Can we start laughing at Leeds United yet?

[F. Sidebottom]

But despite drastic improvement, it seems the hate never stops. Even the football league are inventing new rules as they go along to stop us getting promoted!

 

No, the football league imposed rules to punish you for ripping off the public and local business - i.e. going into administration, walking away from your debts (including debts to the tax man), and starting again under the same owners.

 

And you deserved it.

 

And that's another reason why the public hates Leeds.

[Zomoniac]

There are a number of reasons Sheffield fans hate Leeds so much.

 

Not just because they are local.

 

And not just because they are very arrogant - they've spent as many years of the last 25 out of the top flight as all the other 'big clubs' in the region, yet they still try to tell us they are the regions only massive club.

 

We just seem to have extreme fluctuations. We never seem to spend more than a season or two in mid-table. We're either battling it out at the top or scrapping it out in the bottom few places, as shown by this graph. So yes, the other Yorkshire teams may have had decent spells in the top flight, but in the last 40 years we've won 3 leagues, finished 2nd five times, won the FA Cup, been runner-up 3 times, won the UEFA Cup twice and been runner-up and semi-finalist the the European Cup/Champions League. Which is far more successful than any other Yorkshire team. That isn't arrogance, that's just a list.

 

For me it's primarily down to regional TV coverage. An example being Look North (I mean Look Leeds) who have always had a huge fixation with Leeds United. When Leeds won promotion to the old League one in 1990, Look Leeds featured it for 25 minutes of the 30 on that evenings show, and then had 2 minutes about Sheffield United, who'd also won promotion to the top flight. Yorskshire TV famously decided not to show Wednesday lifting the League Cup in 1991 and showed War of the Monster Trucks instead - all other TV regions stayed with the League Cup Final. It's gone on for years, and it's the same now as it has ever been. It's this kind of Leeds bias on the media, and the delusion that 50,000 regular football fans in Sheffield are less important than 30,000 regular fans in Leeds, that makes me hate Leeds so much.

 

That and the fact that you are all dirty.

 

But I can assure you it's not down to jealousy.

 

But TV will never make anyone happy. It used to annoy me 8 years ago when we were good and playing the most attractive football in the country that we would get shunted down the list on MOTD behind MU, Arsenal and Liverpool, irresective of scores or quality of football.

 

Also, coverage of Leeds is just interesting. Not necessarily in a good way, but surely even you lot must take great pleasure from watching yet another article about Ken and his dodgy offshore bank accounts and our ever-quickening descent into oblivion?

[Zomoniac]

No, the football league imposed rules to punish you for ripping off the public and local business - i.e. going into administration, walking away from your debts (including debts to the tax man), and starting again under the same owners.

 

And you deserved it.

 

And that's another reason why the public hates Leeds.

 

What we did was completely wrong and scandalous (although perfectly legal). I accept that completely, and think what Ken did was a disgrace. However, he was exploiting a loophole that I think most businessmen in the same position would. And more importantly, and the reason why we object so much, is that this was a magic rule invented just for us. In the British legal system you can't bring in a new law and then prosecute people who committed the crime prior to the law. But there was no rule in the book that said a 15 point penalty would be imposed if administration went through a roundabout dodgy (albeit legal) route, until after we'd done it. And therein lies the problem. We accepted the 10 point penalty without question, we knew the law and it was fair and applied to all other teams. This one was invented just for us, for something that had already taken place. Which is just as wrong.

[BasilRathbon]

Now as the person who started this thread a little over two months ago, I do think that we should show a little sympathy to those Leeds fans currently in the pits of depression. I'm a Hereford Utd fan and know from first hand experience just how bad it feels to fail in the play offs, for all the effort across a 46 game season to prove worthless as your team falls so tantalisingly at the final hurdle. Perhaps it's time to show a touch of warmth and humanity and commiserrate with....ah, sorry....just can't keep it up any longer....wooooooohaahhhaahhaahaaahhaahhaaahhahhaaahaaaaa!

