Who's in charge.

[MrsORichSenior_]

Felt an urge to comment tonight as i've been in Leeds on business of late and like everyone have been following developments around ER.

Obviously i still read the forum but certainly am not in agreement with all opinions expressed of late.

The spin suggests we've now people in who actually can pull the financial strings (aka Marathe and Cline Thomas) - both thrive under pressure, apparently.

They'll trust their judgments to evaluate a situation and will act decisively, hopefully now saving us all the mental stress which obviously conveys well with Farke's football philosophy.
Everything that the Rads PL regime lacked.

For older fans similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby spring to mind.

In this respect we as Leeds fans hold a special position again because we are the cynosure of all eyes at all times.
One would hope the current Board now know that and can deliver more positivity going forward.

So more positives through my eyes and ears now that i've been in town talking and listening to folks.

MOT

[MrsORichSenior_]

Felt an urge to comment tonight as i've been in Leeds on business of late and like everyone have been following developments around ER.

Obviously i still read the forum but certainly am not in agreement with all opinions expressed of late.

The spin suggests we've now people in who actually pull the financial strings (aka Marathe and Cline Thomas) - both thrive under pressure, apparently.

They'll trust their judgments to evaluate a situation and will act decisively, hopefully now saving us all the mental stress which obviously conveys well with Farke's football philosophy.
Everything that the Rads PL regime lacked.

For older fans similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby spring to mind.

In this respect we as Leeds fans hold a special position again because we are the cynosure of all eyes at all times.
One would hope the current Board now know that and can deliver more positivity going forward.

So more positives through my eyes and ears now that i've been in town talking and listening to folks.

MOT

[MrsORichSenior_]

Many thanks to MT for the link posted in the prediction thread, the press conference is most informative, even if the answers to the questions aren't exactly as clear as we might like.

LIVE: Daniel Farke WBA press conference today.

https://youtube.com/live/QllNRiYI5cg?feature=share

I have the greatest respect for Farke, he is the only person from the club who has the spine and the honesty to come to face the press whilst at the same time trying to produce a competitive team from a squad that diminishes by the day. I know he hasn't had much opportunity to show his worth yet, but no matter what, he doesn't deserve this kind of treatment by the club.

For all those who think that the 49-ers as new owners is a good thing, read the comments that are posted throughout the presser, not many positives to be taken.

For your amusement a recap in who actually pulls the financial strings currently - aka Marathe & Cline Thomas.

For me and many older fans we see similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby slowly emerging in the current Boardroom, particularly keeping PR stuff released to a minimum.
Everything "appears" now in place unlike that of the Rads chaotic PL regime when too much pressure was created across the club resulting in some shocking decision making, imo, from all department parties.

In this respect we as Leeds fans hold a special position again because we are the cynosure of all eyes at all times.

One would hope the current Board know that and will deliver more positivity going forward as when backs are against the wall there's only one place to fall.

So more positives through my eyes and ears now that i've been in 'town' talking and listening to folks around the club/city.



As Phil Hay in late July 2023 (The Athletic) explains further..

The new Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has said the Premier League “needs” the club because they make the top flight “more special”.

In the statement the club confirmed that Angus Kinnear, a Board member and the club’s CEO, would remain in his current position and continue to direct day-to-day operations while RudyCline-Thomas will join the board as co-owner and vice chairman.
https://www.salesforce.com/company/l...-cline-thomas/

The 49ers Enterprises’ purchase of the club has now been confirmed and Marathe, who was previously vice chairman and a board member of the club, has taken over from Andrea Radrizzani after the Italian agreed to sell his majority stake in the club.

Marathe led the transition to the 49ers Enterprises and in an interview with the official Leeds United Podcast, spoke about how important the club, who were relegated to the Championship last season, are to England’s top flight.

“I hate the fact that we didn’t get the chance to stay in the Premier League,” he said. “But one thing it did show me. Everybody tells me that Leeds deserves to be in the Premier League because it is a big club and that is true.

“The Premier League needs Leeds. Call it whatever you want. The way we play. The tenacity in which we play. Our history. The Premier League needs us. They know that they need us because we make the league more special.

“There is something different about Leeds. It is not like these other clubs. A lot of these clubs have had great success. Better success than we have had. But we have something that they do not have. There is a movement beneath the surface, and I want to be a part of that movement and I cannot wait to see what that becomes in five, ten years.”

Marathe also spoke about his 20-year history in sports and how his past makes him different from other chairmen in football.

He said: “It has been an interesting ride the last four or five years. I have been a passenger on the train so far. I haven’t really had my chance on the controls or had a front-seat view of how a football club runs. I have learned a lot over that time.

“I am different from your typical chairman or owner. I am not a fifth-generation multi-billionaire who is doing this for a hobby or wants to kill some time. That is quite the opposite. I came up on my own and I grew up loving sports. That is first and foremost who I am. I love competition. I love winning. I have always had a chip on my shoulder because this is not a hobby, this is life to me. This is something that I am meant to do. I am a supporter first.

