: On the day Robert Snodgrass returned to the side and returned to goal scoring form after only two weeks out. He has made a remarkable recovery. Credit to him and credit to the medical staff. KB: Er, yeah. Although of course I had my appendix out a few years ago now. Not in my youth. But the technology is quite amazing because normally, they used to cut you open and take the organ, which is necessary in the way our bodies work. But he had it with keyhole so he was in and out within a day. so the only thing we were worrying about was that if he made any sudden stretches or turns it could damage the tissues so he had to be very careful about that. It’s fantastic. We knew he’d be back for the Ipswich game. Crystal Palace was very much touch and go. So he touched and went for go. BF: He seems to be the man finding the back of the net at the moment. A bit of a reliance on him for his goals. KB: Well, yes, but we don’t give a damn who scores goals as long as we score them. It’s nice to spread them around a bit. BF: Now yesterday there was a behind closed doors game at Elland Road against Newcastle, giving some trialists a run-out. A 2-0 win with Mikael Forssell on the scoresheet and a trialist scoring. Important that the team keep playing football, even when it is a bit frosty at Thorp Arch. KB: Well I think it was very frosty at Thorp Arch because originally they were going to play the previous evening and we had to get the undersoil heating on at Elland Road from midday for the game yesterday. But all credit to the ground staff for performing but if you remember, last season Elland Road was the only place where we never had to postpone a match out of all the clubs in Yorkshire. So obviously we haven’t got a bad ground and we’ve got very good staff. It was important the game was played because players need to play games. They can do simulation warm-ups and that kind of stuff as much as you like but there’s nothing like playing matches so it’s very important for those who did play and of course it gave us a chance to look at three trialists, one of whom looks promising. BF: One of the players who featured in the game was Robbie Rogers, who has signed with the club subject to a work permit. Another speedy winger to add a bit more width.  KB: Well we’re always going to welcome those. Robbie is a full American international. I think he is one short of the required number to qualify automatically for a work permit because it’s very important that we get him. Simon will be at the tribunal hearing our application for a work permit. BF: Now there’s plenty of speculation as the January transfer window continues about players coming in as the club. Even talk of a possible loan return for Fabian Delph. KB: Well, there’s lots of discussions going on about players both in and out. If I commented on every bit of speculation there is we’d have this conversation for five hours instead of, mercifully, this 15 minute interview. We are talking to a number of clubs about permanent deals as well as on loan but we’d rather announce what we have done rather than what we are going to do. (Edit added after interview) BF: Now this morning a story was put on LeedsUnited.com confirming that the club have accepted an offer for Jonny Howson from Norwich with the player having just six months left on his contract and stated a desire to play in the Premier League at the earliest possible opportunity. Discussions continue over personal terms and Norwich. Now I know you’re not going to comment on the Jonny Howson story at the moment but there are other stories in the media this week, linking players with moves away from Elland Road. Are these stories an unwanted distraction at this stage? (end of edit) KB: Well yes of course it is. I mean we can’t stop speculation. A lot of the problems you have these days are agents who leak stories to the press, for two reasons; obviously to stimulate interest in their players and to try to see if there’s more than one club that are going to be interested in a player i.e get an auction going on terms. We’re making a note of those agents and also making a note not to deal with them in the future, unless absolutely necessary because if you can’t trust them, you can’t do business with them. But we are active behind the scenes. We’ve already signed Danny Pugh, we’ve already extended Maik Taylor’s contract, we’ve signed young Townsend from Tottenham so that’s three. We’ve agreed terms with one of our young players and we’ll announce that as soon as it’s signed… he’s signed rather. There are other discussions going on but as usual, we talk about what we have done, not what we are going to do. BF: Now this week you’ve been at the club seven years. The song talks about ups and downs. How has the experience been for you? KB: Yes, Ben. It’s been seven years hard labour and I’m totally innocent. BF: We’ll move on to the game at the weekend against Ipswich. Two important home games coming up. Ipswich are a side you don’t want to underestimate but they have been on a terrible run and are struggling all season. KB: Yes, they actually thought they were going to be among the front runners but something has gone terribly wrong there but they are a force to be reckoned with. Of course we are now into our last 20 games of the season; 11 of which are at home and only 9 away. It’s important that we do beat Ipswich and keep our 2012 league unbeaten run going. We do of course have a bit of an injury crisis at the moment at the club but that’s why we have 29 professionals. Probably one of the largest squads in the Championship. So Simon and his merry men have just got to get on with it and win the games. BF: And still 13 days to go on the season ticket freeze. How are renewals going at the moment? KB: Well, the online has been open for some time of course but most people like to renew in person or by post. It’s coming along quite well. Application forms only landed on people’s doorsteps this week. The initial response has been quite promising. We expect it to go up on Saturday because as Mandy in the box office yesterday was saying a lot of people like to hand their ticket applications in personally because they don’t trust the mail as much as they used to, especially if there’s cash involved. We’re quite happy with the response to date and of course, the fact that we have frozen the prices until January 31st is an incentive for people to get them in early and take advantage of the two forms of interest free credit which means it’s one of those rare cases of have your cake and eat it scenarios.

