The following is a guest contribution written by Matthew Brown-Bolton. If you’d like to have an article considered for publication here on The Scratching Shed, please use the online form. 

How many protests does it take to move on an irascible chairman? The start of a bad joke perhaps?

To answer that question The current board members of LUST should probably look no further than one of Ken’s closest cronies, recently knighted `Sir’ Doug Ellis.

The perennial `Stadtler & Waldorf’ of English football Doug & Ken grumpily espoused (past tense for Doug for he has of course now been ousted) their miserable dictums and critiques on the Haphazard (but entertaining) Muppet show beneath them.

But whilst Kermit the Frog (Wenger), Fozzie (old red nose himself) and Gonzo (Mancini) have a riotous time on stage and gain acclaim for their relative teams these types of dinosaurs offer little to the game of football. Dusty remnants of the 1930’s, totally out of touch with post-depression era football, and ready to dive for cover if someone uses a mobile phone near them, for fear it might cost them their soul…

The Parallels are frightening, whilst young buck Ken Bates was busy stretching Chelsea’s overdraft to its very limit, Doug Ellis was pioneering the art of steering a football club to modest profitability, at the expense of any achievement of any sort actually being made on the football field itself.

That model is of course familiar to us all as supporters of Leeds, for Ellis was the evil Sith Emperor to Ken’s Darth Vader. We’re now going nowhere fast, selling our best players, or letting their contracts run down, and won’t push the boat out. Burnt by his £100m debt at Chelsea, Ken clings to his modest profits with the fervour of a 3 year old girl and her security blanket – he knows no other way.

Ask any supporter of Aston Villa about those dark years and you will see their leaden expression tell a story. Supporting Villa was like doing time. 1982 – The one year he stepped down as chairman saw the club win the European cup. Mid table finishes and the odd relegation battle followed. They rarely worried the big 4. Hell I even remember us going down there and giving them a going over?!

I digress. The cautionary tale at stake here is that Doug Ellis was happy to draw his modest profits in the millions, proportionately invest little of it into the team, bar the odd marquee signing that Premier League status required, and then lambast various players and managers for not achieving more. Again many the parallel there.

Supporter led campaigns made our current batch look like small fry, yes the internet has come to prevalence and social networking is far more effective now than when Ellis was on his uppers in the early 2000’s but these groups even managed to source investors, formed groups to buy the club themselves. Ellis’ responses were usually no more than two words. He just wouldn’t go. He couldn’t see anyone better than he to run the club.

In the end it took failing health to convince him to take the £80m or so on offer from Randy Lerner seriously, and well ‘do one’ to put no finer point on it. For those of us hoping Ken will see sense, realise he’s no good for the club, and that others might do better,  well they’re in for a rude awakening.

I write this not to discourage, but to forewarn any of those involved in this process that this will take real guts – as Ken is as stubborn as even some Yorkshireman dare I say. But as those of you able to go to the LUST meeting tonight pore over what is said, it’s important to remember that inaction is really not an option. Let’s not bend to Kens will here, fight fire with fire and be as unreasonable as he is.

Ken will argue against economic realities, namely that for a football club to do well, it must make some investment to steal a march on its rivals if it’s to get to its maximum potential.

He’ll tell us all we’re risking the clubs future – no Ken – you are and you have the track record. Putting us into administration and threatening to wind us up, and also by your refusal to sell up. Put up the for sale sign – tell us you’re looking to find someone who can take us to the next level, and we may even grow to like you (a little). We’d even understand you wanting £77m for the club, just so long as you went.

Leeds are worthy of a Premier League spot, have the resources to do it, when properly employed, and in time will attract decent investment – why not make that English money for a refreshing change! Richard Branson are you reading?

The key here is not to give up, as the sign above the clothes pegs used to say – KEEP FIGHTING!

Written by Matthew Brown-Bolton

Aston Villa have allowed Fabian Delph to join Leeds United on loan, with the initial deal keeping him at Elland Road until February 25th.

The news follows upset at the sale of captain Jonny Howson and Leeds will hope this announcement eases tensions after protests were held outside Elland Road last night.

Simon Grayson is due to hold a predictably tough press conference at 2pm today, where questions over the club’s ambition will likely dominate proceedings. He too will hope Delph’s capture can distract somewhat from the widespread feeling of gloom surrounding Leeds United.

It’s unlikely to change much however. A one month loan deal does not make up for the loss of another key player and calls for Ken Bates to sell up will continue on regardless.

