Sporting Life 14/3/07
LEEDS LOOK FOR COUNCIL LOAN
Leeds want to buy back Elland Road and their Thorp Arch training complex with the help of a loan from Leeds City Council.
Club chairman Ken Bates made the reacquisition of both assets one of his main objectives when he took control of Leeds in January 2003. The club hold a buy-back option of around £13million on the stadium and £5million on Thorp Arch.
Both sites were sold to Manchester businessman Jacob Adler in Leeds' battle to avoid administration before Bates arrived. Adler later sold Elland Road to Teak Commercial Ltd, a mystery company based in the British Virgin Islands who are currently charging the club £1.15million annual rent.
Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "We have approached the council with a request that they assist the club by providing a mortgage so we are able to re-purchase both the stadium and Thorp Arch.
"The mortgage sought from the council would be comfortably covered by security in the form of a charge over the stadium and Thorp Arch and also a personal guarantee from a prominent Leeds businessman."
Harvey added: "If the club owned the stadium then there would no longer be any mystery as to who owns Elland Road. It would enable the club to play a full part in the redevelopment of the Elland Road area and create income streams to support the club on days other than matchdays."
Yorkshire Evening Post 14/3/07
Wise fury at 'naive' United
By Phil Hay
Dennis Wise today admitted Leeds United had been punished for "naive" defending after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City.
Dennis Wise today admitted Leeds United had been punished for "naive" defending after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City.A tense stalemate at the Walkers Stadium last night added a valuable point to the victory produced by United against Luton Town on Saturday, but a costly loss of concentration prevented Leeds from moving off the bottom of the Championship for the first time in almost six weeks.Wise's team opened the scoring through a brilliant finish from Robbie Blake in the 44th minute, but his players were caught out of position after running the full length of the pitch to celebrate with United's travelling supporters.
Leicester's swift kick-off and sudden attack found Wise's defence in disarray and, aided by goalkeeper Casper Ankergren losing his footing, City striker Iain Hume forced home a weak header less than 60 seconds after Blake's strike.The goal denied Leeds back-to-back victories for the first time in more than 12 months, and the Elland Road club are now poised for another crucial engagement at Southend on Saturday after slipping three points from safety last night. Positive results for both Southend and QPR served to weaken their position.Wise said: "We knew it was going to be a hard game because they do very well at home."We went one up and we were all celebrating but we needed to be more sensible."We wanted to shut-up shop when we scored, but we were very naive. They could easily have taken the kick-off with all of our players on the right-hand side (of the field) if they'd wanted to."I'm disappointed and the players are disappointed. They felt they had an opportunity to beat Leicester."They know they made a mistake. It was a difficult time to concede a goal because you're on a high and then on a low straight away."It would have been a totally different second half and it knocked a little bit of stuffing from the lads. But I'm pleased with the point."Leeds are now likely to reach the international break next week inside the Championship's bottom three, and Wise's team have been trapped at the bottom of the table since their defeat of Hull City at the end of January.Their spell inside the relegation zone stretches back to November, and Wise's squad has diminished again after last night's result left him with fresh injury worries.Alan Thompson, who was making his return from a calf injury, lasted for just 13 minutes as a substitute before limping off with a strained hamstring, and Jemal Johnson is also likely to miss a number of games after being injured in the build-up to Blake's first-half goal.The striker was caught by the knee of Paul Henderson as Leicester's keeper cleared a loose ball, and he was carried from the field on a stretcher with his neck in a brace.Henderson was booked for the challenge, and Johnson was taken to hospital for a precautionary examination, showing signs of bleeding from his mouth and his ear.Wise said: "He had a bit of blood coming from his ear which was quite worrying. But the referee was on the ball, and I thought he did very well."United's boss also revealed that Eddie Lewis, who missed last night's game, had damaged a disc in his back during training on Monday.The American has been one of Leeds' most consistent players this season, but he is now in danger of a prolonged spell on the sidelines.Wise, meanwhile, brushed aside a confrontation involving him and a number of Leicester supporters around the away dug-out following Henderson's challenge on Johnson.Wise, who played for Leicester for 12 months but left the club in 2002 after a incident which left Scottish defender Callum Davidson with a broken jaw, was subjected to sustained abuse by City's fans throughout the game last night."They've never liked me here," Wise said. "It was rubbish, just handbags."
Yorkshire Post 14/3/07
Wise goes on the attack as Nicholls saga continues
By Richard Sutcliffe
DENNIS WISE has angrily accused Luton Town manager Mike Newell of "talking a load of rubbish" over his claims that Leeds United had tried to loan out Kevin Nicholls to a relegation rival.
