Daily Mail 15/6/07
Ridsdale is poised to lift lid on Leeds
By CHARLES SALE
All the signs are pointing to former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale writing a no-holds barred book about his time at the crisis club.
Ridsdale, who was in charge at Elland Road from 1997 to 2003 in the heady period when the team reached the semi-final of the Champions League, is dismayed by continually being blamed for the club’s current demise despite having left more than four years ago.
Leeds went into administration and were relegated to League One last season.
Ridsdale, now chairman of Cardiff City, wants to put the record straight and his surprise appearance at the Nancy Dell’Olio book launch, as a guest of literary super agent Ali Gunn, suggests he is about to do so.
Ridsdale already has links with Gunn through Five Live’s Ian Dennis, a close confidant during his time at Leeds.
Dennis’s brother Steve, who works closely with Gunn, ghosted Princess Diana bodyguard Paul Burrell’s life story as well as Ashley Cole’s much castigated book. He seems certain to be Ridsdale’s ghost as well.
A proper book by Ridsdale would have to explain his extravagant spending at Leeds that earned him the nickname Father Christmas.
It will be also intriguing to read what he has to say about his manager David O’Leary, his successor as chairman Professor John McKenzie and tycoon Allan Leighton, the chairman of Royal Mail and a former Leeds director who has so far escaped any blame for what went wrong.

Leedsunited 15/6/07
MOVING CLOSER
United chairman Ken Bates says progress is being made as manager Dennis Wise looks to build his squad ahead of the new League One campaign.
The chairman and the management team met for talks earlier this week, and preparations are being put in place in readiness for the anticipated lifting of the transfer embargo early next month.
"We met some agents and had a lot of discussions about players," the chairman told Yorkshire Radio.
"We ticked off certain players, agreed a budget ,and Dennis told me what he hoped his team would be for the first game.
"We've also had provisional discussions with three out of contract players on the list."
The players are due to return to training on July 2, the pre-season fixtures are already planned, and the realisation that the club will be playing League One football next season was confirmed with the release of the fixtures on Thursday.
Wise's men start with a trip to Tranmere on Saturday August 11, visit Macclesfield the following midweek in the Carling Cup, and Southend United are our first visitors on Saturday August 18.
"We know the fixtures and can now start planning for League One," added the chairman.

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