Takeover talk won’t distract Leeds United boss
YEP 22/11/13
Brian McDermott said he was untouched by speculation about ownership changes at Leeds United as he looked forward to a welcome game at Elland Road.
McDermott responded to questions over a recent £7million offer for a controlling interest in Leeds by saying he was unaffected by matters that were “not on my horizon.”
United’s owner, GFH Capital, received a takeover bid from a UK-based consortium last Saturday but the Dubai-based firm rejected the proposal outright and has not received an improved bid. Talk of investment intensified further on Wednesday when club legend Lucas Radebe confirmed that he was part of a group looking to acquire a stake in United and described a boardroom role at Elland Road as his “dream scenario”.
But Leeds manager McDermott said: “Things like that don’t bother me, not at all. What excites me is what happens on a Saturday afternoon. It excites me coming into work every day.
“I’m not affected by (takeover speculation) and the only thing that matters is training the boys, working with them, preparing them for the next game. It hasn’t come onto my horizon.”
United are in a strong vein of form after three wins from four games and they will turn out at Elland Road tomorrow for the first time in three weeks.
Talking ahead of their clash with Middlesbrough, McDermott said: “It’s been a long time coming. It feels like a long time since we last played at home.
“There’s expectancy about the crowd and we’re trying to get it up to 30,000.
“I sense that the fans are looking forward to the game and I know we are.
“If I could play 46 games at Elland Road then I would. Give me that any time. Sometimes we won’t play well but the fans can live with that as long as they see a reaction. That’s the message I’ve sent out from day one.”
Brian McDermott said he was untouched by speculation about ownership changes at Leeds United as he looked forward to a welcome game at Elland Road.
McDermott responded to questions over a recent £7million offer for a controlling interest in Leeds by saying he was unaffected by matters that were “not on my horizon.”
United’s owner, GFH Capital, received a takeover bid from a UK-based consortium last Saturday but the Dubai-based firm rejected the proposal outright and has not received an improved bid. Talk of investment intensified further on Wednesday when club legend Lucas Radebe confirmed that he was part of a group looking to acquire a stake in United and described a boardroom role at Elland Road as his “dream scenario”.
But Leeds manager McDermott said: “Things like that don’t bother me, not at all. What excites me is what happens on a Saturday afternoon. It excites me coming into work every day.
“I’m not affected by (takeover speculation) and the only thing that matters is training the boys, working with them, preparing them for the next game. It hasn’t come onto my horizon.”
United are in a strong vein of form after three wins from four games and they will turn out at Elland Road tomorrow for the first time in three weeks.
Talking ahead of their clash with Middlesbrough, McDermott said: “It’s been a long time coming. It feels like a long time since we last played at home.
“There’s expectancy about the crowd and we’re trying to get it up to 30,000.
“I sense that the fans are looking forward to the game and I know we are.
“If I could play 46 games at Elland Road then I would. Give me that any time. Sometimes we won’t play well but the fans can live with that as long as they see a reaction. That’s the message I’ve sent out from day one.”