Fabian Delph’s return could actually have the opposite effect. Fans will be reminded of the reported £6m that seemingly vanished after his 2009 sale – £6m Ken Bates claimed would secure Thorp Arch’s repurchase.

Fabian Delph joined Leeds United as a youth player in 2001, making his debut for the first team in 2006. He went on to make 46 league appearances for The Whites, scoring six times before he was sold to Aston Villa for a reported £6m in 2009.

Since then, Delph has managed just 25 Premier League appearances for Villa with injury problems halting his progress. Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish, will see the loan deal as a chance for Fabian Delph to return to match fitness.

Pub Ammo: Fabian Delph is Leeds United’s 66th loan signing since 2004. It’s a transfer philosophy that just screams long-term thinking and building towards a brighter future, I’m sure you’ll agree?

Ken Bates Quote: ”Our position is very simple – Fabian Delph is not for sale, nor will he be in the future. Fabian’s going to be a Premiership player, but he’s going to be a Premiership player with Leeds” 04.11.08

Peter Lorimer tonight revealed that Leeds United are close to securing a loan deal with Aston Villa that would see Fabian Delph return to Elland Road.

The news comes via various fans that have tweeted live from a Leeds United On The Road event. According to Lorimer, talks are at an advanced stage and the club are confident of reaching a deal.

This news does seem to go against Leeds United’s policy of not discussing transfers before they’re completed, but I think this exception may have a simple explanation.

I’m only speculating here but, it seems likely that Aston Villa would want Delph to head out on loan after his well-publicised injury problems so he can regain fitness. Since Premier League clubs rarely loan their players to a rival, it may well be that Fabian Delph has requested Leeds United as a destination – thus removing any potential threat of other clubs hijacking the deal.

The new away kit has come in for a fair amount of stick since it’s release. But could it be worse? Are there sports manufacturers out there capable of producing a more ridiculous kit than the glow-in-the-dark effort we’ve been lumbered with? See for yourselves…

Newcastle United goalkeeper kit – Puma

Goalkeepers often get short changed when it comes to the kit they’re lumbered with. They have to stand out from the rest of the team so you can easily spot them out of the corner of your eye in a congested penalty area.

Most club’s choose illuminous colours, or something that contrasts with the main kit. Newcastle United however decided a horrible brownish colour was the best bet – reminds me of nicotine stained wallpaper in a pub, getting increasingly darker the further up the wall you look.

Aston Villa away – Nike

I know what you’re thinking – ‘That pattern would look lovely on my kitchen floor’.

You’d be right too. That design wouldn’t look out of place on anybody’s kitchen floor. As a football shirt however, I’m not convinced.

Everton goalkeeper kit – Le Coq Sportif

I can only assume the logic behind this truly historic effort was that it camouflages the keeper from oncoming strikers. The Everton keeper can therefore hide until the striker gets right up in front of him, snatch the ball and boot it up the other end of the pitch before the striker realises what’s happened. Clever, but a truly awful kit nonetheless. Probably explains why Andy Lonergan didn’t want to play for them!

Bradford City away – Nike

Clearly what happened here was, Nike had already designed kits for all the good teams and by the time they got to Bradford City they had simply run out of ideas. Since Bradford sell roughly the same amount of kits as Pontefract Collieries, they figured a pink kit wouldn’t damage the reputation of a sportswear giant too much – after all, who will ever see it?

Juventus away – Nike

Someone at Nike clearly likes a touch of pink in their kits. Realising they’d lumbered Bradford City with the same colour, they gave Juventus an enormous star too – just to show they cared.

Brighton away – Errea

I deliberately left Brighton’s kit ’til last just in case it blinded anyone and you were unable to read the rest of the post. Sorry about that.

I hope the above examples have made you realise, it could be worse. Bradford City are a perfect example – already a football club nobody cares about, they’re now wearing pink to try and catch people’s attention.

The title of this post is perhaps a little optimistic as rumour and speculation often continues well into the new season, but for football fans, 54 days remains until the first ball of the 2011-12 campaign is kicked.

That’s almost two months before we’ll have any idea of the line-up that will hopefully guide us towards a long awaited Premier League return. Still, there’s plenty of speculation, rumours and damn lies to keep sites like this one busy in the meantime.

Invariably, with each transfer window comes the ‘return of the hometown lad’ rumour. I swore I’d not mention his name because the tedium of it all makes me want to tear my hair out, so for the sake of this post let’s refer to him as Calum Myth.

For those of you that can’t figure out who I’m talking about, there’s little hope for you. Survival of the fittest dictates that you’re probably too stupid to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, but I’m not one to turn away visitors so while you’re still alive and kicking here’s a few additional clues for you.

