No hot food or laundry service! Leeds United players shocked by cost-saving measures as club prepares for new season - Mail 1/7/14
Training-ground source tells Sportsmail morale in the squad is 'low'
Youth-team players are sent out to get sandwiches
Laundry service has been axed
By CRAIG HOPE
Leeds United are preparing to enter into the new season with morale at rock bottom.
The club’s players returned to their Thorp Arch training ground last week only to be shocked by the cost-saving measures brought in by new owner Massimo Cellino.
The kitchen which used to lay on breakfast and a hot lunch for the squad after training is now closed and youth-team players have been sent out to bring in sandwiches.
The laundry service which provides the players with their daily training kit is also gone.
And a training-ground source told Sportsmail: ‘It’s ridiculous. It’s all the players can talk about.
‘There is no hot food for the lads and the younger boys have been going out to get sandwiches.
‘The players wouldn’t mind even if they had to pay a few quid for some hot food after training and in the morning but there is nothing at all.
‘Then there is the laundry situation – there aren’t even any underpants for the lads to train in.
‘The message from the club seems to be “like it or lump it” and it’s fair to say that morale in the squad is pretty low right now.’
It all made for a troubled atmosphere in which new head coach Dave Hockaday met his players for the first time.
But the ex-Forest Green Rovers boss – a surprise appointment two weeks ago – is fully signed up to Cellino’s austerity measures.
The 56-year-old said: ‘We are going to have to get rid of all the excess baggage. There’s too much excess baggage at Leeds in every department.
‘We need to pare things back, get it right back to the bones and start fleshing it out as we want.
‘It will be ongoing and from a business point of view, that’s Mr Cellino’s business.
‘It’s just too much, we are haemorrhaging in every department. I am sure there will be people unfortunately going out and that’s life, not just football, on and off the pitch.’
It is all a far cry from the excesses of the Peter Ridsdale regime of the early 2000s which saw Leeds reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and break the British transfer record when they paid £18m for Rio Ferdinand from West Ham in 2000.
They were eventually relegated in 2004 and have remained outside of the top flight for a decade, dropping into the third tier for three seasons between 2007 and 2010.
Their current transfer embargo is expected to be lifted and Cellino’s Italian connection has seen a number of players from Serie B linked with a move to Elland Road.
Star striker Ross McCormack is on the verge of a move to Fulham, although their £7m valuation is short of the £10m Cellino is demanding.
Goalkeeper Paddy Kenny – who reported back for training looking decidedly out of shape – is also on his way out of the club.
Our source added: ‘It’s probably going to get worse before it ever gets better.
‘The players are expecting more to leave and they’re not sure about a lot of the foreign names which have been mentioned with regards coming in.
‘The lads were also surprised about the new coach and most of them had never heard of him.’
A squad of 20 players are currently at a training camp in Santa Cristina in northern Italy.
They kick off their Championship campaign with a trip to Millwall on August 9 but bookmakers price them at just 7/2 to be relegated come the end of the season.
Youth-team players are sent out to get sandwiches
Laundry service has been axed
By CRAIG HOPE
Leeds United are preparing to enter into the new season with morale at rock bottom.
The club’s players returned to their Thorp Arch training ground last week only to be shocked by the cost-saving measures brought in by new owner Massimo Cellino.
The kitchen which used to lay on breakfast and a hot lunch for the squad after training is now closed and youth-team players have been sent out to bring in sandwiches.
The laundry service which provides the players with their daily training kit is also gone.
And a training-ground source told Sportsmail: ‘It’s ridiculous. It’s all the players can talk about.
‘There is no hot food for the lads and the younger boys have been going out to get sandwiches.
‘The players wouldn’t mind even if they had to pay a few quid for some hot food after training and in the morning but there is nothing at all.
‘Then there is the laundry situation – there aren’t even any underpants for the lads to train in.
‘The message from the club seems to be “like it or lump it” and it’s fair to say that morale in the squad is pretty low right now.’
It all made for a troubled atmosphere in which new head coach Dave Hockaday met his players for the first time.
But the ex-Forest Green Rovers boss – a surprise appointment two weeks ago – is fully signed up to Cellino’s austerity measures.
The 56-year-old said: ‘We are going to have to get rid of all the excess baggage. There’s too much excess baggage at Leeds in every department.
‘We need to pare things back, get it right back to the bones and start fleshing it out as we want.
‘It will be ongoing and from a business point of view, that’s Mr Cellino’s business.
‘It’s just too much, we are haemorrhaging in every department. I am sure there will be people unfortunately going out and that’s life, not just football, on and off the pitch.’
It is all a far cry from the excesses of the Peter Ridsdale regime of the early 2000s which saw Leeds reach the semi-finals of the Champions League and break the British transfer record when they paid £18m for Rio Ferdinand from West Ham in 2000.
They were eventually relegated in 2004 and have remained outside of the top flight for a decade, dropping into the third tier for three seasons between 2007 and 2010.
Their current transfer embargo is expected to be lifted and Cellino’s Italian connection has seen a number of players from Serie B linked with a move to Elland Road.
Star striker Ross McCormack is on the verge of a move to Fulham, although their £7m valuation is short of the £10m Cellino is demanding.
Goalkeeper Paddy Kenny – who reported back for training looking decidedly out of shape – is also on his way out of the club.
Our source added: ‘It’s probably going to get worse before it ever gets better.
‘The players are expecting more to leave and they’re not sure about a lot of the foreign names which have been mentioned with regards coming in.
‘The lads were also surprised about the new coach and most of them had never heard of him.’
A squad of 20 players are currently at a training camp in Santa Cristina in northern Italy.
They kick off their Championship campaign with a trip to Millwall on August 9 but bookmakers price them at just 7/2 to be relegated come the end of the season.
