BEN DENTON-
Cellino is not a boring man in a suit, plotting how he can increase his dividend by ten per cent in a year by stripping our assets. He is an out an out gun slinging maverick. His success will be based [in the eyes of us fans] not only on his ability to finance a team to get promoted to the premier league, but by how itchy his trigger finger really is. We already know the itch started even before he bought the gun. We watched a small crowd gather in the Elland Road car park to watch him shoot bullets into the feet of McDermott to see if he is any good at dancing. Although we feel McDermott can pull off a few interesting dance moves, he has lost his rhythm recently and the fans are starting to watch him dance like a dad at a wedding, gyrating and grinding his hips, to 'I will survive'. The dance floor can be a cruel and merciless place at the best of times. The thing with mavericks is that they see themselves as the hero and in many ways Cellino could very possibly be that. He has the swagger, the clout and an energy about him. Peter Beagrie recently said in his sky column that ' I have witnessed at close hand the mismanagement at Leeds and feel sadness and disbelief that the club's strength - their army of fans - is also their weakness'. What i take from that is that after so many years of Bates GFH mis-management us fans have become almost militant in our stance towards the running of our club, and rightly so. That if the club is run correctly we are a force when we fight together. The opposite here also applies. Which means at this point in time we are finely balanced in equilibrium. Its like a scene from a wild west movie, Cellino enters the saloon, we stop playing the piano, the room looks at him to see what his next move will be. At least we know Cellino not only can afford the gun but he knows how to shoot it too.
CHRIS GELL-
I have been a lifelong, self inflicted supporter of Leeds since the 1989/90 promotion winning season. Since then, like all Leeds fans, I have witnessed a roller coaster of emotions, results and league placings. I have followed my team around the country, been a season ticket holder from the dizzy heights of the Premier League to rock bottom in League two and back up again. But now I'm worried that the club I love (my heart and soul) is turning into a circus.
I don't need to reiterate what has happened to our club lately (especially the crazy happenings of Friday 31st January), nor do I need to ram my own opinion of what is going off down your throat for you to either digest or spit straight back out. But the one thing I think we are all United about is the fact that OUR club reaches its 100 year old mark in only five years time.
Now I'm not asking for, nor expecting, that season to be our greatest season in recent history - the one where we are promoted to the championship (if we're not already there), or the one where we surge up the Premier League, topping David Moyes and his mid-table wonders (although the latter would be wonderful no matter what division we are in). But one thing I am asking for is that the clowns of this club (circus) are fed to the lions, and that the real show takes centre stage. I don't want to reach our centenary year having to endure the same off the field troubles as we've had for over a decade. I want to be able to sit (stand) in that ground and watch my team again, instead of the crowd being disgruntled by issues off the field which ultimately affects the players on it.
There is five years to sort the tight-rope walkers from the clowns, five years to erect the Big Top. Let's have a club to be proud of when that time comes!
PETE WOODTHORPE-
What a debacle at Leeds United FC, Whoever takes up the ownership of the club, whether it be the Italian or the man with Man Utd connections, they have got to have plenty of money to get the team out of the Championship and they need to keep Brian McDermott. I get the feeling that Brian is starting to build something special, he just needs the money to spend on quality players. He says all the right things, has proved that he can get teams promoted from the championship and appears to be rebuilding and restructuring the club at all levels.
Cellino appears to have the money but his past business history appears dodgy. The Farnan group appear safer business wise but I don't think they have enough money to invest in the team. So it's a difficult situation for all Leeds fans to decide who they want to own the club. I don't think they would be too bothered as long as the owner supports Brian and gets the team moving up the table and fast. The last 10 years have been hellish and a waste of time for all associated at the club and now the fans deserve better. They also need to be shown some respect by whoever the new owner is as the fans are the life blood of the club and have been around a lot longer than any owner. So lets get this farce sorted once and for all and get behind Brian McDermott to help him get this once great club back to where it belong.
ALEX WILLIAMS-
They say it's wise to be careful what you wish for, and for Leeds fans we're about to rue wishing Ken Bates away. because since he departed the new owners who promised so much have delivered so little that i for one am wishing Mr Bates Back.
I thought i was frustrated under Bates, the man of few words, but i now feel genuinely quite sick in the pit of my stomach whenever anyone from GFH Capital talk about their plans for this once great, proud and mighty club.
Only one player has been bought with cash, and that was Murphy, how excited did we get when we thought the good times were here again? Alas it was not to be, there appeared to be only 1 Million pound in the kitty, and Brian McDermott, in his infinite wisdom decided to spend it all on one player, and a player who as yet as proved to be overpriced by about £800,000.
Now we're on the verge of being sold by GFH, to a rather impulsive and appears to be hot-headed Italian, who fires on a whim and brings in players he wants rather than what the manager wants or needs. Crazy, crazy crazy!
GFH Capital remind me so much of those who have bought and sold Portsmouth while they were in the Premier League; they were a bit of a cash cow then and it was about milking the club for all they could before throwing it to the wayside. GFH, I believe have exactly the same intention regarding Leeds. No investment and let's milk this great club for all we can.
Any smart businessman or investor should be able to recognise what a sound business investment, or outright ownership of this great club would be. The untapped potential waiting to be unleashed could be quite frightening in the right hands, there just doesn't seem to be that many smart businessmen out there.