lusn-v2

VAR: Leeds United Fans Among Growing Majority Losing Faith in the System

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:41:30 GMT

The results of the recent Football Supporters' Association (FSA) survey , conducted between February and March 2026, make for stark reading.

Over 75% of Premier League supporters do not support VAR, while an overwhelming 91.7% believe it has removed the spontaneous joy of goal celebrations. These findings reinforce what many Leeds United F.C. supporters have been experiencing first-hand throughout the current campaign.

For Leeds fans, the debate around VAR is not theoretical — it is deeply personal. Recent fixtures have seen contentious decisions, delays, and moments of uncertainty that have directly impacted results, performances and ultimately the club’s standing in the Premier League. Whether it is decisions not reviewed, inconsistencies in application, or prolonged stoppages disrupting momentum, the sense among supporters is clear: VAR is not delivering fairness, and in many cases, it is doing the opposite.

The FSA survey highlights that only a tiny minority of fans believe VAR improves the matchday experience, with many citing delays, confusion, and lack of transparency as key concerns. This is echoed widely across football discourse. Supporters responding to national coverage have voiced frustration, with sentiments such as “it’s taken the emotion out of the game” and “you can’t celebrate a goal properly anymore” becoming increasingly common. These are not isolated views — they represent a growing consensus across the game, including among Leeds supporters both home and away.

From a Leeds United perspective, the stakes are even higher.

Marginal calls, missed interventions, and inconsistent thresholds have the potential to influence league position, financial outcomes and the long-term trajectory of the club. When supporters see similar incidents judged differently week-to-week, confidence in the system erodes further. The argument that VAR improves accuracy is increasingly overshadowed by the reality that fans do not feel the game is fairer, clearer or more enjoyable.

Dean Pearson, Chairman of LUSN, commented on the findings:

“These results simply confirm what Leeds United supporters — and fans across the country — have been saying for some time. VAR, in its current form, is failing the game. It’s not just about decisions for or against; it’s about the experience, the emotion, and the integrity of football. When supporters lose trust in what they’re watching, whether in the stadium or at home, something has gone fundamentally wrong.”

The message from supporters is clear. While technology has a place in modern football, its current implementation is not working. LUSN supports continued dialogue with governing bodies, the Premier League and the FSA to ensure that the voices of supporters — including those of Leeds United F.C. — are heard loud and clear. Whether that leads to revision, refinement, or a more fundamental rethink, the priority must always be restoring trust, fairness and enjoyment in the game.

We would like to thank LUSN members who took the time to participate in the recent Football Supporters' Association (FSA) survey , helping ensure that the voices of Leeds fans were reflected in these important findings.

#LUFC #LUSN #MOT #ALAW #VAR #FootballFans #PremierLeague #FSA

LUSN Committee Board

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

LUSN Statement – Savile Chanting vs. Crystal Palace

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:03:10 GMT

The Leeds United Supporters’ Network (LUSN) strongly condemns the Jimmy Savile chanting heard from sections of the crowd during yesterday’s fixture between Crystal Palace vs Leeds United at Selhurst Park yesterday, Sunday 15th March 2026.

Like with previous matches for many seasons, Home or Away, these chants are offensive, harmful and have no place in football or wider society.

Beyond the obvious offence caused, the impact of these chants is far deeper. Research and testimony highlighted by LUSN ( see here - https://lusn.co.uk/jimmy-savile-chants ) shows that references to Savile can act as powerful triggers for survivors of sexual abuse, bringing back traumatic memories and causing genuine psychological distress. As charity leader Gabrielle Shaw (CEO of NAPAC ) explained, what may appear to some as “banter” can “hit with the force of a physical blow” for survivors hearing it in a packed stadium or while watching the match at home.

We have consistently supported the call for Savile-related chants to be formally recognised within the scope of tragedy chanting legislation.

We strongly urge football’s authorities, clubs and supporters — alongside the Football Supporters' Association — to support this effort and implement measures that ensure this abuse is addressed with the seriousness it demands.

LUSN Committee Board

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

LUSN Welcomes Leeds United Reflection and Improved Communication before FA Cup Game

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:03:20 GMT

The Leeds United Supporters’ Network (LUSN) The Leeds United Supporters Network (LUSN) welcomes the statement issued by Leeds United F.C. ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup fixture with Norwich City F.C. - LINK

We appreciate the club acknowledging that greater communication prior to the Manchester City fixture would have helped supporters better understand the circumstances around the pause in play. This recognition reflects a key point raised in our statement earlier this week regarding the role that insufficient communication contributed to confusion inside Elland Road.

We also welcome the club’s reflection on several mitigating factors which may have influenced supporters’ reactions, including stadium messaging limitations and the context of previous fixtures. Recognising these elements is an important step toward ensuring situations such as this are better managed and understood in the future.

Our full statement outlining our position and concerns can be read here - https://lusn.co.uk/lusn-statement-040326a

LUSN looks forward to working more closely with the club, the Leeds United Supporters Trust, and Leeds supporters everywhere to strengthen communication, representation and collaboration, as we collectively strive to restore both the club and its reputation to where we all believe it should be.

LUSN Committee Board

Leeds United Supporters’ Network – Statement

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:08:48 GMT

The Leeds United Supporters’ Network (LUSN) wishes to formally respond to recent correspondence and public commentary concerning events at the recent fixture involving Leeds United F.C..

First and foremost, LUSN fully supports equality, inclusion and respect within football. We recognise the importance of religious observance and the need for sensitivity around such matters. However, the subsequent public narrative surrounding this incident has been incomplete, unbalanced, and in several respects inaccurate.

1. Stewarding and Matchday Management

It is our understanding that insufficient communication and coordination from the club contributed to confusion in the stadium. Greater clarity from Leeds United F.C. and match officials prior to and during the fixture could have mitigated misunderstanding and reduced the reaction witnessed.

2. Crowd Reaction Misrepresented

It is incorrect to suggest that the reaction came solely from Leeds United supporters. Audio and broadcast footage indicate that any audible booing was not confined to one section of the ground. The public characterisation of this as an issue attributable to “ Leeds fans ” is therefore misleading.

3. Broadcast Scheduling Considerations

Broadcasters were reportedly aware of the potential need to accommodate fasting requirements. There was opportunity within the broadcast schedule to implement a short delay (approximately 15 minutes) which may have prevented disruption during active play. This option was not taken. That context has not been acknowledged in subsequent commentary.

4. Lack of Consultation

Despite statements implying dialogue with supporter bodies, neither LUSN nor other recognised Leeds United fan groups were consulted by the Football Supporters' Association or Kick It Out prior to public statements being issued. Any suggestion that supporter groups were engaged in forming those responses is incorrect.

5. Timing and Tone of Public Statements

The statement issued by Kick It Out approximately one hour after full-time attributed blame to “some Leeds fans” We question whether a representative was present at the match and whether a more measured, fact-based assessment would have been more constructive. Rapid, reactive statements risk inflaming rather than resolving situations.

6. Context Omitted

No reference was made to wider context, including discussion following the reverse fixture at Etihad Stadium last November, where second-half events prompted widespread debate about competitive integrity, tactical pauses, and perceived advantage. For many supporters, reactions were influenced by that prior experience. Ignoring this context oversimplifies a complex situation.

7. Competitive and Regulatory Questions

There remains a legitimate question as to whether the participation of all 11 players in such pauses is clearly defined within competition regulations, or whether it can be construed — rightly or wrongly — as creating an unintended competitive advantage. This topic was widely debated following the Etihad fixture. Supporters expressing views on such matters falls within the bounds of freedom of expression, provided it does not cross into discriminatory conduct.

The issues at hand have been conflated. A complex scenario involving scheduling, communication, competitive fairness, religious observance, and supporter reaction has been reduced to a simplified narrative that places blame squarely on “ some Leeds fans ” That portrayal does not accurately reflect the full picture.

We are concerned about the precedent set when national organisations issue statements without consulting local supporter groups and without fully establishing facts. Oversimplification risks deepening division and undermining trust between supporters and governing bodies.

LUSN remains committed to constructive dialogue with clubs, governing authorities, and equality organisations. We urge all parties to approach sensitive matters with balance, thorough consultation, and a willingness to consider the broader context.

Football thrives on passion, diversity and debate. Those values must be protected responsibly and fairly for all.

Leeds United Supporters Network Committee Board - Wednesday 4th March 2026

Image Courtesy of Express Newspapers

Leeds United Supporters’ Network Tribute – Terry Yorath

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 17:14:15 GMT

The Leeds United Supporters’ Network is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Terry Yorath, aged 75.

Terry was a proud servant of Leeds United , a former Wales captain and manager, and a respected figure in football both on and off the pitch. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him.

Terry emerged as a strong, natural leader in Don Revie’s great Leeds United side of the early 1970s. Although born in Cardiff, Wales, he signed as a schoolboy, and went on to play a key role in the 1973–74 First Division title-winning team and featured in the 1975 European Cup Final, becoming the first Welshman to play in that competition’s final. He later enjoyed distinguished spells with Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur, captaining Coventry with pride, and represented Wales with great commitment, earning 59 caps.

Beyond his playing days, Terry gave much to the game as a manager, most notably with Wales, where he led a talented side that came heartbreakingly close to qualifying for the 1994 World Cup. His life was marked by personal tragedy, including the loss of his son Daniel and his presence at the Bradford City fire, events that showed his courage and humanity away from football.

Terry Yorath will be remembered by LUSN members, and Leeds United fans everywhere, as a fierce competitor, a leader, and a man who represented our club with honour. As with all our legends, he will never be forgotten.

LUSN - A New Year Message!

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 21:28:03 GMT

A Special Birthday

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 08:30:01 GMT

Hampshire Whites present cheque to Piam Brown Ward

The Piam Brown Ward

This a children's ward at Southampton General which is for children suffering from cancer - often terminal. The money we have raised will be used in a very special way as explained by Abi Haines in her letter of thanks:

"It was great meet you all for the cheque presentation last week. I am pleased that your fundraised money will go towards our Christmas campaign which is focusing on getting children home for Christmas.

Once again, thank you for your incredible commitment. Fundraisers like you are at the heart of what we do, and we couldn't help improve care, comfort, and experiences

14th November 1998

Myron had been in hospital for 3 or 4 days when I went to see Liverpool play Leeds. Alan Smith made his debut for us and scored in our 3-1 win. After the match I got a phone call to say that he wasn't in a good way. My mate (a Liverpool fan), who was driving, got me back to Southampton General by 9pm so I could see Myron.

14th November 1998 was a very surreal day for me; the high of winning at Anfield, Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Alan Smith scoring – us winning. Then an hour later I was being told that my boy had a 50-50 chance in the next 48-72 hours.

Myron spent his 8th birthday in hospital during an 8 day hospital stay where he was really poorly. Luckily with the Chemo and the fantastic staff that looked after him he pulled through.

The Good News

Myron now works with his dad, Glen and is celebrating his 35th birthday on 17th November 2025.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MYRON

Glen and his family have done some charity walks and raised enough money to buy the ward a computer and some games for the children as it’s a really hard place to be for both parents and children, but the staff really are special, and the children are resilient, and the parents tough it out mostly. Just a fantastic ward which means a lot to me, my family and 100’s of families in the south coast area.

Hampshire Whites are proud to support this charity.

LUSS annual trip to Yorkshire

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 09:03:06 GMT

LUSS Trip of Football and History!

Finally, a Luss trip, someone says. However, remember that the last trip took place in February. Now there was very little time for planning. Previously, during the autumn we were assigned a match in the spring and members had plenty of time to plan, now it was very short notice and difficult for many after a holiday to be able to go away again. On the other hand, maybe it was a top match we were assigned when Newcastle came to visit. I don't know if you should say unfortunately without Isak and Elanga we only got to play for a short time, but our own Gudmusson made a very solid impression both backwards and forwards.

On Friday evening it was time for the big bowling competition. We only had six registered players and some reshuffling and a dark horse appeared, which made it unpredictable how it would end. There were no future great players to be found and a bit of a board war was fought. Unfortunately Gustav succeeded and was able to mathematically be determined as the winner in terms of points. Considering the fact that it was a board member, who might have had inside information, no prize was awarded!

We gathered for the pre-match at Clayton on Saturday. The mood was cautiously optimistic, before the match. Many tips were that Leeds would win. When you are in England you cannot fail to comment on the weather, during pretty much the entire match it rained and we were glad that we were sitting far under cover. It seems it had no effect on the game.

When the match was over it was noticeable in the stands that many were content with a draw. My summary of the match is that we dominated possession in the first half and lost the initiative in the second. However, we probably had a few more chances in the second even though there weren't that many real "close goal chances". The atmosphere in the stands was a direct barometer of the chances or pressure we had. One point can probably be considered fair.

Some of the Swedish group went to the bar in Holbeck, some others went to the Peacock after the match.

The activities on Sunday were different. On these trips a few of us like to get to know Leeds and its surrounding Yorkshire. I and a few others went to Haworth, via Keighley with the Steam Locomotive as the last part. The English really embrace the old times and the steam locomotive that we rode for about 20 minutes also had a bar!

When we arrived, there was a steep climb up to the top of the village. There was the house where the Brontë sisters grew up. Before we got there we passed a cemetery that looked like it been inspired Steven King. One thing we saw when we looked closely was that the people who were buried , many had lived very few years. I looked it up on internet and in 1850 the average life expectancy was 25.8 years and 41.6% died before the age of six. You can probably imagine what it looked like when you see how water ran through the cemetery. Along with all the waste that ended up in the street and ran into streets at the bottom of the village. What a toxic environment it was in combination with damp houses and with coal/peat burning.

Anyway, we found a pub that warmed us up well and sheltered us from the rain.

Let's hope it won't be a year and a half until the next Leeds trip.

Away Ticket Changes - Ballot Statement

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 19:06:42 GMT

Statement - Away Ticket Ballot Announcement

The Leeds United Supporters Network would like to express our deep disappointment at the club’s announcement of a new Away Ticket ballot, made without any consultation with our fan organisations. This lack of engagement is unacceptable.

We must also correct the implication that the Supporters Advisory Board (SAB) was consulted on this matter. As SAB members, we confirm unequivocally that there was no discussion about this policy, nor any consultation with us, or any of our groups.

While we support efforts to improve the matchday experience, the claim of prior consultation is misleading and undermines genuine supporter engagement. This was a missed opportunity to collaborate with those who represent and understand the concerns of Leeds United fans.

At a time when football governance is undergoing significant reform—with the introduction of a statutory regulator aimed at ensuring greater transparency, accountability, and supporter involvement—the club’s approach to this decision and its communication falls short of those standards. It is not in the spirit of the incoming regulation, which rightly seeks to place fans at the heart of key decisions affecting the game.

We urge the club’s ownership and leadership to prioritise meaningful and transparent consultation with its supporter base. We remain committed to improving dialogue and to providing informed, constructive feedback on behalf of our members.

Leeds United Supporters Network (LUSN)

www.lusn.co.uk

X - @LUfansnetwork

The Ownership of Leeds

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:21:22 GMT

The 49ers - Sellers, Sinners or Saints ?

With Paraag Marathe considering investing in Glasgow Rangers backed by 49ers Enterprises, Leeds United could face the prospect of being part of a multi club arrangement or if promoted, sold to the highest bidder.

It is being reported that the 49ers are looking at taking advantage of the NFL rule change to sell 10% of the franchise that they value at $9b, increasing the value of their remaining shares and releasing capital either to enrich the York family or to add further investments to their portfolio as venture capitalists. Indeed they could buy Rangers ten times over with the released funds.

With the abject failure of last season's promoted clubs, our promotion would necessitate substantial player investment and clear, open, and effective governance from the owners. With 82 clubs in Europe being part of cross investment relationships already, the zeitgeist is a vision of large multi club groupings controlling football. The more widespread the multi club strategy becomes the more the success stories will come to be out numbered by the failures. With this expansion it is vital to be the largest club in any such arrangement(A) What guarantees would we get from the 49ers ?

After the Red Bull investment and the public promises made by the 49ers representatives as to its scope and their stated long term commitment to Leeds United with the proposed ground expansion, it is important to consider the veracity of their statements, particularly when our tradition, identity and indeed survival could be at stake. Also to scrutinise their historic activities and promises in particular their dealings with the City of Santa Clara and the 49ers supporters.

Unusually, there has been no deep dive by Leeds Supporters into the background of the San Francisco 49ers, maybe due to an increasing cultural overlap with the USA, or perhaps the opportunity to be in the portfolio of one of the world's 15 richest sporting organisations after a series of chancers has been welcomed with few questions. Success too, as we know to our cost, can blind us to ownership failings.

What's in a name?

The San Francisco 49ers are no longer based in the San Francisco Metropolitan area having moved to Santa Clara, the equivalent of LUFC moving to Manchester, which at the time made them the team that plays the furthest away from the advertised home city.

