I Refuse To Be Blue – Season Preview

So the worm continues to turn on its infinite journey through the trials and tribulations of Leeds United. In their brief but colourful reign our Bahraini based overlords have fidgeted furtively between the roles of prince and pauper and the last few days have continued the trend. The month of July has seen us luxuriating in the optimism of new signings, departing adjutants and continental sunshine before witnessing this new found optimism run aground on disappointing friendly defeats, transfer inertia and fan misbehaviour.

Misfortune in Slovenia was taken with a shrug of the shoulders and several cold beers but the lamentable performance at Walsall elicited an altogether different response. An embarrassed and exasperated manager described the day as the worst in his brief tenure and could offer little consolation regarding team strengthening. While some fans directed their angst at players others questioned tactics. The lunatic fringe chose to channel their energies into redesigning the away section of the Banks Stadium. It was an afternoon that both clubs could have done without.

A midweek victory at Stevenage did little to lift the mood of supporters who were beginning to realise that the club’s audacious swoop for Luke Murphy was the exception rather than the rule. Some were driven to lament the arrival of the former Crewe starlet, questioning the manager’s decision to spend our scant resources on another midfielder instead of addressing more pressing issues. It appeared that the manager’s honeymoon period had ground to a halt.

During the late hours of Friday evening events changed direction once again. The club announced that Uncle Kenneth’s Presidency had been terminated after just three weeks of a three year term. It was a short and abrupt statement in keeping with the man himself. There was no suggestion of gratitude, platitude or well wishing just a couple of sentences scribed with ruthless efficiency. Fans of all ages and creeds rejoiced at the unfolding schadenfreude but await the inevitable lawsuit.  

While frustration at our financial plight has continued to reign there is an acknowledgement of the positive steps our inexperienced owners have taken in an attempt to rebuild and engage. The demise of our former tormentor is another such action that can only increase the goodwill. The cynical will argue this latest development was timed to improve morale on the eve of the new season, while the optimistic hope that it is a precursor to further investment.

One such suitor could be multi billion pound manufacturer Red Bull. Last week the Yorkshire Evening Post reported that the company were keen to add the name of Leeds United to their extensive sporting portfolio, with a potential shirt sponsorship deal. The story was met with trepidation from those that are fully appraised of the controversial takeover and subsequent destruction of three time champion Austria Salzburg.

Such a ‘megabucks’ link up may seem a sight more palatable to supporters following a chequered pre season campaign in which the abject ugliness of last season began to rear its ugly head. ‘Leeds United Red Bulls’ anyone?

There’s A Party Sign and It’s Right On Time

He said he’d cure your ills. But he didn’t and he never will

I think it is safe to say that this particular effort has been one of the most challenging assignments in my brief but illustrious career. How does one adequately explain the turbulence of a fortnight that saw our beloved club drag itself from the depths of despair and suffocating self doubt to the promise of a new beginning? It isn’t the type of seedy tale cast from the murky imagination of a white bearded charlatan but one with more than an element of substance. Bewilderment doesn’t even begin to describe the ensuing sensation.

The players returned to training amidst an atmosphere of frustration and simmering tension. The financial backing that had been promised over a year ago had failed to materialise and by the manager’s own admission appeared increasingly unlikely to do so.

While Brian McDermott pondered the best way to deal with the ongoing paralysis, the owners attempted to diffuse the situation by publishing an article on the official website  in which Vice Chairman Salah Nooruddin purported to answer questions ‘from the fans’.  The resulting ‘interview’ was not only poorly received but lambasted as a feeble publicity stunt and instead drew comparisons with the scripted monologues often endured under the previous regime. The episode was as misjudged as it was tactless and only served to fuel the fire of discontent. While their predecessor suckled on this type of discord like a newly born piglet, it was difficult to see whether our club’s inexperienced officials would be able to stomach such an outpouring of malevolence.

On Sunday 1^st July Kenneth William Bates’ controversial and divisive Leeds United career officially came to an end. In view of the current plight and our erstwhile leader’s attempt to cling on through his pathetically engineered ‘Presidential’ role, celebrations would have appeared a little hollow but the significance of the event should not be underestimated.

As if driven by a delicious sense of timing and the quest for redemption, GFH bludgeoned their previously impotent reputation by making a seven figure bid for Crewe Alexandra’s ball playing captain Luke Murphy. Not only was this audacious move the first of its kind for over eight years but it also snared one of the country’s bourgeoning talents from under the noses of others. To the malnourished fans that had long fed off crumbs it felt like a hearty banquet. Within hours the deal was sealed and the satisfaction was written all over the manager’s usually stern features. He thanked the owners for their efforts and suggested that their enterprise had consecrated the new dawn.

Our increased financial power  created an amusing little subplot West of the Pennines with both Blackburn and Wolves fans horrified by the midfielder’s decision to snub their overtures for a greater cause. One deluded ‘Kentucky Fried Rover’, whose experiences had no doubt been built on Jack Walker’s millions, angrily suggested that money had been the deciding factor. He did so without a trace of irony further cementing his club’s undoubted comedy value.

By the time the hordes decamped to Slovenia for the much anticipated summer tour, there was even more reason for optimism. Noel Hunt completed his more than expected arrival from Reading and the final pillars of the old empire were finally cast asunder. Chief Executive Shaun Harvey and Technical Director Gwynn Williams were both replaced in a spate of boardroom bloodletting while Radio Leeds reclaimed the commentary rights that had been controversially lost in 2008.

All three elements were symbolic of a failing regime smothered in belligerent ineptitude and their ruthless demise further enhanced our owners’ improving status. We now find ourselves enjoying credible links with quality players while at the same time listening to popular incumbents reject the attention of others. It is true that suspicions still exist. Consecutive defeats in Slovenia sent some of the lunatics into a tailspin but it would be folly to oppose the idea that the tumult of the last few weeks has galvanised a fan base.