Paraag Marathe opens up on biting his lip in boardroom and fan frustration - YEP 18/7/23

-

Paraag Marathe says it was difficult to bite his lip in the back seat at Leeds United during 49ers Enterprises' time as a minority shareholder.

By Graham Smyth

Monday night heralded the end of Andrea Radrizzani's ownership era, one that brought Marcelo Bielsa into the lives of Whites fans, led Leeds back to the Premier League but ultimately ended with the club back in the second tier where the Italian businessman first found it.

49ers Enterprises took a first step into the Elland Road boardroom in 2018 with a 15 per cent stake and twice upped the ante before, finally this week, taking full control of the club and the decision-making power that had rested with Radrizzani.

Marathe admits that being a passenger on someone else's plane did not make for the most comfortable of rides.

"I'm not gonna lie to you, it's been very hard," he told Leeds United's official podcast.

"I'm a pretty open, honest, direct person and so I like to say what I mean and mean what I say. So when I observe something or there's something that I think could be done a little bit better, it was challenging to bite my lip and just stay in my seat so to speak and watch the plane fly. Obviously there's times here and there where we can add advice, especially on the commercial side as we're looking to do certain things but for the most part, the best way I can describe it was me taking notes and I have multiple notebooks of notes now, of how I would like to do things."

Marathe has not been directly critical of Radrizzani, whose time at the club was already running out in the eyes of fans before he considered using Elland Road stadium as collateral to obtain a loan with which he could buy Sampdoria, but the new chairman has revealed he has been on the same page with supporters over certain decisions.

His message to fans is that he himself will risk their ire with mistakes of his own, but he believes they can make Leeds United a success.

"I share the same frustrations of why did this happen or why did we do that? Or how could we let this happen? You know, this happened too soon, or we didn't do this, this took too long - I share all the same frustrations. Just know that I come at this with all of my experience to bear, both as a fan and with my football and commercial experience to do the best job that I can to get this club right. And yeah, I'm gonna make some mistakes, but I'm also gonna get a lot of things right.

"We're gonna still be critical and we're still going to be frustrated at times. But more often than not, I'm confident we're going to build something that we're all going to be proud of, to pass on to our kids and our kids' kids."

Popular posts from this blog

The huge initial fee Leeds are set to receive for Crysencio Summerville’s move to West Ham — Leeds United News 31/7/24

-
Will Butcher West Ham United are closing in on a deal to sign Crysencio Summerville from Leeds United, and Ben Jacobs has shared how much Leeds will receive for the Dutchman. The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with the Elland Road exit door all summer and was targeted as the one big sale Leeds needed to make before the Profit & Sustainability Rules deadline this month. But instead, Leeds sold Archie Gray for £40m to Tottenham. Leeds have since sold five more players in the form of Diego Llorente, Marc Roca, Kris Klaesson and Charlie Cresswell – raking in around £60m in total. But more exits were always likely and Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday afternoon that West Ham had agreed personal terms with Summerville, and talks for a fee were ongoing with the Yorkshire side. Now, the story has moved on with multiple sources claiming a deal is done between Leeds and Angus Kinnear’s old club. The Dutchman is expected to sign a five-year at the London Stadium, until Jun...
Read more

Leeds United board break silence after transfer window with statement on upcoming Elland Road development — YEP 2/9/24

-
By Joe Donnohue Leeds United have confirmed supporters' commemorative stones at Elland Road's Centenary Square will be replaced free of charge in a bid to improve their longevity. Beginning next month, Leeds supporters' personalised stones will be replaced with exact replicas, courtesy of a new company, to ensure of a 'much better quality' installation. The work is expected to take around two months to complete. An official club statement confirmed 'three larger stones dedicated to former managers Don Revie, Howard Wilkinson and Marcelo Bielsa' will also be installed, 'similar to those located in Bremner Square', while additional space for supporters to purchase new stones has also been factored into the project. “The club have taken on board recent feedback from supporters on the stones at Centenary Square, and we are really happy that we can now announce that all of the stones will be replaced," chief executive Angus Kinnear confirmed,...
Read more

Leeds United transfer state of play as Whites knock back low bid and assert wing pair stance — YEP 3/7/24

-
By Graham Smyth Leeds United are not actively looking to cash in on Crysencio Summerville and Willy Gnonto and believe any further outgoing transfer business will be done on their terms. The Whites, who sold Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday for £40m, expect that there will be continued interest in wing pair Summerville and Gnonto as the summer transfer window progresses. Summerville has been a target for Premier League side Brighton and Hove Albion but their interest has not yet materialised into a bid. The Albion did, however, send a £30m proposal for Georginio Rutter, which Elland Road chiefs rejected. Rutter is not expected to try and force an exit this summer and appears settled at Leeds after a far more positive second season in English football. The sale of Gray has helped put Leeds into a position where they do not need to sell star players and can dictate any moves that do happen. Club sources say they are not actively looking to sell the likes of Summerville o...
Read more