“I have a particular empathy and understanding of everyone’s jobs at the club because I have done all of those jobs. 23 years at the 49ers starting as an unpaid intern. I have been the head negotiator. I have been the president or chief executive of a team. I have built a stadium. I have hired coaches. I have been through the peaks and troughs of mountains in support. I have seen it all and been through it all. I think that differentiates me from any other club’s chairman.”

MOT all xx

[MrsORichSenior_]

For your amusement a recap in who actually pulls the financial strings currently - aka Marathe & Cline Thomas.

In this respect we as Leeds fans hold a special position again because we are the cynosure of all eyes at all times.

One would hope the current Board now know that and will deliver more positivity going forward as when backs are against the wall there's only one place to fall.

So more positives through my eyes and ears now that i've been in 'town' talking and listening to folks connected within the club and its cities comerce.
For me and many older fans we see similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby slowly emerging in the current* Boardroom, particularly keeping the PR stuff released to a minimum.

Everything "appears" now in place unlike that of Rads chaotic PL regime when too much pressure was created across the club resulting in some shocking decision making, imo, from all club departments.

A Phil Hay article in late July 2023 (The Athletic) explained further...

“There is something different about Leeds. It is not like these other clubs. A lot of these clubs have had great success. Better success than we have had. But we have something that they do not have. There is a movement beneath the surface, and I want to be a part of that movement and I cannot wait to see what that becomes in five, ten years.”

Marathe also spoke about his 20-year history in sports and how his past makes him different from other chairmen in football.

He said: “It has been an interesting ride the last four or five years. I have been a passenger on the train so far. I haven’t really had my chance on the controls or had a front-seat view of how a football club runs. I have learned a lot over that time.

“I am different from your typical chairman or owner. I am not a fifth-generation multi-billionaire who is doing this for a hobby or wants to kill some time. That is quite the opposite. I came up on my own and I grew up loving sports. That is first and foremost who I am. I love competition. I love winning. I have always had a chip on my shoulder because this is not a hobby, this is life to me. This is something that I am meant to do. I am a supporter first.

“I have a particular empathy and understanding of everyone’s jobs at the club because I have done all of those jobs. 23 years at the 49ers starting as an unpaid intern. I have been the head negotiator. I have been the president or chief executive of a team. I have built a stadium. I have hired coaches. I have been through the peaks and troughs of mountains in support. I have seen it all and been through it all. I think that differentiates me from any other club’s chairman.”

As for hands on operations ?

We now have Rudy Cline-Thomas on board as co-owner and vice chairman. Who ?
https://www.salesforce.com/company/l...-cline-thomas/

Easy CV's to digest, so what can go wrong ?
Paragraph 2 is hell of a remit you'll agree ?

MOT - Gill xxxx

[WTF11]

For your amusement a recap in who actually pulls the financial strings currently - aka Marathe & Cline Thomas.

In this respect we as Leeds fans hold a special position again because we are the cynosure of all eyes at all times.

One would hope the current Board now know that and will deliver more positivity going forward as when backs are against the wall there's only one place to fall.

So more positives through my eyes and ears now that i've been in 'town' talking and listening to folks connected within the club and its cities comerce.
For me and many older fans we see similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby slowly emerging in the current* Boardroom, particularly keeping the PR stuff released to a minimum.

Everything "appears" now in place unlike that of Rads chaotic PL regime when too much pressure was created across the club resulting in some shocking decision making, imo, from all club departments.

A Phil Hay article in late July 2023 (The Athletic) explained further...

“There is something different about Leeds. It is not like these other clubs. A lot of these clubs have had great success. Better success than we have had. But we have something that they do not have. There is a movement beneath the surface, and I want to be a part of that movement and I cannot wait to see what that becomes in five, ten years.”

Marathe also spoke about his 20-year history in sports and how his past makes him different from other chairmen in football.

He said: “It has been an interesting ride the last four or five years. I have been a passenger on the train so far. I haven’t really had my chance on the controls or had a front-seat view of how a football club runs. I have learned a lot over that time.

“I am different from your typical chairman or owner. I am not a fifth-generation multi-billionaire who is doing this for a hobby or wants to kill some time. That is quite the opposite. I came up on my own and I grew up loving sports. That is first and foremost who I am. I love competition. I love winning. I have always had a chip on my shoulder because this is not a hobby, this is life to me. This is something that I am meant to do. I am a supporter first.

“I have a particular empathy and understanding of everyone’s jobs at the club because I have done all of those jobs. 23 years at the 49ers starting as an unpaid intern. I have been the head negotiator. I have been the president or chief executive of a team. I have built a stadium. I have hired coaches. I have been through the peaks and troughs of mountains in support. I have seen it all and been through it all. I think that differentiates me from any other club’s chairman.”

As for hands on operations ?

We now have Rudy Cline-Thomas on board as co-owner and vice chairman. Who ?
https://www.salesforce.com/company/l...-cline-thomas/

Easy CV's to digest, so what can go wrong ?
Paragraph 2 is hell of a remit you'll agree ?

