Elland Road

[The Oil]

I posted this on a thread in the Sports section, I thnk it sums up what's happened and where we are, unless anyone knows better. Rob, I'm adding your question for context.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob
Everyone seems totally fed up that Bates has got LUFC .. again, but apart from some half mumbled reference to some distant history with Chelsea (which I know nothing about) no-one can put their finger on why it's such a bad thing.

End of quote

It's not that hard to understand.

The Chelsea thing is a reference to our fairly fractious history with them, but also the fact that if is wasn't for Mr Abramovich Bates would have driven them into the ground. He had a very lucky escape there.

Then he comes to Leeds, promises us he'll sort us out, keeps telling us that at the end of this season just gone we'll be financially sound.

Spends £2m on a bar at the ground that no-one wants rather than on players that could heve kept us up. Sells players like Kilgallon last season for £1.5m and gets at least £4m from Chelsea for 2 youth players they poached. Where did that money go? No-one knows.

We get relegated with debts of £35m and he puts us into administration (isn't that enough reason to get rid of him?). 10 minutes later he buys us back for £350,000. How on earth does can that be allowed to happen?

Potential buyers are outraged, they didn't even get a chance to bid for the club. The Inland Revenue are livid, they are owed £7m so they challenge the CVA. KPMG put the club up for sale again and Bates somehow wins despite at least one other offer being much larger than his and with plans for investment. The talk is that Bates has bought the club back in the end for 28p in the pound (£12m) give or take.

We're are now in a position where we still have debts, but he refuses to say how much. We have no guarantee that when we get our golden share (or if we do) we'll have any money to spend on players. Healy and Blake are off, we don't know what will happen to the money we get for them. Three of our youth team players who have a golden future (Prem for sure) are off.

This doesn't even cover the off shore bank accounts, companies with no listed directors, a company called Astor, who we owe £17m, being offered up to £8m from other interested partners, turning down this money for £170,000 from Bates. Does this smell a bit fishy yet?

We're fucked and we will be for years. The only hope we have is that Bates has lined up a buyer or investor. We'll see.

Oh - and the Inland Revenue might take this further.

[The Oil]

It's interesting that there has been no response to this post. In the year 2007 Football defines a lot of Cities, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester to name a few in no particular order.

Doesn't anyone have an opinion about what's happened to Leeds? Loiners only I mean. Or is it something our city doesn't give a shit about?

[The Oil]

Originally Posted by The Oil

It's interesting that there has been no response to this post. In the year 2007 Football defines a lot of Cities, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester to name a few in no particular order.

Doesn't anyone have an opinion about what's happened to Leeds? Loiners only I mean. Or is it something our city doesn't give a shit about?

I mean it defines the cities from an external point of view.

[Val Verde]

Originally Posted by The Oil

It's interesting that there has been no response to this post. In the year 2007 Football defines a lot of Cities, Liverpool, Newcastle, Glasgow, Manchester to name a few in no particular order.

Doesn't anyone have an opinion about what's happened to Leeds? Loiners only I mean. Or is it something our city doesn't give a shit about?

Well certainly I have been concerned about the awfulness of LUFC at present and their huge decline from only a few years ago. I guess its a case of silence speaking volumes regarding my feelings regarding how badly LUFC have done as why I haven't posted much lately on the subject and I can't hold my hopes high for the coming season.

Guess its a case of what now for Leeds United with Ken Bates back in control I cannot see anything changing for the better.

[Electric_City]

The Oil - I wouldn't worry about people not caring, or that they don't agree with you. Recent posts on the subject by others have had a similar lack of response.

I think you're right, Val Verde. People are obviously so depressed about this that they just don't want to talk about it - or if they do, they would rather it was in private. Let's not forget that this forum is very public and everything that is written will be scrutinised and gloated over by others.

If the various powers-that-be at Leeds had, over the past few years, tried their best to deliberately ruin the club, then they couldn't have done a better job than this. We may never know why people have made the decisions that they have.

Suffice it to say that we are at the mercy of very rich and powerful people who have their 'fingers in a lot of pies' and who seem to have their own agendas. Quite what these 'pies' are and whether their agendas will one day coincide in some Byzantine way with the best interests of Leeds is currently a mystery.

As has been said many times in the press, this kind of thing has never before happened in English football. The whole thing is, indeed, very fishy.

[di Livio]

Just because people aren't posting doesn't mean they don't care. But what can you do?

Wait ten years and I'll put them back on top with my millions.
(rare cucumber sighting)

[The Oil]

Ok - the figures are out.

Bates offered our creditors 11.2p per pound. That means he's bought a club that was in debt for £35m for £3.92m. However, as with everything, it's not that simple. Astor, the main creditor, agreed to waive the £17.6 it was owed by Leeds if Bates offer was accepted. They wouldn't do that for any other offer. That means that the £3.52m is divided amongst the remaining creditors leaving each of them receiving approximately 21p in the pound. This is a higher offer than anyone else. Clever man is Mr Bates.

Also, Bates' offer was unconditional, which means the creditors get there money regardless of whether we get our Golden Share. The other bids wouldn't pay without it.

This also gets KPMG off the hook. They can quite rightly point out that the creditors stood to get more from Bates than anyone else and it was guaranteed.

So..... by my reckoning this means Bates / Astor /Leeds 2007 are in it for £20m and would be looking to sell the club for more than that in the future. The problem is what would a buyer get? No ground, no training ground, very few playing staff, essentially the name Leeds United. Is it worth 25m+? Probably, but in League 1? It might all be academic anyway, we still can't start the season at the moment.

