Here go guys i just added the Ken bates interview about SG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfE6Z551F5M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfE6Z551F5M
Leeds United Supporters Thread
37 of 71
Originally Posted by GMAKAIWTY:
“Simon Grayson has been sacked as the Leeds United manager.
Warnock fav to take over.”
“Simon Grayson has been sacked as the Leeds United manager.
Warnock fav to take over.”
To misquote Clint Eastwood, in this life there are two types of people, football club chairmen and those who dig. Luckily for Ken those who judge his performance aren't in a position to do anything about it.
As for Warnock possibly taking over, well, at least the post match interviews will be more interesting and, when we lose, we will know it's the referee's fault. Can't we bring O'Leary back? I think he would magnify the passion and it would be a chance to show that he can perform with a shoestring budget.
A bloody cold day out at Ashton Gate, but a good three points from an average performance. It was very nice of Bristol to help us out with the sendings off. Pity I had to keep quiet, sat in the home end.
I see the team were sent to Coventry today. I hope Mr Bates doesn't leave the team in limbo for too long. If we're seriously want to try for promotion this year we need a new manager in place pronto.
Absolute shambles at Coventry last night, we do indeed have far too many average players in the squad and the remaining decent ones (Snodgrass, McCormack, White) will probably be off in the summer.
But in a way I didn't really care that we got beat, which was strange. Because at least it means Bates surely can't now appoint Redfearn until the end of the season, which I reckon he would have done as the cheap option had he won these games as caretaker manager.
But in a way I didn't really care that we got beat, which was strange. Because at least it means Bates surely can't now appoint Redfearn until the end of the season, which I reckon he would have done as the cheap option had he won these games as caretaker manager.
Originally Posted by Coen:
“Absolute shambles at Coventry last night, we do indeed have far too many average players in the squad and the remaining decent ones (Snodgrass, McCormack, White) will probably be off in the summer.”
“Absolute shambles at Coventry last night, we do indeed have far too many average players in the squad and the remaining decent ones (Snodgrass, McCormack, White) will probably be off in the summer.”
Yup. Our good players always end up leaving; Beckford, Johnson, Gradel and Howson are examples of this. Their replacements tend to be loans or no one at all!
Originally Posted by GMAKAIWTY:
“Interview from Neil Warnock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MblmKCqeM28”
“Interview from Neil Warnock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MblmKCqeM28”
Cheers for that, got to say already Neil Warnock's interviews are a refreshing change compared to what we had under Grayson - he just seems to give the impression of knowing exactly what he's talking about and really understanding the game, rather than coming out with general and fairly meaningless comments (e.g. blaming every defeat on "individual errors").
I thought the signs were encouraging at Portsmouth despite only getting the draw, we looked a lot more solid defensively and it's apparent that Warnock has spent the first week in charge sorting out our defensive tactics which had to be the place to start.
Up front moving Snoddy to the free role behind Becchio didn't really pay off but I think the problem was more about not really having the other midfielders for that formation, i.e. using McCormack and White along with Snoddy in a supporting midfield 3.
But still pretty positive given the amount of time the new manager has had with the squad, bring on Southampton at the weekend.
NW interview after the Dull City match.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NCNJ-wjjY
Didn't get the Southampton one as I was away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2NCNJ-wjjY
Didn't get the Southampton one as I was away.
Cheers, very good performance today, again looked solid solid defensively and finally managed to actually score at the other end as well.
We have been waiting many years for our defence to look at least half-decent. Kudos to Warnock for sorting that out. I'd rather we drew 0-0 than lose games 1-5, 2-5, 0-4, etc.
Originally Posted by Coen:
“Cheers, very good performance today, again looked solid solid defensively and finally managed to actually score at the other end as well.”
“Cheers, very good performance today, again looked solid solid defensively and finally managed to actually score at the other end as well.
”
Beckio is like a new player since Warnock came in, he said after the Doncaster game he wanted Beckio to win every header....he was not joking.
Originally Posted by jackyork:
“Beckio is like a new player since Warnock came in, he said after the Doncaster game he wanted Beckio to win every header....he was not joking.”
“Beckio is like a new player since Warnock came in, he said after the Doncaster game he wanted Beckio to win every header....he was not joking.
