Leeds United

[ForeverBlue92]

Sounds like this is a goer.

Gulp.

 

[TraffordBlue]

Sounds like this is a goer.

Gulp.

According to who?

Also, why be bothered at this stage? They're in the Championship, their first challenge is to get out of that league, and then they're going to have to step up to the Premier League where the players they will bring in will have barely any PL experience. No player who has proven themselves as a top player in England is going to go there. So the best they'd possibly do is 7th like Wolves but they'll also most likely have us, Wolves, Leicester in their way.

It would take them 4 seasons to get anywhere near close to breaking in to the top 6. Can't see it happening myself.

 

[TraffordBlue]

Leeds Utd are an obvious target for investment. The only league club in a big city that is commercially booming. The location of the ground is also a plus, with ready scope for easy expansion on at least three sides and a motorway and railway within spitting distance. The local and pan-Yorkshire support is huge and they already get regular support from Ireland and Scandawegia. Whilst not at the Liverpool or Man Utd levels of international appeal it certainly rivals the like of Arsenal and Chelsea and so dwarfs ours. To label their support base as toxic is crass and as idiotic as judging ours on the 70s 'Everton Are White' chants. There are lots of positives about Leeds.

Leeds are big in Leeds and in Yorkshire obviously. Like Newcastle, they have Geography on their side with a huge catchment area with no major rivals in the same city. Like us they have the 2 Manchester clubs not far away, but the difference is that we share our City with Liverpool FC, and they don't share it with anyone so their support is not overly impressive, just expected. Their home crowds have actually been poor throughout their history compared to the true big clubs in England, most likely because they've spent most of their time in the lower leagues.

They do seem to have some out of town support and you can see evidence of it with their away followings in far flung places down South where they take great numbers, much like we do. I'm guessing they gained a lot of out of town support in the 70's, but similarly we will have in the 60's and 80's.

But to say their international appeal rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, and dwarfs ours...where are you getting that from? The Arsenal shout is the worst one.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

Even Chelsea, a club without any real history pre-Abramovich, have won so many trophies since he came - something like nineteen, including major trophies.

They've won the title four times, three with Mourinho and once with Conte, reached the CL final twice, winning in Munich vs Bayern on pens and losing to Man Utd on pens, the Europa league twice and numerous FA and League cup wins, that they're overseas support has now grown massively (and perhaps understandably).

New fans with no connection to an English town will always latch on to success. Chelsea's huge success has been over the last twenty years and so a whole generation of new overseas fans will have grown up supporting them. Their fan base in this country may not be exactly massive by any standards but their overseas fan base will have grown exponentially with their success.

Arsenal, no question, with their almost non stop involvement in the CL until very recently and success of the late 90s early 2000's will have a massive following, they have an illustrious history too going back to Herbert Chapman, their famous manager from way back before even the oldest of us were ever thought of. They have won numerous trophies from thoughout history and a commensurate fan base to match, probably the biggest club in London from a financial and historic point of view even if Spurs are making strides atm.

Leeds do like City before them have potential to grow rapidly, and I wouldn't underestimate the significance of such investment, but their fan base isn't of the order of that of Arsenal's and Chelsea will have a far greater following further afield. They can though make the transition to a huge club of massive proportions if the investment is right and the long term plan is right.

Longer term though is the key, they are a long way both in time and investment, although the latter looks like coming, from getting anywhere near.

 

[MikeH72]

Sounds like this is a goer.

Gulp.

Well you need something to quench your thirst for misery after the Newcastle thing died a death.

 

[COYBL25]

Well you need something to quench your thirst for misery after the Newcastle thing died a death.

The Newcastle fiasco may get even better, if Fat Raffa doesn`t sign his new contract lol

 

[The binman chronicles]

They've won the title four times, three with Mourinho and once with Conte

You've missed the one they got with Ancelotti also.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

You do have to agree though that there is huge potential in Leeds with its inbuilt geographical and economic advantages. It is (like Newcastle) they'll be like an oasis in a desert of premier league clubs with only Manchester anywhere near, and that's over the Pennines and a different county, and the area is prospering with good transport connections. You can see why a potential overseas investor could target them as having less baggage and huge potential for expansion.

So they do have attractions for the right investor but any growth will take time, not least of course because of the ridiculous straight jacket FFP puts on clubs to prevent them spending their own money. - especially significant in getting out of the Championship.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

You've missed the one they got with Ancelotti also.

Yes thanks, I thought I might have.

