Bates presidency is a niggly distraction - YEP 2/5/13
Ken Bates’ wish to remain at Elland Road in some capacity was fundamental to the sale of the club to GFH capital. Phil Hay reports.
The retention of Ken Bates as Leeds United chairman and his future appointment as president was so fundamental to the sale of the club that GFH Capital did not believe it could complete its purchase without agreeing to those terms.
Salem Patel, a director of GFH Capital and a member of the Elland Road board, talked in December about the need to “leverage” on Bates’ experience of English football but admitted in the end that “that was the deal.” When push came to shove, Bates’ wish to remain in some capacity was apparently non-negotiable.
GFH Capital remains committed to that arrangement and on June 30 Bates will resign as chairman and as a club director, giving up his seat in the boardroom. As revealed by the YEP yesterday, the following day he will begin a stint as president which, under the terms of the sale of United on December 21, will run for three years. Leeds have been without a president since the death of the popular and long-serving Lord Harewood in 2011.
The idea of Bates’ continuing presence at Elland Road is proving as contentious as his time in charge. The head of the Leeds United Supporters Trust (LUST) claimed today that installing the 81-year-old as president was a “mistake” which would discourage lapsed supporters from more regular attendance next season.
Bates’ future position has been described to the YEP as “honorary” with no executive power. “Club policies will be decided by the club’s board and its directors,” said a statement on Tuesday. Bates has already resigned from the board of United’s parent company, Leeds City Holdings Limited, and will step down as a United director in less than two months’ time.
Gary Cooper, the chairman of the Supporters Trust, told the YEP: “We canvassed our members back when this was first announced and around 90 per cent of them said they were opposed to the decision to make Mr Bates president. In our view, keeping him on is a mistake.
“There are many supporters who have a problem with a lot of what went on with the Bates regime and the concern we have is that some of them - and I think it’s quite a sizeable number - simply won’t attend while he’s involved. I accept that GFH Capital’s takeover probably changed the minds of a fair few people but we still think it’s an issue. Disengagement has been an issue for the last eight and a half years. It’s been a divisive period.
“It seemed to us that a clean break was very important and as it stands, we haven’t got that yet. It’s a positive step if GFH Capital is going to make its own decisions but to us, (Bates’ appointment as president) shows that he’s still got some influence. I think it’s got the potential to cause a distraction in the future which isn’t what the club needs.”
GFH Capital has fought persistently to garner support in Leeds, making large cuts to season-ticket prices in response to attendances at Elland Road which have dropped to their lowest level since 2006. The initial uptake for the 2013-14 term saw renewals at more than 85 per cent and total sales close to 11,000.
The club appointed Brian McDermott as manager last month, despite suggestions that GFH Capital’s willingness to sell a majority stake in Leeds would dissuade potential replacements for Neil Warnock from taking the job, and they have rolled out a number of community schemes including one aimed at offering coaching to every primary school in the surrounding area.
GFH Capital is, however, still to confirm a date for its long-awaited fans forum - an event where the company’s plans and financial strength would come up for discussion again.
Cooper said: “It’s important to give credit where it’s due and there’s plenty to credit the club for.
“The changes to the pricing structure of season tickets was an excellent move and I hope we’ll see the benefit of that. I know an lot of supporters who refused to buy season tickets last season but are already on board for next season.
“Brian McDermott’s an excellent choice of manager and I think his appointment has given us a feeling of optimism for the summer which wasn’t there a few of weeks ago. The caveat to that is that there’s plenty to be done and he needs to be properly backed. There’s a good amount to be encouraged about but the Trust’s feeling is that Mr Bates as president is a problem. Speak to people on the ground and you’ll find that it’s a problem with a lot of them. It’d be a shame if it was to complicate matters.”
Bates and David Haigh, GFH Capital’s deputy chief executive, met with representatives of the Leeds United Supporters Club (LUSC) last week following an end to long-running hostilities between United’s chairman and the Supporters Club’s hierarchy. An olive branch was extended to the organisation by Bates at the start of this season and a spokesman for LUSC described the discussions with Bates and Haigh as positive and amicable. Dave Gaertner said: “It was an introduction to David Haigh as much as anything and it wasn’t a case of agreeing things or demanding things. We just had a good chat.”
Asked about Bates’ appointment as president, Gaertner said: “It’s an honorary role and the owners seem to be saying that he won’t be involved in what goes on in the boardroom. I know there are certain people who won’t go to Elland Road for as long as his name’s on the letterhead but from my point of view it’s important not to make more of this than we should.
“If it isn’t affecting the way the club’s being run then I think there are bigger issues to focus on.”
Bates’ resignation as chairman will leave the board at Leeds unrecognisable from that which was in place at the start of the season. Peter Lorimer quit last week, taking up an ambassadorial role instead, and former finance director Yvonne Todd has also stepped down. She remains at Elland Road as an employee.
Haigh was the first member of GFH Capital’s staff to join United’s board in November, followed by Patel and Hisham Alrayes.
The resignations of Lorimer and Todd made way for the appointment of Bahraini businessman Salah Nooruddin, an ex-employee of the International Investment Bank (IIB). IIB purchased a 10 per cent stake in Leeds from GFH Capital on March 28.