[PhilBee]

Caught the back end of an interview with Ken Bates on yorkshire radio over the weekend. He was saying that plans for the proposed hotel at elland road are nearly complete, and that a planning application would be submitted shortly.

[Columbus]

I hope he doesn't do it so that there's no room for expansion like he did at chelsea who are now in a pickle. Stamford bridge is penned in on all sides with these unnecessary hotels.

[LegEnd]

I think I heard when the hotel was first brought up, it was slated for the North East Corner of the ground, pretty much where the club shop is at the moment. That wouldn't really pen the club in building there, it backs onto the Elland Road street there so there is no prospects for expanding that corner.

Very interested about Mr Bates' comments for the next two programs, should see some more info on this subject, or on a big ER site redevelopment.

[yayight]

Can anybody remember when Liesdale was talking about moving to a new stadium, if there were any drawings made up of it?

If so, does anybody have copies etc?

[regybear]

the problem with LUFC (apart from watching/not watching quality football) is this:

I have travel and worked a lot in Europe and my girlfriend lives in Berlin, I would say that 90% of people either I or she has met have only herd of Leeds because of Leeds United - mainly when they played in Europe or if they were football fans they watch the Premiership, now that Leeds is no longer in either, then it is only a matter of time before Leeds once again slips from the memoirs of people.
Even when people know of Leeds from its football team she has to say Leeds is near manchester before people get an idea where it is.

the second point I'd like to make is that if England ever bids for a major compertition again like Euro 96 then Leeds may miss out, which is sad on a number of levels. I remember when Leeds played host to Spain in 96 and it was nice to see so many vistors enjoying what Leeds had to offer, lets hope that LUFC can once again be a major force in international football

[LeedsLad]

Leeds is NEVER near mcr - it's either in Yorkshire, or 2 hours north of London...

[Leeds No.1]

That is actually true; you never see Leeds promoted as being "near Manchester", and I dont think people particularly think of relating Leeds to Manchester when describing its location either. It's 2 hours north of London, or midway between Edinburgh and London you could say.

[Nutella]

Originally Posted by LegEnd

I think I heard when the hotel was first brought up, it was slated for the North East Corner of the ground, pretty much where the club shop is at the moment. That wouldn't really pen the club in building there, it backs onto the Elland Road street there so there is no prospects for expanding that corner.

Very interested about Mr Bates' comments for the next two programs, should see some more info on this subject, or on a big ER site redevelopment.

LegEnd the north east end is not the shop thats the south east corner, the north east corner sounds like a good place for it as there is a fair amount of room there

Dose anyone know who owns the land behind the north stand between the ground & the M621?

[yayight]

I always thought that the factory behind the North Stand was owned by Leeds Utd and the big car park behind the West Stand was owned by the Council.

Although a few years ago, i'm sure we sold the first rights of building on the land behind the West Stand to a casino operator if they were granted planning permission or something like that so i aint sure.

[Benney]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

That is actually true; you never see Leeds promoted as being "near Manchester", and I dont think people particularly think of relating Leeds to Manchester when describing its location either. It's 2 hours north of London, or midway between Edinburgh and London you could say.

Leeds is 21 miles west of Selby.

[JOliver]

Originally Posted by regybear

the problem with LUFC (apart from watching/not watching quality football) is this:

I have travel and worked a lot in Europe and my girlfriend lives in Berlin, I would say that 90% of people either I or she has met have only herd of Leeds because of Leeds United.

That's true. I've been also told about The Who concert in Leeds, apparently it's also famous among music fans.

[Val Verde]

Originally Posted by yayight

Can anybody remember when Liesdale was talking about moving to a new stadium, if there were any drawings made up of it?

If so, does anybody have copies etc?

I don't actually recall any plans having been done for it unless I am mistaken and all I remember was that the capacity was to be in the region I think of around 55,000 although Wikipedia claims 67,000 I don't recall that having any truth. Also it was to be proposed for around the J45 site of the M1 the currently closed one which will open with the completion of the A63 East Leeds Link Road. Surely having it at that location is rather out of the way and in a poorer location imo for a stadium than at present especially as their present site still has plenty of potential for expansion and direct motorway links as well as potential space for a railway station.

I also remember earlier plans from 1997 which is quoted from Wikipedia and I believe are correct:

In December 1997, pictures were shown in the Leeds United matchday programme of the plans to improve the West and South Stands which would have brought capacity up to around 45,000. The new structure mirrored the East Stand but would have seated around 12,000 people. The 3 tier structure would also focus on VIP hospitality and the inclusion of an indoor arena on the back of the West Stand. This added venue would have accommodated basketball, ice hockey, pop concerts and other entertainment events. However, after naming an ice hockey team (The Leeds Lasers) to play at the arena during the half-time interval of a match, the project never got off the ground for various reasons and was quickly forgotten about.

I did remember a picture in the YEP seeing a West stand of equal height to the East stand and that an arena was to have been conjoined to the football ground and looked a bit similar externally to the Velodrome in Manchester as well as having a load of surface level car parking surrounding the stadium and arena on what is presently wasteland. It fell through due to protests from nearby residents not wanting noise and crowds from an arena and of course it would have been better to see an arena which we are still waiting for in the city centre as opposed to one out at Elland Road imo. I also remembered had Leeds moved out of Elland Road then a new ASDA would have been built.

Has there been any news of anything regarding a Leeds arena lately and anything ever been planned for those long empty old buildings surrounding the stadium what look like Warehouses?

[daveylad2]

I've had these knocking about on my PC for a few years. Showing the 90's Arena plans for Elland Road.