Mighty Leeds Weblog

Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/15 by Phil Hay It seems that Sol Bamba is already part of the Leeds United family. The club’s head coach, Neil Redfearn, has found him to be a “fatherly figure”. Granddi Ngoyi, the midfielder who followed him to Leeds from Palermo on Monday, expects Bamba to act as his “big brother” in England. It must be nice to feel wanted, especially after six months of mixed messages in Italy. Bamba came to Elland Road on a half-season loan last week, allowed to go by Palermo less than a year into his contract. The 30-year-old doubts that he’ll ever go back to Sicily. Palermo recruited him from Trabzonspor in August and tied him to a three-year deal after their promotion to Serie A. In all his time in Italy, the centre-back has played once. Bamba is likely to make his Leeds debut away at Huddersfield Town tomorrow but is very honest about his fitness. “I’ll need one or two matches to be 100 per cent,” he says. A week on from his arrival in Yorkshire, Bamba is alrea...

Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/15 by Phil Hay Jason Pearce has ended a two-and-a-half year stay at Leeds United by joining Wigan Athletic. The defender joined United’s Championship rivals this morning for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £300,000. Leeds paid £500,000 for the 27-year-old when they signed him from Portsmouth in 2012 and Pearce was the leading appearance-maker in United’s squad having played 112 times. He lost his place in the club’s starting line-up before Christmas, however, and was replaced as captain by Stephen Warnock. The recent signing of Sol Bamba on loan from Italian side Palermo added further competition at centre-back and a deal to sell Pearce to Wigan was agreed in principle earlier this week. He moves to a team who are in the thick of the same relegation fight as United, three places and eight points behind Neil Redfearn’s squad. Bamba is expected to make his Leeds debut alongside Liam Cooper away at Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

leedsunited.com 30/1/15 Leeds United chairman Andrew Umbers has spoken publicly for the first time since stepping into the role in Massimo Cellino’s absence, and says the situation at the club has "dramatically improved" since last year’s takeover. The pair have worked together closely to restructure the club and reduce its debt after last April’s 75 per cent purchase by Eleonora Sport Limited. Following Massimo Cellino’s resignation of his post last week due to a failed appeal against the Football League’s ruling to disqualify him, Mr Umbers, a Yorkshireman and lifelong Leeds United fan, was appointed as the club’s chairman. In a lengthy interview, Andrew Umbers spoke of Massimo Cellino’s passion and vision for the club, how they have forged close ties with Leeds City Council and their financial aims for the future. "Massimo and I have never, ever regretted the task ahead," said the chairman. "We’ve always thought through how we take cost out, how we re...

Yorkshire Evening Post 30/1/15 The possibility of Massimo Cellino challenging his Football League disqualification is still “under review”, according to Leeds United chairman Andrew Umbers. Umbers said the Italian – banned from running Leeds until April 10 – was continuing to look at ways of challenging his punishment having lost an appeal against the Football League last week. A three-man Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) upheld the Football League’s view that Cellino was in breach of its Owner and Directors Test following his conviction for tax evasion in Italy last March. The 58-year-old subsequently resigned as a Leeds director seven days ago and is beginning a 79-day suspension in which he is barred from exerting any control over United’s day-to-day operations. His ban ends on April 10. Cellino, however, could look to mount a fresh challenge by asking for arbitration with the Football Association under Rule K of the governing body’s regulations. His legal team are also in...

Yorkshire Evening Post 29/1/15 by Phil Hay New Leeds United chairman Andrew Umbers said Massimo Cellino would remain as the club’s long-term owner at the end of his disqualification as he spelled out what he called a “dramatically improving” financial situation at Elland Road. In his first interview since his appointment as the head of United’s board, Umbers told the YEP that Cellino would return to the club as planned when his Football League ban ends on April 10 and said the option of selling Leeds had not been raised prior to the Italian’s resignation as president. Cellino stepped down from the board at Elland Road last week, beginning a 79-day ban imposed on him by the Football League following his conviction for tax evasion in Italy 10 months ago. The 58-year-old was found guilty of failing to pay import duty on a private yacht, a crime which breached the Football League’s Owners and Directors Test. Cellino has other court cases pending and media reports in Sardinia say he i...

