Leeds Banter Archive September 27 2012

27 Sep 2012 22:41:41
I have a couple or three hopes for the future concerning our great club (btw it's nice to see sky and itv note just how big we are) 1. Take over goes through Bates has no other involvement than small or advisory. 2. The very first game at home Elland road is FULL and we all stop bickering about Bates 3. We loan then buy the players who fit in to the team and have the skill that gets us to the premiership.

27 Sep 2012 22:04:09
Taken direct from chairmans page on ghf web site; GFH Capital takes a long-term perspective and invests in growth companies at all stages of development; from founding start-ups and fostering growth in developing companies to leading complex recapitalisations or large-scale buy-outs of more mature businesses.

Our strategy is built on three key pillars:

Expertise - We possess an experienced team to secure and undertake unique opportunities;

Direction - We align the company's interests with those of its investors and investments;

Partnership - We team up with superior operators and management team that help our companies implement strategies and manage operations. Interesting times ahead MOT

27 Sep 2012 20:36:40
Just thought of a great idea, John fitz has not been on for awhile, a puzzle called where's fitzzy where you have to try spot him amongst all his famous friends, he s wearing a yellow, white n blue striped jumper. Think I'm on to some thing here. Warby white {Ed013's Note - He was on the other day mate}

27 Sep 2012 20:06:22
Just a thought, if as the word is the new guys are only buying shares in the club does that mean these stay away fans will still be staying away?? After all bates will still be in charge of the club and that's why most are staying away

27 Sep 2012 18:58:27

{Ed013's Note - Check out this Leeds United blog from TalkLeedsUnited http://talkleedsunitedsk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/thursday-blog.html?m=1}

Pretty poorly written.

27 Sep 2012 17:34:06
If the takeover goes through, which I hope soon. Does this mean we can all get on together once more. Hope so....... Love the club, and best in the land if not the world.

That would mean as more to me as the takeover! that all of a sudden ER is packed out the rafters wouldn't that be great dont think it will happen though at least til we're in the PL again! pity
irish leeds fan!

27 Sep 2012 16:55:06
Now I'm no business man so someone might b able to explain better, I as much as the next man wants bated completely gone but if at this stage there only buying so many shares in the club that's not such a bad thing either coz if as normal bates is tight with money and won't spend any money but the new guys say they will fund it all surely that's a good thing isn't it coz bates won't have to spend anything and if there money spent on players gets us to the promised land then bates shares with rise also meaning he could sell in the future for more? Hope I'm right with this but can someone dampen my mood!

27 Sep 2012 15:40:01
We all have our way of protesting about bates, mine has been to stay away from ER ..... After today's news Things are looking a lot more positive for the club, we need I believe some quality loan players we get us through the next 3 months ..... I have moaned plenty on this site the past few months , but after the last week of football and today's news I will be returning to all the home games ...... I believe it's time to get behing the lads and I think it is time we all did the same .... ER was once a ground that teams feared coming too, let's show the new owners a taste of how things used to be ...... I know times are hard for many people at the moment but I think we need to reward the new owners with a big capacity match .... The past few months we have all been divided , let's give the boys a hand ! ...... DHL

Most of us SUPPORTED our team... clearly not a true Leeds fan!! Turn up if you can for next game....

So by not going to games for whatever reason makes you less of a fan??

person

deakko7

Pathetic response (1st response). To say anybody is less of a fan for chiding not to line bates' pockets is narrow minded! I bet it YOU were one of the bates haters who used to moan but then happily turn up and spend money going straight to Kenneth?

I don't get up to ER as much anymore as I live in notts and have a young daughter and go to more away games nearer home - does that make me less of a fan....also this means any money spent doesn't go to Kenneth bar ticket! I certainly don't go to ER as much anymore as bates has sucked the life out of a once great stadium/atmosphere by charging nearly £40 a ticket some days, he has also happily pocketed time and time again of the sales off the sales of our best players!....and your calling someone less of a fan for doing something about it and voting with their feet!?

Scot MOT!

Going back to first one.... you support your team .. nothing else.. get behind the boys who are giving 100% every week... irrelevant to bates!!