”
He seems to be returning back to his good form that he showed a lot in the first-half of last season. Hopefully he can stay fit.
Becchio is getting back to his best and Warnock has got the team playing to his strengths, but we've seen this sort of form from him before so it's not a great surprise.
The real surprises for me since Warnock came in have been players like Michael Brown, who has suddently become a key part of our midfield and is now showing why he spent so many years in the Premier League, and Darren O'Dea who yesterday probably put in his best performance yet in a Leeds shirt.
The real surprises for me since Warnock came in have been players like Michael Brown, who has suddently become a key part of our midfield and is now showing why he spent so many years in the Premier League, and Darren O'Dea who yesterday probably put in his best performance yet in a Leeds shirt.
For some reason we always seem to turn up at the Riverside , , we have never lost there , so i suppose yesterdays reult wasnt all that surprising then, but i have to say i didnt think it would be as easy as that , cant remember any period in the match when we were under cosh, everybody played well , but i think we have just too much to do and not enough game for the play offs
West Ham next who we have only lost to 3 times in 30 years
, gonna be tough this time though
, we have never lost there , so i suppose yesterdays reult wasnt all that surprising then, but i have to say i didnt think it would be as easy as that , cant remember any period in the match when we were under cosh, everybody played well , but i think we have just too much to do and not enough game for the play offs West Ham next who we have only lost to 3 times in 30 years
, gonna be tough this time though
Transcript from the KB interview with Ben Fry.
Ben Fry: Chairman, we’ll start with Sunday’s game. You must be delighted with the result and the performance?
Ken Bates: Well I thought obviously the score was fantastic, it should have been double but what really pleased me was the performance. Is that the same Leeds United team that we had out there in November-December-January? I couldn’t believe it. They were harrying, they were fighting for every ball, fighting for each other and it was exciting football. If you now think we’ve played four games, three clean sheets, we’re back to being the Leeds of old. On top of the fact that we hammered Southampton and we should have beaten them as well, we deserved to beat them. It’s looking good. I’m delighted. And of course, the other great thing is that all the results went for us last night. Who would have thought Doncaster would have held Reading to a draw. Who would have thought Hull would have gone to Cardiff and won 3-0? Who would have thought Leicester would have stuff Birmingham 3-1? It means now we’re just four points off the play-offs and we have to play a few of the clubs around us. Every club is knocking each other… if you like taking points off each other. So that I think all of a sudden things are looking good.
BF: It’s interesting what you say about the results last night because people have wondered, out of the last 10 games, how many points do Leeds have to get? But if everybody else takes points off each other out, it might be 22-23.
KB: Well I think the general feeling is if you get 75, you’re in the play-offs. We’ve got 53 so we need 22 out of 30. Well that’s a high standard but on the other hand, why not let us set it for ourselves.
BF: And out of the 10 games remaining, six at home, four away, it’s not a bad run-in when you look at it and when you look at who you’re playing?
KB: No it isn’t. The whole thing is, where I feel great is… where I feel really wound up is of course after the results against Hull, Southampton – even though we lost the performance against Southampton, and Middlesbrough, we’ve got no one to fear in this division. They should be worrying about us now.
BF: Particularly as those two games were televised, it almost acts as a statement of intent, doesn’t it?
KB: Well I can’t remember, I can’t remember the last time I had so many phone calls from Leeds fans and people who are actually friends of mine and are not necessarily Leeds fans, who were so excited having lost against Southampton. The text messages were fantastic. And I think that we’ve now caught people’s attention again.
BF: It’s interesting, you’ve touched on the clean sheets but it’s almost as if Neil got things right at the back and now is getting things right at the front because the team now looks steady but the attacking prowess is coming back.
KB: Yeah, well the thing is, they say all great teams are built from the back but of course if you’ve got a good, steady, back four and then withstand the pressure and get forward and that gives the attackers more opportunity to have a go at the other side’s defence. Before we were on the last charge on the last few minutes. Now we’re playing throughout the game. I mean, we controlled the Middlesbrough game. In fact, we controlled the Southampton game other than that blasted goal.
BF: There have been a couple of additions since Neil arrived. One of those, Paul Robinson, made a big impact on Sunday. Do you feel a bit of Premier League know-how benefited the team at the back?