Their previous home at Candlestick Park, the venue of the last Beatles concert, was dilapidated and according to one supporter's choice phrase

'Suffered from a sulfurous stench that would just about knock a buzzard off a honey wagon'.

It was known colloquially as Candlestink Park, a sobriquet more popular amongst supporters than any of its five commercial name changes.

From a business point of view it was based in Hunters Point, an area of extreme poverty and not conducive to following the 49ers mantra of hearts, minds, and wallets.

Initially the 49ers did talk to the elected officials of San Francisco, but their demands were viewed as excessive and when put to the voters they were rejected. Instead the San Francisco 49ers turned their attention away from their roots, to Santa Clara, which not surprisingly had the highest median income on the West Coast with an median income of over $100k. This has enabled the 49ers to charge the second highest average ticket prices in the NFL but also they generate an extra $210.31 (£164 ) in commercial revenue (1 ). This has led to the equivalent of our English prawn sandwich opprobrium, with opposition fans calling 49ers supporters 'wine and cheese' fans. A considerable number of supporters from around their previous home have been squeezed out by this new affluent supporter. Tickets for the upcoming game in the equivalent of our North East Corner are on sale at $537.50 ( £416) on the 49ers website.

The move from their heartland attracted much criticism by taking income away from an impoverished area and their audacity in keeping the name San Francisco 49er's. Senator Feinstein tried to stop them

'49ers is the tradition of the City. San Francisco is the city of the gold rush. This has been with us for 100 years. You cannot move to Santa Clara and call yourself a 49er. You are not. And you certainly cannot call yourself the San Francisco 49ers. You are not.' (2)

The 49ers in the minds of many San Francisco residents had appropriated the name.

The whole move however was made sweeter by $810m from the City of Santa Clara to build the Levi stadium and it is estimated in 10 years the stadium has generated $2b for the local economy. This figure was produced by the 49ers and has been disputed by two economists Bradbury and Noll who said the figure defies 'conventional wisdom about economic measures'. (3)

The stadium was advertised as the world's most high tech with 400 miles of data cables to ensure 'guests' remained connected. Apps allow fans to locate the nearest parking space, get food delivered to their seats , and which toilets have the shortest queues. The New York Times said 'welcome to the smart stadium'. Light years ahead of the facilities at Elland Road, although there has been an upgrade of the toilets ! If our stadium expansion goes ahead it is certain that there will be no contribution from Leeds City Council and the funds will have to come from the 49ers at least in part. The appointment of Elevate, who have a reputation in the field of naming rights, would indicate that the days of the stadium just being called Elland Road would be numbered.

Promises Promises

Superficially the stadium would seem a success story for the City. However the figures provide a veneer for the arguments, litigation, broken promises, and even political intrigue that have followed the 49ers. One supporter said about the family that own the 49ers

'The Yorks have brought about deep seated trust issues that only alcohol and therapy can combat'.

Lisa Gillmor was the spokesperson for the Yes vote to provide the monies to the 49ers in 2008. She is now mayor of Santa Clara . Writing to LUSN she said that

'every promise the 49ers made they have subsequently broke'(4)

'reports and tons of news stories about their bad, and dishonest dealings with our city' (5)

Rapacious Corporatocracy in Yorktown

Rent has not been paid, it has been claimed the 49ers have not paid their fair share of public safety costs, and they have entered litigation on many occasions against the City, losing many times and in one case the Judge increased their liability by $262k per annum. Having little joy through legal processes, or as Lisa Gillmor says 'instead of keeping their promises'(6), the owner Jed York attempted another strategy, political interference. He initially sank $2.4m into getting 4 councillors elected with extensive negative advertising (7) . The normal spend would be between $10k and $40K per seat, leading an opinion piece to say this wasn't even David v Goliath, the candidates were up against the Death Star.

The councillors known as 49ers' Five were able to remove the City Attorney who had successfully stopped the 49ers from lowering their own rent, saving the City of Santa Clara $170m (8) and the City manager. Even a Grand Jury raised concerns about the five's unrecorded meetings with 49ers' lobbyists. The five were able to push through an agreement lowering 49ers' costs which the Santa Clara mayor called 'a loan shark deal' (9)

Lisa confirmed to us that

'the local Grand Jury just issued 2 more reports on the 49ers' 5 and the origins of the stadium deal and how the 49ers' owners outplayed our public from the beginning' (10)

Not all Jed York's Machiavellian intrigues have been successful, his attempt to swing the mayoral contest, and remove Lisa Gillmor, now a major critic, by substantial financial contribution, failed. (11)

Grace Hase' s insightful investigative article on the financial interference by the 49ers into Santa Clara elections for San Francisco Bay Area's largest newspaper publisher ( Bay Area News Group ) revealed that they had paid $224 per registered voter, some $13.1m ,to obtain political influence and, ultimately, control in Santa Clara. Their $1.04 m however paid to stop Lisa Gillmor becoming Mayor was unsuccessful and she remains an obstacle to the 49ers coterie. (12)

Grace spoke to Michael Butterworth from the University of Texas who said

' We are beholden to Corporate Interests, money interests and power sources that don't necessarily have the general public's welfare in mind'

Lisa Gillmor explained to Grace that

'to have one special interest in your community, just to take over and dictate what the future is going to be in your City is alarming'

Christian Pellecchia, a candidate who faced the millions of the 49ers said (13)

'Nobody wanted to run against my opponent because of the fear of the 49ers' 'It's disgusting. Money like that has never been in Santa Clara'

'The fact that it's happening right before our eyes, everybody sees it, just makes the situation so much worse. It's happening in plain sight'

No wonder many residents have taken to calling Santa Clara, York Town with the interference that the City had surrendered to the Yorks. This is rapacious corporatocracy.

The Grand Jury report states that the 49ers have now put $7.5m into skewing elections leading to (14)

'divisiveness, distrust and rancour among City leaders and garnered distrust from the residents'

Jed York, who is on the Companies House Register as a person with significant control at Leeds United has also been accused of insider trading, defrauding investors, and covering up a cheating scandal in college exams in a company called Chegg. (15) Jed York claimed that lawsuits were 'frivolous' and the 49ers stated that they were

' proud of the work they accomplished in providing scholarships for first generation students' but ignored the central charges.

A quick search of the leaked Paradise papers seems to show that the DeBartolo York family have links to five offshore Trusts based in St Kitts and Nevis, and Bermuda.(16)

Disability and Age Discrimination

There isn't much solace for our disabled supporters either. The 49ers after years of contesting the claims, had to pay $24m for discriminating against disabled supporters, who were unable to buy accessible tickets online and had to visit the stadium, suffering a severe shortage of disabled parking spaces, and the gradients in the ground mean wheelchairs would roll around. The case action Nevarez v 49er football co (5:16- CV -07013) evidenced that disabled supporters were denied equal access to facilities, services, seating, parking and amenities. The settlement is one of the largest disability discrimination payout with each disabled fan receiving a minimum of $4000 dollars per game (17)

This is not the only case involving the 49ers as they had previously removed a supporter with his service dog and confiscated his ID causing the spectator to be hospitalised after a seizure brought on by his treatment. There was an out of court settlement.(18)

This seemingly antipathy to disability may be an underlying reason behind Leeds United's recent treatment of their disabled supporters throughout last season and particularly at the Play Off final. Perhaps there is an ingrained culture of disability discrimination in the organisation.

However, discrimination and the 49ers did not stop there, another out of court settlement saw them involved an age discrimination case where senior staff had said to older employees 'how long do you intend to work here ' 'lets go with the younger one' and referred to them as 'legacy employees'. (19,20)

Maybe there is no correlation but our disabled supporters saw substantial increases in their ticket prices this season, initial denial of tickets for their Personal Assistants for the Play off final and charging for PAs for an away game when the home club did not charge. Their representative organisation, LUDO, does not even have an elected official on the Supporters Advisory Board.

Supporter Costs

Ominously Lisa Gillmor in her correspondence said that

'there are thousands of disgruntled fans who are now completely priced out of attending games or events such as football, soccer, or concerts because of their pricing structure' (21)

Indeed, checking the prices for the 49ers opening game of the season, tickets behind the posts are available at $650 (£514) not from the black market but directly from the Club.I cannot find any disability tickets although these should now be available on line after the Nevarez settlement. Parking is a mere $70 to $140 making the Leeds City Council charges, for once, look reasonable.

An undercover investigation by Gabriel Thompson revealed that many staff were paid less per hour than the cost of a chicken sandwich revealing both the price of food and the low wages paid. (22)

Good Neighbours ?

One of the major attractions for the City and its residents were the promises by the 49ers as to the community benefits. Near to the stadium are 10.8 acres of community football pitches. Jed York said

'we are committed to being a good neighbor to the soccer community' (23)

However the 49ers have spent years trying to gain access to these fields to use as car parking, and made it difficult for players, their families, and supporters to gain access to the site.

They had also promised to provide a community space in the stadium, initially this was a former storage facility and then a room that lacked windows and capacity. Indeed instead of being free the community is expected to pay for security, guest services, Janitorial services, IT, parking and even rental of the furniture making it inaccessible due to cost.(24)

Virtually all the promises made to attract the funding, according to the Grand Jury report , have been broken and rather than being a partner and friend to the City , they have been 'litigious, fighting the City at every turn' and with their political majority they have been able to reduce their outgoings to the detriment of Santa Clara and its citizens. The Grand Jury report highlighted how the City of Santa Clara had been outplayed by the 49ers, and this is a salutary warning to Leeds City Council who may also not have the expertise to stand up to the 49ers.

World Cup 2026.

The stadium and the City will play host to several games in the 2026 World Cup bringing revenue to the Cities businesses, and prestige to the City. However, the City was not consulted according to the Grand Jury particularly galling when it is estimated that there could be a loss of $38m or $277 per resident.(25) The 49ers controlled the decision making bodies.

Rather than a clean pair of hands the 49ers have changed the name of their stadium, several times, moved it to a more affluent area from its traditional home, increased prices squeezing out former supporters, discriminated against disabled supporters and older staff, disregarded history when they refused to change their name and indulged in intrigue making some politicians fearful of standing against 49ers candidates. They seem to have little regard for the community, and their promises mean little.

American Investment, Commercialisation, and Bielsa's prophecies.

Amar Singh writing in the Advertising magazine 'The Drum' comments that not only the 49ers, but American investors 'have failed to read the room' when it comes to football 'often leveraging the club for their own benefit' (26) and failing to recognise what is intrinsic to fan culture in the US lacks authenticity in European football. Ironically perhaps having a marketer commenting on football demonstrates itself inauthenticity, but such is the shift in nature of the game that marketing organisations now have more influence than supporters in the running of clubs. Worryingly, for some, he believes that 'fans are changing, football culture is changing'

In distinct contrast, no less than Marcelo Bielsa, believes that this will be short lived, stating '

'this process will be finished' , 'the artificial increase in spectators will end. Football is not just five minutes of highlights. Football is much more than that, it is a cultural expression, it is a way of identification' (27)

But will these deep cultural attachments to football be able to survive the tsunami of the yankee dollar, with some supporters already becoming more receptive to 'brand activity' and commercialisation? (28) Bielsa believes that it is unlikely for the Press to expose any rabid corporatism as Journalists

' respond to economic interests and protect power ' and protect those ' interests who administer power and distribute the money'

He directly addressed Journalists ' you keep your mouths shut depending on the power you want to protect'(29)

Perhaps given the lack of journalistic investigative integrity that Bielsa was highlighting it is not surprising the amount of positive social media activity that was generated following the 49ers simply transferring an asset, in part, to reduce the Corporation Tax bill shows a creeping acceptance without questioning other possible motives.

The Mayor of Santa Clara gave a salutary warning to the Leeds United Supporters Network that the Bartolo York family made ' a lot of money in real estate' and development of property 'would be of great interest to them' (30)

Perhaps the adage is true , never trust an owner of a football club.

In contrast, however, the 49ers have brought success on the pitch, reaching the Super Bowl for the first time this year since 2013 before losing narrowly last season. Indeed since the family bought the 49ers they have won the Super Bowl 5 times and lost on 3 further occasions. They have brought substantial income and international recognition to Santa Clara from their state of the art stadium, hosting the 50th Super Bowl in 2016 with an average 112m viewers and they are due to host it again in 2026 bringing prestige, exposure, and income to the City. The Stadium has held concerts by the Rolling Stones, Taylor Swift, and Ed Shereen . It will host games for the 2026 World Cup although it will not be known as the Levi stadium, but the San Francisco Stadium despite not being in San Francisco.

They are the 13th most valuable sporting club in the world, worth $6b which the family bought for only $13m in 1977.(31) They are however trying to inflate that valuation to $9b with the sale of shares.

Indeed they have increased the value of the club by 97% in just 5 years.

Will they be true to their word about Leeds United? In the midst of the largest public health emergency in a century when partly owned by the 49ers, the Clubs CEO made a pledge after winning the Championship

'I promise when the time is right we will celebrate in style'

We are still waiting.

We have already seen ticket prices increase, difficulties with disabled fans , cancellations of under 11 discounts, some of the Club's operations moving to the affluent suburbs, no spades in the ground at Elland Road or even ownership of the land for the expansion. Worryingly David Lombardi, a reporter with the New York Times and close to the 49ers executive, visited Elland Road and drew comparisons to Candlestick Park (32). With the two new members of the Board coming from a Real Estate Background, the Leeds United Board is now dominated by property developers which may lead question marks over the future of Elland Road particularly with the restrictive covenant of the land behind the Gelderd End.

One of the criticisms levelled at the York family ownership of the 49ers is 'they dial back spending' which seemingly happened with the sale of players at Leeds and little expenditure on inward transfers in the last close season which has been largely forgotten with the success of the signings. An explanation of this is given by two writers Pavlovic and Roche , who say the Yorks view themselves as Venture Capitalists with a portfolio of over 40 companies and having a primary goal centred on the overall growth of this portfolio rather than winning in the sporting arena.(33) This is not a strategy that will ensure survival in Premier League. Our promotion would see a substantial increase in the Club's value which would be a tidy return for their investors and a good recruitment message for future speculations, but a mirror of the NFL strategy would be likely to ensure relegation.

Time will tell .

1. Santa Clara, California (CA) income map, earnings map, and wages data (city-data.com)

2. When Is a 49er Not a 49er? Team’s Plans Stir an Outcry - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

3. Sports stadiums don't spur economic growth, Stanford expert says | Stanford Report

4. Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara.

5. Ibid

6. Ibid

7. OUTPLAYED (ca.gov) Grand Jury Report on the 49ers

8. 49er Five Fire Santa Clara City Attorney Brian Doyle — A First in the City’s History; He’s Dismissed for “No Cause” – Santa Clara News Online

9. 49ers Settle Ongoing Lawsuits Against Santa Clara, But Santa Clara’s Mayor Says It’s ‘a Loan-Shark Type Deal’ (sfist.com)

10.Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara

11. 49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

12. 49ers paid big money to become political player in Santa Clara: reports Mercury News Grace Hase

13 49ers spend millions to sack Santa Clara mayor - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

15. OUTPLAYED (ca.gov)

16. 49ers CEO Jed York accused of insider trading (sportsbusinessjournal.com)

17. Paradise Papers: Secrets of the Global Elite - ICIJ

18. $24M 49ers Football Stadium Class Action Settlement Gets Final Approval - Top Class Actions

19. Disabled Man Sues 49ers For Allegedly Barring Service Dog From Stadium - CBS San Francisco (cbsnews.com)

20. 49ers Sued for Age Discrimination | Robert Abell Law

21. Managers & 49ers Settle Age Discrimination Suit | Courthouse News Service

22.Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara

23. I sold beer and hot dogs at the Super Bowl and got paid a pittance. (slate.com)

24. How Santa Clara’s 49ers honeymoon turned into a poisoned relationship between team and town (sfchronicle.com)

25. OUTPLAYED (ca.gov) Grand Jury verdict

25. Ibid

26. Terraces not tailgates: US owners desperately need a new playbook for UK football fans | The Drum

27. Marcelo Bielsa Press Conference July 6 2024

28 . Terraces not tailgates: US owners desperately need a new playbook for UK football fans | The Drum

Hatchet job': 49ers rip Santa Clara County grand jury report on political influence - San José Spotlight (sanjosespotlight.com)

29. Bielsa press conference 13/07/24

30. Direct message on Linkedin Dated June 14 from the Mayor of Santa Clara.

31.. Ranked: The World's Most Valuable Sports Teams in 2024 (visualcapitalist.com)

32. (3) David Lombardi on X: "The 49ers are now full owners of Leeds United, a legendary English soccer club and sleeping giant. On my free time this offseason, @LombardiHerself and I went out to the UK to check out Elland Road, Leeds' version of Candlestick Park: https://t.co/khOgqtUWSH" / X

33. 'How did DeBartolo York Family make its fortune' en.es.com 11th Feb 2024 Calum Roche and Svetozar Pavlovic

a - Oliver Kay New York Times 19/03/2023.

