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Bates Out?The post below is one we prepared earlier - MUCH earlier! Leeds fans have effectively been the ball in a really rough game of Hardball involving a number of players and perhaps now Ken Bates really should call time on a less-than glowing record of achievement. Leeds United have gone from Championship contenders to League One with minus 15 points without playing a game and still have an outstanding court case for over £7million based on current information. During the whole nightmare of administration, club sale and League traumas the fans have had scant information from Leeds United 2007 apart from statements to the tune of "we're trying". Despite the anti-embarrassment clause in the club purchase from the administrators, it's maybe time LUFC was owned by a company who's prepared to invest in the club in an open manner when it comes to creditors' identities, and who can be equally open and frank with the fans. However with 15 points docked already despite an appeal on the agenda, we need to be careful as fans that we don't disrupt games or the team any more than they have been already. We need to get behind the squad - we don't have to agree with the way the club is managed to do that. Previously on Save Leeds United..... Our fans' frustrations are understandably growing and we're now starting to see campaigns calling for Ken Bates to relinquish his involvement with the club. Whilst the Flower Protest is a great idea, here are some things to think about before joining the anti-Bates lobby. The club's current owners are Leeds United 2007 Ltd headed by Ken Bates who is without doubt a savvy businessman although many of us don't like his apparent methods. We can call all we like for Bates to step down, but his only option is to sell the club and right now there isn't anything to sell without our share back from the football league. Despite the controversy raging over the CVA and the manner of sale of the club by the administrators perhaps we need to think carefully about where our anger at our plight is best focussed. At the end of the day we love Leeds United - the club, the concept and we love our passion for it. We don't love the owners or the managers - unless, of course, things are going great. Right now things are not going great for our club, in fact things are the worst they've been in probably our entire history. Of course we want someone to blame for that and to vent our anger upon. We are though in about the most vulnerable position we could be in. Our fate lies with the football league as we can't undo what's already been done. Our fate also rests with Dennis Wise and his meagre squad of players and until we get out share back we have to live with a squad of 20. Whether you hate Ken Bates or not we have two choices. We can get behind the team we've got or we can lower their morale even more by campaigning for Bates to be gone. Our players haven't been paid in weeks and some of them still don't have contracts. Yet they've been out there, training hard and playing even harder in circumstances where many of us would have walked. Surely our number one priority has to be getting behind them and Dennis Wise and letting them know we're right there with them. They really don't need the uncertainty and morale-lowering effect of chants ringing out around the ground calling for Bates out, or knowing that fans have stopped buying official merchandise. The club is just way too vulnerable to be able to withstand internal conflict right now and if we don't want to see that then we're kidding ourselves.
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