KB: And experience. He stamped his authority at left-back didn’t he? And that confidence spread throughout the team. He wasn’t lagging in coming forward either.
BF: Another player, who didn’t have a club at the time, Danny Webber, a player Neil knows well. He’s looked very impressive hasn’t he? Very sharp. Probably sharper than you would have expected since he has come in.
KB: Well I think he’s got a point to prove hasn’t he? But once again, he knows Neil an Neil knows him… or knew him. So that’s… he wasn’t bringing in somebody in hope, he was bringing somebody he knew he wanted him and he knew he would deliver. That’s how he was going about his business.
BF: You talked about you positive feeling, the positive mood in the camp, the positive mood in the fans. It’s fantastic for everybody to be driving forward going towards Saturday.
KB: It is. But I can understand the fans’ frustrations. Don’t quite agree with the target of their ire but I think the manager picks the team and trains them and buys them for that matter. Now I think the frustrations of this season, because it has been a disappointing season up to where we should be by now, is now going behind us and we now see light at the end of the tunnel.
BF: Neil Warnock has asked for 30,000 for the West Ham game, is he going to get that?
KB: Oh, we’re already over 30 this morning. We still have the rest of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and walk-up on Saturday. I think we’ll be looking well over 32. That’s my guess anyway.
BF: And some credit to West Ham because there have been some small away followings which don’t add to the atmosphere and they’re going to bring lots of them.
KB: Oh yes, they’ve bought the lot. Obviously, they’re on a run too. They dropped out of the automatic places last night but they’re on a roll and they expect to go back into the Premiership. So that should be a really exciting day on Saturday in the build-up to the game and afterwards.
BF: Obviously we’re a few weeks in now to Neil Warnock’s tenure. Everybody was wondering how you and he would interact, how’s the relationship developing?
KB: Well I think it’s developed.. I mean I’ve known Neil for a long time and once again people don’t know Neil Warnock, they just read about him or see him on TV and he’s a down-to-earth guy. He’s not a fanny merchant. He gives it to you straight. At the same time, he listens to you when you explain things and he understands what you’re talking about. He’s an intelligent man. He’s made a lot of money during his careers. I think he has invested wisely. So he’s got a wider view than just 11 men and a football pitch. He can see the implications and planning, particularly when it comes to running a football club. We’ve made a good signing there. And he wanted the job. That’s the important thing.
BF: And the club are planning an evening with Neil Warnock on Thursday 22nd. Like you say, if people don’t necessarily know the real Neil Warnock, it’s a good opportunity to find out more about him.
KB: Yeah, and we’ve already sold over 200 tickets because it should be a fun evening and it’s next Thursday, not tomorrow, next Thursday the 22nd. And, no, tickets are going well. It’s going to be a fun evening. People should turn up if they want to find out more about the new manager.
BF: You’d imagine he’s got a couple of stories to tell, wouldn’t you?
KB: I would have thought more than a couple, ha ha ha. I think he could include his experience at QPR. Anybody who saw the film the Four-Year Plan, he tipped me off to watch it and I’ve got a DVD waiting for me over here. I think that evening with Neil will be very interesting.
BF: And you can book by calling 08713341992. Before we finish, let’s just touch on matters away from the first team. The Under-18s are having a good season They drew with high-flying Man City 2-2 at the weekend. You must be pleased with the academy’s progress behind the scenes.
KB: I am of course, because that’s our future. Since we had a change of personnel, the difference has been quite phenomenal and I think it shows… don’t forget, what we see in the first team is years of hard work below the scenes in the academy. I mean this season we’ve had Zac Thompson, Tom Lees has now established himself, Aidy White, we’ve had Charlie Taylor, and now young Cairns the goalkeeper. They’re all in the first-team squad and they’re all homegrown and they are coming through. And we intend to continue developing and exploiting the academy because we are the number one club in Yorkshire and Yorkshire boys want to play for Leeds United.
BF: And talking of the academy as well, a big event on Friday night, the Chairman’s Academy Dinner. An important part of the calendar.
