Yorkshire Post
Veil of secrecy must be lifted to ease disquiet among Leeds fans
Matt Reeder
Tomorrow could go down as the day Leeds United's future was finally assured, the day when a new dawn rises over troubled Elland Road.
Ever since the debt-ravaged club was effectively put up for sale on December 4 last year supporters have been dreaming of the day uncertainty and concern would make way for the excitement and enthusiasm of a new era.
Lawyers from all parties met yesterday to finalise matters and a conclusion to the exhaustive takeover talks has been provisionally set for tomorrow. A Yorkshire-based consortium put together by Leeds supporters is within a whisker of moving into a position of power and life, it would seem, has a chance of returning to normal down at LS11. Or has it?
The club may be on the point of rescue but you would be hard-pushed to find anyone celebrating other than those on the still-mysterious takeover consortium.
The mood is cautionary because although he is only acting as an advisor to the group and will have no role in the running of the club, the fact that Geoffrey Richmond has been linked to this bid has cast a shadow over everything they are trying to do.
Since December 4 interested parties have come and gone, some making promises only to break them and let people down.
This group have stayed the course and for that they deserve credit. Their problem, however, has been the veil of secrecy behind which they and Richmond have operated. It has bred anxiety and disquiet among fans.
Richmond, the former Bradford City chairman, probably wary of the kind of reaction his name would cause, originally denied he was anything to do with the consortium and stated he was finished with football for good.
When he finally admitted he was working as an advisor it was little wonder the fans started to question what was going on behind the scenes.
Richmond feels unhappy that his name – and his past – have hit the headlines, but what did he expect? Is that not why he initially denied any involvement?
He must realise that football is a fickle game and the fans, no matter which club they hold association with, are an unforgiving bunch.
The last anyone in football saw of Geoffrey Richmond was as a man walking away from Valley Parade with the club having racked up debts totalling £36m. Bradford are still struggling to cope with that legacy and dropped back into the hands of administrators last month for the second time in as many years.
Mention of his name sparks memories of that club's rapid fall from grace and it is natural his involvement has been met with scepticism by the majority of Leeds supporters.
It is a level of suspicion which must be swept away with haste by the leading figures of this group if they are to win them over.
Richmond's past should not be allowed to wreck Leeds's only chance of salvation, but at the same time it is not difficult to understand the level of concern about his involvement.
If the new dawn does rise over Elland Road tomorrow then the new men in power will need to do some fast talking if they are to win over the most important people at Leeds United – the supporters.
Veil of secrecy must be lifted to ease disquiet among Leeds fans
Matt Reeder
Tomorrow could go down as the day Leeds United's future was finally assured, the day when a new dawn rises over troubled Elland Road.
Ever since the debt-ravaged club was effectively put up for sale on December 4 last year supporters have been dreaming of the day uncertainty and concern would make way for the excitement and enthusiasm of a new era.
Lawyers from all parties met yesterday to finalise matters and a conclusion to the exhaustive takeover talks has been provisionally set for tomorrow. A Yorkshire-based consortium put together by Leeds supporters is within a whisker of moving into a position of power and life, it would seem, has a chance of returning to normal down at LS11. Or has it?
The club may be on the point of rescue but you would be hard-pushed to find anyone celebrating other than those on the still-mysterious takeover consortium.
The mood is cautionary because although he is only acting as an advisor to the group and will have no role in the running of the club, the fact that Geoffrey Richmond has been linked to this bid has cast a shadow over everything they are trying to do.
Since December 4 interested parties have come and gone, some making promises only to break them and let people down.
This group have stayed the course and for that they deserve credit. Their problem, however, has been the veil of secrecy behind which they and Richmond have operated. It has bred anxiety and disquiet among fans.
Richmond, the former Bradford City chairman, probably wary of the kind of reaction his name would cause, originally denied he was anything to do with the consortium and stated he was finished with football for good.
When he finally admitted he was working as an advisor it was little wonder the fans started to question what was going on behind the scenes.
Richmond feels unhappy that his name – and his past – have hit the headlines, but what did he expect? Is that not why he initially denied any involvement?
He must realise that football is a fickle game and the fans, no matter which club they hold association with, are an unforgiving bunch.
The last anyone in football saw of Geoffrey Richmond was as a man walking away from Valley Parade with the club having racked up debts totalling £36m. Bradford are still struggling to cope with that legacy and dropped back into the hands of administrators last month for the second time in as many years.
Mention of his name sparks memories of that club's rapid fall from grace and it is natural his involvement has been met with scepticism by the majority of Leeds supporters.
It is a level of suspicion which must be swept away with haste by the leading figures of this group if they are to win them over.
Richmond's past should not be allowed to wreck Leeds's only chance of salvation, but at the same time it is not difficult to understand the level of concern about his involvement.
If the new dawn does rise over Elland Road tomorrow then the new men in power will need to do some fast talking if they are to win over the most important people at Leeds United – the supporters.