 

[Saint Domingo]

You do have to agree though that there is huge potential in Leeds with its inbuilt geographical and economic advantages. It is (like Newcastle) in an oasis of premier league clubs with only Manchester anywhere near and that's over the Pennines and a different county, and the area is prospering with good transport connections. You can see why a potential overseas investor could target them as having less baggage and huge potential for expansion.

So they do have attractions for the right investor but any growth will take time, not least of course because of the ridiculous straight jacket FFP puts on clubs to prevent them spending their own money. - especially significant in getting out of the Championship.

They’d have all the same problems we do. In that there’s 6/7 European places every season and 6 teams with huge budgets, huge wage ceilings, who already have better squads with saleable assets, and have European football to offer. Added to that they’d have even less revenue from commercial than we do so would be strapped by the spending regulations in the same way all the challengers are.

If they get out the championship they’d find themselves in the same position us Wolves and Leicester are. We can afford most player but we can’t attract the talent to beat the top 6.

The only way to do it is through clever recruitment and having the right manager. We’re relying on Silva and Brands being smarter than their counterparts in Watford Leicester and Wolves but also much smarter than some of the top 6 teams if we want to get ahead of them.

 

[COYBL25]

I truly hope they stay in the Championship forever.

They have some of the most vile, right wing, Tommy Robinson wannabe fans on the planet.

 

[Chris O'Connor]

They’d have all the same problems we do. In that there’s 6/7 European places every season and 6 teams with huge budgets, huge wage ceilings, who already have better squads with saleable assets, and have European football to offer. Added to that they’d have even less revenue from commercial than we do so would be strapped by the spending regulations in the same way all the challengers are.

If they get out the championship they’d find themselves in the same position us Wolves and Leicester are. We can afford most player but we can’t attract the talent to beat the top 6.

The only way to do it is through clever recruitment and having the right manager. We’re relying on Silva and Brands being smarter than their counterparts in Watford Leicester and Wolves but also much smarter than some of the top 6 teams if we want to get ahead of them.

Yes I agree with this, the emphasis has to be on the long term.

Getting out of the championship with FFP restrictions which are enforced at that level, is a challenge and then they can only progress in stages once they reach the first tier of the prem. Very much like Wolves, initially competing for 7th is their most optimistic aim. However if they have huge financial backing, longer term it will be almost impossible to stop, there will be poor signings and money wasted, perhaps poor managerial choices, but if the backing is long term too its almost inevitable they'll get their aim eventually.

But there are so many IF's and it is LONG term, not in a year or two, numerous obstacles can put them either temporarily or permanently off course, there is NO certainty they'll ever get there.

At best it is long term.

 

[The binman chronicles]

Yes thanks, I thought I might have.

Never would have thought in the 90's that Chelsea would have won 5 titles and City 4 since our last. Throughly depressing. It shows anything can happen but like @Saint Domingo says it is going to be very tough for a new club to try and break that monopoly unless they wax a billion pounds and just pay all the fines.

I would have thought that these people look at clubs like Leeds as potential money making opportunities, buy a big club on the cheap and if you get to the PL then you are going to more than double your money.

 

[Eggs]

...best priced 6-1 to win next season’s Championship, not tempting enough for me.

 

[ForeverBlue92]

According to who?

Also, why be bothered at this stage? They're in the Championship, their first challenge is to get out of that league, and then they're going to have to step up to the Premier League where the players they will bring in will have barely any PL experience. No player who has proven themselves as a top player in England is going to go there. So the best they'd possibly do is 7th like Wolves but they'll also most likely have us, Wolves, Leicester in their way.

It would take them 4 seasons to get anywhere near close to breaking in to the top 6. Can't see it happening myself.

Simply put another Man City in this league would make it a top 7 thus taking up all european places - how boring would the league be if we had very very little chance of even qualifying for the Europa League?

There are 2 types of fans - 1 who solely concentrates on their own club and 1 who keeps an eye out on what moves other clubs are making.

Im the latter as I love my club and want to see us playing in Europe/winning a trophy and any further financially doped clubs entering the competition only hurts us. Basically its like being a small shop owner and having a ASDA park itself down the road - yes you concentrate on your own business but you'll be a fool for not being concerned with the competition as it inevitably effects you at some stage or another.

People forget we were a top 6 club pre Man City and had they never got the money we would be likely qualifying for Europe every season - even this season we would have got Europe if City were still nobodies.

Leeds/Newcastle whoever getting investment on the scale of Man City/PSG who can dodge FFP to a larger extent than other clubs would have a big effect on Everton Football Club regardless of the timescale make no mistake about it mate.