TRon

Seems like you can't fathom that no organistion is going to be able to speak for EVERY member. The whole point is to bring all those from either extreme into the middle ground where we have a shared moderate voice and both sides of the argument can be represented. Rather than fans being more concerned with bickering amongst each other (lest we forget Keith), they need to be united in support of the club. Which by itself is fair enough. Yet I still don't see the point in this rally. It's for people like you. Who see the NUSC as a destructive splinter group. To win you over so we're all pushing in the same direction. I don't see any direction to push in, that is the problem. We can rally, we can protest, but we can't force Ashley to spend money in the way we want (because it's his money) , and we can't force someone else to buy the club and show him how it's done (because there isn't anyone). That means the only "direction" is to protest loudly without any solution. What is the point of that other than to give players an excuse to lose morale?

Did they put a name to whoever wrote that piece because he's one fucking deluded twat.

to protest Committee member Neil Mitchell: "We're tired of the divisions within the fanbase. "It feels like divide and rule, and these divisions are easily exploited by the club. "There's only one way to bring everyone together, and that's through having a shared voice. "We want to find common ground, and move forward. If the Supporters' Club can achieve that, then brilliant. "The Everton rally is something we talked about before the meeting. We can't stand by and do nothing. "We looked at the options we had, and we wanted to do something positive, and visible." It's all very well claiming that NUSC want to work with the club, but the tone is still very much "them and us". I just don't see what it will achieve other than ramp up the hostility.

Of course he is. Just ask Bobby Robson who tried to bring him here as his no 2 a long time back. He's out of our league now, but that's how the cookie crumbles.

I haven't seen Ole, but from what I've seen of Krul and Forster, we have two very good back up keepers who I would be quite confident to throw in at the deep end if Harper was injured. This is why i wasn't sorry to see given go considering he was unsettled, 33 yrs old and replaceable.

I'd like to think a settlement out of court is an acknowledgment that both parties can be apportioned some of the blame. Bingo. I was just thinking exactly the same thing, and it's something I've felt all along. I am pleased if it ends amicably and we can move on. The club can do without it, and Keegan is still a hero of mine so I wouldn't want to see him in court challenging my club.

Whether he would leave Swansea is debateable, it would be nice if we at least made the effort to try and get him here. Vetere must know a bit about him, it's unlikely Ashley hasn't been made aware of Martinez' success at Swansea. The club might just consider it a bit too risky to take the plunge.

Class. Now just learn to stay awake for 90 mins and you'll have made it son

Are you Freddie in disguise?

Which forums are they? A canny few, Ive been reading them all this week though to see what the general consensus is amongst fans, and as usual this is the shit stain on the cream carpet. I think NO is generally accepted as a place full of knackers on them all. I'm sure in the world of Johnny down the Pub, Lee Clark should have played for England and Man U in that order rather than Sunderland and then Fulham.

That's my optimistic assessment as well, otherwise Kinnear not signing the contract doesn't make sense. I am still nervous about the appointment they actually do make though. Hopefully we will be "pleasantly surprised". Yep, because all of their 'cunning ploys' so far have turned out so well... How many times have we thought 'they must have a plan', 'they wouldn't be so stupid as to do what they seem to be doing, it must be part of some elaborate behind the scenes motive'... It's not, there's no plan, no decoy, they are stupid f***ing idiots who risk destroying the club by making THE WORST managerial appointment in our club's history. Agreed. What 80 and Big Tron are saying redefines wishful thinking. Unfortunately, there's not much evidence to support their theory and I fully expect Kinnear to take them up on their offer if and when he recovers to full fitness. Like I said it's an "optimistic" view, and the fact that the contract wasn't signed tells a story. When Joe was on a monthly contract he was reported to be touting his services to the likes of Sunderland a while back and that won him a deal to the end of the season. Would someone so desperate for a long term job really have shelved a two year contract extension?

SJH wanted Bobby Robson when Keegan left but Doug Hall and Fat Fred persuaded him Dalglish was the better choice. He's not about to tell the Chairman who to appoint after resigning the duty himself.

Do you think this guy might be bitter because The Northern Echo journalists didn't get invited for an interview?

I have watched him 2 games of late & he does not boss a midfield. He wasn't arsed in the first game, second game I saw he looked a lot better.

Which forums are they? I'm sure they're a beacon of light and reason.

It seems like that but the evidence doesn't point to that necessarily. Ashley did originally sanction Allardyce's expensive buys of Barton, Smith and Enrique, not to mention Viduka, Cacapa and Geremi on big wages. Since then we've sold players and purchased players without weakening the squad drastically...in fact it's a lot better than the one Shepherd left behind. As money is released from shifting deadwood it's possible that more money will be re-invested into the squad year on year rather than at the end of a period of four years belt-tightening.

I am sick to death of these rumours of flash players on their way here. If he signs (which he won't) I'll come back to this thread. Goodbye.

I'm glad we sold him if only because when Butt eventually goes I want to replace him with a big CM who can boss the middle of the park like M'Bia or Veloso. Parker in comparison is a pesky gnat without any great defensive or attacking qualities, just a tidy player with a good work ethic.

Still not convinced, although I'm more favourable to the idea now. He's made some good buys at Wigan but he's made some ricks as a manager too. Titus Bramble and Nicky Butt are two strange ones. Generally he's done well in the transfer market though, that's half the battle.

