Leeds United Q+A, Gary Cooper of Leeds United Supporters Trust
Clarekonenil 30/7/12
The editor sets some questions, via email, for Gary Cooper, Chair of the Leeds United Supporters Trust.
MG: Gary, it has been a long and frustrating summer as the takeover saga churns on and on. Have we stopped “daring to dream”?
GC: I never stop daring to dream Michael and I hope despite all we’ve been through this summer that our members and the supporters keep believing they can dare to dream too?
MG: LUST made some extensive plays on publicising the original approach to the club but since then significant part of your time have been spent “keeping confidences”. Notwithstanding who you are or not talking to privately wasn’t it a mistake for the prospective buyers to let Bates and company set the confidentiality terms?
GC: Quite possibly, certainly in terms of getting off on the right foot with the fans, I think had the prospective buyers been able to give some form of acknowledgement to the fans it would have gone a long way towards building the confidence levels, after all seven years of Mr Bates has knocked the confidence from our supporters.
MG: Fans are frustrated that names are out there in the open, on forums, blogs, radio-shows etc but no-one, not even “ITK” LUST is confirming the buyers, how does that assist in bringing transparency to a club now so associated with “undisclosed”?
GC: It’s a good question and in an ideal world I would dearly love to have been in a position to tell more during the closed season. As a Trust we have done our very best to say what we can when we can and we have persistently urged both the club, who I feel could certainly have done a lot more to address fans concerns but didn’t, and of course the prospective incomers who maybe haven’t measured the fever pitch temperatures of the supporters as well as they could. I don’t want to criticise people who are not here yet so I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt however the club should know better.
MG: One specific name has been bandied about a lot, Sheik Abdulrahman bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa. The same name also keeps cropping up in newspaper stories of gambling debts and business fall-outs (especially in the horse racing game); does this cause you any concern?
GC: It’s one of several names a struggle to pronounce Michael so if it is him I need to practice more? I’ve read the stories like everyone else and of course it’s right to be concerned to some extent however what’s more important to me is ensuring whoever is coming in to Leeds United shares the ambition of the supporters and our members and in doing that we are going to have to gamble a little (obviously in as controlled a way as possible) to achieve success.
MG: Whilst from a Clarkeonenil perspective “anyone but Bates” applies it could be suggested that any connection with Middle Eastern regimes where the populace are in rebellion brings its own issues. Should human rights issues play a part in how LUST considers any new owners at Elland Road?
GC: Human rights issues should play a part in everyone’s life, indeed in tackling the comparatively minor problems of stewarding and policing the Trust has a duty to be concerned about the rights of our members and Leeds supporters, whether this will transpire into a more global concern is something I can’t say the Trust would necessarily concern itself with, after all our members set the agenda and we are driven by that so perhaps the question should be put to them?
MG: The term consortium has been bandied about, are you content we will get a full picture of the other parts of the consortium after takeover and do you think there will be any surprises?
GC: Yes I am sure that will be the case, there has been a lot of focus on the individuals who have been rumoured to be involved with little consideration given to the likelihood of this being a consortium and I love surprises so long as they are nice ones!
MG: How does the takeover help with LUST’s core long term aim of garnering supporter’s ownership and control of the club?
GC: In many ways it changes little, we have always worked with our partners such as Leeds City Council for the betterment of the club which after all is a massive community asset, we will continue to do so hopefully with new owners and a new working relationship?
MG: Once the takeover takes place a massive build-up of expectation is likely to rear its head. Do you have any sense of what investment would be available and what it gets used for?
GC: The return of the club’s assets would be nice, if costly. If you add that to what we feel the manager would genuinely like to spend to strengthen our current squad to push for promotion and then consolidate once that’s achieved you are talking a lot of money. Do I feel the prospective buyers have the potential for such investment, yes I do!
MG: Do you expect Elland Road and Thorp Arch to return to the club; surely LUST would want the club to be sustainable for the future?
GC: I part pre-empted your question in my last answer, I think it would be our members ambitions to see the ground and Thorp Arch brought back into ownership of the club, Elland Road is our home and we strongly believe this should be a fundamental ambition for any new owners, that is going to take considerable investment.