Weds 18th of Jan 2012. Jonny's on his way  (YEP) Leeds United captain Jonny Howson looks to become Norwich City’s first signing of the January transfer window after a fee was agreed for the midfielder. Howson, a former England Under-21 international, is now set to thrash out personal terms with the Norfolk club, who will in turn seek assurances over the player’s fitness as the midfielder has been out since December with a knee injury. The Whites were reluctant sellers of their captain, but felt given the 23-year-old’s current deal was set to expire in the summer, they had to allow the move to happen, with a reported £2 million fee. “The player only has six months of his current contract remaining and has expressed a desire to play Premier League football at the earliest opportunity,” said Leeds United in a statement. “The club has been in discussions with the player about a new contract at Elland Road for more than 12 months, but he has been steadfast in his position that he would like the opportunity to play Premier League football. “On that basis Jonny hasn’t felt in a position to commit himself to Leeds United at this moment in time. “The player would be able to leave on a free transfer at the end of his current contract. “While accepting the offer on Tuesday the player has still to agree terms with Norwich and we are disappointed the matter has become public at this stage.” Norwich moved for former Leeds midfielder Bradley Johnson in the summer when he was a free agent after rejecting the offer of a new deal and allowing his contract to run down. As with the signing of Johnson, 24, the transfer will be something of a gamble for Norwich manager Paul Lambert - who has masterminded back-to-back promotions from League One after taking over at Carrow Road. Many of the current squad have come up through the divisions with the Canaries, while summer additions Steve Morison, Anthony Pilkington and Elliott Bennett have all made a successful transition into the top flight. Lambert, however, admitted he was unsure how many more times he could tap hungry talent from down the pyramid as he looked to keep Norwich in the Premier League following an impressive first half of the season which has left them ninth. Goalkeeper John Ruddy believes the current group have already shown they have what it takes to last the distance. “Over the Christmas period we had a couple of games, but we used the squad very well,” Ruddy said in the Eastern Daily Press. “It gave players a chance who had not played very much this season, they came in and did an unbelievable job. “We have got more than enough in the squad, but if the gaffer needs to add to it he will. “We will welcome them with open arms and they can help us stay in the league as well.”

Weds 18th of Jan. 2012 Can you believe it ! Our captain and life long Leeds fan, Jonny Howson has been sold for 30 pieces of silver (£2M) to a club a fraction in size of LUFC. 

Weds 18th of Jan 2012. YEP re Delph. Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish is to hold talks with Simon Grayson over a deal for Fabian Delph as the midfielder inches closer to a return to Leeds United. McLeish confirmed that Grayson and Villa coach Kevin MacDonald have discussed Delph’s situation, and he plans to contact United’s manager directly after deciding to release the England Under-21 international on loan. Leeds are vying with West Ham United for the 22-year-old’s services, and an agreement with United would take Delph back to the club where he started his career and built his reputation as one of the country’s most talented prospects. McLeish said: “Simon did try to call me but I’ve not spoken to him yet, I think he’s spoken to Kevin so I’ll get back in touch with him.” Delph has played 11 times for Villa this season but he has slipped down the selection order in the past month. McLeish left him on the bench for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton. The ex-Rangers boss is ready to grant Delph’s request for regular football by releasing him on a temporary basis, and Grayson has made his interest known as he works to strengthen United’s midfield. Grayson said: “He’s a good player who knows about Leeds United and has been here before. “I won’t be drawn on whether we’re definitely going to do it or not but he’s a player along with a lot of others who would fit the bill. “But there are many obstacles in front of us – he has to be available and we have to be able to afford to do the deal because Premier League players earn a huge amount of money.”Delph made his name at Elland Road, playing 54 times for Leeds and winning the Football League’s Young Player of the Year award before a £6m transfer to Villa in August 2009. But he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury the following year and has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular under McLeish. McLeish said: “He started seven or eight in a row for us at the start of the season but we’ve been looking for somebody to give us eight out of 10 performances every week.  “Some of the lads have given some good performances but not quite got to the peak of their powers, and Delph admits that. “It may be that we look to try and get him playing regularly for a wee while.” McLeish, meanwhile, left the door open to a deal between Leeds and Eric Lichaj but warned that any transfer involving the right-back would include a recall clause. Lichaj – a loanee at Elland Road last season – is among United’s targets after recovering from hip surgery, and he stepped up his fitness with an outing for Villa’s reserves against Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday. McLeish said: “We’d consider letting Eric go on loan as well. We’ll think about that one but we’ll probably look for call-back rather than letting him go out until the end of the season".

