TOMA: Another season taken over by board room battles

Much to the bemusement and fury of all Leeds United fans, we once again find ourselves embroiled in a tedious navigation through takeover rumours, inevitable set-backs and twitter frenzies. Over the last week, it seems that the only people who are not tweeting frantically about LUFC are those who we need to the most – the board. Leeds fans are fully prepared for the pain and frustration that predictably follows an ‘imminent takeover’ announcement from the club and, as with last season’s takeover turmoil, we all must sift through tiresome tirades of PR rubbish and wishy-washy comments from those involved. However, the abomination that has taken place over the last few weeks has miraculously exceeded the embarrassment and annoyance from GFH’s lengthy takeover, with journalists and gossip columnists rubbing salt into the long-standing wounds of the Leeds United faithful. What’s more, ‘The Ross McCormack transfer saga part 2’ has made the last 7 days incredibly difficult. We at @LUFC_Calypso felt it best to take on the monumental task of trying to unearth the details of this chaotic state of affairs, whilst also looking at the damage it has caused to our club in a number of areas.

The reoccurrence of such a disastrous mess has yet again proven to be costly in terms of the January transfer window. Once more, it seems that early promise will slip away without great success. This assertion may seem harsh given the arrivals of Cameron Stewart and Jimmy Kebe, yet it is becoming more and more apparent that money talks in the modern game. As another window passes without credible investment, we certainly feel that yet more opportunities have been missed and our promotion hopes hang in the balance. McDermott has made it very clear that he likes to get his work in the window done early, indication that we won’t be seeing a Sky Sports reporter stationed outside Elland Rd come Deadline Day. Not only this, but it appears that securing the services of a current player will be the biggest success of the transfer period. Make no mistake; holding on to Ross McCormack would be massively important should we be able to, but instead of making progress, the executive management will celebrate this avoidance of regression as a victory rather than as the minimum requirement that it should be.

The takeover has also proven to be a massive distraction to the current squad. Excluding the improvements we saw in defeat against Premier League-destined Leicester City, the performances and results since the announcement of the proposed takeover have reached an unprecedented low. The players may say that it hasn’t had an impact on their performances, but that is simply not true. McDermott has used every press conference to highlight the importance of sorting out the debacle that is happening off the field, and until it is sorted we do not envisage a return to the promising form that we were in a few weeks back.

Any attempts to decipher the details of this fiasco are near enough impossible as Haigh, Patel and co have performed their negotiations in complete secrecy. Rumours about Sport Capital, Cellino and his cronies are rife, and consequently the short and long term futures of the club, the players and the manager are far from clear. With the story taking significant plot twists on a daily basis, it appears that nobody knows what’s going on, and the impatient (and rightly so) fans continue to demand answers - clarity is all that is required to ease the growing sense of anger among the fans. Such is the variety of the names that have been bounded around (Flowers, Cellino, Virdee, Farnan and more), most fans would settle for any sense of direction at this stage. Having said this, the prospect of Cellino at the helm of our club terrifies us, with reports from Italy mostly highlighting his barbaric approach to running the show from the boardroom.

What has been clarified is that unless this mess is cleaned up by someone, the club will continue to tank on and off the field. Yet again, the red mist is descending and the outlook is bleak to say the least. Where we go from here is still in our own hands, but something needs to happen, and happen now.

What are your opinions on the takeover? Have Haigh and Patel undone all their good work by keeping the fans in the dark at such a crucial time? As always, please let us know your news, views and blues by tweeting us at @LUFC_Calypso!

5 moments that define Leeds United as we know it today

The fans of Leeds United have been subjected to more exhilarating highs and miserable lows than most other clubs in British footballing history. The latest cohort of football fanatics view Leeds United as perennial Championship nearly-men with a vociferous fan base that believe they deserve bigger and better. To many, the view taken by the ‘vile animals’ that Leeds are languishing far below their station is nonsensical; it is 10 years since we have graced the Premier League and, to this youthful generation, forays into Europe and Premier League title bids are myth rather than memory. This got us at @LUFC_Calypso thinking; what are the moments that define our club? What are the key moments in the club’s history that should sculpt all fans’ view of LUFC?

