Every word from Leeds United Supporters’ Trust’s strongly-worded statement as fans demand answers - YEP 28/5/23
The Leeds United Supporters' Trust (LUST) released a strongly-worded statement against club chairman Andrea Radrizzani and the board of directors following the team’s relegation from the Premier League.
By Joe Donnohue
“At the start of the season, Andrea Radrizzani brazenly
dismissed the risk of a survival battle for Leeds United, claiming relegation
was "impossible".
“Well Andrea, it all feels very possible right now.
“The responsibility for our relegation lies with the people
in charge. In another long, frustrating, and depressing season, the club has
either made the wrong decisions or taken too long to make the right ones,
leading to poor and forced choices.
“We won't list the failures and shortcomings here - it's
plain to see what has gone wrong. It feels like a lifetime ago since the
standards of Marcelo Bielsa turned this club into something Leeds United fans
could be proud of, and we are now, quite literally, back in the same place we
were 5 years ago.
“The fans can once again say that we have upheld our part of
the bargain. We have suffered watching poor football and worse results but have
consistently supported the players and stuck with the team until the bitter
end.
“Despite this, there has often been a level of contempt
shown for fans. We have seen the (ex) Director of Football goading fans, the
Owner making outlandish statements in the media (and directly to fans on
Twitter), and day-to-day supporter services and match day experience
significantly decline.
“Trust has to be rebuilt between ownership and the wider fan
base.
“As we prepare for life back in the Championship what can we
expect? Who will own the club come August? How soon can we expect to see key
staff appointments made?
“Earlier this week, we put the following questions to the
club to try and understand what is in the plans going forward.
• What do you believe has gone wrong?
• What are the plans for the club's ownership and how
quickly can we expect a definitive answer?
• When will a Director of Football/Head of Football
Recruitment appointment be made and what will the recruitment strategy be?
• Do we expect to start the new season with a new manager
and how quickly are those decisions going to be made?
• How does the club's ownership structure plan to re- engage
with fans and rebuild the trust they acquired during our promotion from the
Championship?
“The club responded to say they will be addressing the
entire fanbase and their concerns directly post the final game.
“This is a group of fans that fear what the future holds
post-relegation more than most others, given how traumatic the previous Premier
League relegation was.