Tues 17th of Jan 2012. Taken from “The Gorey Guardian " – I liked this one. A TALENTED young sportsman with very close Wexford connections had one of the best views of all in the Emirates Stadium on Monday of last week when Thierry Henry marked his return to Arsenal with a fairytale winning goal in the FA Cup clash with Leeds United. However, Aidan White wasn't celebrating the Frenchman's sublime first touch and wonder strike after coming off the bench as he was a key defender on the losing team! Indeed, White showed he is no man to respect a reputation in the dying stages of the game when he robbed Henry with a forceful tackle close to the corner flag, with the referee waving for an advantage as he raced away while the goal scorer made a lunge at his heels. This young man with the full name of Aidan Peter White was named after his grandfather, Peter Kevin White of Hantoon Road in Wexford town, and his father, Peter Paul White of King Street. And while Euro 2012 might come a little too soon for him, he is making steady progress and really impressed on his full debut with the Republic of Ireland Under-21 team last September. 'I'd expect him to go far in the game,' Ireland's team manager, Noel King, said. After appearing in a friendly against Austria in the Showgrounds, Sligo, in August, White returned to the same venue for the qualifier clash against Hungary the following month. And he marked his third visit to the north-west venue on November 14 by scoring a goal in the victory over Liechtenstein. White has two main priorities at present - to continue his role in Leeds' bid for promotion from the Championship, and to ensure that Ireland's name appears in the draw for the Under-21 European championships which are due to be held in Israel next year. 'When it comes to international football, qualifying for Israel is the main thing for me,' he confirmed on the official Leeds United website. 'I'll be eligible if we get there and I'd love to go to a tournament like that. It's an experience I've never had before. 'You never know what else could happen and that (Euro 2012) is something I can't really control, or not completely anyway. I'll work hard with Leeds and work hard with the Under-21s but who knows if that will be enough? I don't even know if I've got the slightest chance.' In the space of four months this season, White almost doubled his total appearances for Leeds, starting all but three of their league fixtures up to the end of November. One of his clubmates described him as 'one of the hottest prospects in the Championship', and Noel King called him a 'revelation', having selected White for the first time in August not long after learning about his eligibility as a result of his Wexford roots. The defender had represented England Under-19s in his formative years but was delighted to take King up on his offer.White's contract with United ends next summer and the club are understood to be keen to extend his deal. After two years without much game-time at Elland Road, he has given Simon Grayson a solution to the problem of how to fill the left side of the defence. The Republic, in contrast, are using White predominantly as a winger and occasionally on the right flank. 'It was an opportunity I wanted to take,' White said. 'I wanted to play international football and I hadn't played or been involved with England for a little while. There was no real decision to make. 'I've got strong Irish roots and I've still got family over there, so playing for the Republic is something I'm proud of. You obviously have to consider what it all means but it wasn't like I was going to play for a country I've got no ties to or no affinity with.' As well as his Wexford town links, Aidan is a distant relation of Cassagh native Brian White who refereed three All-ireland Senior football championship finals and is currently based in Clonmel. Aidan's late grandfather and Brian's late father were first cousins. Aidan was born on October 10, 1991, and made his debut for Leeds United as a 16-year-old against Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup in August, 2008. A product of the club's Academy system, he made his league debut at Carlisle the following month. Up to May, 2010, he had made 24 senior appearances under Gary McAllister and Simon Grayson. He was loaned to Oldham Athletic last season and featured in another 24 league games, scoring four goals. So far this season he has made 26 appearances with the Leeds United first team