Revie vs Clough

Every Leeds fan knows the glory years of Revie, Bremner and co. Under the management of the Don, Leeds conquered England with 1^st division victories, a famous FA Cup triumph against Arsenal thanks to ‘Sniffer’ Clark’s iconic header, a League Cup and a Fairs Cup. Our reputation as a combative and tough-tackling outfit known for their aggression as much as their flair was born, but crucially the club did not capitalise on their dominance. For all our style, this great Leeds team was in part overshadowed by Brian Clough’s constant attacks (brandishing the Leeds team as ‘cheats’ in August 1973), his great rivalry with Revie and the success of his Forest team in Europe that followed his 44 day tenure at Leeds. Without doubt, this period formed the opinion of Leeds fans that it is us against the world, and from that day fans thrived on the hatred that this team engendered in fans across the UK.

‘We are Champions, Champions of Europe!’

16 May 1973. 28 May 1975. These two dates haunt Leeds fans to this day and are the reason for our favourite half-time chant. Neither Christos Michas, the man responsible for some baffling decisions against Leeds during their Cup Winners’ Cup defeat to Milan, or Michel Kitabdjian, an official so weak that he overturned his decision following player protest from Munich, ever refereed a game again. Ever since, Leeds fans have felt (and rightly so) that some key decisions have gone against us, but anyone that questions our reputation the most passionate fan base need look no further than the rioting that followed the 1975 Final.

Division One Champions

In the season before the birth of the Premier League, greats such as Strachan, Speed and McAllister (and Chris Kamara!) reached the summit of the English football leagues after a pulsating campaign. Success was all the sweeter given the rival teams placed just below us – Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday. To our younger fans, Leeds winning the top league is almost as ridiculous as a top division that includes both Sheffield teams, Oldham and Luton, but the victory under Wilkinson in that season should be cherished by all fans.

‘Doing a Leeds’

In typical Leeds fashion, all highs are tempered with some disastrous lows and, within 6 years of a Champions League semi-final and an incredible array of stars on our books, Leeds entered administration and the third tier of English football for the first time. The crisis, caused by a spending rise of £101 million that was dependent on successive Champions League qualifications, has all but shaped the way the club is run today. For all the frustration sparked by lacking investment by subsequent owners, there is no doubt that the decisions taken by Peter Ridsdale have stunted, and will continue to stunt our progress for many years. Such was the debt accrued by the board, uncontrolled overspending by clubs will forever be known as ‘doing a Leeds’.

8^th May 2010

This date defines the club as we see it today – a Championship side that are punching below their weight. But, crucially, this date should be remembered as the day the club turned a corner, halted the stagnation and made the first of many long steps towards where we all feel we belong. Our time in the Championship has seen flashes of magic eclipsed by off-field reshuffles, ageing changing rooms and ‘hoofball’ tactics, but there is not a Leeds fan out there that misses the League One away days at the likes of Hereford, Gillingham and Wycombe. Promotion from the third tier should have sparked our surge up the leagues and, though our optimism has been stifled by successive disappointments in the UK’s secondary division, we are confident that it is not long before we experience another day like this.

What are your defining LUFC moments? What events have shaped the way that you view our club? As always, tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso and let us know your thoughts, comments and experiences!

Did that really happen? The Sheffield Wednesday Nightmare

I think we speak for Leeds United fans across the globe when we say that the monstrosity of Saturday lunchtime was one of the most embarrassing moments in our history. Losing 6-0 to anybody is embarrassing enough, but a thrashing from a local rival leaves an exceptionally bitter taste in the mouth. The manner of the capitulation, a spineless performance devoid of talent from start to finish, is a serious cause for concern. However painful it may be to do so, we at @LUFC_Calypso try to dissect the weekend’s car-crash performance at Hillsborough, looking at why it was such a horrific display and what can be done to fix it. For those after another one of our optimistic, upbeat articles, it’s time to look away. This could get ugly.

As much as we’ve supported his appointment and decision making without fail since his appointment, Brian McDermott got this one wrong. The formation chosen simply didn’t make sense never mind suit our fairly inflexible squad. With the arrival of 2 flying wingers, it seems completely illogical to leave our target man in Matt Smith on the bench. Bringing him on at HT (albeit for 47 seconds) is fine but this was a game in which we had a chance to make a statement and banish our away-day demons. Unfortunately, Brian did just the opposite. Furthermore, despite Rodolph Austin role as Leeds United captain this season, it has become blatantly obvious that he’s drained of energy, so playing him for another 90 minutes was clueless. He needs a break to get himself back to his best, and not just physically.