Socios - where are we now?

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 13:26:53 GMT

LUSN update on financial position of Socios - The Socios Rip Off

Back in August 2021 we sent an article to all our members revealing the 'gamble' of Socios - highlighting the high risk and that fans must be prepared to lose all their money. We also sent numerous emails and had discussions expressing our concerns to the CEO of LUFC.

The Gamble of Socios

The Club however glossed over the dangers and promoted it as a way to 'get closer to the Club'. The CEO of Socios proudly announced

'Through LUFC fan tokens , Leeds supporters the world over will be able to join a global community brought together by their passion for the club where they can enjoy influence.'

The global community, rather than one enjoying influence, is one united in catastrophic losses. Indeed the Leeds United fan token is the worst performing token in the world. The 3000 odd purchasers at the launch now have so little of their investment left it would not buy a beer at Elland Road to drown their sorrows.

Socios now

It is not however a problem unique to Leeds United. All the English Clubs, bar one , have seen their Socios fan tokens fall dramatically.

% Fall $current value

Leeds United 99% 0.04

Crystal Palace 97% 0.07

Everton 90% 0.27

Aston Villa 84% 0.43

Arsenal 76% 0.65

Spurs 60% 0.79

Man City +58% 1.39

(prices as 19 Feb 2025)

We said at the launch that 'it appears to be a western street front of respectability pulling in the unwary, but hidden behind is a raucous gambling den, with marked cards. Enter in there at your peril'

Such have been the commissions generated by the sale of club tokens a compensation industry is springing up. The product was and still is unregulated and it may be difficult for these companies to have any success. However many football clubs have part of their business regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and they do expect a regulated business to have the same duty of care to its customers as if the product had been regulated, particularly when high levels of commission are being paid as in the case of PPI. It is difficult to know how much the club received from Socios, but based on some figures that Crystal Palace announced this could be around a million dollars.

Solicitors acting in the market suggest that:

1. If the rules were not fully explained .....

2. If incentives were offered to invest .....

3. If the information was misleading and incomplete .....

4. The investment was not suitable .....

..... then there is a possibility of compensation. We stated and indeed suggested to the Club that 'this is not a product that should be bought by the broad fan base'

There is little positivity in this sorry debacle, however for those supporters that have capital gains, their taxation liability can be reduced by any realised losses on the sale of the tokens by claiming on their self assessments.

For the rest, maybe a half.

To add insult to injury Socios have devised a way of extracting the last remaining monies from many Leeds Supporters. Unless fans have engaged in a 'regulated activity' in the last 12 months they will be subject to a monthly charge of 5 euros if they don't follow a complicated procedure of moving their 'investment' to a Socios dictated wallet. For many this will be their only venture into the world of crypto and likely to be their last.

As a £100 investment was worth £1.50 ( 26/02/25), less than the cost of a first class stamp, it is unlikely that many Leeds supporters will attempt such a challenging and intricate move, giving Socios a further windfall, and proving the warning that you can lose all your money. Within a couple of months supporters of 23 clubs may have lost all their money.

The use of the term 'regulated' will be of interest to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the buying and selling of crypto is not regulated which the FCA are at pains to emphasise, Is this an attempt to mislead the unwary, introducing a term that legally cannot be complied with or encouraging more people into the dark world of crypto addiction ?

We are pleased we were able to warn supporters about this offer at the beginning and sincerely hope that none of our members have suffered as a result. We will continue to provide information for those who are interested.

LUSS return to Leeds

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 12:29:44 GMT

LUSN group LUSS organise their annual celebration trip

Leeds United Swedish Supporters have many members who travel to Leeds United matches on a regular basis but once a year we take advantage of the 30 tickets that we are allocated by Leeds -often using hospitality to increase our numbers and have a group trip over.

It is said that the Finns are the happiest people in the world. The reason for this is that they assume that everything will go to hell and when it then only goes very badly, they become very happy. The undersigned, who has previously been to five Leeds matches and only experienced 3 Leeds goals, did not have high expectations for the match against Cardiff but went “Finnish”! The 29 other LUSS supporters probably had slightly higher expectations for the match than I did - I hoped!

As usual, the trip began with the “mandatory” bowling at Tenpin. As the beer disappeared from the cups, the results improved. Jens Davidsson almost reached 200 points in one series and probably had the best result overall. The competition committee will soon be convened for a meeting where the most important issue will be to introduce a handicap system, just like when skier Stenmark was at its best. We also need to change the conditions to create excitement in the competition. After the bowling, the group split up to find something to eat as it is difficult to find a restaurant that can accommodate 20 people on a Friday night.

The next day was match day. The excitement had been building as we had a “pre-game” at the Clayton, the same hotel as the Cardiff City players. The Clayton had arranged a separate area in the bar for us and all 30 participants showed up. Steen Hansen had organised a quiz about Leeds. Two participants managed to get 8 out of 11 questions right. On the deciding question of how many spectators were at the FA match against Harrogate, the youngest participant, Alexander, was the one who was closest and could collect the prize of a Leeds scarf and a cap. After that, the group set off in a united squad to Elland Road.

What a match we experienced! A total dominance with a varied game from Leeds that really utilised cutting in from the wings and the low shots from the wings where we hit goal after goal from close range. The fact that it was the biggest victory in a league context since 1972 made the match an unforgettable memory for us participants. It was a hundred times better than last year's match experience.

Many of the people took the opportunity to look at the mural painting on Gordon Strachan in Holbeck, and to seek out the pub to quench the thirst in their throats after all the celebrations.

As always we like to visit other parts of Yorkshire on our trip.

On Sunday, 9 brave souls braved the weather for an excursion to Knaresborough. Not even a cancelled train could dampen the cheerful mood. After a 45-minute train journey, we walked together and looked at the houses and buildings. What a beautiful place it is. The houses feel like they are hanging from the mountain wall and in terraces, and then at the bottom they are met by a beautiful meandering river. The river flows through the town and is lined with beautiful greenery. The beautiful arched bridge and the small typical alleys really give the town a beautiful setting. We couldn't resist the photo of Margareta with the town behind her.

We could not find a trace of an American franchise company anywhere!

We shared lunch at the Mother Shipton Inn pub. A typical old half-timbered house with a long history. There we discussed loudly and happily about yesterday and Leeds future possibilities. After lunch, the participants split up to explore the surroundings. Included in the surroundings was intending to watch a Premier League match in a pub before taking the train home!

It goes without saying that the match result reflects the experience and I think most people were satisfied with the trip. As usual, we would like to thank Mr. Steen Hansen for his work in distributing the tickets and handling everything around the match. The association would also like to thank LUSN for giving us the opportunity to secure 30 tickets for a match. Something we hope we will also be able to get in the future.

Anders Westermark

Treasurer - LUSS

Galway at Cardiff

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 12:33:16 GMT

LUSN group Galway Whites in Leeds

Galway Whites organise 5 or 6 trips a year, bringing a coachload of about 30, to Elland Rd. They make good use of their allowance of 30 tickets for at least one of those trips.

Well 30 of us Galway Whites made the bus journey over on Friday, another few flew over.

We had a great drive up the motorways on Friday arrived in Leeds 3.15 pm first stop was Elland Road club shop. We spent an hour there (spending lots of money!) before heading into the city to check into our hotel.

We caught up with a few friends in the Templar on Friday night.

Saturday morning didn't start too well for us as one of our members, Pat, suffered a mild heart attack in the hotel and was taken to hospital . The good news on Saturday evening was he was comfortable. We hope Pat will be discharged today and wish Pat and his wife Laura well. Luckily Pat has family in Leeds and can rest up before the journey home.

We loaded the bus again at 12.30 on Saturday and headed to Elland Road. We parked up next to Hampshire Whites and said a quick hello to Jacqui, before setting off to the Peacock.

We then went in to the watch the game. And what a game.! Never in my life did I think I'd see a 7-0 win but the mighty Whites put on a football demonstration on Saturday. Right from the off 2 goals up after 13 mins Another 5 in the second half

I was sitting in John Charles Stand near the Tunnel. Could hear the banter from the south stand but wasn't sure what they were singing until I saw the videos on line. What a laugh it was brilliant the South singing to the lad in the big coat. You'll never outsing Leeds fans. They'll come up with any song Brilliant humour.

Sunday was the journey home finally landing in the door at 11.30 last night. Another brilliant weekend with Galway Whites. We'll do it all again in March. Roll on.

Paul

New Chair at LUSN

secretary@lusn.co.uk (Jacqui Greethurst) — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 09:06:00 GMT

Dean takes over the LUSN Chair

Being a democratic and dynamic organisation LUSN likes to refresh its officers and committee members regularly.

Clive has done a brilliant job as Chair and now feels the time is right to pass on the baton.

At the AGM it was agreed that Dean, who is also chair of South Leeds Independent supporters, will take over the role and continue our progress and influence.

Dean, a true Leeds United Supporter

In 1970, at just five years old, I attended my first football match—a memory that has stayed with me for a lifetime. My parents weren't big on attending sporting events; finances were tight, and live broadcasts were rare. Yet, they never missed a game on TV when they could catch one.

Peter, a close family friend, was a devoted Leeds United supporter. He had two daughters who were more interested in dolls than football and a baby son who was too young to attend. Knowing my love for football and my dream of experiencing Elland Road, he asked my parents if he could 'borrow' me for the afternoon—an idea that might not sit well in today's world, but one I’m forever grateful for.

That day, Peter took me to see Leeds United play Chelsea in front of 47,000 fans. Though I was too small to see much of the action, the atmosphere was electric, and Leeds secured a 1-0 victory. At the end of the match, my excitement shifted—I was eager to get home to watch the Basil Brush Show.

Peter's generosity ignited a lifelong passion in me for Leeds United, a love that has only grown stronger over the years. He’s no longer with us, but his kindness not only gave me my first taste of Elland Road but also fuelled a fervour for Leeds that remains a central part of my life to this day.

Dean's experience of developing and organising SLI, as detailed below, shows he is a perfect choice as LUSN chair.

THE SOUTH LEEDS INDEPENDENT

Established in 2007 in response to Leeds United's relegation and subsequent points deduction, the South Leeds Independent Supporters Club (SLI) emerged as a beacon of solidarity. Originally running from the Gardeners Arms Public House in Morley, Leeds, the club soon found its permanent home at the Plantation Hotel in Middleton, Leeds, in 2009.

Renowned as one of the largest independent supporters group, SLI stands as a testament to the unwavering dedication of Leeds United fans. Offering comprehensive away travel arrangements to all of the club's fixtures, the SLI ensures that supporters can stand by their team through thick and thin.

The club operates a community football special for home games, providing convenient transportation for supporters of all ages and abilities from various bus stops in the South Leeds Area to Elland Road. This inclusive service caters to women, children, OAPs, and disabled supporters alike, embodying the club's ethos of unity and accessibility.

The SLI's commitment extends beyond match days. Each year, the club rallies its members to raise funds for a diverse range of charitable causes, demonstrating its commitment to making a positive difference in the community.

Regular meetings serve as a platform for members to come together, share their passion for Leeds United, and contribute to the ongoing success of the SLI. Newcomers are warmly welcomed, invited to join a vibrant community united by their passion for football and our great City.

LUSS in LEEDS

Sun, 05 May 2024 08:17:30 GMT

LUSS Annual Trip to Leeds

Finally it was time for LUSS annual trip to Leeds. There were about 40 of us LUSS members including those in hospitality that took part in the journey to Elland Road to watch the clash between Leeds and Blackburn. It was fun to meet people who have participated before and also to meet new participants!

The match started early so it was an early warm-up for us at the Clayton. Many went straight from breakfast to the bar.

Earlier in the week when I arrived at the hotel they said the bar was closed! Panic!!! But the hotel fixed up tables with white tablecloths in a meeting room with a bar. They also downloaded our logo to decorate the tables. This was much appreciated.

Back in time to Tuesday!

Some LUSS members had decided to have a short break in Leeds and travelled for the Sunderland match.

Margareta and me ended up in the hospitality tent together with a very weak Leeds supporter and a Sunderland supporter. That young man had really scrutinised everything about Sunderland and the FA Cup Final where they defeated us. As the undersigned has a traumatic memory, from the 1973 FA Cup Final, of this tragic loss , I am always a little cautious when commenting on this match. The Sunderland supporter forced me to remember the Leeds line-up for the game. Of the 11 regulars, I was right on 10. I forgot that Paul Madeley was left back and I was wrong about the substitute. I was approved! More fun was getting to shake hands with legend, Paul Reaney, during the evening.

The match itself felt like everything was going sideways or that passes were going backwards. Someone said it was a cat's game with a mouse. If it was the cat had forgotten how to deliver the killer blow! Final Score 0-0.

On Wednesday a variety of activities took place - we always have a free choice day. Every time you were in a LUFC shop there were LUSS!

Steen and I met up with LUSN chairman, Clive and LUSN secretary, Jacqui at the Scarbrough Tavern - a traditional Leeds pub. We talked about the things that have an impact on us in Sweden, opportunities for tickets and LUTV among other things. They hope that LUTV will be sorted to show more matches but it depends on new broadcasting deals. It will be brought to LUFC attention.

Some people went to York. I made a trip to Saltaire which is about half an hour by train from Leeds. The place's name is a combination of Titus Salt, who built a weaving mill and good quality workers housing (very unusual in his day) with the River Aire which also flows through Leeds. In the converted industrial premises, which are classified as a UNESCO world heritage site, exhibitions with works by David Hockney were shown, as well as other things. Hockney's paintings are probably among the most expensive of all English artists that are still alive today. He was born in Yorkshire!

Another day I followed Margareta with Steen , Nina and their friends to Ilkley so we could go hiking on Ilkley Moor. We took the train to Ilkley , then had to trudge straight up to get to the moor. It was a real moor with heather and old quarries. We saw and heard grouse, which were plentiful. Anyone who has been to Dartmoor, in Devon, will know what it is like. After the hiking there was a trip to the pub, 'The Cow and Calf, located up on the hill. The pub was was just as cosy as you would imagine a warm cabin after a long hike. Pre-drinks in the bar and then we got a table with a multi-course menu - it was very appreciated. There is more to tell about the journey home and the pub stop but I will save that for another time.

Friday was devoted to the much appreciated bowling tournament. Although not everyone played the attendance was high. Two prizes , best series and best performance. The winner was not so unexpected , Gerry for the best series - but he was on home turf after all! Ted Hansson had the best performance.

To return to Saturday!

Those who had hospitality only had a short meeting with the group to take part in the group photo. Steen gave a shorter than usual presentation at the Clayton, which was why we were sure of victory today!

The rest of us walked together to the ground an hour later. There was no time for the usual get together in the Peacock.

Our expectations and those of the other nearly 37000 supporters, given Leeds track record, were high.

But what happened?? Despite great ball possession and many chances, Leeds do not manage to score. Unfortunately, Blackburn Rovers succeed in a quick turnover to punch a hole in Leeds and score a goal, which was also the final result. Steen told me I probably won't be allowed to go to any more matches as I have not seen Leeds win in the last 5 matches I have been to!

Unfortunately the trip coincided with the ice-hockey play offs which caused some tension between the different factions, however it all resolved itself happily - even though Steen thought it was a strange football trip where so much came to revolve around ice-hockey.

On behalf of everyone who went I want to thank Steen and Gerry for planning the trip. Steen especially as he manged to handle everything to do with the tickets. The LUSS board can testify how much goes in to getting everything right. Gerry, as it feels good to have a real Loiner on the board. Next time we need to get up more interest for the drive to see all the Leeds United murals.

Despite the fact that the results did not go our way, we were all pleased with the trip and we look forward to being able to make more trips in the future.

Galway Whites: Celebrations in Leeds

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 17:46:57 GMT

Oisin and Ray celebrate their birthdays with the Galway Whites

Leeds United V Preston with the Galway Whites

Our journey started on Saturday morning at 03.30. We picked up passengers along the route to Dublin finally meeting the last of the crew at Irish Ferries terminal in Dublin Port. We arrived in Holyhead over an hour late and set off for Leeds taking a half hour stop along the way.

We eventually arriving in Leeds about 4.45pm. Time then for a visit to the club shop in trinity. Few of us ventured out to meet up with Stix Lockwood. Also met up with Gary Edwards. Sunday then was match day and a fabulous 3 points. Not the best game in the world marred by a terrible referee who lost total control of the game.

We had 2 birthdays this trip the Ray and young Oisin who got mentioned in the programme. There was a lot of cake to go round too!

