Monday 24 March 2014

Judgement Day - reflections on a turbulent day at Leeds United

As the Leeds fans en masse waited with bated breath, the news that we had all expected was confirmed, seemingly putting an end to Mr Cellino’s agonisingly slow and dubious takeover. With fans taking to Twitter to bemoan a lack of transparency from the club and urgency from the Football League, the clouds are seemingly rolling in to spell more times of despair ahead for the club we all love so dearly. To add to the ludicrous state of affairs , the departure of hot prospect Connor Wickham combined with the Neil Warnock ‘hokey cokey’  that saw him imminently placed to take charge at Forest, only for a breakdown in negotiations. We at @LUFC_Calypso reflect on another up-and-down day in our never-ending pursuit of some kind of normality.

The inevitable rejection of Massimo Cellino’s takeover that was confirmed this morning can be looked at it two ways. On the one hand, the impending doom that may well catch up with us sooner rather than later has left a sizeable chunk of United fans anxious to say the least, and with murmurs of administration and another tedious season in League One starting to be at least a possibility, who could blame them. However, it has to be said that despite Cellino seeming to be the lesser of two evils, his dirtied hands approach is certainly something that, in an ideal scenario, would be avoided at all costs. I am the first to admit that these circumstances are far from ideal, but hope springs eternal with the farfetched idea of an honest and wealthy financial backer making him or herself known, so perhaps it is best to consider this a near miss rather than a disastrous disappointment. Provided ‘Beeston Dave’ Haigh has stuck to his word, the financial security of the club is not in immediate jeopardy, so who knows what will come of our club once we are finally rid of the GFH Capital shackles that have left us fans in a state of semi-permanent rage.

Moving on from the Cellino debacle, it is a great shame to see Connor Wickham recalled to parent club Sunderland. Despite the more pessimistic amongst us, it does appear that former United comrade and now Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has recalled him for footballing reasons, and not through request by us due to financial impoverishment. Although he failed to replicate the scoring form he showed at rival club Sheffield Wednesday, it is hard to criticise him given the form of this team-mates and the few performances he made, never mind his ousting to the wing for his final few appearances. Ever the optimists, fellow forward Matt Smith seems to have re-kindled his form, and perhaps he can really stamp his authority on the starting XI and turn a good first season into an excellent one. This current squad is crying out for someone to take it by the scruff of the neck and be the catalyst for an upturn in form, and I feel that he could be the man to galvanize a timid and tiring squad.

Finally, in a bizzare turn of events, for a brief moment Leeds fans expressed a wry smile at the seemingly imminent appointment of Neil Warnock at Forest. The rumoured appointment was met with sheer joy from the United faithful, and with a potentially tasty return to his old stomping ground next month, the hostility that he would have receive made the prospect all the more enticing. Watching him further capitulate an otherwise promising promotion-pushing squad towards a depressingly dull hoof-ball mentality and mid table mediocrity would have been met with smiles all round. Alas, not to be.

All in all, whether it be good or bad news, today marks a new chapter in the riveting story of how our beloved club continues to flirt with financial turmoil, and although we’re all crying out for some kind of continuity, we are instead forced to accept that there is no easy way for Leeds United, so it’s time to get on board with all the farcical plot twists and cross our fingers that it will all be over soon. Roll on Bournemouth away…


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