MOT - Gill xxxx

I don't think any of those here or in the wider cohort of Leeds supporters doubts who are the owners, and therefore who "pulls the financial strings" at LUFC (certainly not after the protracted and well-aired "developments" around the take-over and the process surrounding its confirmation). I suspect that when the thread was started, it wasn't a query about ownership, but about direction and actions required to make it possible for LUFC to mount a credible bid for immediate promotion back to the PL.

The warm words from Maraathe and the somewhat anodine blurb in the Cine-thomas biopic don't address either of these points, not even in the sense of a "direction of travel" statement. I could have written what Maratthe is quoted as saying (or maybe Chat CBT could do it for me). Actions speak MUCH louder than words, always have, always will. We have had way too little of the former, and way too much of the latter, for a LONG time.

To state that "For me and many older fans we see similarities of our past chairmen traits of Reynolds, Morris, Woodward, Cussins, Silver & Fotherby...." is a little disingenuous, particularly the connection with public and private statements made. I'm 68 next, so I suspect I fall into the "older fans" cohort, and at the time I started supporting LUFC there was no "PR", and certainly no social media pressure to make public what was going on in private. To an extent that is a positive, and I have stated elsewhere and previously that I'm not a fan of social media of any sort, nor its baleful influence on life in general, but.......

We are at what most would agree is a pivotal moment in LUFC history. there is at least the possibility that we will not mount a successful promotion campaign, and might even be in a relegation struggle at seasons end, this time without being able to pin any fault on footballing authorities for their part in our demise. We have seen a 1st team squad virtually halved by the departure under ridiculous "release clauses" courtesy of our recently departed DoF. Others have been sold, and the exodus is unlikely to have ended yet. we have two points from our first three games, and sit 18th in the Championship.

This, no matter how uncomfortable it might make the new owners feel, is NOT the time for silence from above, and it is most certainly NOT golden. I don't imagine that any supporters, me included, would expect a chapter and verse run down of what is planned or may happen, but a clear statement of the future for the club, the squad, the stadium, the relationships with supporters (groups and individuals), training ground facilities etc etc etc, is necessary (yes, necessary).

As an example of what might be achieved, have a look at Birmingham City, new (American) owners, Tom Brady appointed as an advisor and consultant on team psychology, and whos board flew in to the game last week against......and the result......?

[spaldy]

Interesting perspective. Thank you MT

Perhaps his competitive drive might cause him to sign a striker and Left back

[spaldy]

PS. I think Bryan has been solid. However he is injury prone

[Billyni]

And Phil hay knows jack shyt

[MrsORichSenior_]

https://twitter.com/Larrydn22/status...004676098?s=20

FAO WTF.
Tom Brady ?

Larry Vance Jr of New Orleans Pelicans (NBA) flew over to see the WBA game at ER & was in the Old Peacock pub opposite ER drinking with fans before kick-off checking out his investment.

Also seen various club factual articles not always seen stating that.....

20 acres surrounding the ground (neglected for so long) will also be put to good use in the coming years.

Investor Peter Lowy, the leading Australian businessman whose family recently sold the Westfield Group for £26bn is in talks currently with Leeds city council about that vast area surrounding ER.

Leeds has for too long been a city held back by a transport system that consists of buses and more buses as their is no underground, no tram network.
Discussions include the prospect of Elland Road becoming a transport hub to link neglected South Leeds with a city centre it has been disconnected from since the building of the M621 back in the early 70s.

Other work has been quicker to come to fruition. One example is staffing levels. Leeds United, one of the big names of English football, had half the number of workers of Brighton and Hove Albion !
Example: The stadium manager not only also looked after the TA training ground but staggeringly tripled-up as the director of IT.

A new recruitment drive was launched on the commercial front and up until recently Leeds did not have an efficient CRM system - a customer database and a key component in maximising revenue. For a business of its size it is unthinkable.

That size, and the opportunity to maximise revenue, was a key component in catching the 49ers' eyes. Leeds will sell 330,000 shirts this year. That puts them around sixth in the country. On domestic sales, they attract similar revenue to Spurs and Arsenal, with huge numbers of supporters in Ireland and in London.

While internationally they are nowhere near the Big Six, the potential is huge. Take parachute payments out of it and nobody in the Championship would be able to get anywhere near their turnover. That they spent 16 years outside of the Premier League is viewed as gross mismanagement.

Positives out there for sure ......

[MrsORichSenior_]

Interesting perspective. Thank you MT

Perhaps his competitive drive might cause him to sign a striker and Left back

Hiya Spaldy.
I'm Leeds born, bred and educated in the city which gave me a free education bursary so
its importance runs deeper than just being a fan of the team.
Obviously any quality squad additions welcome.

I know you like your NBA.

https://twitter.com/Larrydn22/status...004676098?s=20

Larry Vance Jr of New Orleans Pelicans (NBA) flew over to see the WBA game at ER & was in the Old Peacock pub opposite ER drinking/chatting with fans before kick-off checking out his investment.👍

MOT