MG: LUST have made a lot of play on “supporting the manager”, here at Clarkeonenil we might suggest that is a waste of time with the present incumbent. Is it really a supporter’s trusts job to have opinions on or supporting an individual manager?
GC: It’s the job of Leeds United supporters to do the best they can in difficult circumstances and support the club, we are after all just Leeds fans. The Trust would like to see our support galvanised as we believe the divide and conquer method which appears to have been used during the last few years does nothing positive for the future of the club, if uniting behind Mr Warnock is a way forward I think the trust should do that yes. That said any manager is open to scrutiny and if our members felt questions should be asked we would be duty bound to ask them.
MG: After 7 years of Bates and 10 years before that with the various custodians of the club from Akers onwards (including the legendary Ridsdale) some serious work has to be done to reconnect club and support, what role will you at LUST play?
GC: We hope to play a pivotal role. To achieve the aims of a trust we have to establish a meaningful dialogue with the club, not one that’s serves one party better than the other, it has to be a two way deal and we absolutely want that to be the case as early as possible with the next owners. We celebrate the rights of all fans groups to exist and do what they do best whether that be transportation to games, organising social events or representing fans views then surely a Trust should do what it does best to and that is provide a voice for the fans with the club and all local partners in the very best interests of all concerned, that’s what we see ourselves doing.
MG: Clarkeonenil and specifically me has been critical in the past of what it saw as LUST’s inability to stand up for supporters, what guarantees can you give that your organisation will ensure the voice of the support is heard more in the future?
GC: We accepted the criticism and we tackled it through re-branding and restructuring the way we do things, this is a trust fit for purpose, fit to serve its growing 7000 plus membership and fit to work with whosoever we need to. Given how far we have come in just three years I think we earned the right to be thought of as credible, trustworthy and genuine in our convictions. And of course your support recently suggests we are making at least a few right moves no?
MG: Over the last year LUST finally started to get involved, some actions, like the demo’s (not strictly a LUST initiative) and the march worked well, others, like the party in the East Stand, didn’t. What lessons have LUST learnt?
GC: Where do I begin? Firstly that getting a mandate is crucial, consult with our members and the fan base and most importantly listen to what they say. Secondly get the right people doing the right jobs, don’t take on too much and weaken the control you have over what’s going on but concentrate on the important issues as raised by the members, right now we have a board and teams able to do that and I think its clear to see it works. Lastly don’t rise to the bait, face each challenge in a practical but honest manner and stick to the strength of your convictions. Mr Bates has made things difficult for us this last season, he has attacked us personally and as an organisation, we have learned to stand tall through this and quite honestly we don’t fear anyone, that makes us strong. As I said before this Trust is fit for purpose, we have been challenged and we have learned with every step. I hope we keep learning.
MG: LUST now claims 6000+ members, what are you doing to keep the vast majority of those who signed up on a free membership?
GC: 7000, over 800 shareholders amongst that lot too? If we continue to do what have done over this last season I don’t see any reason that would lead to a mass migration of members away from the trust and membership; that said we need to keep demonstrating our worth and there are lots of projects we would like to support and be involved in such as safer standing.
MG: Finally for today Gary, look forward to the Wolves game and give us some predictions: has Bates left the club? Are we in safe hands? Is “the dream” real?
GC: It’s 4-1 to the mighty whites Michael, I would have had Snodgrass to score at anytime in there to but its looking unlikely. I had my carpels tunnel operation years ago so my hands are fairly safe now, our president is Nigel Martyn and he never dropped much. Hopefully we will be top by Xmas, 15 points clear, talking to Messi about personal terms and be renewing season tickets at cut price bargain basement once in a lifetime opportunity deals with owners who wont mortgage the proceeds? Of course we can dream, it’s real, it’s happening and it’s coming to an Elland Road near you soon. Besides we are Leeds United, what else can we do?
MG: On that positive, till the next time, thank you Gary.
(this email “interview” took place between Leeds United accepting the Snodgrass bid from Norwich and the transfer being confirmed).