This brings us on to our secondary criticism. The overwhelming sense of pride that should come from pulling on the white, or in this case gold, shirt is simply non-existent within almost all of the players. Only a select few of those picked for big games this season have demonstrated a determination, integrity and passion that are required to grind out difficult results. Twitter apologies appease the less ardent among us, and in a way that is nice to see, but one thing is for sure: those apologies will mean nothing unless notable changes are made on the pitch. Zaliukas was systematically humiliated by the up-and-coming starlets of the division; one struggles to imagine the level of humiliation had a team of more accomplished attacking players been unleashed upon him and some of his flagging colleagues. If Caolan Lavery, a striker with 3 professional goals to his name before this weekend, can embarrass our defence in such a manner, what lays in store for us against opposition with Premier League pedigree in their front line? A change is needed. Fast.

With the exception of Jason Pearce and Ross McCormack, most of the players seem to have lost a sense of perspective. Through the removal of former player and utter buffoon Ryan Hall, McDermott sent the message that if their attitude does not match that of the club, their future will be put in jeopardy. A team meeting was held on Sunday to give the players a sincere and vigorous rebuking (we hope), and we feel that McDermott has gone about this shambolic result in the right way. The Leicester game will be absolutely crucial for him and the players. Although the result is obviously important, I think that the performance is of far greater significance; if a further annihilation takes place at Elland Rd on Saturday, I feel that things will become very dark indeed for Leeds fans.

What are your opinions on the Sheffield game? Do you believe McDermott is to blame? How do you feel we need to change? As always, tweet us at @LUFC_Calypso to let us know your thoughts!

Stopping the rot at LUFC: How can we save our season?

As is customary for Leeds sides of the past, the systematic meltdown this time of year is upon us, made even clearer from our embarrassing defeat at League Two side Rochdale. With this defeat, as well as those to Nottingham Forest and Blackburn, United are showing all the tell-tale signs of petering out into form worthy of a mid-table finish… or worse. Having said this, we at LUFC_Calypso have decided that, after a fairly miserable week, a more positive spin needs to be taken. We decided to look at what has to be done to return to the golden chalice that is the play-off spots rather than watching our season derail yet again.

It is undeniable that work has to be done in the transfer window. McDermott made it crystal clear that he is well aware of the importance of new recruits in the January window and, with funds made available to him, I would be surprised to see this window come and go without significant attempts to bolster the squad. With the signing of Hull City winger Cameron Stewart seeming more and more likely, Brian appears to be taking the first step in utilising the window to consolidate our fairly promising position. A whole host of names are linked with our club once again, and though this phenomenon normally comes to nothing other than frustration and frenzied twitter rants, it is clear that the signing of Stewart would not be the end of McDermott’s shopping spree. The message seems to be clear – watch this space.

Secondly, tactical changes need to be made to the current squad, regardless of signings. Much to the despair of the vast majority of the Leeds faithful, it appears that we have relapsed to Warnock’s hoofball tactics, lumping the ball long to Matt Smith and hoping for the best. Our most favourable run of results came when we were playing our most aesthetically pleasing passing game, and a return to that style is crucial to our success. Also on the subject of tactics, our midfield is bypassed on every outing, even by the under-developed midfield of League Two Rochdale. Austin looks a shadow of his former self, and many are considering Luke Murphy to be falling short of his £1 million price tag. Although currently our alternatives are clearly short of the mark, either the current personnel need to up their game or replacements must be sourced from elsewhere. Regardless of Austin’s fall from grace and the disappointment of Murphy, there is one sentiment that unites all Leeds fans – Michael Brown is NOT the answer.

Finally, although current form does not exactly give the average Leeds fan any cause for celebration, it is absolutely integral to our success for the club that the fans remain totally behind the club from top to bottom. Although at times it is important for fans to show their distaste for results or style of play, getting on their backs in the long term will hardly make things better, particularly at home. Elland Rd was at times akin to the fortress of old this season, and a happy stadium makes all the difference for those battling it out on the field for the badge. With minor tweaking, we’re not a million miles away, and we still sitting a point off the play-offs. At times like these, we hope fans are able to hold onto the mantra that binds us; win or lose, we are marching on together.