Yorkshire Evening Post 29/1/15 by Phil Hay Sport Capital, the BVI-based company which failed with a bid to buy Leeds United last year, has launched a £33m claim for damages against Gulf Finance House over the collapse of its deal. Sport Capital claims GFH and the bank’s private equity arm, GFH Capital, breached the terms of a Share Purchase Agreement (SPA) reached between them, causing the proposed takeover to fail. The Sport Capital group - a consortium featuring ex-Leeds managing director David Haigh and Andrew Flowers, MD of United shirt sponsor Enterprise Insurance - spent almost three months attempting to push the buy-out through but saw the deal fall apart in January 2014. The failure of that bid cleared the way for current owner Massimo Cellino to agree the purchase a 75 per cent stake in Leeds in early February. GFH, which took control of United in 2012 after securing a 100 per cent stake from Ken Bates, retained control of a 25 per cent share after Cellino’s takeover and...

Yorkshire Post 29/1/15 NEIL Redfearn insists rumoured Wigan target Rudy Austin will not be leaving Leeds United declaring: “he’s not for sale, at all costs.” Wigan have been linked with a double swoop for both midfielder Austin and centre-back Jason Pearce and Redfearn confirmed on Thursday that Pearce had not trained with Leeds and hinted that his departure could be imminent. However, United’s head coach passionately declared it would be a bad move to sell Austin, stating the Jamaican had a key role to play in both holding his place in the United first team while also helping with the development of young stars such as Lewis Cook, Alex Mowatt, Charlie Taylor and Sam Byram. An improving United return to action on Saturday at Championship rivals Huddersfield Town and Redfearn said: “Obviously I want to try and keep our better players and for me these are the sort of players that are going to benefit us for years to come. “We’ve got a young squad and the good seniors we need to keep...

Yorkshire Evening Post 28/1/15 by Phil Hay Jason Pearce was closing in on a move to Wigan Athletic last night with the Lancashire club refusing to give up on their pursuit of the Leeds United defender. Leeds appear ready to sell Pearce to a team in the thick of the Championship’s relegation fight following fresh discussions between the clubs in the past 24 hours. Wigan made an initial approach for the 26-year-old last week following the arrival at Elland Road of centre-back and new signing Sol Bamba. United head coach Neil Redfearn was understood to be keen to retain Pearce despite the recruitment of Bamba on loan from Palermo, with fellow defender Giuseppe Bellusci beginning a two-match ban this weekend. Bellusci will also be hit by a far longer suspension if a charge of misconduct brought against him by the Football Association is upheld. The Italian is accused of racially abusing Norwich City striker Cameron Jerome during a game at Carrow Road in October and faces a minimum f...

by Phil Hay Newly-rebranded Leeds Fans LLP are aiming to raise £10m by inviting fans to buy £100 stakes with the ultimate target of taking over Gulf Finance House’s stake in Leeds United. Phil Hay reports. Supporter-held stakes in English football clubs are relatively rare and inevitably hard-earned but the path leading to investment of that type always starts somewhere. A movement which is gathering pace in Leeds began with a small gathering of 15 fans on December 22. Last Saturday, a second meeting at the Leeds Sports Centre attracted 200 supporters in person and drew 500 more to an online broadcast of the event. The plan at the heart of this is simple in theory and highly ambitious in nature: to raise £10m and purchase a minority shareholding in Leeds United. At the outset, the group behind the fledgling scheme took on the title ‘Together Leeds’, the name of the consortium led by Mike Farnan who tried and failed to buy United around Christmas in 2013. Farnan – the former Sunderl...

Insider Media 28/1/15 An Italian executive, who worked with Massimo Cellino when he owned Serie A side Cagliari, has been appointed as a Leeds United director in the latest change to the club's boardroom make-up. Documentation relating to the appointment of Giampaolo Caboni, 61, was filed with Companies House at the same time as a director termination notice for Cellino, who is temporarily stepping down as president in accordance with his Football League ban. Earlier this month (January), financier Andrew Umbers was appointed to the Championship club's board. The Yorkshireman has now been named as chairman and will steer the club during Cellino's enforced absence. Cellino's sons, Edoardo and Ercole, and Eleanora Sport director Daniel Arty also represent the Leeds' owner in the boardroom, while GFH Capital's Jinesh and Salem Patel act for the Dubai-based private equity house which still controls a 25 per cent stake in Leeds United.