KB: Well to be fair it’s Susannah’s Academy Dinner, it was here idea some years ago. Yes, what we do, we get the mums and dads in because we felt, well she felt, there wasn’t enough link between the club and the academy, it was two separate things so we only see each other from a distance. We now do it so we meet the mums and dads, have a convivial evening and we show them videos of the academy in action – their kids in action – and we talk to them about our philosophy and what we are trying to do. I mean all our academy kids are well educated. If you think about it, first of all, you are lucky if one in 10 come through but it’s important that the other nine have a good education which enables them to go into the non-footballing world if they have to. I think also, that in the presence of their mind emphasises the fact even more that you can’t get to the top just because you can play football. You have to work at it and really work at it. There are plenty of examples of great players who never really made it because their application wasn’t sufficient and yet you’ve got other players of really average ability who became outstanding players because of their sheer guts and determination. I mean Kevin Keegan of yesteryear is a good example. He was just an ordinary player but he never stopped running and that’s what got him the England cap because he was so valuable to the team. And parents have to understand that as well. And we also try to warn them of the dangers… if they’re good they are going to be tapped up be other clubs and other agents. It’s very tempting to thinking ‘oh my boy is going to play for this club or that club’ but will they ever play for them? I think the salutary lesson, which we will be illustrating on Friday, is Taiwo and Woods. They were very promising boys in our academy, Chelsea nicked them both illegally, and finished up paying a lot of money for them. Woods, the last time I heard of him, he’s just been released by Northampton Town and he was having a two-week trial at Walsall and I didn’t hear what happened. And Taiwo of course is now in his last season at Carlisle. It’s a long way from Stamford Bridge isn’t it? The point is, he did a great interview for a young man in the Daily Mail, which we are going to give a copy to every parent when they come on Friday. Taiwo said he left his home, his parents and all his friends, went down to London, broke his leg, and had very little support. I just wonder what those two boys could have achieved if they had stayed at Leeds instead of taking the fool’s gold further south years ago when they were taken.
BF: Finally back to the games coming up. We’ve touched on West Ham but obviously Forest as well. Quick turnaround, two home games in four days. Going into those games with confidence. Those six points could change the picture massively and it really could be a promotion charge couldn’t it.
KB: Well we’re four points behind the play-offs. I say for to you because it would appear there are a few other clubs that aren’t interested in getting promotion. They sort of win and lose, win and lose… so it could be by the following Saturday, it could be that we’re in contention near the play-offs and we’ve only got four away games. None of them are easy of course but they are there for the taking and we have four home games and they are definitely winnable. So I think Neil’s target of 74-75 is feasible. As I said, we need probably 22 points out of the last 30 but we’re Leeds United, why shouldn’t we have them? We’ve got the players. We’ve now go the inspiration driving the players and we’ve got the fans behind the team. It could be an exciting May. Let’s hope so.
Ben Fry: Chairman, we’ll start with Sunday’s game. You must be delighted with the result and the performance?
Ken Bates: Well I thought obviously the score was fantastic, it should have been double but what really pleased me was the performance. Is that the same Leeds United team that we had out there in November-December-January? I couldn’t believe it. They were harrying, they were fighting for every ball, fighting for each other and it was exciting football. If you now think we’ve played four games, three clean sheets, we’re back to being the Leeds of old. On top of the fact that we hammered Southampton and we should have beaten them as well, we deserved to beat them. It’s looking good. I’m delighted. And of course, the other great thing is that all the results went for us last night. Who would have thought Doncaster would have held Reading to a draw. Who would have thought Hull would have gone to Cardiff and won 3-0? Who would have thought Leicester would have stuff Birmingham 3-1? It means now we’re just four points off the play-offs and we have to play a few of the clubs around us. Every club is knocking each other… if you like taking points off each other. So that I think all of a sudden things are looking good.
BF: It’s interesting what you say about the results last night because people have wondered, out of the last 10 games, how many points do Leeds have to get? But if everybody else takes points off each other out, it might be 22-23.
KB: Well I think the general feeling is if you get 75, you’re in the play-offs. We’ve got 53 so we need 22 out of 30. Well that’s a high standard but on the other hand, why not let us set it for ourselves.
BF: And out of the 10 games remaining, six at home, four away, it’s not a bad run-in when you look at it and when you look at who you’re playing?
KB: No it isn’t. The whole thing is, where I feel great is… where I feel really wound up is of course after the results against Hull, Southampton – even though we lost the performance against Southampton, and Middlesbrough, we’ve got no one to fear in this division. They should be worrying about us now.
