.. this time 6 years ago

[whitestomper45]

Trawling back through threads (not for troll reasons ) I went back to this day 6 years ago.

It was 6 months into Cellino days, with the Hock in charge, trying to be enthused about moderate signings and one of a few ridiculous managerial appointments.

Seems a long time ago, though it was the start of the end to our financial nightmare ending.

Bates gone/GFH (almost) gone and Cellino deciphering our accounts forensically bringing in watermelons and good/bad Italian signings (along with his yacht), thanks to MC we were still looked on as a basket case due to his erratic on/off field goings on...

never a dull moment... now which international have we signed today

[asturianblanco]

those were the days! When WTF11 actually had something real to moan about! Cellino was class....

[spaldy]

Kind of a soft spot for Celino.

Have to believe he had something to do with Radz buying the team. all been better since that happened.

He also didn't seem to sell our best players as quickly as Bates. He was leveraged a lot by the players/agents but never sensed he was just looking for money.

[whitestomper45]

Cellino was mad as a hatter but definitely deciphered our Bermuda triangle of accounts and introduced our present owner. And as you say held out for better prices on our players 11M for McContract if Bates was still in charge he would have gone for about 3. I think we were a good fit for each other at the time, we needed a jolt to get us out of that ever deepening rut we were in (remember the lock in when the taxi was chased away from ground, refusing Sky entry to ground, pie tax.... he was the catalyst to where we are now Forza Leeds MOT

[george_kaplan]

Cellino was mad as a hatter but definitely deciphered our Bermuda triangle of accounts and introduced our present owner. And as you say held out for better prices on our players 11M for McContract if Bates was still in charge he would have gone for about 3. I think we were a good fit for each other at the time, we needed a jolt to get us out of that ever deepening rut we were in (remember the lock in when the taxi was chased away from ground, refusing Sky entry to ground, pie tax.... he was the catalyst to where we are now Forza Leeds MOT

The Bates episode in our LUFC lives was our darkest chapter imo, the ken n’ den show as I liked to call it, a nightmare circus.
Cellino came in and definitely ruffled the feathers and got a buzz going ... good or bad! He woke up a stale club at that time.
He unknowingly or knowingly put us on the right path or at least a path, put a rudder if you will on a ship drifting to nowhere.
The past.
I am on the edge of my seat for this new chapter ... the future!

[WTF11]

Kind of a soft spot for Celino.

Have to believe he had something to do with Radz buying the team. all been better since that happened.

He also didn't seem to sell our best players as quickly as Bates. He was leveraged a lot by the players/agents but never sensed he was just looking for money.

I thought he was first class bonkers, but maybe at that time that was what was required (I mean, after GFH would any really sane individual give us a second look?). Liked his interaction with the fans (at first, in the stands, playing guitar etc etc), just went a bit (a bit!) too far) and the fact that he wasn't averse to taking the FA/FL on, maybe not quite realising this wasn't Italy!!

Right man, right time? (If he had "sobered up" we might still have McDermott, still be a middling Championship side because he was never going to have the funds Radrizzani would have access to). Cometh the hour, cometh the man, (on many occasions when it comes to Leeds!)

[whitestomper45]

If instead of going from MC to AR we could have ended up with an Adam Pearson type buyout. Where trying to maybe grow organically we would be tempted at times to overspend, (Bit like Wendies/Florists) When our present owners came in I knew they had good connections but seemed they didn't quite have the cash to compete with those dropping down from PL.

The atute employing of Marcelo by Andrea was a real game changer.

Putting my pessimistic Leeds back on... if it does go tits up at least we too will have the parachute payments for the next few years, something we didn't have the last time we went down..they came in 2 years later, tho probably just as well as we would likely have just ended up in more debt.... Am feeling confident like many that we are shaping up to be a viable squad/club this time round..and a nod to Mad Massimo

[fredlufc74]

Looking back, I read an article in Private Eye about David Haigh this month. The Law Courts have ordered him to pay back 4 million that apparently he embezzled from GFH.

This case is still ongoing.

He's just declared himself bankrupt.

[WTF11]

Looking back, I read an article in Private Eye about David Haigh this month. The Law Courts have ordered him to pay back 4 million that apparently he embezzled from GFH.

This case is still ongoing.

He's just declared himself bankrupt.

Yep, read the same article. seems that he wasn't quite the "injured party" he made himself out to be!

[Ozwhites]

Yep, read the same article. seems that he wasn't quite the "injured party" he made himself out to be!

Game man to be embezzling from the likes of GFH!