The editor sets some questions, via email, for Gary Cooper, Chair of the Leeds United Supporters Trust.
MG: Gary, it has been a long and frustrating summer as the takeover saga churns on and on. Have we stopped “daring to dream”?
GC: I never stop daring to dream Michael and I hope despite all we’ve been through this summer that our members and the supporters keep believing they can dare to dream too?
MG: LUST made some extensive plays on publicising the original approach to the club but since then significant part of your time have been spent “keeping confidences”. Notwithstanding who you are or not talking to privately wasn’t it a mistake for the prospective buyers to let Bates and company set the confidentiality terms?
GC: Quite possibly, certainly in terms of getting off on the right foot with the fans, I think had the prospective buyers been able to give some form of acknowledgement to the fans it would have gone a long way towards building the confidence levels, after all seven years of Mr Bates has knocked the confidence from our supporters.
MG: Fans are frustrated that names are out there in the open, on forums, blogs, radio-shows etc but no-one, not even “ITK” LUST is confirming the buyers, how does that assist in bringing transparency to a club now so associated with “undisclosed”?
GC: It’s a good question and in an ideal world I would dearly love to have been in a position to tell more during the closed season. As a Trust we have done our very best to say what we can when we can and we have persistently urged both the club, who I feel could certainly have done a lot more to address fans concerns but didn’t, and of course the prospective incomers who maybe haven’t measured the fever pitch temperatures of the supporters as well as they could. I don’t want to criticise people who are not here yet so I am more than willing to give them the benefit of the doubt however the club should know better.
MG: One specific name has been bandied about a lot, Sheik Abdulrahman bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa. The same name also keeps cropping up in newspaper stories of gambling debts and business fall-outs (especially in the horse racing game); does this cause you any concern?
GC: It’s one of several names a struggle to pronounce Michael so if it is him I need to practice more? I’ve read the stories like everyone else and of course it’s right to be concerned to some extent however what’s more important to me is ensuring whoever is coming in to Leeds United shares the ambition of the supporters and our members and in doing that we are going to have to gamble a little (obviously in as controlled a way as possible) to achieve success.
MG: Whilst from a Clarkeonenil perspective “anyone but Bates” applies it could be suggested that any connection with Middle Eastern regimes where the populace are in rebellion brings its own issues. Should human rights issues play a part in how LUST considers any new owners at Elland Road?
GC: Human rights issues should play a part in everyone’s life, indeed in tackling the comparatively minor problems of stewarding and policing the Trust has a duty to be concerned about the rights of our members and Leeds supporters, whether this will transpire into a more global concern is something I can’t say the Trust would necessarily concern itself with, after all our members set the agenda and we are driven by that so perhaps the question should be put to them?
MG: The term consortium has been bandied about, are you content we will get a full picture of the other parts of the consortium after takeover and do you think there will be any surprises?
GC: Yes I am sure that will be the case, there has been a lot of focus on the individuals who have been rumoured to be involved with little consideration given to the likelihood of this being a consortium and I love surprises so long as they are nice ones!
MG: How does the takeover help with LUST’s core long term aim of garnering supporter’s ownership and control of the club?
GC: In many ways it changes little, we have always worked with our partners such as Leeds City Council for the betterment of the club which after all is a massive community asset, we will continue to do so hopefully with new owners and a new working relationship?
MG: Once the takeover takes place a massive build-up of expectation is likely to rear its head. Do you have any sense of what investment would be available and what it gets used for?
GC: The return of the club’s assets would be nice, if costly. If you add that to what we feel the manager would genuinely like to spend to strengthen our current squad to push for promotion and then consolidate once that’s achieved you are talking a lot of money. Do I feel the prospective buyers have the potential for such investment, yes I do!
MG: Do you expect Elland Road and Thorp Arch to return to the club; surely LUST would want the club to be sustainable for the future?
GC: I part pre-empted your question in my last answer, I think it would be our members ambitions to see the ground and Thorp Arch brought back into ownership of the club, Elland Road is our home and we strongly believe this should be a fundamental ambition for any new owners, that is going to take considerable investment.