All Sunday evening I had to keep on eye on my phone to see if we'd be sailing home on Monday. Monday came and we set off down the very windy M62. Heavy winds going over the Pennines but we got over them. Then along the A55 and then on the Welsh coast we hit it again. But we managed to get to Holyhead and our sailing home wasn't too bad.

That was our 3rd bus trip of the season and I have 2 more planned. We're the only Irish group that still still do these trips. While a lot of us take flights over to games as well.

Next trip is the Rotherham game. We already have our 13 tickets for that one.

Thanks to all that came to meet up with us after the game we'll see you all again.

Jimmy Savile Chanting

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 15:40:33 GMT

The Effect on the Survivors of Sexual Abuse
This article will make uncomfortable reading...

After tickets, the next most common complaint Leeds United Supporters Network, with its 40+ member groups, representing 10,000 plus members, receive is about Jimmy Savile chants. Whilst strenuous efforts have been made to rid the game of racist, homophobic, and 'tragedy chanting', the abusive, obscene Savile chants are seen as acceptable by the footballing authorities, police, and clubs. This week a Leeds Supporter was fined and banned for three years for making airplane gestures at Cardiff City fans over a recently signed player's death in a plane crash.

When I first started working on this, I was not fully aware of the extent of child sexual abuse and how the mere mention of Jimmy Savile can cause dangerous trauma to the survivors. This is quite a long piece and it describes the efforts that have been made to explain the seriousness of this and how so many people and organisations want to ignore the problem. Perhaps the last few paragraphs will shock, but please read them . A short email to the FA requesting that they do something about this could make a difference.

I tested the article on Linkedin as it is a sensitive subject, and there was positive feedback. It will be taken back to the FA.

Chief Inspector Pete Hall was quoted as saying that the gesture was' highly offensive and can cause genuine distress' , but no action has been taken on the 'Savile' chants despite the regularity and the offensive nature of these chants.

Some Leeds supporters believe the chants are just banter, others dislike the 'paedo' inference. There is a much deeper, more problematic aspect to this which many are unaware of - that of the damage to survivors of sexual abuse, which could be thousands at every game.

Gabrielle Shaw CEO of the Charity NAPAC ( National Association for People Abuse in Childhood), ' What to one person is a throwaway jokey comment can act as a trigger for Survivors and not just those abused by Jimmy Savile. It can hit with the force of a physical blow and bring it all back. It can cause real damage'

Throw a punch at a football match and a supporter would be facing a custodial sentence, chant about Jimmy Savile and it is ignored, even though the effect can be similar.

The Scale of the Problem

Fights at football nowadays, thankfully, are rare, but the level of sexual abuse is almost at epidemic proportions affecting every aspect of society, most of which is hidden. NAPAC, using an empirical study by Radford et al, estimate there are 11 million survivors in the UK and over 1 million victims each year.

Extrapolating these figures and adjusting for gender, there are probably over 4200 survivors of sexual abuse at every Leeds United home game. In the away contingent, which initiate the chants, there may be 300 victims. Each time the chants are heard there could be irreparable damage to a survivor.

Abuse thrives in secrecy.

The person that has sat next to you for years, you nod to when you see them in the bar or sit next to them on the coach, could be a survivor of sexual abuse. According to the National Crime agency 90% of this despicable criminal activity goes unreported and is not even mentioned to their partner, parents, family, or friends. The average time it takes an individual to disclose, once the abuse stops, is 22 years. The survivor suffers in silence. Few supporters would shout racist comments next to a person from the ethnic minority or homophobic remarks next to a member of the LBGT+ community, however because the issue is invisible the Savile chants persist.

Nick Ward of NAPAC said to me,

'We hear from hundreds of survivors on a weekly basis and we are well aware of the damaging and triggering impacts words can have, particularly in an environment such as a football ground'

It is not unique to Leeds, in attempting to rile Leeds supporters, opposition fans, unknowingly, are likely to have caused damage to the health of their own supporters. With nearly 1 million supporters watching professional football on an average weekend there could be over 11000 fans in the grounds that have suffered sexual abuse. This is not a small problem.

Ian Dean Director of the CSA centre commented,

'We need to recognise and acknowledge the scale of the problem'

Jeff Barlow, the author of the Leeds Hospital investigation into Savile

'The chanting can be a real issue for some victims to hear. Even victims of abuse whose abusers are not associated with Savile. The mere mention of Savile could be a trigger that can cause distress'

Savile has come to be shorthand for sexual abuse in the country for survivors.

Damage that Savile chanting can cause to Survivors

As a club we are acutely aware of suicide. Maria Panangoh reflecting on an overarching study of 68 others said that 'Conclusively sexual abuse is associated with an increased likelihood that they will be at risk of suicide in later life' According to a report in Psychology Quarterly this can be six times more likely than the general population. For children, Ged Flynn, CEO of Papyrus who work to stop young people from taking their own lives, believed that 70% of children who had thought about taking their own lives had been abused.

Triggers such sights, sounds, or smells can have severe consequences for survivors at any stage of their lives. They often have to relive the trauma bringing feelings of helplessness and hopelessness to the forefront and creating both psychological and physiological reactions. There is an uncomfortable truth that the Savile chants harm people, fellow football supporters, fellow human beings.

Common symptoms include major depression, severe anxiety, substance use, PTSD, and they are 5 times more likely to commit a criminal offence.

The Jay report said ' It is not a problem that is confined to the past' .

The FA, EFL, the Press, and the Police

When considering all the evidence it is clear that something needs to be done about the chanting. We presented all our findings to the FA, EFL, the national and local press and called for a meeting with the Police. The FA, who have the mantra 'Non action is not an option' did precisely that, nothing, and did not even have the courtesy of acknowledging the email.

The Press staggeringly similar, no reaction, even from those that are usually desperate for any quote from us. Total silence. It isn't hard to imagine an uncomfortable shuffling of the release to the bottom of the to do pile.

The Police agreed to a meeting, then cancelled it, and then failed to respond to subsequent attempts to rearrange. However an agreement to meet at a higher level has been agreed in the light of the 'Sala' prosecution and comments.

Ian Dean commented 'As a society it is not just that we don't see child sexual abuse, we don't want to see it'

Sadly this seems to be the case.

The EFL did suggest that they would raise the matter with their Executive Committee to see if it can be added to the Tragedy Chanting discussions. It clearly isn't a tragedy, it is criminal. Bradford, Munich, and Ibrox had no criminal element. Exceptions are Istanbul and Heysel, even Hillsborough, the driver of the tragedy chanting campaign, I believe there has only been one successful prosecution.

Savile chanting is clearly different. It can affect everybody who has been the victim of a criminal act whether prosecuted or not.

Enter the BBC

The BBC decided to dramatize the life of Jimmy Savile against the advice of many professionals who feared it could trigger some of the effects that were mentioned earlier. Obviously there is a safety net which does not occur in the ground, an off switch and alternative channels. 'The Reckoning' however used Leeds United Supporters to provide a shortcut about Savile's necrophilia by inventing an obscene chant. This associated our supporters with prior knowledge of Savile's activities. According to the BBC this was used to taunt opposition supporters, who obviously would be aware of the significance of the reference many years before the revelations of Savile's activities - which appeared a year or so after his death. The BBC felt they could hide this in a continuation of the Dirty Leeds jibe. On the terraces, Leeds supporters and indeed opposition fans, according to the BBC, had the knowledge of Savile's behaviour that those who knew him intimately, such as the Police, hospital and charity administrators, Margaret Thatcher, the Royal Family and The Roman Catholic Church, did not.

The BBC obviously felt enough time had elapsed to be able to broadcast the programme, once again they were fallible. Despite inventing a chant, they ignored that real Jimmy Savile chanting persists with all its ramifications for survivors. They ensured that this will continue for the foreseeable future by linking it to the club.

The BBC denied they had invented the chant, and they had obtained it from first hand sources.

Remarkable foresight from a position of hindsight.

However one of the 20 year season ticket holders who didn't miss a game for many seasons throughout the period in question said about the BBC, 'Why are they arguing this, we were there, we know we didn't sing this or have it sung at us until after his death'

A retired Chair of one the largest supporters clubs in the UK remarked

'Leeds fans can be accused of many sick chants over the years, and often, they are guilty as charged, but this one is total b*******' .

External evidence was provided by the author Colin Irwin who in his popular book 'Sing when you're winning' spent time with Leeds supporters standing close to the opposition fans and despite writing about many chants not one related to Jimmy Savile.

We raised a complaint against the BBC which was unceremoniously and condescendingly rejected. However, it allowed us to attempt once more to highlight the issue with the Press by pivoting on the BBC angle.

This time the Daily Mail journalist Matt Barlow courageously took up the cudgel and lambasted the BBC and raised the issue with the FA, opening the door again. It was subsequently picked up by the Daily Express and the Daily Star who lifted Matt Barlow's story. We are grateful to Matt Barlow.

The FA and Leeds United

We returned to the FA. Probably because there was the watching eye of the national press they did respond but they tried to push the matter under the carpet and indeed tried to lever responsibility back to Leeds United as if the club were culpable as Savile was born and lived in the City.

We confirmed that we had allowed the club to view the research and correspondence, and as this affected all clubs supporters that were survivors of sexual abuse in the Championship it was clearly under the panoptic jurisdiction of the FA as they were responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game.

Angus Kinnear, in one of our meetings, had said that he would talk to the other members of the tragedy chanting working group. However, it is felt that this is an initiative that should come from the fans in support of their fellow supporters that have suffered sexual abuse in silence. Football is for the fans after all. It is not an action that Leeds United can take ownership of when it is football as a whole that should tackle this unrecognised issue.

Disappointingly, given the extent of the problem which we have described at length, we have not heard from the Football Association again. There is clearly a resistance to engage with the complexity, secrecy, and scale surrounding child sexual abuse. The publication of a snappy catch phrase is not enough, it changes nothing. It is a veneer and pays superficial lip service. There has to be action and the FA are able to do this by talking to the clubs, the Police, and introducing an education programme. Many charities believe that this is the final taboo.

What do these chants feel like to a survivor of sexual abuse?

I spent some time talking to the NAPAC (NAPAC - Supporting Recovery From Childhood Abuse).

Gabrielle Shaw CEO of NAPAC said, 'The negative impact of these chants cannot be overstated. Not only can they be extremely triggering for victims and survivors, but they serve to trivialise the huge societal issue of childhood abuse.'

Put yourself in the shoes of a survivor. You are in a packed, noisy crowd. Hundreds of people around you are singing about an abuser. You start to panic as you are forcibly reminded of what happened to you. Your heart is barrelling in your chest and your throat feels tight. You are ashamed of your response. You feel trapped and powerless, exactly as you felt when you were abused.

These chants have a real, physical, and emotional impact. Not for the few, but for the many. The ONS estimates at least 1 in 5 adults in England and Wales experienced abuse in childhood, apply that to average Championship match and that's 3800 survivors at any given fixture.

It is imperative that fans across all clubs understand the scope of the issue, and that participating in these chants they are retraumatising those they have sat and supported with, season after season'

Pressure is needed . PLEASE THINK ABOUT TAKING ACTION

It would be beneficial if supporters of all clubs should ask the FA to take action to stop the Savile chanting for the sake of the survivors. A short email would be sufficient.

safeguarding.children@thefa.com

The NAPAC - can be contacted at www.napac.org .uk

Clive

Chair - Leeds United Supporters Network

Icelandic Whites Arrive in Leeds

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 16:22:24 GMT

Icelandic Whites in Leeds for Annual Christmas Party

Icelandic Whites had their annual party in Leeds which 50 Icelandic members travelled to. This year they were pleased to have Tony Dorigo as the guest of honour and Gretar Steinsson joined them for an hour as well. They were entertained by Paul Wilson, the musician.

They were also able to take advantage of the 30 overseas groups tickets allocated by Leeds and with hospitality as well were thrilled to watch Leeds beat Swansea 3-1 and Middlesbrough 3-2. The players were pleased to take the time to say 'hello'

Also time for retail therapy!

Also while they were there groups went to lots of pubs, the Christmas market and did lots of shopping.

New Paragraph

From Pies to Pints

secretary@lusn.co.uk (Jacqui Greethurst) — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 17:13:14 GMT

Drinking beer - not wasting it

At the meeting with Angus, Katie and others we had a wide ranging discussion regarding the catering arrangements and our concerns were taken to the head of catering - a Tale of Two pies being one of the issues.

Another concern raised by us was the wastage of beer and the use of cardboard cups for drinks in certain parts of the ground!

Dean, our expert, explained that by using cardboard cups people couldn't see how much was beer and how much was froth. This was causing lots of complaints when people realised they only had half a pint! The bar staff were dealing with this politely and pouring new pints - with the old ones being poured away.

Dean pointed out that this was costing the club a lot of money and was causing stress among fans!

The fanzone has always had 'plastic' cups so we asked for this to be restored everywhere.

We were pleased to see that we are back to clear 'plastic' pints and that the amount of wastage has been minimised at our last matches.

Another suggestion was to try to speed up the delivery of the pints, particularly at half-time, as there were many hold ups. Suggestions were made to prepare pints in advance and to make sure the barrels were changed before half-time.

We were pleased to see pints being prepared. We haven't had any feedback on the barrel changing but have had no recent complaints about ' bars with no beer'.

LUSN reducing your stress levels at Elland Road!

LUSN in conversation with Gretar Steinsson

secretary@lusn.co.uk (Jacqui Greethurst) — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 15:27:26 GMT

Gretar, the quiet man at Elland Rd

We were privileged to have our new performance director Gretar Steinsson to speak at our last meeting – giving us his time from 8pm!

Gretar is a multi-linguist, entrepreneur, and founder of his own charity for children with long term illnesses and disabilities. In his playing career, he captained his country, scored against Brazil, and played in five countries. If you ever wondered where the inside knowledge on Joe Rodon and DJ Spence came from, Gretar was the Performance Director at Spurs!!

Gretar was born in a small town in Iceland, Siglufjörður, which is the northernmost town in Iceland. Apart from being Gretar’s birthplace, it is famous for its history of herring fishing museum and having the most Leeds fans per capita in the world (arguably!!). As a child when he played football he would always be Leeds against other children’s Liverpool and Man Utd – he loved beating them!

He enjoys learning languages and puts some of this down to playing for AZ in the Netherlands. Louis Van Gaal was the manager and insisted that all the players learnt Dutch and also to speak in each other’s languages. He used to put labels on objects in all the languages of the team. He used to conduct his team talks in Dutch but brief individual players in their own language beforehand (Gretar in German). This brought the team together and everyone felt valued. His language skills were put to good use understanding and answering questions from Dev at Kilmarnock - who received some excellent leadership advice which we will all find useful.

Gretar has always been a Leeds fan and is delighted to be working for his club. He joined us at a very turbulent time and had to make some difficult decisions early on. Working as a team the decision makers had to keep calm and follow what they knew to be right. He was involved with the recruitment of all the new players this season.

His ambition is to put into place a successful system which will continue after his departure – in the Premier League, of course.

Gretar on players

Being a professional footballer has its own stresses as well as benefits. They are usually on good money compared to their peers, which can bring its own problems. They have to be willing to move around and this can mean disrupting families regularly. They can be badly advised by people who should have their best interests at heart but don’t always. Some can excel at one club but not do so well at other clubs due to many reasons.

At Leeds at the moment the more senior players are setting an excellent example in the dressing room, on the bench and on the pitch. This makes them extremely valuable in Leeds plans.

Gretar on recruitment

Nick Hammond, Adam Underwood, Angus Kinnear and Gretar meet frequently to discuss players they may be interested in. Daniel Farke is involved as appropriate and is part of any decision making.

They have access to all football matches that are being played around the world, they have data (speed, distances covered, pass accuracy etc) on any player they are interested in. They use the scouts to gather information on the ground - to look at mentality, personality and other human factors - to add to the data they have collected. This helps them make decisions about any of the players. However, there are other factors – does the player want to come to Leeds? Would it disrupt the current squad to have this player? Would it hinder the progression through the teams at ER?

Even with all this information a player may not function in the squad as expected.

Usually, they have around 1000 players that they are watching closely at any one time. This needs to be taken in to account by fans when they read we are interested in a player – he may be 1 of a 1000!!.

There isn’t an undiscovered diamond, they track all players, in all countries – as do other clubs.

Gretar on loan players

Players are usually loaned out for 2 reasons – to get better and come back to the first team squad at Leeds, or to get game time and increase financial value so they can be sold by the club.

Players currently out on loan will be reviewed and relevant decisions made, based on team needs and offers made.

There will not be a repeat of the situation in June where so many players were able to leave.

It needs to said that although many left there were players who were offered considerable improvements to their contracts by other clubs and decided to stay.