Tues Jan 17th. Larry re Delph and speculation. Fabian Delph is a good player who knows about Leeds United because he has been here before," he told the club's official website. "His name is being bandied around as if he is available for loan. You're not going to draw me on whether we will do it or not, but he's a player, along with others, that would fit the bill. "He fits the bill because he knows what this club is about and what it means to play here, but we're working towards one or two deals and I will refuse to name them." The Elland Road boss knows it is difficult to do business in January, but has reiterated the club are working hard behind the scenes on bringing in fresh faces. "It's always difficult at this time of year, but we're working extremely hard to achieve what we want to do," he continued. "We've been linked with a lot of players over the past few days and weeks and we are looking to strengthen, but what you have to do is bring in someone who will make you better. "There is no point in bringing in players who are going to sit on the bench and be around the squad - you want players who can come into the first team straight away. "That's what we have to work at and if it means hanging on a few more days or a week I will do that." A number of players have been linked with the Leeds exit door and Grayson is hoping to move on players who are not part of his long-term plans. "We're looking to do things in that direction as well," he continued. "There's been enquiries and clubs will be like us in considering 'can they take so-and-so?' "It changes from day to day. Teams might be looking for something one day then a completely different position the next depending on circumstances. "We've got some who we wouldn't stand in their way, but anyone leaving the club will be on our terms and no one else's." Larry, less of the Bates bullshit and just get him signed up so we can at least see some flair for the rest of the season. If he doesn't come you will have made some rod for your own back.

Tuesday Jan 17th. 2012. Double doubt over Villa duo. Leeds United’s hopes of a successful double loan swoop to sign Fabian Delph and Eric Lichaj appear unlikely – with the latter expected to remain at Aston Villa this transfer window. United are keen to reinvigorate their Championship play-off drive, having targetted ex-Elland Road midfielder Delph this month, with former loan defender Lichaj, who spent a productive stint at United in the second half of last term, another thought to be high on their January shopping list. Villa have opened the door for Delph to move out on loan in this window, but USA international Lichaj is set to stay put at Villa Park after only recently returning to training after being out for four months following a hip operation. Lichaj is regarded as the main cover for current regular right-back Alan Hutton and with the Scottish international’s recent form having been inconsistent over the past few months, the 23-year-old could be handed his opportunity at first-team level by boss Alex McLeish in the near future. The Villa chief has shown no hesitation in handing extended opportunities to several of Lichaj’s former Academy colleagues already this term, with the likes of Chris Herd and Ciaran Clark sampling some invaluable first-team experience and several others part of the match day squad. But despite being tipped to make Lichaj available for loan after his spell on the sidelines since September, McLeish is expected to hold onto Lichaj for the time being and take an opportunity to have a look at the Illnois-born full-back. Lichaj has featured just once under McLeish - finding the net in Villa’s 2-0 Carling Cup win over Hereford United in August - shortly before going under the knife for surgery. Meanwhile, it’s understood that Villa haven’t yet received official contact from United regarding Delph, who left West Yorkshire in a £6m move in, according to sources in the West Midlands - although a firming up of their position is likely this week. Delph signed a new four-year deal tying him to Villa until 2015 last March, but if United were able to stump up enough of his five-figure wages and the appropriate recall clause was inserted into the deal, that Villa would seemingly be happy for him to return to his former club. Bates and Grayson deserve a double kick up the arse if they can't bring Delph back to Elland Road for the balance of the season !

Tuesday January 17th. Friendly game at Thorp Arch.  Mikael Forssell and South African trialist, Mattie Pattison scored in a behind closed doors friendly against a Newcastle X1 this afternoon. Craig Jones a trialist from TNS also featured as well as American, Robbie Rogers. Other to get game time were Connolly, Bruce, Sam, Parker and Maik Taylor in nets. 

Tuesday Jan 17th. Another trialist. Leeds United are currently running the rule over South African midfielder and former Newcastle United and Norwich City player Matty Pattison, who is on trial at the club. The 25-year-old, who has won two caps for Bafana Bafana, is on the books of Mamelodi Sundowns and had also been linked with a move to Russia. United have also offered a trial to winger Craig Jones, 24, who plays for Welsh Premier League title-chasers outfit TNS. The Norwich fans’ blogs were far from complimentary about the South African’s talents. This is the quote from the CarrowRoad.net : "One of Glenn Roeder's few purchases is looking for away back into English football, after leaving City and heading back home to South Africa. Perhaps more famous for turning up for training in his underwear (Allegedly). Of course we are referring to the wonderful Matty Pattison. He is currently having a trial with Leeds Utd. The 25-year-old, who has won two caps for Bafana Bafana, is on the books of Mamelodi Sundowns and had also been linked with a move to Russia. Have Leeds stooped that low". 