27 Sep 2012 14:57:51
hope when bates goes lust p**s off aswell . roll on the good times

And you with then as well

Here here! absolutely cant stand LUST

27 Sep 2012 14:14:59
what is the worth of gfh or even david haigh?

It doesn't matter, they are a finance company. their worth changes every quarter. one benefit, if they deal in Islamic finance, we won't be paying one penny of interest on the money they put in.

There fronting the deal no where does it say who the main players are. They manage investments for others.

27 Sep 2012 13:57:42
LCH owns 100% of LUFC however 28% is owned by share holders and 72% is FSF (bates) so it all depends how much of LCH is being sold, the statement suggest all of it so I'm actually assuming this is a 100% take over!!!!
Source http://www.thebeatengeneration.co.uk/ownership/tbg_ownership.pdf

KarlT

50% plus of Bates' share.

27 Sep 2012 13:14:20
At last the day seems to be appearing where we dare to dream again! Hopefully this is the good news that all us fans have been waiting for... One thing i must say, although i have moaned and groaned over the past few years of how Bates has looked after our club (with lack of substantial investment and court proceedings) I must also now forward my thanks onto him for proving to the world that Leeds United has, and will always be an attractive purchase. The glory days are still yet to return to LS11 but with the right people, a little investment and the passion of our loyal fans those days are drawing nearer.

As a proud leeds fan, I urge our loyal supporters to return to Elland Road, pack the stadium, create that infamous hostile atmosphere for any team who dares to step foot on our turf and roar them back to where we belong.... I dont think i need to state where we belong.... MOT

Danny LS25.

*Were as famous as they come*

Well put Danny! I'll be there now things are starting to look up for once. Just need to see the chequed flag with the signiture on it. Then i have no doubt Leeds ground will be buzzing again. With Sgt Warnock, anything is possible.
mot4life

27 Sep 2012 12:23:58
Hi was just wondering i thought bates was saying that they could not reveal who they was as because its a bank it could fooook there stock thingy( dont really understand it all) butt it makes sencelol so does that mean it must be pretty much doneee? its not a another lieeeeeeefrom bates

27 Sep 2012 11:51:22
Well.... We have had some good news today that the investers have reached an agreement to buy Leeds United. Can't wait for the announcement on the Official site, that's when we can start to get very excited and dream about what is to come for our fantastic club.

We have been waiting for this for so long now and had so many spanners pop up in the works that I refuse to let myself get carried away until there is an official anouncement from the club. We are already seeing people posting about big name players we should make a move for that to be fair even with the money that we may ending up having to strengthen our squad still wouldn't be possible due to terms and regulations that all Championship teams must stick to.

Neil Warnock is a very smart man that knows this game better than any other manager outside the Premier League, Look at what he has managed to achieve already with both arms tied behind his back, Everyone moaned at the quality of people we were signing and from the type's of club we were getting players from (eg, Portsmouth) EVERY single player NW has signed has been a good addition. We will bring in the big names when we reach the Premiership until then we all need to trust the manager with the players he makes moves for that are capable of giving 110% for Leeds and getting us to where we belong.

If everything goes as we all hope I can't wait for May next year when we go up and Snodgrass, Howson and Bradley Johnson all come down to where they belong. Bet They are all regretting not sticking with us at a time when we needed them... Unlucky boys you should have been as committed as Tom Lees and Ross McCormack (when the club looked deep in trouble) and stuck with us.

Sankey.I

27 Sep 2012 12:39:09
Still nothing on O/S

27 Sep 2012 11:41:07
If, as it sems, the takeover goes through we should be thanking Ken Bates for what he has done for the club and Chelsea before us. I have said this many times on this forum and been accused of either been Ken himself or his wife or not a Leeds fan. Ihave no connection with Ken Bates but have been suporting the club for many years seeing my first game in 1954. I have been a season ticket hode for many years after I stopped playing local football and coaching later. We have a great set of fans at Leeds but 'like many other clubs, we have a minority of 'morons' and 'illiterates'. I have heard both home and away and have been embarrassed by some of the comments and unnecessary abuse aimed at other supporters and Ken Bates when often often the rival supporters have been friendly and there has been no evidence whatsover to abuse Ken Bates over. If we go on to do well after Ken hass gone we should remember when he came we were almost dead in the water. He has steadied the club left it in the black and made it a saleable commodity. You never know someone might suggest putting up a statue in his honour.