Leeds have 2 loan spaces available which will be used if needed.

Gretar on emotions

The decision makers at ER have to keep emotions in check and be as calm as possible. All the decision makers at the moment are able to minimise the emotions and keep cool heads. In football you can be a hero – and not have done anything – and you can be a villain – and not have done anything.

Supporters are bound to be more emotional as that is the nature of being a football supporter. They are not always the best people to make decisions and judgements. A good example of this is Rutter. Last season he was a villain, this season he’s a hero. He’s still doing his job!

Any leader of an organisation needs to have clear ideas and not be afraid to put them into practice - ensuring these ideas are based on sound information. Sometimes decisions will be popular and some won't be.

Gretar came across as a very calm, clear-headed man who understands football and understands fans but has strong views which he will put in to action. We were all very impressed.

We would like to extend a big ' thank you' to Gretar, as despite the lateness of the evening, he answered questions honestly, clearly and with enthusiasm. We, all, have a far better understanding of how recruitment is working at Elland Rd - and have already seen the improvements this season.

Leeds on the road - Hampshire Whites!

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 15:16:03 GMT

An excellent evening at Fleming Park Bowling Club with Tony Dorigo, Angus Kinnear and Gretar Steinsson with over 75 Hampshire Whites

-

- All photos provided by Simon Davis at LUFC - thank you

On September 29th 2023 a quiet part of Eastleigh, Fleming Park Bowling Club, was invaded by over 75 Leeds United Supporters. They were there to welcome Tony Dorigo, Angus Kinnear and Gretar Steinsson for a Question and Answer session.

The event had been organised by James Mooney and the committee of Hampshire Whites.

The evening began with the arrival of Hampshire Whites members, young and old.

Tony Dorigo began the evening by chatting with members and patiently posing for many photos.

A Q&A session with Tony telling us stories of his playing days and giving his opinions about Leeds United lasted for over an hour! Everyone was thoroughly entertained by his light-hearted but also serious approach - and could have gone for longer but we took pity on his voice!

Angus, Gretar and James arrived and Angus began their Q&A session. He fielded a variety of questions amid a lot of light hearted banter - thanking HW for inviting them - he did refuse to sing despite the requests from some 'merry' members!! Everyone was impressed by his honesty and openness.

Gretar answered questions regarding players, recruitment and his role. He was very enthusiatic about Leeds United, having been a lifelong fan, and came across as very knowledeable and down to earth. The evening concluded with informal discussions but with a high level of respect and a better degree of understanding between supporters and Leeds United.

The evening was completed by our raffle with Gretar and Tony staying til the end!

We had some lovely prizes which James very kindly brought along including a signed football and 3 signed shirts. A Hampshire Whites raffle is never the same without the gnomes and we were very lucky that the 2 we had were in Tony Dorigo kit!!!

Thanks to Jeff for providing a sumptuous buffet and for organising a brilliant venue.

Marching on together! Hampshire Whites and Leeds United!

Tale of Two Pies

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:08:15 GMT

LUSN working for its members - improving the matchday experience

Walsall may seem an unlikely place for the creation of a football legend, but it was there, in 1997, that the first Chicken Balti Pie was sold. Made with chicken breast and orange balti it is now served at the majority of football grounds in England. There are 225 million pies bought a season and in some grounds 1 in 4 fans buy a pie. There are regional differences, in the North of England, the meat and potato is favoured, whereas in the south, it is steak and kidney, but the Chicken Balti crosses all geographical divides.

Indeed the Guardian calls it a cult, and a YouTube video on the pie has had over 100,000 views. When Tesco's stocked their first Chicken Balti Pie in February of this year their strap line was 'a football favourite'

It is sad to report that a recent Elland Road Chicken Balti Pie did not live up to this legendary status and rather than the much anticipated epicurean delight our member found he had bought this monstrosity - dry and inedible.

So disappointed was he in his half time pie he photographed it.

It is fairly obvious there could have been casualties. It was no more than culinary terrorism, only partly redeemed by the heat generated by nuclear fusion on a cold afternoon.

In the LUSN quarterly meeting with Senior Management, we raised the issue of the quality of the catering. The Pie became Exhibit One. Angus had a quizzical look on his face when confronted with the image and we had to explain that this was, in fact, the inside of the famous Chicken and Balti Pie.

Although there was no doubt a temptation for Senior Management to send the picture to the Head of Safety, it was rightly given to the Head of Catering who in turn vigorously challenged his suppliers.

Success , at the Huddersfield game, a moist, tender, and fresh Chicken Balti was served. Management had seen, listened, and acted.

Food is an integral part of our match day experience and we will continue to hold the club to account if the catering standards fall below that of minor food poisoning ! We are entitled to a wide variety of good quality food at reasonable prices, and in our continuing dialogue with the club's senior management we will persist in our quest to improve the quality, flavours, and diversity of the food offered as the Chicken Balti Pie debacle has proven. For a county that gave the world such delicacies as Wensleydale cheese, Rhubarb, and of course Yorkshire Pudding, we should be Premier League in our food offerings.

If you have any photographic examples of where standards have fallen, we can make your pie famous too.

LUSN - 2 years on

secretary@lusn.co.uk (Jacqui Greethurst) — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 09:45:52 GMT

Another Successful Year For LUSN

LUSN has now completed its second year and we are pleased to say it is getting stronger. We have added another 12 groups to our membership over the year and have many more showing interest.

Meeting with the Minister of Sport, Stuart Andrew.

Following our original submissions to the consultation on the Fan Engagement White Paper Clive (Vice Chair, LUSN) was invited to a one-hour, one-to-one meeting, with the Minister of Sport to further develop these ideas and to look at how a more bottom-up approach could be introduced. The Minister also viewed LUSN as representatives of the country's independent football groups acknowledging that these groups had been largely ignored previously in the process and by the Football establishment.

Working with LUFC

We have built on our positive relationship with Leeds United. We have good relationships with Katie Holmes (Head of Ticketing) and Angus Kinnear (CEO) - even though we don’t always agree with each other. We are pleased that we are not only recognised by them as important partners but have become a ‘go to’ group for consultation on issues. We have had regular meetings where we have been able to put forward the views and ideas from our members as well as rigorous discussions about LUFC plans. We have seen many of these put into practice. The understanding between LUFC and LUSN has improved significantly this season - although not always perfect.

Representations to LUFC

The main areas in which we have had extensive discussions with LUFC have been about their plans for the future redevelopment and improvement of the stadium.

The concern about a high number of empty seats on match days and ways to address this.

SAB

We are not members of SAB and this was explained by Steve (Chair, LUSN)) in a previous article on our website. We have been able to challenge Leeds thinking on issues that affect our membership from an independent perspective.

Media Presence

We have given our views and again have become a ‘go to’ group for many areas of the press. We have a policy of not going to the media with concerns or complaints until we have fully exhausted the channels at LUFC as we feel this has a negative effect on our relationships.

Clive (Vice Chair, LUSN) was interviewed by Katherine Hannah for half an hour on BBC Radio Leeds about the unnecessary increase in Season Ticket Prices. The Club were invited to debate this with him but would not put up a representative.

Clive (Vice Chair, LUSN) had a long meeting with Stuart Rayner, the Chief Football writer of the Yorkshire Post generally about Leeds United and in particular supporters’ involvement in the running of football clubs. An article was subsequently published about their discussions.

We have also appeared in articles in the Daily Mail, Leeds Live (Beren Cross), YEP (Graham Smyth) and in several articles/programmes with Adam Pope at BBC Radio Leeds.

Other Connections

We have been involved at various levels in other projects and research to ensure our opinions and suggestions are evidenced based where appropriate.

Academia

LUSN has been asked to give evidence to a multi-university research programme into online hate.

Other supporters’ groups

We have met with Spurs Trust about tickets, and the operation of the V12 financing system; Brentford Trust about the Golden Share and their fan advisory board; Newcastle about general matters; Glasgow Rangers about the role of the SLO. We have also used our connections to gather a more informal fans’ viewpoint of their club’s organisation and policies.

SGSA

We have continued to have good relations with Ken Scott, Chief Inspector of the SGSA.

Tickets

Meetings

We have had frequent meetings with Katie Holmes (Head of Ticketing). We have a greater understanding of the difficulties of keeping tens of thousands of supporters happy and trying to ensure a system that is fair. As a democratic group we have been able to gather questions and views and put them to Katie and report back to everyone on the outcome of these meetings.

Away ticket prices

We are pleased that one of our key issues of expensive away tickets has resulted in LUFC actively seeking reciprocal agreements with other EFL clubs to keep the prices down. This is difficult for them as away clubs can usually sell out their away allocation whatever they charge Leeds fans.

LUFC Members Forwarding Tickets

Another of our issues was members being able to forward their tickets to other members if for some reason they are unable to attend a match, after purchasing a ticket. This is particularly important to our groups who travel as it means the ticket and transport place can go to someone else rather than be wasted. We were very pleased that Leeds have introduced this for this season.

Group Support

Overseas groups

A number of our groups were able to enjoy excellent weekends in Leeds as a result of the allocation of 30 tickets which we asked for last season. Hospitality has helped with this as well. We have helped overseas groups liaise with the ticket office and have also helped them with other issues - including recruiting members to their groups.

Regular Meetings

We have continued to have regular members (as well as committee) meetings this season and have an interesting range of speakers - even though the meetings are in the evenings - London time. These meetings cover issues that concern groups and also are sharing sessions for good practice which have helped many groups. We are pleased to have welcomed Angus for a (largely) light hearted question and answer session, Beren Cross gave us an insight on being a journalist at Elland Road and Tony Dorigo attended our AGM and gave us a reassurance and information as well as entertaining us with amusing anecdotes of his playing days.

Information sharing

The supportive nature of the Network has helped member groups improve their travel to away games, sorted out Elland Rd parking permits and informed of road delays on match days. It has also shared information to help people navigate the auto-renewal system for members and other online/IT based concerns.

LUDO support

We recognised 30 years of LUDO by presenting a signed shirt at Elland Rd and putting an article in the programme. A few of our group members were able to support the LUDO dinner dance, where a good time was had by all.

Issues addressed this year

We always make it clear that we do not want to run our football club but we do want fans to be listened to. We feel that although we have achieved much during 2022/2023 there are some important issues that have not been addressed by LUFC and LUSN together. We will continue to work with LUFC to increase understanding of these issues in a bid to resolving them.

My experience of meeting Adam Pope BBC Radio Leeds commentator

Wed, 24 May 2023 10:16:41 GMT

...by Daniel - LUDO (Leeds United Disabled Organisation)

On the morning of Saturday 13th May I met Adam Pope, the BBC Radio Leeds commentator. We sat down in the LUDO lounge, and he showed me what research he does prior to a game. For example, for the match I was at, which was Leeds v Newcastle, he wrote down which teams both teams had played in their last game, who the ref was and if he’s done any previous Leeds games this season, and who VAR was.

Another piece of paper he showed me was a spreadsheet of the current squad, hold old they are, how many appearances they’ve made, goals, yellow and red cards etc and then he has to update it if players or managers leave.

He also uses a stats paper with stats on both teams of which there’s about 20 on a sheet although he may only use 5 or 6 in a game. The last paper he showed me is one where there’s 1 to 45 on side of the sheet, and 46 to 90 on other side and on there he writes down any key moments and what minute they happen e.g. goal, someone hit the bar etc.

We finished with me giving him one of my business cards with my sports blog on and a photo which was lovely.

LUSS arrive in Leeds

Wed, 24 May 2023 09:59:32 GMT

All roads lead to Elland Road for LUSS!

Finally, after 5 years, we managed a real Elland Road trip for the LUSS (Leeds United Supporters Sweden) group. The focal point of the trip was the game Leeds vs Crystal Palace. As usual, it was a very pleasant trip with lots of new faces joining us. It was typical English April weather, that is, we experienced everything besides hail!

It started with the LUDO dinner on Friday evening in the pavilion at Elland Road where we met many nice people, enjoyed good food and Leeds songs by Paul Wilson. We met a couple of legends, Mel Sterland and Tony Dorigo, who entertained us with funny anecdotes from their times at Leeds. Two of our board members had time to have an eye-to-eye meeting with Clive (Vice-chair of LUSN) and his charming wife - yes, Clive was charming too.

On Saturday some went to watch the football and others went shopping. On the itinerary we had a “running together session”, but only two people showed up, one of which was injured. We must discuss if we shall keep that part next year.

Later that day we had our traditional Bowling tournament. The participation was 22 Leeds fans. We played two rounds. The winner of the first round was the person with a scorecard closest to the sum of the shirt numbers of the Leeds players in the game Leeds vs Brighton. Just to make things clear, most of us didn’t know the total sum we needed to get to before the tournament. But our organizer said it was the lowest number he could find! What great confidence he had in us! The second round the winner was just the person with the highest scorecard. We ended up with three winners in total. It was tied in the first round with Jens Davisson and Jacob Wikström. In the second round we had a winner in Iwy Ungh. The evening was rounded off with a shared dinner and a night cap at the “Taps”.

On Sunday morning, we, 40 LUSS members, and a single Tottenham supporter, who sneaked into the herd at Clayton, had a few ‘swift pints’ and we all walked together to "ER". As there were some new ones on the trip, we passed by Peter Lorimer disused pub on the way. At Elland Road some of us hade time for a pint at “the Peacock”. There wasn't as much atmosphere as usual because it's was an early match. But when the match started, the arena really vibrated for the first 45 minutes. If someone can explain to us what then happened, we will surely listen. Things went from bad to worse and more than worse. I think we will stop the comments of the match here. It was not a jolly bunch who gathered at the The Holbeck after the game. The group become even more reduced when we went to Ciao Bella. The owner, a replica of Basil in Fawlty Towers, did a grouchy impersonation of Basil without even having that ambition! Despite it getting late our chairman and wife had a night club meeting planned. He is something our chairman!

Monday was for many the returning day. Since we cannot live on football alone, four of us did visit both Leeds Museum and the art museum. We were surprised that the Leeds Museum did not have any story of Leeds United but presented the rugby team. We are planning to send a petition to the board of the museum to ask them to alter that.

We are grateful to the network, LUSN, and Leeds United for enabling us to get these 30 tickets for the game. It means so much for our organization that we can offer some of the members this opportunity. We kindly ask Leeds United to maintain this and make it a tradition.

Minutes made by an eye witness

Talking to Supporters...

Fri, 05 May 2023 10:45:06 GMT

We are ranked 89th out of the 92 clubs for Fan Engagement. When Radrizzani took over we were 54th.

Fan Engagement Index - Think Fan Engagement

We have compared the tenets of the three publications on Fan Engagement and also contrasted these to the much heralded (by Angus Kinnear if nobody else) Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board (SAB). There are subtle differences in parlance across the three, which may see some duplication, but also argument and subjectivity.

The Premier League Fan Engagement Standard was promoted heavily on the Club website, but Ken Miles of the FSA criticised it on the basis which is how our SAB was organised.

There is ' nothing to prevent the CEO from selecting the Fans Advisory Board ' which makes the Premier League Fan Engagement Standard ' Totally inadequate ' .

This is of course how our SAB was formatted and we are therefore able to demonstrate how this works in practice (see below on ST's) and how it fails in comparison to Clubs with effective fan engagement.

Tracy Crouch MP, the author of the seminal report, the Fan Led Review goes onto say the Premier League had ' kicked fan engagement into the Long Grass '.

Comparisons of the Fan Engagement Proposals

The three publications are;

Fan Led Review of Football Governance (the Crouch Report) - Coded F
The White Paper- A sustainable Future -Reforming Football Governance - Coded W
Premier League Fan Engagement Standard - Coded P

Leeds United's Supporters Advisory Board - Coded L

The Fan Led Review suggested that there was ' Universally bad fan engagement ' throughout football which has led to the White Paper, and if Leeds United are 89th out of 92 just how bad are we ?

A fundamental pillar to both the Fan Led Review and the White Paper is the establishment of an independent regulator, and this intersects with fan engagement processes, for example on the sale of the ground the regulator would consider this and take into account the fans opinions. There therefore has to be an established consultative process with the supporters in respect of this. The Premier League, Fan Engagement Standard does not mention the Regulator and of course Angus Kinnear described it

'Enforcing on football a philosophy akin to Maoist collective agriculturalism ( which students of the Great Leap Forward

will know culminated in the greatest famine in history) will not make the English game fairer,

it will kill the competition which is its very lifeblood '

Kinnear mentioned that the White Proposals were a danger to the clubs sustainability in the Annual Accounts (coming in the week when JKA has cost us upwards of £40m). He is on his own, none of the other Clubs CEO's have deemed it worthwhile mentioning.