:hihi::hihi::hihi::hihi:

[WYEXILE]

No pit of depression here. Had a top weekend in London, got to visit the new Wembley stadium. Was part of an amazing support (Doncaster were embarrasing, couldn't even sell their allocation). Yes, it's disapppointing that we didn't go up but if you had offered me the play off final at the start of the season I'd have taken it being -15 at the start. The signs are already there for a succesful tilt at the Div 1 title next season (new players signing, existing ones extending contracts). Onwards and upwards as they say.

[Ally68]

No pit of depression here. Had a top weekend in London, got to visit the new Wembley stadium. Was part of an amazing support (Doncaster were embarrasing, couldn't even sell their allocation). Yes, it's disapppointing that we didn't go up but if you had offered me the play off final at the start of the season I'd have taken it being -15 at the start. The signs are already there for a succesful tilt at the Div 1 title next season (new players signing, existing ones extending contracts). Onwards and upwards as they say.

 

Wasn't that the same reaction when you lost against Watford?

 

You know what happened then....

[WYEXILE]

Nope, the situation was much worse after we lost to Watford. It was clear Blackwell had lost the dressing room and we were still deep in debt. At the end of the day Mawhinney and his cronies at the football league got what they wanted this season, but next season it's a different matter (until they invent another rule we broke).

[F. Sidebottom]

No pit of depression here. Had a top weekend in London, got to visit the new Wembley stadium. Was part of an amazing support (Doncaster were embarrasing, couldn't even sell their allocation). Yes, it's disapppointing that we didn't go up but if you had offered me the play off final at the start of the season I'd have taken it being -15 at the start. The signs are already there for a succesful tilt at the Div 1 title next season (new players signing, existing ones extending contracts). Onwards and upwards as they say.

 

Say what you like, but you only got in the play offs because of one thing. Gus Poyet.

 

When he left, Wise had to walk as he was shown up for being useless.

 

McCallister has come in, and you've been average.

 

You'll struggle next year.

[Zomoniac]

No pit of depression here. Had a top weekend in London, got to visit the new Wembley stadium. Was part of an amazing support (Doncaster were embarrasing, couldn't even sell their allocation). Yes, it's disapppointing that we didn't go up but if you had offered me the play off final at the start of the season I'd have taken it being -15 at the start. The signs are already there for a succesful tilt at the Div 1 title next season (new players signing, existing ones extending contracts). Onwards and upwards as they say.

 

My main concern is our inability to score of late. If Freedman doesn't retire he'll at least go back to Palace. After a decent haul this season Beckford may well go up a division, and Kandol and Constantine are useless. Beckford played well under Wise's long-ball style but has looked weak since McAllister brought this short on-the-ground style. We spent a lot of the game on Sunday with the ball in the Doncaster third but really never once looked like scoring. Apart from Howson's shot that went just over the bar we never even came close. Dougie seems to think that he's not allowed to shoot unless he's beaten at least 3 players first, whether it's necessary or not, and Beckford just looks uncomfortable with the ball at his feet, chancing shots from 25 yards whenever he gets possession. If we can get some decent strikers over the summer then I'd say we're in with a decent shout, but we really need someone prolific who can make space in the box and get decent shots in.

[boboskins]

At the end of the day Mawhinney and his cronies at the football league got what they wanted this season, but next season it's a different matter (until they invent another rule we broke).

 

Or maybe for something like this due to those supporters with a justified reputation

 

Leeds United to face F.A. investigation

 

LEEDS United are set to be at the centre of a Football Association probe following allegations made by several members of the Doncaster Rovers playing staff on Sunday afternoon. It is thought that around 10 Leeds supporters spat on the Rovers' players as they walked between the Leeds and Doncaster fans to go and collect their trophy. It is thought that the incident wasn't caught by the SKY SPORTS television cameras, although the camera clearly thought a distressed United fan trying to take a swipe at Doncaster Captain Brian Stock, who was leading his side up the hundreds of steps to collect their winners medals and trophy.

 

It is thought that the club could face a £15,000 fine and a possible reduction in matchday ticket allocations next season should the F.A. find the club's fans guilty.