Leeds United: Take a Deep Breath…

Article by e-Leeds Correspondent Jeremy Taylor

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So, rather predictably Leeds were again outplayed, out fought and outscored by Reading at Elland Road, meaning the ever increasing nightmare Brian McDermott find himself in rumbles on.

The general mess at Leeds United has included many sub-plots since the relatively stable tenure of GFH officially threw open its doors to the prospect of handing over to new owners. These issues have ranged from battling consortium's, multiple loans from various parties, the introduction of the Cellino family and all the back-story that came with it, the drama of deadline day, mystery sackings and of course the fact that matters on the pitch have been increasingly diabolical.

One of the more interesting facets to this spectrum of talking points has been the gentle sway from majority against Cellino’s takeover to a gradual majority in support for him. While interesting, it’s no surprise though really. After all, money talks and he’s the only person who’s been putting any into Leeds United for quite some time.

So, now that it’s widely accepted the Football League ratification of an Eleonora Sport Ltd will be a good thing, the current issue is that the team are in free fall, and not just losing matches but getting well and truly destroyed by teams that have little business destroying anyone (with exception to Reading who are actually a decent side).

Naturally this is a big problem, but once post match emotions die down, all that’s left is the burning question of what is actually right for Leeds United right now?

Ask the mob and sacking the manager is a must. But is this actually a wise thing to do?

To understand this it’s important to ask further questions.

If things continue will Leeds actually find themselves fighting relegation?

The easy answer is a resounding yes, as there are 12 fixtures remaining and a continuation of the recent form would see them drop like a stone.

However, analysing the fixtures and thinking a little deeper suggests that a team stuck in mid-table will pick up enough points along the way to remain safe. There are fixtures coming up against teams in similar form and the law of averages dictates that Leeds can’t get battered by everyone. On the contrary, Leeds will likely end up picking up one or two resounding victories themselves.

Next. What would happen if Brian McDermott left the club immediately?

This is again a question with two answers. The easy one is that a significant amount of pressure would be lifted, as is always the case when a manager who has lost the dressing room and the fans finally leaves.

The more difficult line of thought is who would step in? Would they be able to halt the slide and inject a bit of belief into a squad who’s confidence seems in pieces?

Are we in fact better off not rocking the boat and leaving McDermott to fight on and squeeze as many points as he can get from the remaining fixtures?

Of course these questions are academic, as McDermott has come out and said, as expected, that he will continue to fight.

He cannot be sacked really, at least not until there’s a suitable authority to sack him. So for the time being he remains in position and focused on the trip to Burnley where another hiding likely awaits.

Talking in depth about the Football League approving Cellino’s takeover is both tiresome and pointless now, but in spite of results it’s still the elephant in the room.

It’s become such a farce that it beggars belief something so drawn out and without any apparent signs of closure could carry so much consequence for the club.

It’s hard to know for sure without being both an expert on such matters and also exposed to the inner conversations, but the issue is looking increasingly black and white now.

Should approval be granted then suddenly a group will be in control of the club with vast resources available to them who, crucially, are footballing people.

Not Islamic banks or despicable, scheming megalomaniacs, but people with experience of keeping a club with restricted means in a top tier footballing competition. This would be a position of possibility of the likes unseen at Leeds United for a well over a decade.

However, should the unthinkable happen and the Cellino takeover be rejected then Leeds United’s only current option for a bright future has publicly stated he will walk away without contest. This is quite the opposite of a position of possibility and is in fact a position of impossibility.

Dramatics aside, any talk of administration and the club withering away is nonsense. The entire world has been reminded over the past twelve months what an opportunity in waiting Leeds United is. The battle for control played out over Christmas showed the level of interest out there, and it would be foolish to suggest that there aren’t any other parties watching from a distance that could step in quickly.

Leeds United will not die regardless of the Football League’s desire.

What could be a very real possibility though is that the Cellino’s are indeed turned down, walk away and leave Leeds United to limp into port with little other than a few places to spare between them and the bottom three clubs in the Championship.

All the while another takeover scramble subsequently occurs whereby GFH desperately hawk the club around to any interested parties. The process of eligibility begins again and then whoever is attempting to take control has to contend with month-to-month running costs as well as the issue of returning any investment that the Cellino family has put in (believed to be around £10m to date).

In short, the only people that could step in would be another party with cash reserves, such as the Cellino’s, as chancers like the Farnan consortium who practise a financial plate-spinning method of acquisition would be unable to compete.

So while Leeds United will not crumble and die, the wrong decision from the Football League will without doubt lead to another prolonged period of unrest, severe financial struggle and regression. The sad irony is that should the Football League vote against Cellino, it would be under the guise of doing ‘what’s right for the football club’.

It’s also likely that McDermott would find it easier to walk away when faced with more instability for the foreseeable future, rather than seeing his side being repeatedly hammered on the pitch which is something his skin seems impervious to.

So back to the here and now and it’s another fine mess this great club find themselves in, through no fault of anyone other than historically terrible stewardship and the fact that the very same Football League body allowed an investment bank with no means for investment take over the club less than two years ago. Irony every where you turn.

In the interests of ending on a positive note, it’s been said that had there been grounds for refusal then they would have been there from the beginning, so by that logic no news should have meant good news for the Cellino’s.

As is always the case with Leeds though, there was another worm left to crawl out of the woodwork in the shape of another case of financial foul play; and so the club waits for another accusation to be heard and decided on the 18th, before surely, surely the Football League has nowhere left to turn but unto themselves for a decision.

Time to hold one’s breath….

@jezaldinho

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