The retention of Ken Bates as Leeds United chairman and his future appointment as president was so fundamental to the sale of the club that GFH Capital did not believe it could complete its purchase without agreeing to those terms.
Salem Patel, a director of GFH Capital and a member of the Elland Road board, talked in December about the need to “leverage” on Bates’ experience of English football but admitted in the end that “that was the deal.” When push came to shove, Bates’ wish to remain in some capacity was apparently non-negotiable.
GFH Capital remains committed to that arrangement and on June 30 Bates will resign as chairman and as a club director, giving up his seat in the boardroom. As revealed by the YEP yesterday, the following day he will begin a stint as president which, under the terms of the sale of United on December 21, will run for three years. Leeds have been without a president since the death of the popular and long-serving Lord Harewood in 2011.
The idea of Bates’ continuing presence at Elland Road is proving as contentious as his time in charge. The head of the Leeds United Supporters Trust (LUST) claimed today that installing the 81-year-old as president was a “mistake” which would discourage lapsed supporters from more regular attendance next season.
Bates’ future position has been described to the YEP as “honorary” with no executive power. “Club policies will be decided by the club’s board and its directors,” said a statement on Tuesday. Bates has already resigned from the board of United’s parent company, Leeds City Holdings Limited, and will step down as a United director in less than two months’ time.
Gary Cooper, the chairman of the Supporters Trust, told the YEP: “We canvassed our members back when this was first announced and around 90 per cent of them said they were opposed to the decision to make Mr Bates president. In our view, keeping him on is a mistake.
“There are many supporters who have a problem with a lot of what went on with the Bates regime and the concern we have is that some of them - and I think it’s quite a sizeable number - simply won’t attend while he’s involved. I accept that GFH Capital’s takeover probably changed the minds of a fair few people but we still think it’s an issue. Disengagement has been an issue for the last eight and a half years. It’s been a divisive period.
“It seemed to us that a clean break was very important and as it stands, we haven’t got that yet. It’s a positive step if GFH Capital is going to make its own decisions but to us, (Bates’ appointment as president) shows that he’s still got some influence. I think it’s got the potential to cause a distraction in the future which isn’t what the club needs.”
GFH Capital has fought persistently to garner support in Leeds, making large cuts to season-ticket prices in response to attendances at Elland Road which have dropped to their lowest level since 2006. The initial uptake for the 2013-14 term saw renewals at more than 85 per cent and total sales close to 11,000.
The club appointed Brian McDermott as manager last month, despite suggestions that GFH Capital’s willingness to sell a majority stake in Leeds would dissuade potential replacements for Neil Warnock from taking the job, and they have rolled out a number of community schemes including one aimed at offering coaching to every primary school in the surrounding area.
GFH Capital is, however, still to confirm a date for its long-awaited fans forum - an event where the company’s plans and financial strength would come up for discussion again.
Cooper said: “It’s important to give credit where it’s due and there’s plenty to credit the club for.
“The changes to the pricing structure of season tickets was an excellent move and I hope we’ll see the benefit of that. I know an lot of supporters who refused to buy season tickets last season but are already on board for next season.
“Brian McDermott’s an excellent choice of manager and I think his appointment has given us a feeling of optimism for the summer which wasn’t there a few of weeks ago. The caveat to that is that there’s plenty to be done and he needs to be properly backed. There’s a good amount to be encouraged about but the Trust’s feeling is that Mr Bates as president is a problem. Speak to people on the ground and you’ll find that it’s a problem with a lot of them. It’d be a shame if it was to complicate matters.”
Bates and David Haigh, GFH Capital’s deputy chief executive, met with representatives of the Leeds United Supporters Club (LUSC) last week following an end to long-running hostilities between United’s chairman and the Supporters Club’s hierarchy. An olive branch was extended to the organisation by Bates at the start of this season and a spokesman for LUSC described the discussions with Bates and Haigh as positive and amicable. Dave Gaertner said: “It was an introduction to David Haigh as much as anything and it wasn’t a case of agreeing things or demanding things. We just had a good chat.”
Asked about Bates’ appointment as president, Gaertner said: “It’s an honorary role and the owners seem to be saying that he won’t be involved in what goes on in the boardroom. I know there are certain people who won’t go to Elland Road for as long as his name’s on the letterhead but from my point of view it’s important not to make more of this than we should.
“If it isn’t affecting the way the club’s being run then I think there are bigger issues to focus on.”
Bates’ resignation as chairman will leave the board at Leeds unrecognisable from that which was in place at the start of the season. Peter Lorimer quit last week, taking up an ambassadorial role instead, and former finance director Yvonne Todd has also stepped down. She remains at Elland Road as an employee.
Haigh was the first member of GFH Capital’s staff to join United’s board in November, followed by Patel and Hisham Alrayes.
The resignations of Lorimer and Todd made way for the appointment of Bahraini businessman Salah Nooruddin, an ex-employee of the International Investment Bank (IIB). IIB purchased a 10 per cent stake in Leeds from GFH Capital on March 28.
