Mighty Leeds Weblog

Michael Walker and John Cassy, The Guardian The scale of the financial implications of Leeds United's underachievement this season became clear yesterday when the chairman Peter Ridsdale announced that they had lost almost £14m in this financial year and that they would have to sell £30m-worth of players this summer in order to reduce their debt by £15m to £20m. Leeds are believed to have received a bid of £30m for Rio Ferdinand alone but would not countenance selling their captain, so the mooted sale of Mark Viduka to Roma should account for half the £30m. Internazionale and Juventus have offered a similar sum for Olivier Dacourt but his season has been affected by injury and the likelihood of him not making France's World Cup squad will affect his value. Despite all the speculation surrounding Harry Kewell, Leeds have not received one bid for the Australian. The ease or difficulty of reaching the £30m figure then depends to a degree on how Leeds finish this season. Were...

Newcastle United are sitting at the wrong end of the Premier League table ahead of today’s clash against Leeds United at Elland Road. By Lee Sobot Matters were rather different for the Magpies some 25 years ago, the Geordies approaching the 1997-98 campaign following two second-placed finishes in a row. But that didn’t stop George Graham’s Whites recording a 4-1 success against Kenny Dalglish’s visitors back on Saturday October 18, 1997. Leeds had finished the previous season in 11th place, the Whites badly struggling for goals as part of a campaign in which Graham replaced axed title-winning boss Howard Wilkinson in September. The Whites netted just 28 times, scoring 45 fewer goals than Newcastle, who finished runners-up to Manchester United – the Magpies ending the season under Dalglish, who took over following Kevin Keegan’s resignation in January. The Magpies then began the following season in decent fashion but it all went wrong for Dalglish’s side at Elland Road as Le...

April’s fixture between Leeds United and Liverpool was a first league clash between the two sides at Elland Road for over 17 years. By Lee Sobot There were, though, no supporters in the famous ground’s stands. But that will all change tomorrow when the Whites and Reds lock horns before a packed crowd in Yorkshire for the first time in a league game since February 2004, when Erik Bakke and Mark Viduka were both on target in a thrilling 2-2 draw. Back then, a familiar face came back to haunt Eddie Gray’s Whites for the opener as Harry Kewell fired home for Gerard Houllier’s visitors in the 21st minute. Jamie Carragher broke forward down the left flank and delivered a pass to Milan Baros who was afforded plenty of space running at United’s back four. Baros, though, opted to pass to Kewell on the right hand edge of the Whites penalty box and the Australian took two touches before sending an unstoppable curled effort into the top left corner. Leeds, though, were level just eig...

Sport News and Results from Sporting Life   Professor John McKenzie was described as "damaged goods" following his decision to step down as Leeds plc chairman. McKenzie has confirmed he will not be standing for re-election at next Tuesday's AGM to ensure there is no conflict of interest should he represent potential new investors in negotiations with the club's advisors or creditors regarding a buy-out. McKenzie, who took over the troubled helm following Peter Ridsdale's resignation at the end of the March, is to retain his role as non-executive chairman, although it is understood he will also relinquish that position at a later date. Dr Bill Gerrard, a professor of sport management and finance at Leeds University Business School and an outspoken critic of the United regime in recent months, feels McKenzie's departure comes as "a relief." Although McKenzie, who is Leeds' largest individual shareholder with four million shares, has been able to s...