Don’t Spend A Penny, That’ll Show Kenny! Matt BB January 19, 2012 Leeds United 62 Comments Guest Submission by Matthew Brown-Bolton Ken Bates’ business model is a simple one. Engage the turnover generated by Leeds United, invest it in non football related enterprise, and satisfy any investors who have backed him, the key one being of course himself. He has no desire to structurally improve the club, and labours under the delusion that all that’s needed to get promoted to the PL is a team of cheap but hardworking players who tow the line, accept low salaries, and play for the love of Leeds United alone. This is a concept alien to Ken though, to paraphrase Shirley Bassey `He loves only.. Gold!’ So as of Saturday we don’t go to Elland Road, and for those of you foolhardy enough to watch Ipswich town humble us, I make one simple request. Take a packed lunch. Buy a YEP – even a copy of The Square Ball, but dont buy a programme. Just make it your mission not to spend one red cent at the ground. Doing that once will speak volumes to Ken – it will show him just how much we loathe his mismanagement of Leeds United. For those of you who still labour under the delusion that he saved us, it was he who placed us in administration. Even Gerald Krasner – an insolvency expert, and his predecessor understood the inherent risks in doing this, and when interviewed described it as the `last viable option’ and something Leeds needed desperately to avoid. But Ken just saw the £££ signs. In that process, he flouted the challenges of HMRC, and risked the entire CVA process as a result. There were 3 other bidders in that process for the club – each offered more to the creditors – Leeds businesses by and large, than Ken did, and Redbus even had a proposal to spend a specific amount on developing our dreadful team and to repurchase Elland Road and Thorp Arch. But Ken threatened that he would wind up the club fully unless his bid was accepted by creditors. SO he got in there even before HMRC, he didnt have Leeds United’s interests at heart. And if youre still not convinced. Just look across from the dilapidated John Charles stand. Can you see the £7m of corporate boxes metaphorically sticking two fingers up at you? That £7m could have been invested in a new contract for Jonny Howson, or Adam Clayton. It could have bought us a Gradel replacement, and still left us with change for a premier league loanee. Let’s get angrier still…. In 2006 – we were supposed to be debt free by the end of that season – by the end of that season we were in administration and sold Rob Hulse and Matt Kilgallon. We spent 2007-2010 in the 3rd division – our lowest ebb. We haven’t spent over £500,000 on a player transfer fee since 2006. Our ticket prices are higher than Manchester United. We dont own Elland Road or Thorp Arch and Ken has fallen out with the only people who offered to lend us the money, the City Council We weren’t going to sell – Max Gradel, Bradley Johnson, Jermaine Beckford, or Jonny Howson – they’ve all gone and in total we have received less than £3m for all of those players, conservatively worth £20M between them. Leeds is about football; Ken Bates is about Ken Bates – Make Saturday your day of protest – don’t spend a penny Written by Matthew Brown-Bolton