1 word (person)

Keep taking the meds fella!!What he did for Chelsea was too run up 80 + mill of debt! He has also put Leeds in DEBT! And has hardly spent any money on either club or any of his other failures!Take out a credit card and run up,say 20000 of debt in someone elses name...Thats a similiar type of Papasmurfs buisiness stlye!KEA

I really cannot agree with much of this and I am most definitely not illiterate. People seem to be forgetting the facts of the matter. It was Bates who put us into administration in the first place so this idea that he saved us simply isn't correct. That's not opinion - it's technical fact.

After Bates put the club into administration, the administrators handed the club's business back to Bates on a plate, more or less debt free, in circumstances which were unusual to say the least. The details of this are well documented elsewhere on the web so I won't reiterate them here.

Without wanting to be disrespectful to the original poster, this 'Bates saved us' mantra is an invention of Bates himself and only repeated by people who are 'illiterate' (to use your word) in respect of their understanding of how the business world, and specifically how insolvency law, works.

I loathe Bates but I've never agreed with the 'Bates is a crook' postings on here because he isn't. Legally there is nothing wrong with buying back a company you've put into administration. In my view there is nothing wrong morally with it either, though some people on a moral high-horse might disagree with me on that point, but he didn't 'save us'. The club was dead. Anyone could have taken it on at that point and there were other offers which I believe merited consideration.

Bates did not save LUFC. He has not invested a single penny in LUFC. He has used LUFC for his own personal gain for 7 years. I accept that he has every right to do this. I run my business, unashamedly, for my own personal gain so why shouldn't Bates? I just wish he'd been more honest about it. Maybe now he will be.

We should also not forget that Bates has dragged our club through the mud with investigations into club ownership, ground ownership, issues surrounding the administration, the 25 docked points and has presided over years of underinvestment in the team.

He has insulted every single fans' group at some point or another, called us people and been abusive to former employees who either did a good job or tried their best.

His biggest crime of all though is that he's divided the fans. I will never forgive for this.

The only thing I'll thank him for is leaving.
ML

Don't be like that lads! If it wasn't for Bates we'ld be a dieing club. I think Bates is like a god, who was sent down to save LUFC. As a little kid growing up. I never really believed in Santa but now i believe he was reincarnated in Bates. Lets be honest, the man just keeps on giving, Giving are players away, ha,ha,ha,ha. Got you lads! I will see Bates off with a salute, you know the two fingered one.
mot4life can come home

How did he put leeds in debt when we was already in debt from the Ridsdale debacle, the debt we was in was just lowered from the 100 million we owed to 35 million, which we had no chance of paying off unless we were promoted, but we lost in the play-off final so we didnt go up, so we was knackered financial due to that, he had no choice

He took out loans of 35 mill to put us in debt, then admin, from Astor et al! Then threatened liquidation unless papasmurf and his cronies got control!17.5 mill written off! who would take a hit like that....on a loan from another offshore company? Who owned this offshore company!!?KEA

27 Sep 2012 09:00:16
Lets sign Walcott he wants away

27 Sep 2012 11:54:49
Don't be so stupid!

1) He is poor at best

2) Better out there for the stupid transfer fee it would cost

3) We couldn't financially bring in someone like him anyway due to the regulations of the league and amount of money can be spent

Calm down I really don't think he's serious haha

Walcott who wants 100k a week to stay at Champions League Arsenal? yeh.

Hardly a poor player.

27 Sep 2012 08:55:53
With the takeover development and Derry wanting a loan move could be a temporary fix maybe not the most ambitious move but the process of building a team needs to start somewhere realistic MOT

Much better players that are realistic targets once money is funded.

Theres better than him about..

27 Sep 2012 08:44:19
After months of speculation it has been confirmed that a Dubai-based consortium is to takeover control of Leeds United.

GFH Capital Ltd, which is a subsidiary of the Bahrain investment bank Gulf Finance House, has confirmed that it has signed an exclusive deal to acquire Leeds City Holdings, the parent company of Leeds United.