BF: Particularly as those two games were televised, it almost acts as a statement of intent, doesn’t it?
KB: Well I can’t remember, I can’t remember the last time I had so many phone calls from Leeds fans and people who are actually friends of mine and are not necessarily Leeds fans, who were so excited having lost against Southampton. The text messages were fantastic. And I think that we’ve now caught people’s attention again.
BF: It’s interesting, you’ve touched on the clean sheets but it’s almost as if Neil got things right at the back and now is getting things right at the front because the team now looks steady but the attacking prowess is coming back.
KB: Yeah, well the thing is, they say all great teams are built from the back but of course if you’ve got a good, steady, back four and then withstand the pressure and get forward and that gives the attackers more opportunity to have a go at the other side’s defence. Before we were on the last charge on the last few minutes. Now we’re playing throughout the game. I mean, we controlled the Middlesbrough game. In fact, we controlled the Southampton game other than that blasted goal.
BF: There have been a couple of additions since Neil arrived. One of those, Paul Robinson, made a big impact on Sunday. Do you feel a bit of Premier League know-how benefited the team at the back?
KB: And experience. He stamped his authority at left-back didn’t he? And that confidence spread throughout the team. He wasn’t lagging in coming forward either.
BF: Another player, who didn’t have a club at the time, Danny Webber, a player Neil knows well. He’s looked very impressive hasn’t he? Very sharp. Probably sharper than you would have expected since he has come in.
KB: Well I think he’s got a point to prove hasn’t he? But once again, he knows Neil an Neil knows him… or knew him. So that’s… he wasn’t bringing in somebody in hope, he was bringing somebody he knew he wanted him and he knew he would deliver. That’s how he was going about his business.
BF: You talked about you positive feeling, the positive mood in the camp, the positive mood in the fans. It’s fantastic for everybody to be driving forward going towards Saturday.
KB: It is. But I can understand the fans’ frustrations. Don’t quite agree with the target of their ire but I think the manager picks the team and trains them and buys them for that matter. Now I think the frustrations of this season, because it has been a disappointing season up to where we should be by now, is now going behind us and we now see light at the end of the tunnel.
BF: Neil Warnock has asked for 30,000 for the West Ham game, is he going to get that?
KB: Oh, we’re already over 30 this morning. We still have the rest of Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and walk-up on Saturday. I think we’ll be looking well over 32. That’s my guess anyway.
BF: And some credit to West Ham because there have been some small away followings which don’t add to the atmosphere and they’re going to bring lots of them.
KB: Oh yes, they’ve bought the lot. Obviously, they’re on a run too. They dropped out of the automatic places last night but they’re on a roll and they expect to go back into the Premiership. So that should be a really exciting day on Saturday in the build-up to the game and afterwards.
BF: Obviously we’re a few weeks in now to Neil Warnock’s tenure. Everybody was wondering how you and he would interact, how’s the relationship developing?
KB: Well I think it’s developed.. I mean I’ve known Neil for a long time and once again people don’t know Neil Warnock, they just read about him or see him on TV and he’s a down-to-earth guy. He’s not a fanny merchant. He gives it to you straight. At the same time, he listens to you when you explain things and he understands what you’re talking about. He’s an intelligent man. He’s made a lot of money during his careers. I think he has invested wisely. So he’s got a wider view than just 11 men and a football pitch. He can see the implications and planning, particularly when it comes to running a football club. We’ve made a good signing there. And he wanted the job. That’s the important thing.
BF: And the club are planning an evening with Neil Warnock on Thursday 22nd. Like you say, if people don’t necessarily know the real Neil Warnock, it’s a good opportunity to find out more about him.
KB: Yeah, and we’ve already sold over 200 tickets because it should be a fun evening and it’s next Thursday, not tomorrow, next Thursday the 22nd. And, no, tickets are going well. It’s going to be a fun evening. People should turn up if they want to find out more about the new manager.
BF: You’d imagine he’s got a couple of stories to tell, wouldn’t you?
KB: I would have thought more than a couple, ha ha ha. I think he could include his experience at QPR. Anybody who saw the film the Four-Year Plan, he tipped me off to watch it and I’ve got a DVD waiting for me over here. I think that evening with Neil will be very interesting.