The United manager revealed after the derby defeat to Sheffield Wednesday nine days ago that the 28-year-old midfielder had been stripped of the captaincy after asking to return to his former club. Wise was furious that Newell had phoned to ask to take Nicholls back to Kenilworth Road, but the Hatters manager hit back in the build-up to Saturday's important game between the two clubs by claiming he had only contacted Leeds after learning the player had been offered on loan to QPR.After watching his side beat Luton courtesy of Richard Cresswell's 50th-minute strike, Wise said: "Mike is talking rubbish and he knows he is talking rubbish. He knows the phone call he made to me. "He tried to off-load one of his players to me. I was not interested and I was not interested in loaning him Kevin Nicholls."I was not interested in loaning anyone Kevin Nicholls. There was one situation after Kevin Nicholls had told me he wanted to leave. He asked me to speak to a certain person. "I spoke to him and that was it. It was not QPR.
It was not any team in the lower half (of the Championship). That is the end of the matter. Stop covering your back. What he (Newell) is saying is a load of rubbish."I think some of you (press) knew anyway before (the Wednesday game) so the question was going to be thrown at me. I answered that question honestly."The majority of the 27,138 crowd, Elland Road's second highest of the season, made their feelings known about Nicholls with several derogatory chants being sung about United's former captain. Newell, who a source in Luton has claimed offered Dean Morgan to Wise as part of a loan switch, maintained after the game that he had only enquired about a player who Leeds signed for £700,000 last summer after learning he had been offered to QPR. On being told Wise's comments, he said: "I am speaking rubbish? What about? I am not speaking rubbish about it. I don't speak rubbish."My information tells me that he has (been offered) to two different clubs. If my information is wrong, I will hold my hands up, but I don't believe it is."United's victory on the pitch was not their only triumph on Saturday with the club going to court to ensure the matchday programme could be sold after an injunction was served by former director Melvyn Levi on Friday. Levi was described as "the enemy within" in the Sheffield Wednesday programme with chairman Ken Bates also printing his home address. The row continued all week and the former director was granted a temporary injunction that ran out at 9am on Saturday.Bates and the club's media officer Paul Dews made their submissions at Leeds Magistrates Court on Saturday morning and the injunction was not extended.United sell 8,500 programmes at a typical game and had it not been available for sale, a club official estimated the cost to United would have been around £50,000 due to lost sales and advertising revenue. Despite not being asked to by the court, a paragraph relating to Levi was crossed out with a black marker pen as a precaution.Nevertheless, Bates re-iterated elsewhere in his notes his belief that Levi was proving a stumbling block to investment being made into the club.
LEEDS LOOK FOR COUNCIL LOAN
Leeds want to buy back Elland Road and their Thorp Arch training complex with the help of a loan from Leeds City Council.
Club chairman Ken Bates made the reacquisition of both assets one of his main objectives when he took control of Leeds in January 2003. The club hold a buy-back option of around £13million on the stadium and £5million on Thorp Arch.
Both sites were sold to Manchester businessman Jacob Adler in Leeds' battle to avoid administration before Bates arrived. Adler later sold Elland Road to Teak Commercial Ltd, a mystery company based in the British Virgin Islands who are currently charging the club £1.15million annual rent.
Leeds chief executive Shaun Harvey told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "We have approached the council with a request that they assist the club by providing a mortgage so we are able to re-purchase both the stadium and Thorp Arch.
"The mortgage sought from the council would be comfortably covered by security in the form of a charge over the stadium and Thorp Arch and also a personal guarantee from a prominent Leeds businessman."
Harvey added: "If the club owned the stadium then there would no longer be any mystery as to who owns Elland Road. It would enable the club to play a full part in the redevelopment of the Elland Road area and create income streams to support the club on days other than matchdays."
Yorkshire Evening Post 14/3/07
Wise fury at 'naive' United
By Phil Hay
Dennis Wise today admitted Leeds United had been punished for "naive" defending after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City.
Dennis Wise today admitted Leeds United had been punished for "naive" defending after his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City.A tense stalemate at the Walkers Stadium last night added a valuable point to the victory produced by United against Luton Town on Saturday, but a costly loss of concentration prevented Leeds from moving off the bottom of the Championship for the first time in almost six weeks.Wise's team opened the scoring through a brilliant finish from Robbie Blake in the 44th minute, but his players were caught out of position after running the full length of the pitch to celebrate with United's travelling supporters.