Mon Jan 16th 2012. Excellent article from the superb Sabotage Times. If you made a list of the dozen or so things that are wrong with Leeds United at the moment, on the pitch that is, a good 75% of those would be solved by the signing of one player by the name of Fabian Delph. He won’t solve everything, I am aware that he might not be match fit and he may have lost some of the magic he once had through a series of debilitating injuries. I am also aware that loaning players is a well-trodden path as far as Leeds are concerned, with a pretty sparse success rate. For every Dougie Freedman, there are a couple of Liam Dickinson’s and a pig-pen full of Gary McSheffrey’s. Numerous have been the occasions where a loan signing of some stature has spectacularly flattered to deceive. Huffing uncomfortably around the pitch, bearing the weight of rustiness and a sudden projection into the Elland Road limelight, big names have failed to produce and brief excitement has dimmed into a hollow glow of disappointment, resentment and sometimes, in Lee Trundle’s case, ridicule. The arrival of Fabian Delph, if it happens, and surely it must, seems different in every way; almost a no-lose scenario. Even if Delph is only a quarter of the player he was in 2009, anyone who saw him perform at that time would relish the opportunity to have him in a White shirt again. It is hard to explain, but he’s ‘Leeds’, and he knows he is. Furthermore, it’s the ‘Leeds’ that Leeds so patently need right now. At Crystal Palace on Saturday Leeds once again lacked the vital ingredients that promotion-seeking sides need, ie. the quality to make the most of a promising opportunity and get results from difficult games. Sounds simple, but it is something Leeds have lacked in the Championship, even last season, which was viewed as largely successful. When we can string three passes together we lack invention and spark; no ideas, nobody thinking, nobody really wanting to make that difference. For the second league game running we played a large portion of the game against ten men, but this time we couldn’t rely on an own-goal or a calamitous goalkeeping error to grant us three unlikely points. Leeds need inspiration, we need stimulus, we need to get Elland Road buzzing again, we need a local hero, we need swagger, we need arrogant disrespect and barefaced effrontery. Throughout 2011/12 Leeds have lacked bite in midfield, we have lacked leadership, we have lacked pace throughout the side, we have lacked anybody in the team that is good in the air, we have lacked distribution from defence. We have lacked a ‘blood on your boots’ desire to get on the end of crosses, at times we have lacked passion, we have lacked midfielders who are comfortable in possession, we have lacked players with vision, mobility and intelligence, and we have lacked someone truly inspirational to take a game by the scruff of the neck. We have seen good things very occasionally, but our current position of eleventh is a true and honest one. The loss of Jonny Howson at the beginning of December has been more critical than most people would like to admit. In simple terms we have won only one of the seven games since, and that with outrageous good fortune. Howson may not be the inspirational captain he is billed as, but he does have quality, he does have ideas and he is capable of influencing tight games, as is the returning Snodgrass. We have missed Howson recently, and anyone who can’t see that is blinded by an irrational mis-trust in Simon Grayson’s apparent favouritism of him. That said, Howson alone is not the answer.Fabian Delph ticks almost all the boxes of the things we lack, he did three years ago and he surely must do now. He certainly ticks as many as you can rightfully expect from one player. The brash 19 year old who burst onto the scene under Gary McAllister in 2008/09 was as refreshing a sight as I can remember seeing as a Leeds fan, akin to the early Harry Kewell performances amid the suffocating dirge of watching George Graham’s Leeds in 1997. In League One, Delph shone like a diamond in an ocean of steaming excrement. I remember his energy, his almost serene relationship with the ball, his elegant running, his step-overs and flicks that weren’t flash but purely natural, his desire to win a tackle, his impudence in leaving Robbie Savage flat on his arse during his loan spell with Brighton, and I remember his goals. Two long range pearlers against Crewe and Walsall, a forty yard lob into an empty net at Stockport, and a length-of-the-pitch run and finish of outrageous quality and composure at Brighton. It is hard to see Delph not having some kind of positive effect, so the club has to seize the opportunity and do what is so undeniably right. Delph’s bullish character was just the right side of over-confident, because he had it, that one thing that is so rare to find in a footballer; ‘it’, an intangible ability to excite, engage and uplift. He had the mobility and athleticism, the charge, focus and desire to run the game at number 11 setting, a Steven Gerrard that we knew did not belong in League One. His sale was inevitable and accepted once our Play-Off failure of 2009 had sunk in, for fans used to the Lennon’s and Milner’s vacating for a rightful higher plane, this was just another all-to-brief flirtation with the previous exhilarating existence we continue to hanker for. The fact that we have to loan him rather than love him as our own, is simply an indictment of the times. This is our lot right now, we might as well make the most of it and it would be foolish to pass on this opportunity simply because it is a loan. Sage observers say ‘never go back’, but just to try and re-create that thrilling surge of excitement again is worth taking the risk, our season is dependent on the seismic shift in expectation this would create, otherwise five months of dispirited chagrin awaits. Leeds need inspiration, we need stimulus, we need to get Elland Road buzzing again, we need a local hero, we need swagger, we need arrogant disrespect and barefaced effrontery. All our heroes had it, we need another. I couldn't agree more and it's a lot better than being linked with a kid from TNS of the Welsh League. As Jeff Stelling famously said using his son's quote after the minnows took the lead : "They'll be dancing in the streets of TNS tonight". 