Myth is a 30 year old has-been midfielder whose wages would undoubtedly hinder Simon Grayson’s plans. Whilst he is available at Ken Bates favourite price tag (free), his injury problems mean we’re unlikely to get more than a dozen or so appearances from him. Some fans will refuse to forgive his departure to Scum meaning his arrival would undoubtedly divide the fanbase – and with Ken Bates still in charge, the thin ice our fanbase is currently supported by already has it’s fair share of cracks.

Only time will tell whether Calum Myth does return to Elland Road or not. It’s a scenario that has been considered many times in the past on this site and I still fail to see how his move could be a good thing. Expensive wages, constant injury problems and a divided fanbase – we might as well sign Harry Kewell back and have done with it. At least he was a better than average footballer in the first place.

The other major story doing the rounds is that Simon Grayson will be offered the vacant managers position at Aston Villa. Following a flurry of bets in a North Yorkshire bookies, Grayson’s odds were dramatically slashed as the bookmakers grew suspicious of insider knowledge. However, Grayson’s odds have lengthened again over the past 48 hours with other potential targets becoming favourites.

Grayson, who is currently on holiday in Barbados, apparently knew nothing about the speculation leading the more cynical fans amongst us to question whether the bookies made the North Yorkshire story up to boost interest.

Elsewhere, the talk is all about the midfield and defence. With several of last seasons squad expected to leave the club shortly the line-up come opening day is likely to see several changes from the one that ended last season with victory over the champions, QPR.

The contribution of Neil Kilkenny and Bradley Johnson to our recent fortunes has been quickly dismissed by some who feel a club of Leeds United’s stature can attract a higher calibre of player than those expected to depart. Whilst I wouldn’t disagree with that school of thought, continuity is rarely a bad thing at football clubs. The most successful clubs generally build their team around a key core of players and simply tinker with the edges. Wholesale changes could mean we start the new campaign with a mismatched squad who need time to adjust and gel as a unit.

The odds on Simon Grayson taking over as the new Aston Villa boss were slashed from 50/1 to 5/2 following a series of big bets in a North Yorkshire bookmakers it was revealed this weekend.

Grayson, who arrived at Elland Road in 2008 after guiding Blackpool to the Championship won promotion with Leeds in 2010 and narrowly missed out on a Premier League play-off position last season.

Born in Leeds, Simon Grayson was raised a Leeds United fan and began his career at the club’s youth academy.

Grayson has been linked with other higher profile positions in the past, but such rumours have always been dismissed quickly. The absence of noise from Elland Road and the location of the bets suggests there may well be something to this rumour and that Leeds United could be looking for a new manager to guide them into the 2011/12 campaign – a season in which the club will be satisfied with nothing less than a Premier League return.

We announced earlier that Shane Higgs and Richard Naylor would be leaving the club at the end of their contracts and we revealed last week that Paddy Kisnorbo would be offered a new short term deal to prove his fitness. The deal isn’t yet finalised but the both parties are working towards a conclusion.

A similar thing is true for Bradley Johnson and Neil Kilkenny. The midfield pair’s future has been in doubt following difficulties in agreeing new deals. The club are looking to discuss options with both players and sort things out as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile some new blood is coming through from the academy. Zac Thompson recently signed a professional contract and he has now been joined by twins Nathan and Lewis Turner, a central midfielder and a defender respectively and goalkeeper, Alex Cairns. The players have featured in the under 18s and reserves this season and we look forward to hopefully seeing them pull on the white shirt for the first team. Not so fortunate are James Booker, James Baxendale and Jonny Birbeck who have not been offered deals.

Also exiting the club are this season’s loan men. They’ve been a mixed bag and, now they’ve left for a summer break before re-joining their respective parent clubs, it’s probably a good time to assess their performances for Leeds United.

Sanchez Watt

Unfortunate to be kept out of the side by injury and the form of Robert Snodgrass and Max Gradel, he showed a lot of promise. He was somewhat of a flair player, exciting to watch and lightning quick, only let down by some weak finishing. He has made 26 appearances this season, scoring one goal. It’s a shame to see him leave as he seems to have thrown himself enthusiastically into life at Leeds United. If he was ever to leave Arsenal, I’d gladly have him back at Elland Road. B

Eric Lichaj

The American full back arrived from Villa for the last stage of the season and was extremely impressive on the right and the left. Despite an own goal against Sheffield United, he often looked the most assured in a shaky defence. He had bags of stamina and a long throw enabling him to get up and down the flank to help out the attack. I’d happily see him in the white shirt again. A