BF: And you can book by calling 08713341992. Before we finish, let’s just touch on matters away from the first team. The Under-18s are having a good season They drew with high-flying Man City 2-2 at the weekend. You must be pleased with the academy’s progress behind the scenes.
KB: I am of course, because that’s our future. Since we had a change of personnel, the difference has been quite phenomenal and I think it shows… don’t forget, what we see in the first team is years of hard work below the scenes in the academy. I mean this season we’ve had Zac Thompson, Tom Lees has now established himself, Aidy White, we’ve had Charlie Taylor, and now young Cairns the goalkeeper. They’re all in the first-team squad and they’re all homegrown and they are coming through. And we intend to continue developing and exploiting the academy because we are the number one club in Yorkshire and Yorkshire boys want to play for Leeds United.
BF: And talking of the academy as well, a big event on Friday night, the Chairman’s Academy Dinner. An important part of the calendar.
KB: Well to be fair it’s Susannah’s Academy Dinner, it was here idea some years ago. Yes, what we do, we get the mums and dads in because we felt, well she felt, there wasn’t enough link between the club and the academy, it was two separate things so we only see each other from a distance. We now do it so we meet the mums and dads, have a convivial evening and we show them videos of the academy in action – their kids in action – and we talk to them about our philosophy and what we are trying to do. I mean all our academy kids are well educated. If you think about it, first of all, you are lucky if one in 10 come through but it’s important that the other nine have a good education which enables them to go into the non-footballing world if they have to. I think also, that in the presence of their mind emphasises the fact even more that you can’t get to the top just because you can play football. You have to work at it and really work at it. There are plenty of examples of great players who never really made it because their application wasn’t sufficient and yet you’ve got other players of really average ability who became outstanding players because of their sheer guts and determination. I mean Kevin Keegan of yesteryear is a good example. He was just an ordinary player but he never stopped running and that’s what got him the England cap because he was so valuable to the team. And parents have to understand that as well. And we also try to warn them of the dangers… if they’re good they are going to be tapped up be other clubs and other agents. It’s very tempting to thinking ‘oh my boy is going to play for this club or that club’ but will they ever play for them? I think the salutary lesson, which we will be illustrating on Friday, is Taiwo and Woods. They were very promising boys in our academy, Chelsea nicked them both illegally, and finished up paying a lot of money for them. Woods, the last time I heard of him, he’s just been released by Northampton Town and he was having a two-week trial at Walsall and I didn’t hear what happened. And Taiwo of course is now in his last season at Carlisle. It’s a long way from Stamford Bridge isn’t it? The point is, he did a great interview for a young man in the Daily Mail, which we are going to give a copy to every parent when they come on Friday. Taiwo said he left his home, his parents and all his friends, went down to London, broke his leg, and had very little support. I just wonder what those two boys could have achieved if they had stayed at Leeds instead of taking the fool’s gold further south years ago when they were taken.
BF: Finally back to the games coming up. We’ve touched on West Ham but obviously Forest as well. Quick turnaround, two home games in four days. Going into those games with confidence. Those six points could change the picture massively and it really could be a promotion charge couldn’t it.
KB: Well we’re four points behind the play-offs. I say for to you because it would appear there are a few other clubs that aren’t interested in getting promotion. They sort of win and lose, win and lose… so it could be by the following Saturday, it could be that we’re in contention near the play-offs and we’ve only got four away games. None of them are easy of course but they are there for the taking and we have four home games and they are definitely winnable. So I think Neil’s target of 74-75 is feasible. As I said, we need probably 22 points out of the last 30 but we’re Leeds United, why shouldn’t we have them? We’ve got the players. We’ve now go the inspiration driving the players and we’ve got the fans behind the team. It could be an exciting May. Let’s hope so.
35,000 sold now so much for the boycott then ,
intresting comments about the match tomorrow, this is a premier league game in everything but name history fanbase and some real cracking games down the years
Good news we have only lost 3 times to West ham in 30 years, Bad news is they are awesome away from home where we are crap 
intresting comments about the match tomorrow, this is a premier league game in everything but name history fanbase and some real cracking games down the years
Good news we have only lost 3 times to West ham in 30 years
, Bad news is they are awesome away from home where we are crap
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