Without Ashley, how would we have paid our bills? They planned to put some of their own money in. Oh man I just spat Grolsch out my nose Banks don't do loans you can't pay for very often - you have to guarantee it. http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/ridsdales-grand-dreams-bankrupted-by-debts-on-balance-sheet-596293.html Ridsdale's grand dreams bankrupted by debts on balance sheet By Nick Harris Saturday, 1 February 2003 On 26 September 2001, Leeds United considerably extended their debts by issuing £60m in 25-year "loan notes" effectively taking out a £60m mortgage, guaranteed against future season-ticket sales. On 26 September 2001, Leeds United considerably extended their debts by issuing £60m in 25-year "loan notes" effectively taking out a £60m mortgage, guaranteed against future season-ticket sales. The money was borrowed at a fixed annual interest rate of 7.695 per cent. The first repayment of interest on the loan was more than £4m. Capital repayments will not start until September 2004. The annual repayments will then be around £7m. But that's for the future. The minutiae in the loan agreement speaks volumes about the current financial crisis at Elland Road. The club, with chairman Peter Ridsdale as gambler-in-chief, paid £890,000 in fees to arrange the loan. It borrowed money even to pay those fees. Ridsdale, incidentally, has been paid £1m by the club in the past two years. A million here, a million there, so the debts have risen. But the loan was only necessary in the first place because of spending by David O'Leary, with Ridsdale's backing on players and wages. By the end of the 1999-00 season, O'Leary, who had taken over from George Graham in late 1998, had bought 11 players costing around £34.4m, having sold players for around £19m. His purchases included Danny Mills, Michael Bridges and Olivier Dacourt. It seemed a good deal because Leeds finished third and gained access to the Champions' League. During the season that saw the run to the Champions' League semi-final in 2001, O'Leary signed five more players, including Mark Viduka, Rio Ferdinand and Robbie Keane, for a total outlay of £36m. He sold nine players for £9m. The deficit of £27m was made worse by a huge rise in the wage bill. The damage was already being done. Failure to qualify for the following season's Champions' League, in 2001-02 (and again the next year), only compounded the situation. No Champions' League meant a reduction in annual income of around £15m per year. O'Leary paid with his job. Since O'Leary took over at Elland Road, Leeds have spent around £90m on players. Revenue from sales, before yesterday's offloading of Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle, had been around £68m. Even this does not tell the whole story. That £68m in receipts might not actually materialise. In the cases of Ferdinand and Robbie Fowler, for example, the full fee is contingent on the players' success. To be fair, that was also the case with Fowler's move from Liverpool to Elland Road and Keane's from Internazionale. The increase in the club's wage bill in the last few years has also been crippling. In the year to June 2002, the wage bill was £53.6m, up £10m on the previous year. These figures come from Leeds' annual report of 2002. The same report showed that the club made a loss of £34m in the previous year. The club's net debts, on 30 June 2002, had risen to £77.9m, and that was after the sale of Ferdinand (£30m) and Keane (£7m). No wonder Ridsdale sold Ferdinand to Manchester United. He was desperate for the cash, which made all the proclamations about Ferdinand's lack of loyalty shallow indeed. Keane's departure was another necessary sale. It helped curb the debts and also removed around £1m from the wage bill. Lee Bowyer's departure was also primarily a question of cutting the wage bill. Ditto Fowler, whose stay at Elland Road will see a net deficit of at least £5m in transfer fees, plus his wages for 14 months. Woodgate's departure will also cut the wage bill and the £9m fee will allow further stabilisation of the balance sheet. How quickly things change. "Our aim is to become the clear No 2 club in the country behind Manchester United," Adam Pearson, then the Leeds commercial director, said in December 1999 as Leeds sat atop the Premiership. "The football is central to everything and Peter Ridsdale has had the bottle to push on rather than consolidate." Pearson is now running Hull City. One last quote. "Of all the great clubs I have worked with in football, none have had the infrastructure, commitment and potential of Leeds United. The team has all the necessary qualities to become the country's best for years to come." So said Terry Venables, in inch-high letters that filled a whole page in the Leeds 2002 Annual Report I noticed that the people who claim we should be borrowing money and spending big have kept very quiet about this article. Hardly surprising when you consider the results of Leeds gambling on their massive outlay providing guaranteed future success.

Parker is a jack of all trades player who might have been ok playing ins Butt's position instead of alongside him. Decent water carrier as Cantona would put it.

It's a marvellous world where a twat can take the piss out of his customers year after year and they worry about upsetting him if they complain. In that case why are you insisting it's a rally not a protest? Go ahead and fly the Cockney Mafia out banners in his face at the ground, if he's a twat taking the piss out of his customers he deserves it. No need for the PC double talk about working with the club if that's the case is there?

I'd say it's definitely pro-Ashley, although nowhere near as much as it was before January. I think you are in the anti-Ashley camp so anybody who doesn't share your view comes across as pro-Ashley.

Did Nolan and Guthrie not play together at Bolton? probably, I don't know how they worked off each other in practice though. Has to be better than a Butt/Nolan combo.

Just a word about this forum being very pro-Ashley...I don't think that's accurate at all. I have a feeling 90% would be over the moon if a new owner took over in the summer with big plans for the club. I know I would. Unless that is going to happen though I'd rather Mike Ashley stayed enthusiastic while he's here and i don't see how hostile fans is going to persuade him to invest more cash, or keep morale up at the club.