L.U.S.T. Update: It's time to Involve The Fans in Leeds United's Future
On behalf of our 7,000 members, the Leeds United Supporters' Trust want to express our frustration and disappointment with the way the takeover of Leeds United is being handled. We believe the time has come for the fans to be told what is happening at their club.
L.U.S.T. has done all it can this summer to keep anxious fans as informed as possible, without compromising our contacts.
But the complete silence from the buyers, and the wholly inadequate statements from the club itself, have kept Leeds fans in the dark about what will become of their club after this summer.
We respect the need for confidentiality, and that the legal process needs time. However, we believe that Leeds United's fans should also be respected. One of the aims of our Vision Statement is for the fans to be seen as an integral part of the club again, after nearly a decade of being left on the sidelines by the current board.
By not responding to calls from the fans for information, the new owners are not beginning this key relationship in a positive way. Our members want to support a transparent and open Leeds United, and being kept in the dark about who currently owns or runs their football club does nothing to achieve this.
The new owners need to start work now if they are to build a strong, mutually trusting relationship with the fans at Elland Road; a relationship that L.U.S.T. believe is vital if the club is to be successful. The fans have been kept too much in the dark this summer, and patience has worn thin. The fans need to be told now what is happening at their club, if any trust is to be established.
Today's news that CEO Shaun Harvey has accepted a bid for Robert Snodgrass, our best player and club captain, does nothing to help build this trust.
Neil Warnock has been clear since he arrived that he wants to keep Snodgrass at Leeds and build a team around him. Robert himself has said publicly that he would be happy to stay at Leeds if the club would change its track record of unfulfilled ambition under Bates and Harvey, and if he could be convinced that his ambition of captaining Leeds to the Premier League would be matched.
With pre-season well underway and Robert Snodgrass now in talks with Norwich, what are Leeds fans to make of the prospects for the new season at Elland Road? Does the sale of our captain mean another season of broken promises for the supporters he leaves behind?
Whatever the outcome of the takeover negotiations, the most important people at Leeds United will, as always, be the fans. Despite being ignored by the current owners for years, the fans remain as consistent and loyal to the club as ever. The hope is there that new owners will mean a new relationship between fans and club, and this is something that our membership of over 7,000 Leeds fans wants to see.
L.U.S.T. will always do our utmost to make sure that our membership's voices are heard. We are ready to work positively with our new owners to bring about the aims and ambitions of our Vision Statement, and excited about helping to build the future of the club under new ownership.
We believe that this future should start today, not at some indeterminate point in the future. The fans have been incredibly patient, but patience only lasts so long; and Wolverhampton Wanderers will not be patient when they come to Elland Road on 18th August. Leeds United Supporters' Trust call on all parties involved in the future of Leeds United to recognise the important role that the fans play and give them the respect they deserve.