News of the deal was confirmed in a letter from GFH to the bahrain Stock Exchange.

It comes just days after senior GHF Capital members sat alongside Leeds United chairman Ken Bates in the director's box at Elland Road as the club inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Nottingham Forest.
Ken Bates Credit: ITV Yorkshire
Among their number were life-long Leeds United fan David Haigh, deputy chief executive of GFH Capital Limited, and Salem Patel, a board member at the private equity company. Both men had previously attended Elland Road for United's victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the first day of the season.

They were accompanied by Hisham Alrayes, another prominent employee of GFH Capital Ltd who also works as acting chief executive officer for Gulf Finance House.

"
GFH would like to confirm that GFH Capital Limited, a 100% subsidiary of Gulf Finance House, has signed an exclusive agreement to lead and arrange the acquisition of Leeds City Holdings, the parent company of LUFC.

According to a recent study released by Deloitte, LUFC is one of the best supported clubs in English football with a higher average match day attendance than most Premier League teams.

In addition, LUFC has a lareg and passionate fan base and a rich history of success in English football over the last 40 years.

Football teams in England have recently received a significant revenue boost due to the re-negotiation of broadcasting rights and it is expected that from next season each team in the Premier League will receive a minimum of £60million per season due to the increase in broadcasting rights.

LUFC would also benefit from this if it can achieve promotion to the Premier League.

Due to a confidentially provision, no further details can be given about the commercial terms of the transaction.
– Nabeel Mirza, Compliance Manager GFH
The financial future of the Elland Road club has been up in the air since Leeds revealed, on June 26, they had granted exclusivity to a potential investor.

Details remained thin on the ground after that, until current owner Ken Bates broke his summer-long silence after the Forest game by admitting he was in talks with a group from the Middle East.

The takeover of Leeds would end Bates' seven-year reign which has been largely dogged by supporter unrest.

Protests have regularly been staged against the former Chelsea owner for a perceived lack of investment.

So far there has been no comment from the club about the takeover.

27 Sep 2012 08:23:39
Just posted on the Reuters website:

DUBAI | Thu Sep 27, 2012 7:59am BST
(Reuters) - A unit of Bahraini investment firm Gulf Finance House (GFH) will lead and arrange the purchase of Leeds United Football Club, GFH said in a statement on Thursday.

"GFH would like to confirm that GFH Capital Ltd, a 100 percent subsidiary of GFH, has signed an exclusive agreement to lead and arrange the acquisition of Leeds City Holdings, the parent company of LUFC," the brief statement said.

Citing a confidentiality provision, it did not elaborate on how or when the acquisition might take place, or give financial terms.

Leeds United, which last won the English championship in 1992, currently lie 12th in the second tier of English football, just below the Premier League.

It "is one of the best supported clubs in English Football with a higher than average match day attendance than most Premier League teams," GFH said, adding that Leeds would benefit financially from a recent renegotiation of broadcast rights for football if it could achieve promotion to the Premier League.

The Bahraini firm engages in Islamic finance, which obeys religious principles such as bans on interest payments and pure monetary speculation.

GFH has been hit in recent years by the global financial crisis, which forced it to restructure most of its debts. It earned a $4.7 million (2.9 million pounds) profit in the second quarter of this year, improving from a $11.2 million (6.9 million pounds) loss a year earlier.

27 Sep 2012 08:09:26
message to the new owners - please just get us back in the premiership - that's all we ask!

You don't have to spend £100 million for that! JUST the PREMIERSHIP - where we belong!


Johnnyrocker

27 Sep 2012 07:29:41
Confirmed Leeds United takeover on Reuters news website - just google G F H Capital - Reuters.

Thank you and goodnight!

Johnnyrocker

26 Sep 2012 22:45:37
Billy must have looked down and grinned last night. 90+ minutes of blood n guts, passion and pride in the shirt. He knew many nights like that and we've been waiting a long time to see another. Well done lads! Oh, and if you're reading this Bates, don't take any credit for the performance! Just go away and give us back our club. Your'e hated by everyone who loves LUFC and the only gratitude you'll ever get from us will be a big "Thankyou" when you finally do the right thing
berty25