Sources close to several un-named Leeds players have sensationally contacted Leeds United Supporters Trust to share their frustration and disillusionment with the current situation. Players have let L.U.S.T. know they want to stay and push for promotion, but don’t feel that this will happen without changes. Chairman Gary Cooper told BBC Radio Leeds that there seemed to be a ‘lack of trust’ on the players’ side at Leeds United.

This is not the first example of players speaking their minds and showing discontent with the situation at Leeds. Ben Parker famously refused to cover for the sale of Jonny Howson, while Robert Snodgrass questioned how a team pushing for promotion could sell it’s club captain. Fans will be worried at the moment that the lack of movement could see them not only lose yet more top players, but also highly regarded manager Neil Warnock, who appears to have spoken to The Mirror, and was said to have:

claimed he had been offered a budget to give Leeds a shot at winning promotion to the Premier League when he joined in February, but the reality has been different.

If there is no takeover, or major investment, the club would face losing not only Warnock but probably also player of the year Robert Snodgrass, club top-scorer Ross McCormack, and talented youngsters Adam Clayton and Aidy White. Where would that leave us?

Facing administration within a year is my non-expert opinion – take me up on this statement in a year if nothing changes!

L.U.S.T. Chairman Gary Cooper told BBC Radio Leeds that the Trust were “shocked” by the players’ moods, and that this uncovered “serious issues at Leeds United which really do need addressing.” Cooper said he felt confident in Neil Warnock’s abilities, but that Warnock himself sounded frustrated prior to leaving on holiday, and that he could only imagine the “despair” Warnock must be feeling, suggesting he was probably “tearing his hair out”. He also reiterated that Leeds City Council and local MPs had all backed the Vision Statement of the Supporters Trust and that it seemed like “everybody else” at Leeds (apart, presumably, from Ken Bates and his team) believe in the ambition highlighted by the Supporters Trust.

He also touched on how worrying it was that Leeds United – with a far greater turnover than any other Championship club – are unable to offer competitive wages to players who often go elsewhere. The interviewer mentioned, for example, Joel Ward who has gone to Crystal Palace.

Below are a few excerpts from the L.U.S.T. statement:

the players are as disillusioned and disheartened as the fans at the moment, feeling undervalued by the club and totally frustrated by the lack of ambition Leeds United are showing. Many players have read and fully agree with the aims of L.U.S.T.’s Vision Statement, and want us to get their views out on their behalf.

Our sources say that players fear if they speak their minds openly and publicly at the moment they could be left to rot in the reserves, or be sold to clubs they have no interest in playing for. They are anxious, however, that Leeds supporters should know how they are feeling.

[….]

While they want to stay at Elland Road, the players feel completely undervalued by the club. We understand that some of the contract offers the club has been making have offered a miserly increase in weekly wages, offers which do not come close to what players could earn elsewhere. They feel that they are nothing more than commodities to Leeds United, and they have compared their disillusionment to that felt by the fans in recent seasons. Their view is that the club does not care about either the players’ or the fans’ opinions enough to share their ambition.
[….]

The players want the fans to know loud and clear that they share our passion for Leeds, and that they have a burning ambition to get our club to the Premier League. Equally, they share in the frustration and pain the fans have been feeling. Players who want to play for Leeds United fear that they will be forced out of the club this summer, and have to go and play elsewhere for the good of their careers and personal futures. They are frustrated that the people in charge of the club do not share the ambition of the players, and the fans, to make Leeds United a great football club again.

Fans can reward the Leeds United Supporters Trust for their fantastic work by joining for free via their website, or purchasing a full paid membership.