Leicester's swift kick-off and sudden attack found Wise's defence in disarray and, aided by goalkeeper Casper Ankergren losing his footing, City striker Iain Hume forced home a weak header less than 60 seconds after Blake's strike.The goal denied Leeds back-to-back victories for the first time in more than 12 months, and the Elland Road club are now poised for another crucial engagement at Southend on Saturday after slipping three points from safety last night. Positive results for both Southend and QPR served to weaken their position.Wise said: "We knew it was going to be a hard game because they do very well at home."We went one up and we were all celebrating but we needed to be more sensible."We wanted to shut-up shop when we scored, but we were very naive. They could easily have taken the kick-off with all of our players on the right-hand side (of the field) if they'd wanted to."I'm disappointed and the players are disappointed. They felt they had an opportunity to beat Leicester."They know they made a mistake. It was a difficult time to concede a goal because you're on a high and then on a low straight away."It would have been a totally different second half and it knocked a little bit of stuffing from the lads. But I'm pleased with the point."Leeds are now likely to reach the international break next week inside the Championship's bottom three, and Wise's team have been trapped at the bottom of the table since their defeat of Hull City at the end of January.Their spell inside the relegation zone stretches back to November, and Wise's squad has diminished again after last night's result left him with fresh injury worries.Alan Thompson, who was making his return from a calf injury, lasted for just 13 minutes as a substitute before limping off with a strained hamstring, and Jemal Johnson is also likely to miss a number of games after being injured in the build-up to Blake's first-half goal.The striker was caught by the knee of Paul Henderson as Leicester's keeper cleared a loose ball, and he was carried from the field on a stretcher with his neck in a brace.Henderson was booked for the challenge, and Johnson was taken to hospital for a precautionary examination, showing signs of bleeding from his mouth and his ear.Wise said: "He had a bit of blood coming from his ear which was quite worrying. But the referee was on the ball, and I thought he did very well."United's boss also revealed that Eddie Lewis, who missed last night's game, had damaged a disc in his back during training on Monday.The American has been one of Leeds' most consistent players this season, but he is now in danger of a prolonged spell on the sidelines.Wise, meanwhile, brushed aside a confrontation involving him and a number of Leicester supporters around the away dug-out following Henderson's challenge on Johnson.Wise, who played for Leicester for 12 months but left the club in 2002 after a incident which left Scottish defender Callum Davidson with a broken jaw, was subjected to sustained abuse by City's fans throughout the game last night."They've never liked me here," Wise said. "It was rubbish, just handbags."
Yorkshire Post 14/3/07
Wise goes on the attack as Nicholls saga continues
By Richard Sutcliffe
DENNIS WISE has angrily accused Luton Town manager Mike Newell of "talking a load of rubbish" over his claims that Leeds United had tried to loan out Kevin Nicholls to a relegation rival.
The United manager revealed after the derby defeat to Sheffield Wednesday nine days ago that the 28-year-old midfielder had been stripped of the captaincy after asking to return to his former club. Wise was furious that Newell had phoned to ask to take Nicholls back to Kenilworth Road, but the Hatters manager hit back in the build-up to Saturday's important game between the two clubs by claiming he had only contacted Leeds after learning the player had been offered on loan to QPR.After watching his side beat Luton courtesy of Richard Cresswell's 50th-minute strike, Wise said: "Mike is talking rubbish and he knows he is talking rubbish. He knows the phone call he made to me. "He tried to off-load one of his players to me. I was not interested and I was not interested in loaning him Kevin Nicholls."I was not interested in loaning anyone Kevin Nicholls. There was one situation after Kevin Nicholls had told me he wanted to leave. He asked me to speak to a certain person. "I spoke to him and that was it. It was not QPR.
It was not any team in the lower half (of the Championship). That is the end of the matter. Stop covering your back. What he (Newell) is saying is a load of rubbish."I think some of you (press) knew anyway before (the Wednesday game) so the question was going to be thrown at me. I answered that question honestly."The majority of the 27,138 crowd, Elland Road's second highest of the season, made their feelings known about Nicholls with several derogatory chants being sung about United's former captain. Newell, who a source in Luton has claimed offered Dean Morgan to Wise as part of a loan switch, maintained after the game that he had only enquired about a player who Leeds signed for £700,000 last summer after learning he had been offered to QPR. On being told Wise's comments, he said: "I am speaking rubbish? What about? I am not speaking rubbish about it. I don't speak rubbish."My information tells me that he has (been offered) to two different clubs. If my information is wrong, I will hold my hands up, but I don't believe it is."United's victory on the pitch was not their only triumph on Saturday with the club going to court to ensure the matchday programme could be sold after an injunction was served by former director Melvyn Levi on Friday. Levi was described as "the enemy within" in the Sheffield Wednesday programme with chairman Ken Bates also printing his home address. The row continued all week and the former director was granted a temporary injunction that ran out at 9am on Saturday.Bates and the club's media officer Paul Dews made their submissions at Leeds Magistrates Court on Saturday morning and the injunction was not extended.United sell 8,500 programmes at a typical game and had it not been available for sale, a club official estimated the cost to United would have been around £50,000 due to lost sales and advertising revenue. Despite not being asked to by the court, a paragraph relating to Levi was crossed out with a black marker pen as a precaution.Nevertheless, Bates re-iterated elsewhere in his notes his belief that Levi was proving a stumbling block to investment being made into the club.