Yorkshire Evening Post 28/1/15 by Phil Hay United coach Neil Redfearn tells Phil Hay his team is beginning to hit the right groove, thanks in part to the arrival of his new assistant, Steve Thompson, who came from this Saturday’s hosts Huddersfield Town. Only once this season have Leeds United registered back-to-back victories in the Championship. The victims on that occasion, far back in September, were Bournemouth and Huddersfield Town. Neil Redfearn isn’t interested in half-baked omens but the club’s head coach is tempted to think that his squad are edging into the groove which brought six points in his final week as caretaker boss. Leeds accounted for Bournemouth at Elland Road last Tuesday, outwitting the league leaders for the second time in four months, and they travel to Huddersfield Town this weekend with some overdue momentum behind them. A 1-0 defeat of Bournemouth was as valuable result as the club have produced this season, a huge shot in the arm just as the Champion...

Here is the City 27/1/15 Billy Hawkins Leeds United have been linked with a move for Albanian international striker Edgar Cani. The Daily Mail reported earlier this month that the Whites were interested in signing 25-year-old Catania striker Cani on loan, and it now appears as if talks are progressing. A story published by TMW today has indicated that the two clubs will hold talks in the 'next hours' to come to an agreement concerning Cani, with all parties involved keen on a move to Elland Road. Catania have already started looking at a replacement for Cani, and have targeted Juventus forward Lorenzo Rosseti, but they cannot complete a deal for him until Cani has been removed for the club’s ranks. The report suggests that the two clubs are stalling over the price tag, with a further €150,000 reportedly wanted by the Serie B side for Cani’s services, but the Whites current financial situation could mean that they pursue a loan deal with the right to purchase in the summer...

Yorkshire Evening Post 27/1/15 NEW LEEDS UNITED signing Granddi Ngoyi is confident that “big brother” Sol Bamba will ease his transition into English football. The defensive midfielder, 26, has completed his expected loan move to Leeds from Serie A outfit Palermo for the rest of the season, hot on the heels of Bamba also joining from the club. Both players are now hoping to impress in training to put themselves in firm contention for Saturday’s West Yorkshire derby at Huddersfield Town. Leeds are also in the market for other recruits ahead of the closure of the transfer window on Monday night. Ngoyi grew close to Bamba during their time at Palermo, with the Frenchman admitting that the centre-half, who has previously spent time in England with Leicester City, will help him settle, with his own command of English currently limited. Ngoyi, restricted to just 71 minutes of action with Palermo this term said: “Bamba is my brother, my big brother! “He will help me a lot because he kn...

Yorkshire Post 26/1/15 by Leon Wobschall LEEDS UNITED fans should enjoy the ‘flamboyant’ skills of new acquisition Sol Bamba - who attracted a cult following during his previous spell in England at Leicester City. That’s the view of Rob Tanner, Foxes reporter for the Leicester Mercury newspaper, with Bamba spending just under 18 months in the East Midlands from January 2011 to June 2012. The French-born Ivory Coast international defender, 30, who has joined United on loan from Palermo for the rest of the season, may have only spent a relatively brief spell with Leicester, but he emerged as a fans favourite in his eventful time there. Bamba arrived at City from Hibernian for an undisclosed fee in January 2011 and soon endeared himself to the club’s supporters by netting in the first minute of his debut against Manchester City in a 2-2 draw in an FA Cup tie. Later that month, Bamba netted twice in the 4-2 home win over Millwall and soon earned himself a reputation for being a footb...

BBC 26/1/15 Championship strugglers Leeds United have signed French midfielder Granddi Ngoyi on loan from Italian Serie A side Palermo until the end of the season. The 26-year-old began his career with Paris St-Germain before moving to fellow Ligue 1 side Troyes in 2012. Ngoyi is a former France Under-21 international but is also eligible to play for DR Congo. Defender Sol Bamba also joined Leeds on loan from Palermo until the end of the season earlier in the window.

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/1/15 Leeds United head coach Neil Redfearn has promised Brazilian playmaker Adryan that he is “absolutely certain” of another run in the team despite falling out of favour in the past three weeks. Redfearn described the 20-year-old as an “immense talent” and said his recent exclusion from United’s squad was not an indication of doubt about Adryan’s ability to thrive at Elland Road. Adryan has missed the club’s last three league games, including Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Championship leaders Bournemouth, and he last appeared in a matchday squad during their FA Cup tie at Sunderland on January 4. Leeds owner Massimo Cellino saw Adryan as a key signing in the summer transfer window, securing him on a season-long loan from Brazilian side Flamengo after several weeks of negotiations. The move involved the termination of an existing loan deal at Serie A club Cagliari and Cellino negotiated a clause allowing United to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis ...