MG: LUST have made a lot of play on “supporting the manager”, here at Clarkeonenil we might suggest that is a waste of time with the present incumbent. Is it really a supporter’s trusts job to have opinions on or supporting an individual manager?
GC: It’s the job of Leeds United supporters to do the best they can in difficult circumstances and support the club, we are after all just Leeds fans. The Trust would like to see our support galvanised as we believe the divide and conquer method which appears to have been used during the last few years does nothing positive for the future of the club, if uniting behind Mr Warnock is a way forward I think the trust should do that yes. That said any manager is open to scrutiny and if our members felt questions should be asked we would be duty bound to ask them.
MG: After 7 years of Bates and 10 years before that with the various custodians of the club from Akers onwards (including the legendary Ridsdale) some serious work has to be done to reconnect club and support, what role will you at LUST play?
GC: We hope to play a pivotal role. To achieve the aims of a trust we have to establish a meaningful dialogue with the club, not one that’s serves one party better than the other, it has to be a two way deal and we absolutely want that to be the case as early as possible with the next owners. We celebrate the rights of all fans groups to exist and do what they do best whether that be transportation to games, organising social events or representing fans views then surely a Trust should do what it does best to and that is provide a voice for the fans with the club and all local partners in the very best interests of all concerned, that’s what we see ourselves doing.
MG: Clarkeonenil and specifically me has been critical in the past of what it saw as LUST’s inability to stand up for supporters, what guarantees can you give that your organisation will ensure the voice of the support is heard more in the future?
GC: We accepted the criticism and we tackled it through re-branding and restructuring the way we do things, this is a trust fit for purpose, fit to serve its growing 7000 plus membership and fit to work with whosoever we need to. Given how far we have come in just three years I think we earned the right to be thought of as credible, trustworthy and genuine in our convictions. And of course your support recently suggests we are making at least a few right moves no?
MG: Over the last year LUST finally started to get involved, some actions, like the demo’s (not strictly a LUST initiative) and the march worked well, others, like the party in the East Stand, didn’t. What lessons have LUST learnt?
GC: Where do I begin? Firstly that getting a mandate is crucial, consult with our members and the fan base and most importantly listen to what they say. Secondly get the right people doing the right jobs, don’t take on too much and weaken the control you have over what’s going on but concentrate on the important issues as raised by the members, right now we have a board and teams able to do that and I think its clear to see it works. Lastly don’t rise to the bait, face each challenge in a practical but honest manner and stick to the strength of your convictions. Mr Bates has made things difficult for us this last season, he has attacked us personally and as an organisation, we have learned to stand tall through this and quite honestly we don’t fear anyone, that makes us strong. As I said before this Trust is fit for purpose, we have been challenged and we have learned with every step. I hope we keep learning.
MG: LUST now claims 6000+ members, what are you doing to keep the vast majority of those who signed up on a free membership?
GC: 7000, over 800 shareholders amongst that lot too? If we continue to do what have done over this last season I don’t see any reason that would lead to a mass migration of members away from the trust and membership; that said we need to keep demonstrating our worth and there are lots of projects we would like to support and be involved in such as safer standing.
MG: Finally for today Gary, look forward to the Wolves game and give us some predictions: has Bates left the club? Are we in safe hands? Is “the dream” real?
GC: It’s 4-1 to the mighty whites Michael, I would have had Snodgrass to score at anytime in there to but its looking unlikely. I had my carpels tunnel operation years ago so my hands are fairly safe now, our president is Nigel Martyn and he never dropped much. Hopefully we will be top by Xmas, 15 points clear, talking to Messi about personal terms and be renewing season tickets at cut price bargain basement once in a lifetime opportunity deals with owners who wont mortgage the proceeds? Of course we can dream, it’s real, it’s happening and it’s coming to an Elland Road near you soon. Besides we are Leeds United, what else can we do?
MG: On that positive, till the next time, thank you Gary.
(this email “interview” took place between Leeds United accepting the Snodgrass bid from Norwich and the transfer being confirmed).