Aspects of Fan Engagement

Golden Share F
Mechanism for selection of Fan Board independent from the Club F W
Reserved Seats for Golden Share, EDI, Youth and International F
Fan elected directors F
Clubs not to able to withdraw or suspend Fan Engagement F W P
Clubs not to be able to exclude members F W
Members elected in line with basic democratic principles F W
Members to match demographics of the fan base W *
Members subject to retirement by rotation F
Cascade of Information by Board Members P
Designated Secretary for Fan Board P
Veto over heritage assets F W P
Consultation over the sale of the stadium W P
Board Level Official attending meetings F W P L
Quarterly Meetings F W L
Six Monthly Meetings F W P L
Published Fan Engagement Report F P
Published terms of Reference F W P
Establishment of Working Groups on particular issues P
Discussions on Business Plans F W

* demographics are clearly information that the club only holds

Unless there is independence on membership, agenda, and minutes then the Fan Board becomes a siphon for the clubs propaganda.In addition there should be strict rules for Fan Board Members. They should also not be able to accept any largesse, favour, and privilege from the club and be able to communicate, without restriction any discussions and their contact details should be published.

Fan Engagement has been loosely defined by the White Paper , and further diluted by the Premier League and that provides the opportunity for Clubs to take advantage of the structures.

Below all three standards is the LUFC SAB.

The Golden Share idea has been dropped by the White Paper, which Brentford has adopted.

Example of Leeds United SAB fan Engagement from the published minutes

The section on Season Ticket renewals.

Some organisations had made belligerent public comment about the price rises, however the minutes synthesised this into an 18 word statement as they are written by the club ,

'SAB members reported on some of the negative feedback from the recent Season Ticket Announcement'

So no public detail of the feedback, was it positive or vitriolic ? What was the position of the Supporters Club and LUST in the meeting etc ? It gives the appearance of acceptance by those organisations. What would our members think if our opposition was portrayed in such a way ?

In complete contrast...

Angus Kinnear was allowed 250 words in the minutes to state the Club's position with several questionable statements. There is no evidence that these were challenged by any members of the SAB and appears to allow several disingenuous comments;

Second cheapest, we are in fact the sixth most expensive
12 years of no price rises and then goes on to have a match cost comparison (prices rose per match when we were promoted). The choice of 12 years ago is very misleading, as Ken Bates had hiked up prices to the highest in the EFL and was higher than all but six clubs in the Premier League. It was a decade of price increases in one season. It also ignores the discount that Cellino implemented for not making the play offs
Repeats the statement that the ST are cheap compared to other leisure pursuits which is incorrect
Promotes the value of the Exchange system to the supporter when the Club gains the difference from the season ticket price per game and the new general admission price. Supporters, if unable to renew for any reason, lose any credit built up in the Exchange system
States the price increase is fair, not when compared to most clubs with several clubs not increasing prices at all

These statements were not challenged by the SAB members, or at least the minutes do not show that they do.

Finally, members of the SAB ask a couple of questions but these are presented in such a way that it appears that the members are subliminally appreciating the need for price rises, ( price differentials for loyalty and why there was no price rise on relegation when there were more games )

The minutes make interesting reading, not only as a working example of Kevin Miles' point about a fan Board being CEO appointed, but demonstrate the problems of the minutes being prepared by the Club. They become part of the Club's narrative.

Other sections of the minutes follow a similar pattern of almost propaganda.

Will Angus Kinnear persist in his strategy of not complying even with the watered down, and totally inadequate Premier League Standard? Maybe we will make 92nd next season or possibly the full time appointment of a Supporters Liaison Officer, something we have continually asked for, marks a change in strategy or ownership.

Brentford, who probably have the closest fan engagement model to the White Paper, were able to absorb cost increases and did not increase Season Ticket Price. The club did not use an external organisation, like V12, for Season Ticket financing after consultation, but have operated an internal scheme run by the Club for the benefit of their supporters at no extra cost. This clearly demonstrates the value of effective fan engagement for supporters and something that we need to see at Leeds United under the new ownership.

C M

Just how expensive are our Tickets?

Thu, 04 May 2023 11:46:14 GMT

LUSN Vice-Chair, Clive Miers, investigates further...

Angus Kinnear has continually told us how cheap it is to watch football at Elland Road in comparison to other Premier League Clubs, other sports and entertainment. We have been told we have the second cheapest ticket, the third cheapest, they benchmark to the bottom third in price in the Premier League . These only appear to apply to a very small number of supporters however. The only true guide is to look at the ticket income divided by the number of supporters over a season to obtain an average admission price.

Leeds United are the sixth most expensive side in the country for the average admission price. Not second cheapest, third cheapest, or in the bottom third.

Sixth most expensive. The top third.

We have been fed a well rehearsed line of cheapness but we are expensive.

Generally the exorbitant cost of watching football continues to rise unabated despite the continuing backdrop of a cost-of-living crisis. The Clubs' slick PR machines and out of touch millionaire CEO’s, present a façade of inexpensive entertainment with numerous, and often unsubstantiated justifications, with stock phrases of how comparatively cheap their admission prices are in what is usually a miniscule category of supporters. All clubs seemingly follow the same PR approach. They all can't be the cheapest

To dispel the myths, fallacies, and half-truths from the reality, Leeds United Supporters Network have analysed the cost per supporter by extracting the matchday revenue from the Clubs annual accounts lodged at Companies House. It has produced some interesting results.

Transparency once again is found to be sadly lacking in the club’s many ticket price statements and there is a clear exploitation of the scarcity of tickets covered by a self-proclaimed veneer of value. The club provides justifications which rarely can be challenged, but unfortunately for them, in this case, the information is in their late delivered accounts at Companies House and we can establish reality.

Chelsea Away

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 12:29:26 GMT

Useful Away Information

Please take note of the AWAY Supporter Entry System and Requirements!!!

CHELSEA

Stamford Bridge (capacity 41,663)

Stamford Bridge is currently the eighth largest stadium in the country, and the club has plans to expand the capacity to over 60,000 in the coming years. It has undergone a number of major changes since it was first built, most recently in the 1990’s when it was renovated into a modern, all seater stadium.

Both East and West Stands are three tiered, with the latter an impressive and modern looking stand with a transparent roof which allows a greater amount of light on to the pitch. The two end stands are two tiered, with the Matthew Harding Stand said to be the loudest of the home stands.

Away fans visiting Stamford Bridge are located in the Shed End lower tier, nearest the East Stand, with a typical allocation of 3,000.

Founded: 1905 | Web: www.chelseafc.com | Phone: 0871 984 1955

Important Information for Coaches and LUSN Supporters Travel

Coaches must be booked into the car park or they will receive a Parking Charge Notice. To book please use the link Coach Booking Chelsea

Coaches will be parked on the Imperial Road

There will be three stages to approach the Away stand turnstiles.

1st Stage

At Stamford Gate where supporters will be allowed through a cordon when it is safe to do so to avoid congestion

2nd Stage

will be a cordon to check supporters are in possession of tickets

3rd stage

where supporters will be searched and Pyrotechnic and Narcotics dogs will be active

Note that Supporters will be offered same gender searching by the stewards

Alcohol will be served pre-match and at half time.

Kiosks will serve beyond half time if their is still demand.

Alcohol is not allowed to be consumed in the streets and offenders will have this confiscated from them by the police.

Homophobic behavior's and chanting will not be tolerated and will likely see those offenders arrested.

Metropolitan Police do not envisage any holding back of away supporters unless there is a serious likelihood of post match disorder.

Car Parks

Parking is extremely limited around Stamford Bridge, with a parking restriction zone within a few miles radius of the stadium. There are usually some spaces around Waltham Green (SW6 2AF) but these spaces tend to get taken early on matchday. Public transport is probably more advisable and the nearest Tube station is Fulham Broadway.

We’ve compiled a list of car parks, below, near to Stamford Bridge for hassle free parking while you’re at the match.

Car Park: Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Sat Nav: SW10 9NH

Cost: £15

Distance to Ground: 0.8km

Description: A short 10 minutes walk from Stamford Bridge is the underground car park at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. On match day, this car park does become very busy so please get there early if you intend to drive.

Travel by train

The nearest tube station to Stamford Bridge is Fulham Broadway, which is on the District Line. This would be a good option if travelling into London Kings Cross by train.

The nearest over ground train station is West Brompton. This station is served by trains from Clapham Junction, which itself is served by trains from London Waterloo and Victoria stations. It’s around a 15 minute walk to Stamford Bridge from West Brompton station. As you exit the station, turn right and head down Old Brompton Road. You’ll see Brompton Cemetery on your right. Enter the Cemetery, and as you walk through you will see Stamford Bridge appear.

Alternatively, if it is a night game, it’s not advisable to walk through the cemetery. Instead, take the next right on to Finborough Road. After around 800m, turn right onto Fulham Road and the stadium is located on the right.

Away Pubs

Prince of Tek

161 Earls Court Road, London SW5 9RQ

prince of tek link

The Courtfield Tavern

187 Earls Court Road, London, SW5 9AN

courtfield tavern link

The Blackbird

209 Earls Court Rd, London, SW5 9AN

blackbird link

Speakers Corner

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 16:30:05 GMT

LUSN's Guest Speakers have been varied, to say the least!

Leeds United Supporters Network (LUSN) have invited several guests to our members meetings to talk about their careers and all things Leeds United.

We kicked off with Bryn Stokes from West Yorkshire Police who enlightened groups about Policing methods in the Premier League, behaviour expectations, and how not to get arrested.

Adam Pope , the BBC Commentator from Radio Leeds explained his meandering career path from builders merchants to becoming a commentator, his job on BBC Radio Leeds, black leather coats, and his love for all things Italian . Adam’s undisputed enthusiasm for his vocation has influenced his son to join him into the world of quick fire bon mots as a fellow commentator.

Christopher Evans MP is Shadow Minister for Defence Procurement and may seem an unusual choice for a speaker as our group’s views on the purchase of Challenger tanks have not featured heavily in our discussions. Chris, however, was the author of Don Revie-The Biography which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Sports Books awards in 2022. Chris explained his research and how the accusations of bribery that haunted Don were totally unfounded. He believed that Don was one of the first victims of cancel culture and asked for LUSN help in getting the Football Association to apologise to Don’s family for his treatment.

Our last guest was our veritable CEO, Maoist agricultural expert, and the owner of the UK’s largest thesaurus, Angus Kinnear . Unfortunately, we can say very little about the meeting as Angus does not want any of his illuminating comments to be recorded.

It is a case of you had to be there.

Indeed, we would encourage all groups to attend our meetings to get the inside story on Leeds United and how, together, we can improve the match day experience for all supporters. We thank all our speakers for giving up their time.

We intend to make a guest speaker a feature of all our members' meetings.

Clive

Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 15:58:55 GMT

Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board Positioning statement

During this current season, the Leeds United Supporters Network (LUSN) membership has often queried why the Network doesn't have a seat on the Supporters Advisory Board (SAB).

The SAB agenda is set and Chaired by Leeds United. Those supporters who hold a seat at this meeting were selected as individuals by the Club and will meet with the Board every four weeks for 90 minutes at Elland Road, acting as a touchpoint between the Club and supporters by delivering feedback, taking part in key discussions, and being involved in various projects – ensuring our loyal fans always have a say.

The individuals selected are not representatives of the broader supporting groups. They are not involved in key decisions only minor agenda items. The opinions obtained reflect the views of the club selected individuals almost as a focus group.

Leeds United, initially did not invite the LUSN to hold a seat at this meeting, even though it did so before it was remodelled by the Club last season. The Club later did offer LUSN a seat at this meeting but after discussion we declined the offer on the basis that the Terms of Reference for this meeting did not meet our aims.

The Club later agreed that the Network would directly communicate with the Club and meet with our representatives throughout the year as and when the Club or the Network requires. Therefore, the Network and its Membership set the agenda for these meetings.

The Network also has a clear line of communication with the relevant Board Members for issues that can be quickly resolved or clarified through direct email exchange.

This arrangement has been successful for the Network and therefore does not require a seat at the SAB.

The SAB is primarily for the Club to seek feedback from individual supporters and does not offer the opportunity for supporters to raise questions or concerns other than what is on the Club's set agenda at those meetings.

Most of our Membership is match-attending Supporter Groups, and the Network aims to enhance their match-day experience. We will continue working with Leeds United and its Board to ensure our supporters' opinions and concerns are raised and discussed at the proper levels relevant to the Club and the Network's Membership.

We hope this clarifies to the Membership why the Network is not a member of the SAB.

If you would like further clarification on this, please email Chairman@LUSN.co.uk

West London Whites

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 12:36:24 GMT

New LUSN organization announcement

LUSN supports a new initiative to form a Leeds United Supporters Branch in West London.

There are no formal travel arrangements for like-minded Leeds United fans in West London other than using the expensive rail network. London is surrounded by other groups, such as the Surrey Whites to the South of the Capital, Invicta Whites out towards the East in Kent, Chiltern Whites in the Northern Home Counties and the Thames Valley Whites out towards the West in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

A group of fans regularly travelling with the Thames Valley Whites, regarded as one of the most prominent Supporter groups outside of Yorkshire, have now decided to explore the possibility of running their own transport from West London.

London is a hotbed for Leeds United fans and one of the few places where organized travel to home and away fixtures are unavailable. With train fares now at a record high and timetables that rarely suit Leeds Supporters returning back to the capital after evening games, organized transport at competitive prices would be welcomed.

Thames Valley has had a lot of enquiries for membership from the West London region over the years. Along with some of its members, it has been decided to form a group that can provide affordable, reliable and regular transport to matches.

One of the advantages of organized travel groups such as those within the LUSN is travelling together with like-minded Leeds United supporters. Those long trips up and down the country together and sharing the ups and downs of following the club become much more enjoyable. This is where lifelong friendships begin with a kindled love of Leeds United.

The new branch will be supported by Thames Valley Whites, who will lend a hand running the transport and share their expertise while the group gets up and running.

Planned pick-up points will be at locations that Supporters can get to with specific locations such as train and tube stations and places where parking will be available.

West London Whites have purchased the domain www.westlondonwhites.com the site is currently in the process of being built until the site is being built please contact using admin@westlondonwhites.com .

Leeds United supporters who wish to regularly travel to Elland Road and away fixtures are advised to register their interest by sending email to admin@westlondonwhites.com .

West London Whites are looking at running transportation to every home game next season but also based upon demand transport for the Brighton & Leicester City home games this season. Pickup points provisionally Weighbridge J10, Uxbridge J16 and Watford J19 actual pickup points to be determined but will be close to M25 intersection with easy access car and public transport with hopefully free parking.

Please note the group, as other groups will not be able to supply match tickets, and these will have to be obtained by the usual routes through the official Leeds United ticket website or in possession of a season ticket.

To register your interest, please email: admin@westlondonwhites.com .

New LUSN initiative

West London Whites

New West London group providing group transportation home and away.

EVERTON Travel Information

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 10:05:21 GMT

Not a must win but very much a must not lose game for LUFC

EVERTON travel information

Goodison Park (capacity 40,569)

Goodison Park is one of the oldest purpose built stadiums in the world, and has been home to Everton since 1892. It is located in a residential area around two miles from Liverpool City Centre, and has played host to more top flight games than any other stadium in the country.

Despite some developments in the 1990’s following the release of the Taylor report, Goodison is starting to look a little worn down, and despite a couple of thwarted attempts, the club are still actively seeking permission to build a new home. So if you haven’t yet visited the stadium, then it’s advisable to do so before it’s too late.

Away fans visiting Goodison Park are located in the Bullens Road Stand, with a typical allocation of 3,000.

Founded: 1878 | Web: www.evertonfc.com | Phone: 0871 663 1878

Coach Travel Information

Your LUSN group or branch will have specific travel details including pickup points and times please refer to those directly.

Directions for Coaches (Everton)

From the South:

Exit M6 AT junction 21A (sign-posted M62 Liverpool, M57 Southport) and follow Liverpool signs onto the M62.

After 10.7 miles, exit M62 at junction 6 (sign-posted A5080 Huyton, M57 Bootle, Southport and All Docks).

At roundabout turn right (sign-posted M57, Prescot and Docks) onto M57. After 5.6 miles, exit M57 (sign-posted Knowsley and Industrial Park, Bootle).

At roundabout turn left (sign-posted Bootle, Liverpool A580) onto the A580. Continue along the A580 passing the Showcase Cinema after 1.8 miles on the left-hand side.

After a further 1.9 miles, turn left (sign-posted Ring Road A5058, Widnes A561 Warrington) onto the A5058.

After 0/6 miles and at the next major traffic lights, turn right (sign-posted Anfield Football Car Park, Liverpool F.C), into Utting Avenue. After 0.8 miles, turn right into Priory Road.

Away coaches park on Prior Road near to EFC.

From the North:

Exit M6 at Junction 23 (sign-posted Manchester, Liverpool A580).