Mon Jan 16th. Trotters on a raid. According to reports Bolton Wanderers are ready to swoop on Leeds United. The Sunday Mirror claims Wanderers boss Owen Coyle has his eye on two players at Elland Road. It is understood he is interested in Adam Clayton and Tom Lees who were watched during the 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Arsenal last Monday. Defender Lees, would be an ideal long-term replacement for Gary Cahill, while 23-year-old Clayton would augment Coyle’s depleted midfield. I don't really see this one happening. 

Mon Jan 16th 2012. Compo due to Ken for Kid. Leeds United are in line to receive a cash windfall after ex-youth-team player Elliot Kebbie put pen to paper on a deal with Atletico Madrid. The 17-year-old has sealed a transfer to the La Liga club seven months after walking away from the offer of a scholarship at United’s Thorp Arch academy.  The move was finalised on Friday but Leeds retained Kebbie’s registration and the right to compensation upon his exit from Thorp Arch. And there is nothing like a cash till with a ring of £500k to keep our chairman happy. 

Monday Jan 16th. It would be Fab to get Fab back. Leeds United will attempt to seal the loan signing of Fabian Delph this week after moving to offer their ex-midfielder a sensational return to Elland Road. United are one of several clubs fighting for Delph’s services after Aston Villa confirmed that the 22-year-old is free to leave the club on a temporary basis. Villa manager Alex McLeish does not see Delph as part of his immediate plans and the England Under-21 international is close to rejoining Leeds two-and-a-half years after quitting the club to sign for Villa in a £6million deal. United boss Simon Grayson faces stiff competition from Championship rivals West Ham United but he will push for a deal after seeing Leeds drop two more points in a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Saturday. Delph is one of the most outstanding talents produced by Leeds’ academy in recent years, and he made 54 senior appearances for the club after earning his debut at the age of 17. His exceptional form earned him an England Under-21 cap and the Football League’s prestigious Young Player of the Year award for the 2008-09 season, and Leeds sold him to Villa days before the start of the following term. But Delph’s development in Birmingham has been hampered by a series of fitness problems, the worst a cruciate knee ligament injury suffered in 2010. Martin O’Neill, the manager who signed Delph, parted company with Villa while Delph was on the sidelines, and Gerard Houllier’s short tenure was followed by McLeish’s appointment earlier this year. Delph has made 11 appearances for Villa this season but last played on December 18, and McLeish is ready to send him out on loan, saying: “I know Fabian would like regular first-team football.” United also have their eye on another Villa player, right-back Eric Lichaj, but the signing of Delph would be a major coup with Leeds three points and five places beneath the Championship’s play off position. I have to say a fit Fabian Delph would be a superb player to secure. not only is he skilful and quick but he knows how to put the boot in and that would give the whole Elland Road crowd a huge lift and perhaps take some  of the pressure off Robert Snodgrass. 

Jan 1st 2012 to Jan 15th 2012

December 2011 

November 2011

October 2011

September 2011

Aug 24th to Aug 31st 2011

Aug1st to Aug 23rd

July 2011Update

June 11th update 

May 11 Update

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Feb 11 Update

Jan 11 Update

Dec 10 Update

Nov 10 Update

Oct 10 Update

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Aug 10 Update

July 10 Update

June 10 Update

May 10 Update

April 10 Update

March 10 Update

Feb 10 Update

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Dec 09 Update               

Nov 09 Update

Oct 09 Update

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Index Nov 14th 08 to Dec 31st 08

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Index Jan 08 to May 25th 08

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