Silence is sometimes golden too
Yorkshire Evening Post 15/6/12
By Gary Walker
First, the good news. Neil Warnock is back from holiday and, despite plenty of rumours and counter rumours to the contrary, is still manager of Leeds United. And that fact, set alongside the Elland Road club’s confirmation that “talks were taking place regarding investment for the long-term future”, may just offer Whites fans the greatest encouragement yet that this summer could herald a brave new dawn for their club.
The silence, as I said last week, since United’s May 29 announcement may well have been deafening but the eternal optimist in me, bolstered it must be said by Warnock’s actions, gets the feeling that it may yet prove to be golden.
Why hasn’t the club put out a follow-up statement? Is it a Canadian, American or Kuwaiti takeover? Or is it, as I suggested last week, just a multi-million pound stadium rights naming? Another week and the same questions keep pouring in from Leeds supporters anxious for some news, any news about what’s going on, or not, at LS11.
But, just for once, no news really could mean good news. All major financial deals tend to include confidentiality agreements so the lack of information doesn’t necessarily mean that nothing is happening, or that talks have broken down, or that there is an impasse.
Maybe, just maybe, the painstaking background work – due diligence as the business types call it – is running its natural course and heading towards a not-too-distant conclusion.
Granted, this is Leeds United and, yes, things tend not to run so smoothly where any football club is concerned but, hey, there’s a first time for everything, right? Okay, if it makes you feel better keep your fingers crossed just in case then but, more importantly, keep the faith.
The long game – and I don’t mean route one football – is the hardest to bear, but if Warnock is prepared to wait and bide his time when it comes to revamping the squad he inherited then he must have very good reason for doing so.
He must, I would imagine, have been kept informed as regards any potential investment – particularly as his squad plans appear to depend on it – so if he is staying put and fighting on that is surely a hugely positive indicator for fans.
The trouble with long drawn out silences is that speculation or, worse still, conspiracy theories are often used to fill the void. That is, after all, human nature – particularly in this Twitter-fuelled age.
How else can you explain an email received by a colleague on Wednesday which insisted that a car, boasting Kuwaiti number plates, was seen at Elland Road, a rumour later regurgitated, hundreds of times over no doubt, in desperate tweets by supporters eager for any crumb of comfort.
No, this really is wait and see time for all Whites followers and hopefully, a little like a Paul Daniels magic trick, all will be revealed very soon. And if all is not as it seemed then that will be the moment to respond rather than react to what is, at the moment, pure speculation.
At least Monday’s announcement of the 2012-13 fixture list will offer a moment’s respite. It will also, no doubt, see the speculation reach wild, fevered levels with the start of pre-season training just a fortnight away. That’s life!
By Gary Walker
First, the good news. Neil Warnock is back from holiday and, despite plenty of rumours and counter rumours to the contrary, is still manager of Leeds United. And that fact, set alongside the Elland Road club’s confirmation that “talks were taking place regarding investment for the long-term future”, may just offer Whites fans the greatest encouragement yet that this summer could herald a brave new dawn for their club.
The silence, as I said last week, since United’s May 29 announcement may well have been deafening but the eternal optimist in me, bolstered it must be said by Warnock’s actions, gets the feeling that it may yet prove to be golden.
Why hasn’t the club put out a follow-up statement? Is it a Canadian, American or Kuwaiti takeover? Or is it, as I suggested last week, just a multi-million pound stadium rights naming? Another week and the same questions keep pouring in from Leeds supporters anxious for some news, any news about what’s going on, or not, at LS11.
But, just for once, no news really could mean good news. All major financial deals tend to include confidentiality agreements so the lack of information doesn’t necessarily mean that nothing is happening, or that talks have broken down, or that there is an impasse.
Maybe, just maybe, the painstaking background work – due diligence as the business types call it – is running its natural course and heading towards a not-too-distant conclusion.
Granted, this is Leeds United and, yes, things tend not to run so smoothly where any football club is concerned but, hey, there’s a first time for everything, right? Okay, if it makes you feel better keep your fingers crossed just in case then but, more importantly, keep the faith.
The long game – and I don’t mean route one football – is the hardest to bear, but if Warnock is prepared to wait and bide his time when it comes to revamping the squad he inherited then he must have very good reason for doing so.
He must, I would imagine, have been kept informed as regards any potential investment – particularly as his squad plans appear to depend on it – so if he is staying put and fighting on that is surely a hugely positive indicator for fans.
The trouble with long drawn out silences is that speculation or, worse still, conspiracy theories are often used to fill the void. That is, after all, human nature – particularly in this Twitter-fuelled age.
How else can you explain an email received by a colleague on Wednesday which insisted that a car, boasting Kuwaiti number plates, was seen at Elland Road, a rumour later regurgitated, hundreds of times over no doubt, in desperate tweets by supporters eager for any crumb of comfort.
No, this really is wait and see time for all Whites followers and hopefully, a little like a Paul Daniels magic trick, all will be revealed very soon. And if all is not as it seemed then that will be the moment to respond rather than react to what is, at the moment, pure speculation.
At least Monday’s announcement of the 2012-13 fixture list will offer a moment’s respite. It will also, no doubt, see the speculation reach wild, fevered levels with the start of pre-season training just a fortnight away. That’s life!