At roundabout follow signs to Liverpool A580 onto the A580 dual carriageway

After 10.1 miles, pass under the M57 and 1.4 miles further on pass the Showcase Cinema complex on the left-hand side.

Then follow directions, as for the South. All coaches are to park in Priory Road (unless otherwise instructed)

Coach operators should be reminded that they are to adhere to the Sporting Events Control of Alcohol legislation & Traffic Commissioners Guidelines. Merseyside Police will report breaches to the Traffic Commissioners and issue summons in connection with Sporting Events Control of Alcohol legislation when necessary.

Non-Coach Travel Information

For those fans not travelling on LUSN coaches or traveling individually the following information is probably useful.

LUSN does not recommend travelling other than with an organized LUSN group.

Car Parking

Street parking is available around Goodison Park if you get there a few hours before kick off. There is usually availability in Walton Lan

Alternatively, there are a few options of car parks in the surrounding areas.

We’ve compiled a list of car parks, below, near to Goodison Park for hassle free parking while you’re at the match.

Goodison Car Park L4 4EL £10 0.1km

There is a car park within the grounds of Goodison Park itself, which is a popular choice for away fans.

Priory Road L4 2SL £8 1.0km

Based within Stanley Park, there is a car park on Priory Road which costs £8 and is just a ten minute walk from the stadium.

Walton Lifestyles Sport Centre L4 9XP £5 0.8km

A popular option is parking in the Walton Lifestyle Sport Centre, which is away from the Stanley Park traffic and is just a 10 minute walk to the stadium. It is also just a 5 minute drive from the motorway.

Traveling by Train

At just under a mile away, Kirkdale station is the closest to Goodison Park. However, Sandhills Station might be a better option which is served by trains from Liverpool Central Station. This is because Sandhills Station is served by the Merseytravel Soccerbus, which runs a direct service to the stadium for a couple of hours before the game and around an hour after the final whistle.

Away fans should ensure they buy a ticket for Goodison Park rather than Sandhills even though that’s where you’d be getting off.

This is because the train ticket is also valid for the Soccerbus and therefore it works out cheaper. The Soccerbus does get quite crowded after the game, so away fans may wish to consider walking or getting a taxi back to the railway station.

If you are walking from Kirkdale Station, then turn right upon exiting the station and cross the railway bridge. At the traffic lights, carry on up Westminster Road for about 250 metres, and then you’ll see the Elm Tree pub. Turn left at the pub on to Barlow Lane, and you’ll soon reach County Road. Cross over at the traffic lights and walk down Spellow Lane, where you will see Goodison Park on the left.

Away Pubs

There are a number of away friendly pubs near Goodison Park, all of which cater to different needs. Please note, however, that some bars require club colours to be covered and some do not allow children.

However, rather than take our word for it, we want to give you the view from other away fans who have visited Goodison Park.

Featured Pub

The Queens Arms

Telephone: 0151 363 5528

The Queens Arms is located in Aintree, Liverpool next door to the home of the Grand National and opposite Aintree Train station. It is a 10 minute drive straight down the A59 to Goodison.

A warm welcome awaits visiting supporters both before and after matches with offers on drinks, Sky and BT sports on large HD TV screens around the pub as well as live entertainment every weekend.

Manchester United v Leeds United Travel LUSN Travel Advice

Mon, 06 Feb 2023 20:46:11 GMT

Travel Information for Wednesday

Leeds United Supporters Network attended a briefing held by the Greater Manchester Police force for the up-and-coming away fixture of Manchester United v Leeds United on Wednesday, 8th February 2023.

The briefing was attended by personnel from Leeds United, Manchester United and various Supporters Groups.

There will be approx. 25 Leeds United coaches are heading to Old Trafford. There will be no initial rendezvous point for coaches, who are free to make their way to the stadium. Coaches will be parked in the E2 car park opposite the away end of the stadium.

Those supporters travelling by train or within Manchester city centre are advised to use the Metro Link using the Altrincham Line and alight at Old Trafford.

Those fans driving private vehicles are asked to be cautious when looking for parking as numerous fraudulent car parks are running on match days around the Trafford area.

There are no away pubs in and around the stadium for away fans. A venue (see link) that will be available for Leeds fans in Manchester City Centre to drink pre-match; https://thebierkeller.com/manchester/

Drinking alcohol on the streets of Manchester is not permitted and will result in this being confiscated.

Supporters are recommended to enter the stadium early to take advantage of the various drinks and food outlets on the concourses.

Stadium turnstiles will open at 6 pm, and alcohol will be served pre-match and again at half-time. Bottled beer will cost £3 each, but each customer will only be allowed purchase two bottles per visit.

There will be a high presence of Police visible to all fans to ensure the safety of all Supporters attending the game.

There will be a ticket check cordon before supporters can approach the turnstiles.

Those who wish to meet others to collect tickets are advised to meet them before approaching the turnstiles. GMP recommends the best location in the away coach car park next to the Bag Drop Porta-cabin, near the pedestrian exit.

Pyrotechnics are not permitted within any stadium, and Supporters should expect to be searched before entry to the turnstiles.

Supporters should expect a Police presence on the concourses. They are there only to support the stewards if required in managing any poor behaviours from Supporters.

There is a zero-no-smoking or vaping policy within the stadium for home and away supporters, and those violating this will be ejected.

The vast majority of the away section is now safe standing, except for those tickets in section E233.

Manchester United stewards and Police will be briefed on the sensitivities of offensive chanting and insignias (Flags). They will take action against any supporters seeking to cause harm or offence to others.

There is no planned hold back after the game unless there is an imminent risk of disorder.

Leeds United Supporters Network would like to emphasise to all our Supporters to enjoy the match and travel safely. This is a much-awaited fixture by both sets of Supporters, and please keep poor behaviour from spoiling what should be a great evening of football.

Hampshire Whites Annual Charity Presentation

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 15:09:48 GMT

Another HW cheque goes to local Hospice Charity

Hampshire Whites were delighted to present £500 to Louise from Naomi House to help towards the excellent work they do. This is a hospice for children and young adults near Winchester and helps make their short lives happier and easier.

Every year Hampshire Whites organise 2 raffles for their members and the proceeds of these are shared between a Leeds United charity and a Hampshire Charity.

This year we were helped significantly by donations from Clive, Vice Chair of LUSN, and Mark, Chair of Blackpool Whites. We would like to thank them very much for their support. It makes us proud to be members of LUSN.

'Normal People Worry me'

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 17:17:36 GMT

This was the sign that greeted visitors to the home of Baroness Chapman of Leeds.

It shows the wicked sense of humour of the first peer to attend the House of Lords with a congenital disability, both of which she used to great effect for the causes she believed in.

She was more than a campaigner; she was a fighter.

As an ardent Leeds United supporter, she became a member of Leeds United Disabled Organisation (LUDO) in 1994, two years after its formation, and was Chair from 1998 to her death in 2009. She was a formidable advocate for disabled supporters, often leaving the normally belligerent Ken Bates speechless, and in agreement.

A redoubtable adversary who converted the parsimonious Ken Bates into a financial supporter of LUDO and disabled rights

Shaun Harvey, former CEO of Leeds United, commented,

‘She was inspirational, she was a fighter, she was a character, and she was devoted to everything she believed in’

Leeds United disabled supporters benefited from her selfless work in making the ground more accessible with improved disabled facilities. In an interview with the Independent in 2005 she described her love for Leeds United.

‘I have always been a passionate Leeds United Supporter. I’m a Leeds girl. I’ve only missed 2 Leeds home games in five years, both due to illness. I go to as many Leeds away games as possible’ , Mike Donnelly in the Guardian observed.

‘Sitting just 2ft 9 inches in her wheelchair, Nicky Chapman was a challenge to anybody on first meeting. Her distinctive body size and shape could not- and as she always said, should not be ignored. From her small frame she held you with a steady gaze, ready and disarming laugh. She was the outspoken champion of difference that she quite literally embodied’

‘She made us stretch towards a higher understanding of what it means to be different’

In a very profound and nuanced way, she shook people’s perceptions of normality and what it meant to be different.

A current Leeds United official described how she would overcome club objections to her proposals with her humour and physicality, describing herself as ‘a head in a wheelchair’. Her dedication and commitment to advance the cause of the disabled Leeds United supporter met with great success. She was a dynamo of persuasion.

An organisation that provides thousands of accessible homes in the UK, Habinteg, their current website, even 13 years after Nicky's death confirms her ability.

‘Nicky’s physical presence was as hard to ignore as her outspoken views. Nicky openly used her body image to her advantage in her work, challenging perceptions about difference and fighting for equality. With her naturally persuasive wit and passion Nicky championed social inclusion, accessible design, independent living and services that suit people whatever their needs’.

In 2004 she was appointed one of the first ‘People Peers’ and took her campaigning to the House of Lords. Nicky said on her appointment ‘They don’t know what they are doing’ . The Leeds United website commented, ‘it is clear with an iron will, Nicky will fight tooth and nail for social justice’.

People peers were nominated because of their record of significant achievement, integrity and independence. Not affiliated to any political party she sat as a cross bencher. Her maiden speech created a stir on the red benches. That colour has ironically been described as epitomising stopping legislation. The Lords, however, was soon to realise that Baroness Chapman was in no mood for prevarication.

Lord Bassam of Brighton said, ‘she told me in no uncertain terms she wanted to make sure something was done' .

Her maiden speech on the Mental Capacity Bill was described as ‘excellent and moving’ ‘powerful and personal’ ’remarkable and moving’ ‘an extraordinarily powerful maiden speech’ . She certainly woke up the sleeping beauties.

And no apology is needed for reproducing it in full here from Hansard;

‘I am a Yorkshire lass, born and brought up in Leeds. My background is very different to that of most people in this House. My education began at home, tutored by my parents, and later supported by a tutor provided by the local education authority for three years a week. When I was 8, I entered segregated education, then mainstream further education college and then University. That was followed by unemployment. While out of work, I volunteered as an IT Tutor at a centre working to rehabilitate young offenders.

That soon developed into an almost full-time voluntary post, as I also helped with job applications and benefit claim forms, taught some numeracy and literacy skills and worked on social skills in given situations.

It was with regret that I left after seven months to take up full time employment in a clerical post with my local council. Over the next few years, I worked my way up within the council until I attained a tutoring position in an adult education centre. I worked at different projects with a variety of people from a broad spectrum of the community, and I continued to enjoy teaching for several years.

I had to give up full time employment about 12 years ago due to several leg fractures, which failed to heal. From there, I began acting as an advocate for people who felt unable to deal with issues themselves. This led me to voluntary working with Habinteg Housing Association, Leeds Centre for Integrated Living, and Leeds United Association Football Club. I became more involved in disability rights, particularly focusing on independent living issues and the right to access work and leisure facilities including sports stadiums.

As I gained more knowledge and experience, I was asked to join committees at local, regional, and national levels to promote social inclusivity and disability equality.

Without descending into the realms of controversy, I have to say that I have grave concerns about the Bill. People are born and they die: those are the only two certainties in life. I have no doubt about the good intentions around the introduction of the Bill, but we must not lose the basic premise of a right to live in order to allow people the right to die.

Although I can accept some of the arguments for sections of the Bill, it is virtually impossible for legislation to allow such measures in a way that is not open to the abuse of a licence to kill.

Assessment of best interest and burdensome should not be medical model based and should not focus only on the negative aspects of a person’s condition. A situation that appears intolerable to people who are fit and well may be more than outweighed by the positive experiences of the patient. They have family and friend’s relationships that are part of them being a rounded individual and not simply a condition or impairment. There is a clear line between increasing pain-control medication that may hasten death and withdrawing support that causes death.

That line is the quality of life of the patient, however little life remains.

I feel at this point I should declare an interest. If the Bill had been passed 43 years ago, I would not be here. My parents were told I would be blind, deaf, unable to communicate and have no noticeable mental function.

Doctors and practitioners do get it wrong.

We need to ensure that people have the opportunity to prove the medics wrong.

Although protected from the Bill as a child there would have been two or three occasions after childhood, where, from a purely medical perspective, treatment could have been withdrawn from me. The Bill ignores the fact that people have the basic right to live: that issue cannot and must be ignored.

As I feel I am beginning to cross the line into controversy, I will end by saying- I hope the noble Lords agree- that our first duty to the people of this land is to keep them safe. The less able and more dependent they are the greater the duty. As it stands the Bill does not keep people safe’ .

Little did the nine taxi drivers who drove past her outside the House of Lords refusing to pick her up, realise what they had unleashed. After 13 years since the Act was passed, Nicky Chapman ensured that S36 of the Disability Discrimination Act was enforced and significantly altered the Local Transport Act 2008 benefiting 1.2 million wheelchair users.

Lord Hanningfield commended her ‘tireless work on this matter, and we all want to commend her for that’ .

She was not a fan of political correctness. She preferred people who get sincere and honest words wrong to those who use the right words and stab you in the back.

She demonstrated this with her naming her disabled cat ‘Crip’ .

Asked by the Independent what made her laugh she said that her brother on the day of her appointment as a Peer said that she looked like something that had escaped from Santa’s sack dressed in her crimson robe edged in miniver.

During her life she suffered 600 fractures due to her brittle bone disease, but continued to give talks laced with her unique sense of humour to schools, health groups and in fact anybody who would listen, to raise awareness of disability.

She was an inspiration to so many. Susan Morrell for one, who said, ‘for me as a disabled women everything she did was as a disabled woman and that personal experience of oppression and disabling barriers' .

Nicky died on 3 ^rd September 2009.

Leeds United named a suite after her to recognise her work with LUDO, the only supporter ever to receive such an accolade amongst a pantheon of legendary Leeds United players. The players wore black armbands in tribute to her in the game against Stockport County. In these Corporate days it is unlikely that such an honour will be bestowed on any supporter again despite their achievements. It is hoped that her name and work will still be recognised if the West Stand redevelopment takes place and not replaced with a tribute to the Yankee Dollar.

Diane Forth, then Secretary of LUDO, said, ‘She was a very special lady. Very determined. Nothing was too much trouble for Nicky. She would do anything for anybody’ .

The CEO of Habinteg commented, ‘We have lost a great champion of difference, a figurehead, a fighter. Nicky lived her life battling for the right to be respected and included’ .

Tributes were paid throughout the world.

The Sydney Herald put it simply, ‘a selfless heart that stood up for the disabled’ .

Leeds United Stop Disabled Season Tickets – (The birth of LUDO)

Fri, 21 Oct 2022 12:57:42 GMT

LUDO Anniversary brings Reflection

30 years ago recently promoted Leeds United looked to exploit the riches of their return to the top tier of English football but were hampered by a restricted ground capacity. However, led by Leslie Silver who had created one of Europe’s largest paint manufacturers from his Army pay out, and Bill Fotherby, a man with extraordinary persuasive abilities, they relentlessly pursued any income stream. Gordon Strachan recounts his contract negotiations with Bill when he came away owing the Club money.

The Corporate Box holders, the elite of Leeds Business, were shocked to find what they thought was a three-year agreement with Bill, was in fact only two.

The price increases were eyewatering.

Leeds 11-man Board oozed commercial expertise, and they explored, utilised, and exploited every avenue to improve the Club’s income. After 8 painful years of absence from the top level this was payback time, and the supporters flocked back. Demand outstripped supply and season tickets, so essential in the dark days of the second tier had become costly and limiting. The club stopped the disabled season tickets. The staunch, longstanding and loyal disabled supporters had to run a lottery of a telephone purchase along with the new supporters.

Across the country disabled sports fans were being ignored and marginalised. Much needed facilities were at best, an afterthought. Elland Road was no exception and the disabled toilets with ill-fitting doors were located in a car park.

Facing this mountain of commercial and negotiating expertise was the 36-year-old ex-Army Tank Transporter and HGV1 driver, Stuart Ramm. Displaying his own brand of persuasion, he convinced Leeds United to send out a letter to all registered disabled fans inviting them to a meeting at the Fullerton Park Club House.

On a cold January evening over 50 disabled fans, deeply disillusioned and disheartened with the attitude of the Leeds United Board, Executive and Society towards disability, attended. The consensus was, faced with such attitudes prevailing in not only the club but also in the community, that they needed a collective voice and the pooling of skill.

This became the inaugural meeting of Leeds United Disabled Organisation, which is now better known by its acronym LUDO.

In January 1992 it was formalised making it one of the oldest disabled football supporters organisations in the world, predating the Premier League. A committee was formed from the vast talent pool and Stuart Ramm was duly elected Chair and Martin Melbardis as Secretary

This was a pivotal moment for disability campaigning in sport.