Jake Livermore

Had just a few appearances in which he failed to do anything noteworthy apart from gift a goal or two and escape getting sent off. Within a couple of weeks fans were questioning his inclusion in the squad let alone the starting line-up. It’s good to see the back of him. D

George McCartney

Seemingly completely uninterested in playing for Leeds United from the beginning of his time at Elland Road, he quickly became the target for many fans’ frustration. He had far many more dismal performances than memorable ones and how he ever demanded the transfer fee or wages that have been reported is a mystery. Good riddance, I hope we never have to see him again. D

David Gonzalez

Who? N/A

What do you think of this season’s loanees and the future of Neil Kilkenny and Bradley Johnson?

On loan Aston Villa midfielder Barry Bannan has been recalled by his parent club.

He made seven first team appearances for Leeds and looked impressive whenever he took to the field. In the last few weeks however he had been left out of the starting line-up by manager Simon Grayson much to the confusion of many fans. His introduction in the second half of the home match against Watford saw him notch up assists for both Leeds goals.

Aston Villa had a recall option for the time the loan was arranged and with Bannan not getting as many games as people would have expected, it’s no surprise he’s been recalled for the remainder of the Villains’ Premier League campaign.

He looks a classy player and should go far, so we wish him all the best in the future.

The accounts for the year ending June 2010 are out and it’s good news for Leeds United fans as the club posted a profit for the second consecutive year.

This time, the profit rose from the measly £15,000 in 2009, to a healthy £2m. However, the numbers don’t tell the full story as Leeds United once again were aided by the sale of players.

The most notable injection into the income column came from Fabian Delph’s transfer to Aston Villa. His sale alone turned Leeds United’s yearly accounts from a £670,000 loss into a £2m gain.

The good news however, is that gate receipts and merchandising sales are up an impressive £3.3m. In a season where Leeds United were promoted, this was to be expected, but any gains here are offset by the rising cost of our playing squad and bonuses which were paid for achieving promotion. Overall, the playing and coaching staff at Elland Road cost the club £7.7m.

One of the biggest costs Leeds United face each year remains the rent on Elland Road and Thorp Arch. In 2010, this figure rose to over £2m per year, and with a 3% increase for every year we continue to rent the facilities, this is only going to get worse – thus fuelling the argument for repurchase as opposed to spending additional funds renovating something we don’t own. Perhaps another year of healthy figures will strengthen our case in front of the bank managers?

There’s been a few changes to the Leeds United squad since the dates these figures cover, but with the club now benefiting from the additional revenue of Championship football, I’d speculate that things will have levelled out pretty well this season.

The cost of promotion last season seems to be the only reason why Fabian Delph’s sale was the difference between a profit and loss. With that in mind, I’m not overly concerned by the reopening of the transfer market as I believe Leeds United can afford to keep their best players and make another push for the Premier League next season.

Of course it may be the case that we get promoted this season. If that does happen then the TV revenue alone will offset any problems with player bonuses. There would be a payment due as a result of our administration, but considering the vast amounts of money Premier League teams benefit from, I think we should be capable of holding our own. As ever, only time will tell.

The international break saw seven Leeds players answer the calls of their respective countries.

Davide Somma was an unused substitute on his birthday in South Africa’s tie against Egypt. Bafana Bafana fans were desperately calling for his introduction but he didn’t make it onto the pitch. Max Gradel and Neil Kilkenny were also unused subs for Ivory Coast and Australia respectively while Ramon Nunez sat on the bench in Honduras’ first game as they went down against South Korea but did feature in their 3-0 loss to China.

Loan man Eric Lichaj wasn’t named in the match day squad for USA’s friendly draw against Argentina but did come off the bench for the last half an hour in their 1-0 loss against Paraguay. Lichaj almost set up the equaliser as one of his trademark long throws found Landon Donovan whose volley clipped the outside of the post and went wide.

Another loan man, Lichaj’s Aston Villa team mate, Barry Bannan played just over half an hour in Scotland’s friendly against Brazil. He added an extra bite and urgency to the midfield and had a free-kick on target though in truth it barely tested Julio Cesar in the Brazil goal. Robert Snodgrass also featured in the match, coming on just after Scotland had gone two goals down. He played just under fifteen minutes but didn’t really have much chance to make an impact.

It has been a while since we’ve had so many players on international duty and Ken Bates was quick to give his verdict on the international friendlies at this time of year. He branded them “meaningless” and “money-making exercises”. So far it seems like our international players have come through the break unscathed and should now be focussing on our domestic promotion push.