Mail 24/1/15 By SIMON JONES FOR THE DAILY MAIL Wigan have opened talks over a possible deal for Leeds United defender Jason Pearce. Leeds are willing to let the 27-year-old defender go following the loan signing of Sol Bamba as they try to streamline their wage bill. Leeds also have interest from Cardiff City in midfielder Rodolph Austin. The Jamaica international is a popular figure at Elland Road but another they are prepared to sacrifice. Aston Villa and Liverpool remain keen on highly-rated 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Cook who has yet to resolve a new contract. Cook has made 26 appearances in all competitions for Leeds this season.

Yorkshire Evening Post 24/1/15 Leeds United’s contract talks with Lewis Cook should run their course. The club expect to find common ground without difficulty and hope the 17-year-old will agree new terms by the summer. He’s unlikely to commit until Massimo Cellino completes his sabbatical from Elland Road – a sensible stance when the man who “signs the cheques” has just surrendered his pen – but Leeds do not see a problem. In the meantime, there are moves afoot to extend Alex Mowatt’s deal and pin him down beyond 2017. Discussions before Christmas between Cellino and Sam Byram’s agent were decidedly fractious and ended abruptly but Byram himself is said to be happy. Neil Redfearn remarked after Tuesday’s win over Bournemouth that football was the “saving grace” for a club with severe emotional stress. In United’s case and in the context of this season, their saving grace is actually the academy. Again. At a recent gathering of English development heads, from the Premier League d...

Yorkshire Post 23/1/15 PALERMO defender Sol Bamba has sealed his transfer to Leeds United after training with the club at Thorp Arch. The Ivory Coast international linked up with Neil Redfearn’s squad this morning having finalised a half-season loan at Elland Road. Bamba, 30, was lined up as United’s first January signing at the start of this week and he has moving to England with a view to a permanent switch in the summer. Palermo have confirmed the move on their official Twitter account. The Italian side have used Bamba only once this season and Leeds were anxious to improve their options at centre-back with Giuseppe Bellusci set to begin a two-match ban during next weekend’s Championship game at Huddersfield Town. Bellusci is also facing the threat of a much longer suspension after being charged by the Football Association with racially abusing Norwich City striker Cameron Jerome during a league match at Carrow Road in October. The former Catania defender denies the charge b...

Guardian 23/1/15 James Riach Massimo Cellino has formally resigned as Leeds United president after being disqualified by the Football League, insisting he will return to his position in April “in good health and good spirits”. He has been barred as Leeds’ owner under the league’s owners’ and directors’ test following a first-grade conviction in his native Italy for import tax evasion on a boat, and must not act as a “relevant person” at the Championship club until 10 April. The former Cagliari owner’s lawyers have been in discussions with the league in recent days, with the confirmation of his temporary resignation on Friday coming after an appeal against his disqualification was rejected earlier in the week. In the absence of Cellino, Andrew Umbers has been named as Leeds’ new chairman and is a director who played an important role in the sale of United from Ken Bates to Gulf Finance House Capital in 2012 through the firm Eurofin. Cellino said: “It is with great sadness and frus...

leedsunited.com 23/1/15 The club can confirm that board director Andrew Umbers will be appointed Leeds United chairman in the absence of Massimo Cellino. Mr Cellino said: "Following my resignation and in my temporary absence, the board has appointed Andrew Umbers to become chairman of Leeds United. "Andrew has personally worked tirelessly with me in restructuring the football club from May 2014 and shares the same goals, strategy and insights that I do in bringing Leeds United back from its financial abyss to make it the strong entity that its fans, players and city need it to be and to which these foundations are now in place. "Andrew is also a Yorkshireman and lifelong Leeds United fan." Andrew Umbers has thirty years banking experience primarily as Managing Director of European Equities at Credit Suisse and as Chief Executive of Evolution Securities and Board director of Evolution Group. For the last three years as Chairman of Oakwell Capital Partners he has...

