Let Me Put My Sunglasses On!

The British sporting summer is in full swing and Leeds fans’ seasonal slumber has been largely untroubled. It’s a stark contrast from the chaos that enveloped us twelve months ago. Despite the usual speculation and those romantic and ridiculous requests for the return of former heroes, Oldham Athletic’s young striker Matt Smith is the only arrival thus far. Usually this sort of transfer inertia would garner an alarmist reaction amongst ‘the horrible hordes’ but it appears we are prepared to give our fledgling regime a little more breathing space. Contention if any has come away from the playing arena and has been provoked by the actions of a small collection of faces both old and new.

My delight at the appointment of Brian McDermott quickly turned to relief with the news of Gustavo Poyet’s impending departure down by the seaside. The Uruguayan who could at one point claim to be the leading contender for the once vacant Elland Road hot seat, caused consternation amongst Brighton’s fans by threatening to quit in the immediate aftermath of the playoff defeat to Crystal Palace. This highly insensitive move was then compounded by his criticism of the club’s transfer policy and a refusal to deal with his players’ ongoing contract negotiations. Gustavo’s loyalty has always been in question, particularly amongst Leeds fans following his rather hasty departure from LS11 and it appears his current employers have grown tired of the constant public display of affection for other jobs. In one local article Seagulls’ midfielder Vicente Rodriguez described our erstwhile friend as ‘selfish and egotistical’, arguing that Gustavo was ‘the worst person in football’ he’d ever met.

Last week the club’s owners had to assert their authority when it emerged that new Vice President and shareholder Salah Nooruddin had attempted to use his position in an attempt at gaining an academy place for the son of a business associate. These things you would suggest happen quite freely in other industries and the incident caused a great deal of alarm amongst supporters. Thankfully both GFH and the academy were steadfast in their opposition to the move but it is clear that this sort of unwanted incident has the potential to threaten the fragility of the multi shareholder approach.

Needless to say certain ghosts from the past have resurfaced in a ghoulish attempt to feed their ravenous appetites for attention. While Uncle Kenneth emerged as a candidate for the ownership of Charlton Athletic, our former manager has lifted the lid on his rather grim thirteen months at the club. In his new book ‘The Gaffer – The Trials and Tribulations Of A Football Manager’, Mr Warnock unsurprisingly offers little self-criticism and instead points the finger at players, directors, media, supporters and academy staff. Our budding author writes about ‘a lonely job’ and the ‘cancer’ of negativity surrounding the club but fails to provide any insight into his reliance on prehistoric football methods. If his literary efforts were designed to provoke a reaction from fans and unsettle the club they appear to have failed. Most fans appear totally disinterested in Mr Warnock’s desperate efforts to fan the dying embers of his controversial career.