Yorkshire Post 23/1/15 Massimo Cellino’s lawyers remain in talks with the Football League over their decision to ban him from being Leeds United’s owner. Cellino was scheduled to sever all ties with Leeds on Wednesday after losing his appeal against the League’s ruling that his conviction for tax evasion in Italy last March was in breach of their Owners and Directors’ Test and so barred him from being a director. The Italian was at Elland Road on Tuesday night when Leeds beat Championship leaders Bournemouth, but was expected to leave his office by noon on Wednesday to start a suspension that is due to end on April 10 when his conviction expires under UK law. A Football League spokesman said: “The Football League and Leeds United remain in ongoing dialogue about matters relating to the recent decision of the Professional Conduct Committee regarding Massimo Cellino.” United have yet to confirm who will run the club in Cellino’s absence, while the 58-year-old said he was considering...

Yorkshire Evening Post 23/1/15 by Phil Hay Massimo Cellino has today confirmed his resignation as president of Leeds United. The 58-year-old quit the board of directors at Elland Road this morning, beginning a 79-day ban as owner of the club. Cellino was forced to cut his ties with Leeds temporarily after losing an appeal against a Football League ruling disqualifying him from running the Championship side. The ex-Cagliari owner has been banned by the governing body over a conviction for tax evasion imposed on him in Italy last year. His appeal against the League’s decision was rejected by a Professional Conduct Committee on Monday. Cellino, whose British firm Eleonora Sport Limited holds a 75 per cent stake in Leeds, is banned from exerting any control over the club until the second week of April, by which time his tax conviction will be spent under UK law. In a statement, the Italian said: “It is with great sadness and frustration that I have to take this step, however I abide...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/1/15 by Phil Hay Neil Redfearn described Lewis Cook as “the best academy player I’ve ever seen” as he urged Leeds United to tie the 17-year-old to a longer contract at Elland Road. Redfearn said the retention of Cook, whose existing deal runs to 2016, should be an essential part of United’s future plans after the midfielder stole the show in Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Championship leaders Bournemouth. Leeds are understood to have opened negotiations with Cook about an extension of his contract and the youngster’s value is increasing rapidly on the strength of his maiden season as a first-team player. Cook made his breakthrough from the academy in August, three months after featuring in England’s European Under-17 Championship-winning squad, and he has been heavily used by Redfearn since the 49-year-old took over as head coach. Redfearn oversaw Cook’s development during his time in charge of Leeds’ youth-team system – a job the 49-year-old gave up to take con...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/1/15 by Phil Hay Leeds United midfielder Tommaso Bianchi is pushing for a return to Italy, according to the coach of his former club Modena. Walter Novellino, the manager who worked with Bianchi while the 26-year-old was on loan at Modena last season, said Bianchi “wants to come back here” but claimed Leeds owner Massimo Cellino was refusing to allow him to leave Elland Road. Bianchi is tied to a four-year contract at United following his summer move from Sassuolo but he lost his place in Leeds’ starting line-up after a series of disappointing performances over Christmas and has not played since a 2-0 defeat to Derby County on December 30. Novellino told Italian newspaper Gazzetta Di Modena: “In midfield I miss a player like Bianchi, one that guaranteed five or six goals a year. “He wants to come back here but it’s an impossible deal because Cellino will not give us him.” Cellino told the YEP this week that Bianchi was one of three senior players who wer...

BBC 21/1/15 Leeds owner Massimo Cellino cooked the pre-match meal for the players before Tuesday's 1-0 win over Bournemouth, their first win in nine games. The Italian found out on Monday he has been disqualified from having an input in the day-to-day running of the club until 10 April by the Football League. The club are considering an appeal. "No surprises it was pasta but it wasn't bad. His new role might be club chef," head coach Neil Redfearn told BBC Radio Leeds. "It was well cooked and we all gave our opinions of it to him and everyone said they liked it." The club are currently considering their legal position before potentially lodging an appeal against the decision. Cellino, 58, previously likened selecting a new coach to buying watermelons and worked in an Italian restaurant in London when he was a student. The Elland Road side had not won a match since 29 November prior to their victory over the league leaders. Redfearn believes that des...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/1/15 by Phil Hay Leeds United said farewell to one former custodian last night, sending off the late Leslie Silver with a minute’s applause. The club’s current incumbent departs today with his legacy at Elland Road far less secure. Massimo Cellino’s disqualification as owner of Leeds should officially start in the next 24 hours – unless he and the Football League can agree a period of grace while the Italian gets his affairs in order – and he has no way of knowing what he will return to when he resumes control in April. He goes nonetheless with something to cling to after a splendid demolition of the Championship leaders and a result in keeping with another unfathomable period at Elland Road. It is typical of Leeds that in the week of Cellino’s unprecedented ban and after eight games without a win they should find away to beat a largely unbeatable Bournemouth side. Leeds have given Bournemouth the treatment once already this season – amazingly, the only s...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/1/15 Head coach Neil Redfearn declared Leeds United “alive and kicking” after a brave victory over Championship leaders Bournemouth eased the threat of relegation. A 1-0 win at Elland Road last night – earned by a spectacular Luke Murphy goal – lifted the mood of a club who are technically without an owner today following Massimo Cellino’s disqualification. Cellino is poised to quit the board at Leeds after learning on Monday that he had lost his appeal against a Football League ruling banning him from exercising control over the club until April 10. The Italian attended last night’s game, bizarrely cooking a pre-match meal of pasta for Redfearn and his squad, and Murphy’s strike on 36 minutes completed a priceless home-and-away double over Bournemouth. Eddie Howe’s in-form squad threatened to snatch a point late on as Marc Pugh hit a post and Yann Kermorgant smashed a penalty against the bar following a professional foul by Giuseppe Bellusci which earned ...

Yorkshire Post 21/1/15 AMID all the luxury yachts and court cases and other off-field nonsense that seems to have characterised this season for Leeds United, football has become almost a secondary thought. In certain defeats, this has not been a bad thing. Last night, however, was one of those games that made hearts that have been heavy for so long truly sing. Against a Bournemouth side which arrived and left Elland Road sitting proudly atop the Championship, Luke Murphy’s stunning first-half strike was enough to seal a first league double of the season for the Yorkshire club. But it told only half the story of the final night before Massimo Cellino has to step aside and hand control to others following his ban by the Football League. United were, quite simply, outstanding as head coach Neil Redfearn threw caution to the wind and sent his side out to take the game to the leaders. His reward was a performance packed full of guile and grit. More importantly, he also got a precious ...

Guardian 20/1/15 Richard Gibson at Elland Road The Leeds manager, Neil Redfearn, suggested his club remain “alive and kicking” after an odds-defying performance dented Bournemouth’s promotion bid. A matter of hours after learning that the owner, Massimo Cellino, had lost his appeal to the Football League and will be forced to quit the board and not resume control at Elland Road until the second week of April, and nine matches since their previous win, the Yorkshire side somehow held on for victory against the league leaders. Luke Murphy’s splendid first-half goal decided the contest but fortune was required too. Twice Bournemouth struck the woodwork, most significantly four minutes from time when the substitute Yann Kermorgant wasted a contentious penalty awarded by the referee, Oliver Langford, who sent off Giuseppe Bellusci for bringing down the pacy Callum Wilson. Redfearn was scathing about the decision, claiming the offence took place outside the area, but upbeat about the re...

Mail 20/1/15 By RICHARD GIBSON Bournemouth's Elland Road hoodoo continued as 10-man Leeds dented their promotion hopes through Luke Murphy's spectacular strike. But Eddie Howe's Championship leaders had only themselves to blame after substitute Yann Kermorgant wasted an opportunity for a 86th-minute equaliser after blasting his penalty against the crossbar. 'The penalty summed up our night in front of goal and it was not like us,' said Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe. Bournemouth were awarded the spot-kick after referee Oliver Langford dismissed Giuseppe Bellusci for hauling down Callum Wilson as he raced into the penalty area. Moments earlier Marc Pugh had also struck the woodwork as the visitors made it seven defeats in as many visits to this ground. During an even opening period, Leeds midfielder Murphy thrashed in from 20 yards and Bournemouth, who began the night top of the Championship with a three-point buffer to those outside the automatic promotion pl...

Mail 20/1/15 By ALEX SHARP Leeds owner Massimo Cellino has accused the Football League of attempting to 'kill' the beleaguered Championship side. The Italian had his appeal against being disqualified as a director dismissed on Monday after a Professional Conduct Committee (PCC) rejected Cellino's appeal after deciding his tax evasion conviction in Italy was an offence of dishonesty. As a result the 58-year-old has to step down as director, cut ties with Leeds and not partake in any significant influence over the club until April 10, when his conviction becomes spent under UK law. 'They cheated. We got there and we were not able to fight,' Cellino told the Sun. 'We did not expect it to be arbitration. We expected a court, where you can challenge and put in your case. 'This was an ambush. It was a three-man panel, all three from the League,' added Cellino. 'The League are trying to hurt the club, that's my only conclusion. The club will not f...