There was another momentous hurdle to cross. Recognition. Although there was a gradual increase in the number of disabled organisations in wider Society, it was virtually unheard of in football where Clubs had close, cosy, and pliable relationships with their supporter clubs. This was something different and LUDO wanted change. Stuart approached the Club and with his cogent, convincing, and compelling arguments he persuaded Leeds United to recognise LUDO as the negotiating voice of disabled fans.

In LUDO’s first test they channelled this collective voice and forced the club to recognise their loyalty and importance.

The Season Tickets were returned.

This was the first of many victories for LUDO who, throughout the footballing world were recognised as innovators and the catalyst for change for disabled supporters.

2022 marks the 30 ^th Anniversary of that seminal meeting in that Club House. Neil Hawes, Martin Melbardis, Paul Gregory, and Ian English are still involved and supportive of LUDO and its campaigning on behalf of disabled Leeds United Supporters.

The landscape for football supporters and Leeds United disabled supporters had changed. There were many battles ahead for LUDO with each regime change presenting different problems, challenges, and skills.

Stuart Ramm has been the Chair on 3 separate occasions even after he had announced his retirement in 2018. LUDO and its volunteers remain the advocates for Leeds United disabled supporters and fearless campaigners for the wider disabled community.

Chairs of LUDO

Stuart Ramm 1992 -1998
Nicky Chapman, Baroness Chapman of Leeds 1998 -2009
Stuart Ramm 2009 -2018
Andy Brown 2018 -2019
Stuart Ramm 2019 - current

LUDO Website

Level Playing Field Website - LUFC

Hampshire Whites Matchday Saved by Brighton Staff

Fri, 02 Sep 2022 09:01:44 GMT

Disappointment avoided (well except for the result!)

Hampshire Whites had their trip to Brighton well planned. Tickets - yes, Transport - organised and booked - yes. Drinking and meeting venues arranged.

Cars travelling from some parts of Hampshire - parking booked.

Trains from parts of Hampshire and Sussex carrying members to the Amex - all organised!

It's one of our local matches. What could go wrong?

The 17 seater set off, with plenty of time to spare, to pick up along the coast - Southampton, Portchester, Havant, Angmering.

HORROR of horrors it breaks down just as it gets on the motorway at Eastleigh. Whatsapp travel group starts firing messages. Initial panic then calm heads take over.

DON, our transport manager, VOLUNTEERS TO STAY WITH THE BUS (can't abandon it on motorway!) and miss the match!

HERO OF THE MONTH

Sussex dwellers decide to take the train. Volunteer driver brings Portchester group to Havant. There are now 14 people at Havant with 3 members willing to drive. Phones in hand trying to find parking! Panic rises again - not a space to be found!

Jacqui thinks '' Brighton were so helpful when we booked our parking space for the minibus - giving us extra information to help us and very importantly, on each occasion answering the phone very quickly. Nothing to lose - phone them''

Millie from Supporter Services answers the phone within 2 minutes - the situation is explained to her in a rather panicky voice. She calmly asks questions, clarifying what happened and that we need parking for 3 cars, including one with a disabled passenger. I hold the line while she sees what she can do - less than 2 minutes later she's back.

"Can you give me the names of the 3 drivers and your name. We have organised for you to park at the ground in a car park allocated for disabled supporters but where we have spaces!"

CHEERS and relief all round - we pile in to 3 cars and set off. Arriving at the ground by 2.30pm (still getting there before Thames Valley).

In another scenario 2 of our members had their car break down and didn't get to the ground until half time - the Brighton stewards waited outside for them and let them in to the turnstile area where I was able to give them their tickets. So helpful.

Unfortunately, that's where Brighton's helpfulness ended as the result didn't really match our effort! So still some disappointment.

So, our easy local game became a difficult game but thanks to DON and Millie from Brighton We know she appreciated the well-deserved flowers.

Footnote - this is the first time we have ever had transport we have hired break down - probably better this match than while travelling to home games!

MARCHING ON TOGETHER

Hampshire Whites

Leeds Football Pubs No.4

Sat, 13 Aug 2022 09:15:09 GMT

Thames Valley Whites

Home Pubs

Since the set-up of the Thames Valley Whites by Steve Griffin in 2009 pubs have been a vital part of our constitution. We don’t have a TVW pub per se but certain pubs are vital to our routine unless, of course, the rescheduling of games for TV buggers up that routine

Home games involved a pre-match drink at The Nags Head in Holbeck for many of our formative years until it got raided by West Yorkshire’s finest and closed-down for being a cannabis factory (I thought it smelt funny but just assumed it was the toilets!!). It was ideal for us – cheap beer served in real glasses right next to an excellent chippy within walking distance of Elland Road. True, it was hardly sartorial elegance, and it’s unique feature was bring your own bog roll, but it served a very good purpose for many years and we were very upset to lose it. I knew I was “in” with the guvnor when he started allowing me use of the disabled toilet where people tend not to piss on the seat or floor!!

Our alternative, thereafter, was The Peacock – a fine pub with excellent beer – but plastic glasses and long queues produced grizzle after grizzle from the growing membership (numbers and waistline).

Purely by chance we discovered The Bay Horse at East Ardsley – just off the M1 and 10 minutes to Elland Road if you leave at 2.30pm for a 3.00pm kick off. The ale is quaffable and served in glass and the food has always been good although the kitchens are continuously being refurbished this season!! The current landlady has an interesting purple hue to her hair but she is friendly enough and always willing to hand out plastic cups to the slow drinkers when we leave promptly……ish.

he return journey for many years involved a comfort break at Leicester Forest Services until we realised that whilst we were dropping off young Jack “the lad” Frake at Lutterworth we could partake at the hostelries on the outskirts of town. This worked well for a season or so until the new manageress of the carvery told us that Leeds United fans weren’t welcome; we told her we didn’t like her shit hole establishment anyway (so there, yarboo sucks) and we dared to venture up the hill into the town centre, finding The Shambles – an aptly named pub for our lot, I am sure you will agree.

The kebab house and chip shop serve the masses well next to The Shambles and the opening of the Classroom (an excellent real ale facility rather than a pub) nearby in recent years has meant that Lutterworth caters very well for the TVWs despite our growing numbers and remains our stop off location of choice.

Our final drop-off point is at Didcot Parkway railway station with the Prince of Wales opposite. Many a home (and away game) has been rounded off with a session in there with our Swindon Massiff (The Magic Roundabout – as in they couldn’t take the), Reading, Eversley, Haslemere lads waiting for their train connections joining the Didcot locals. The main problem here, being that once we get inside, the bright lights of Didcot lure us in to missing the next train out!!!

One problem is the frequency that irritating non-entities masquerading as Reading fans – “we support our local club”, “yeah, all five of you tossers” – appear and want to make out that they understand what it is like to follow a real club everywhere just because they once reached the Premier League but curiously, never the First Division!! These evenings tend to round of with “Leave them alone, they’re a waste of space and not worth getting nicked for hitting” before I remember I’m 58 not 18 and would probably break my hand and get caught on CCTV. Happy Days!!

Our First Year

Mon, 23 May 2022 15:21:58 GMT

Achievements in Our First Year

We have achieved far more in our first year than we had anticipated including:

Recognition of LUSN by LUFC - We have been given formal recognition by LUFC both publicly and privately. We have developed a positive working relationship particularly with Angus and Katie and we are held in high regard by both of them.
Production of "Way Forward" document and implementation of initial stages - Tony led the presentation of this. Angus was very impressed with the professionalism of the document and it formed the basis of discussions with him. It helped establish LUSN as a serious group.
Supporters information re Socios - We (Clive in particular) made an impact with the board with some factual information, which meant the supporters were given better information by LUFC than supporters at other clubs.
Support for oversees groups - We have helped oversees groups in a variety of ways including advising on memberships, discounted hospitality and continually putting their case for help regarding attending matches. This has resulted in up to 30 tickets being offered for one match a season. A start!!
Hospitality events for members groups - We (Steve) have established contacts with a company and have been able to offer hospitality tickets at significantly discounted prices. This has helped overseas groups plan for matches. This will continue this season but not as generous as last season.
Extension of season ticket deadline to help with problems caused by V12, the finance package - We discussed this at length with Angus and Katie and were able to achieve more time and a review of credit rating decisions.
Frequent discussions with Leeds re tickets - Katie has worked very closely with us and has responded to all emails promptly. We (Jacqui) were able to collate questions from our members and get information to our members very quickly as a result of this. Some questions from members we were able to respond to directly as we already had the information from our meetings. It needs to be noted that some of Katie's responses were late evening - she, particularly, is working very hard for the supporters and Jacqui has ensured she knows how we appreciate that. The website explanations are good. As a result of our discussions and comments Leeds have published very clear guidelines to fans.
Recruitment of significant groups to LUSN - Our list of groups is growing and we are pleased to have on board long-established, well respected independent groups as well as helping new groups start up.
Sharing information re groups regarding tickets and transport - this has been particularly helpful to our travelling groups.
Active support of LUDO
Connections made with a range of people, covering a variety of issues - These include Adam Pope and Chris Evans MP who joined us for a members meeting.
Raising Health and Safety issues in ground - We (Clive) have raised issues with LUFC regarding health and safety, particularly the placement of defibrillators. Sue Watson, who was the LUFC representative for this, is leaving so we are waiting for her successor before we continue discussions. We do know we have 7 defibrillators in the ground.

We (Clive) have an excellent relationship with J Cosgrove, a consultant at Newcastle Hospital Trust, who wrote Chap 18 of the Green Guide which deals with the medical personnel and equipment required for the safety of supporters.

Leeds United Supporters Network Statement - Marcelo Bielsa

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 16:00:22 GMT

The Leeds United Supporters Network would like to thank Marcelo Bielsa for his leadership over the last four seasons.

Marcelo steered Leeds United to promotion to the Premiership during 2019 / 2021, but ultimately he brought pride and belief back to the supporters of this club.

Marcelo will always be remembered not just for his footballing achievements but also his off-pitch achievements with the city of Leeds and English Football.

The fan base will always revere Marcelo Bielsa.

Gracias Bielsa

Stephen Griffin - LUSN Chairman

A Much Maligned Man

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 16:04:37 GMT

‘Traitor’ screamed the newspaper headlines as it was revealed that the England manager had agreed a lucrative deal to be the new manager of an overseas club while under contract to the FA. A man whose disloyalty had extended to his personal life with his sexual proclivities spread across many tabloids before the World Cup Finals. A man that had left three clubs in his career prior to becoming England manager and had tried to resign before. A man who faced the Tabloid call of ‘Go, in the name of Allah, go’ after a poor performance against a middle eastern side. A man that was told his time was up as manager of England by a prominent member of the FA.

Yet the FA quickly forgave him and was offered a place in the FA technical department despite not being regarded as a technical manager. Within two years of resigning from the England role to manage abroad he was awarded a CBE and 12 years later he was knighted.

That man was Sir Bobby Robson, reinvented as a national treasure.

In contrast Don Revie, with his stable personal life, who diligently provided for his extended family, only managed one club despite numerous more lucrative offers elsewhere. He took the England job on less money than he was paid by Leeds United but suffered serial breaches of his contract with interference in team selection and financial restrictions. Like Robson was subject to comments by the FA hierarchy that he was to be sacked. He only resigned when his position became impossible.

Don Revie became a national villain.

Unlike Bobby Robson, when Don Revie’s position became untenable and he resigned to take a position overseas, the FA victimised and ostracised him in the most vexatious manner for the following 12 years until his death. No knighthood for Don Revie, but even in death the FA was not satisfied, and no representative was sent to his funeral. The final insult to man who could be rightly called the father of modern football but reveals the hidden dark side of the FA.

Inadvertently, Bobby Robson was part player in the Don Revie tragedy. According to the Queens cousin Earl Harewood, the Ipswich Chairman Sir John Cobbold was approached by Dick Wragg, Chair of the FA’s powerful international committee, to see if Bobby Robson would take over from Don Revie whilst Don was still under contract as England manager.

The Football Association- Perfidious Albion

Even in appointing Don Revie, the fans favourite, the FA had shown their duplicitous side negotiating with Joe Mercer with Gordon Milne as his assistant at the same time. Not for the first or last time the FA demonstrated they were not to be trusted. Perfidious Albion.

The FA, according to the leading football writer of his generation, Brian Glanville

‘Exemplified the snobbery and scepticism of the upper classes that would do harm to English football for many years’.

They still represented a bygone age of the pre-war era, where a quarter of the world’s landmass was pink, and it was the empire on which the sun never sets. Public school educated administrators luxuriated in their entitlement. Brian Clough described them as 'elderly body of establishment figures'

Very un-English - The enemy within

With the end of Colonialism, the Establishment had to face new challenges and their resentment showed, particularly against clever Northerners such as Harold Wilson, Ted Hughes, Alan Bennett, Barbara Castle, David Hockney, Tony Richardson etc. The enemies within.

Don Revie, with his upbringing in back street poverty in Middlesbrough, was disliked for his intelligence and his role in the Revie plan at Man City. For the FA this was a very un-English way of playing the game, for the FA and the establishment, who still believed in the pre first world guiding principles of amateurism. The derogatory label of ‘schemer’ was attached to him, even though the Revie plan was not his idea. This pejorative term lasted for the rest of his playing career.

Sir Harold Thompson, snob, irrational and egocentric

Chief tormentor of Revie at the FA was Sir Harold Thompson. The embodiment of a snob. He believed strongly in the colonial master servant relationship, where the FA were the masters and employees, like Revie were the servants. Thompson was an autocrat, and described by Glanville as ‘a compulsive intriguer, a domineering figure given to perverse changes in front’.

It is difficult to find anybody that had a good word about Thompson, but he was establishment and many kow towed to him.

He held a grudge against Sir Alf Ramsey because Ramsey had told him not to blow cigar smoke into the faces of his players. Given the opportunity, after a bad result, he unceremoniously sacked Ramsey. The top tier managers were aghast, with all of them believing Ramsey should have stayed, but it was hard to argue with Thompson. He believed he was always right and others lined up to tell him he was.

Thompson manipulated the FA selection committee so that the amateur career administrator, Denis Follows, became Secretary of the FA to be his puppet rather than face the knowledgeable challenge presented by the alternative candidate, Walter Winterbottom, a former professional footballer with Manchester United and as manager of England had taken them to an unprecedented 4 World Cup Finals. He would have undoubtably challenged Thompson’s views as Revie was later to do.

Follows was soon to be acquainted with the darker side of Thompson however whose perpetual hectoring was generally believed to be the cause of his heart attack.

Colonial supremacy

David Goldblatt in the Ball is Round describes Thompson as having ‘an attitude of unreflective superiority.’ He continually plotted against the African and Asian Federations with an air of colonial supremacy.

Thompson believed that the game should be more like the amateur game of old. He founded Pegasus football club whose players were public school educated Oxbridge graduates to evoke the Old Corinthian spirit he held so dear. However, he couldn’t leave their success to chance, and he used his position to manipulate an exemption for Pegasus from playing until the 4 ^th round of the Amateur Cup. His assistant, exasperated beyond belief by Thompson eventually hit him, with Thompson making much of the fact. Eventually, his interference caused the collapse of the Club.

He was the founder and ultimate destroyer of the Pegasus club.

All about Thompson- failed to act on Corruption

Thompson was irrational, illogical, and egocentric. When it was revealed by the Sunday Times that English clubs had been victims of the Solti/Lobo bribery scandal he failed to act on their behalf and failed to stand up to corruption that was ruining the game. When Milan blatantly bribed Michas, the Greek referee in the European Cup Winners Cup Final, there was no English support for Leeds United’s predicament. Left unaddressed, many results continued to be unsound throughout European football for the following decade.

Instead, Thompson took the opportunity and the platform to take revenge on the journalists who had criticised him over the sacking of Sir Alf Ramsey and ‘their distortions’. He viewed himself as more important than justice. He was not a man who forgave.

Thompson had a ‘combustible mixture of ignorance and power’. He was Don Revie’s nemesis. Ted Croker Secretary of the FA revealed that there was ‘open hostility’ from Thompson to Leeds United and Don Revie. He disliked professionals; they didn’t fit into his world order unless they were prepared to be ‘servants’. Professionals were blocking the restoration of the amateur game run by people like himself from the circles of the establishment.

Class and the Establishment

Thompson and the FA hierarchy had an echo chamber of clubbable people that believed in the class structure, in government departments, regulators, and even many journalists. Civilisation was a good lunch.

Government papers, now released, on the 1975 European Cup Final reveal how a senior civil servant from The Foreign and Colonial Office, Mr Jucha, complained that Leeds United had agreed to meet him at 1.30 when his train arrived in Leeds at 12.15, leaving him to ‘kick his heels in Leeds for 45 minutes’. He wanted instead Leeds United to provide him a free working lunch. Such was the Civil Servant's arrogance, he condescendingly demanded to speak to Jimmy Armfield on 4 occasions who was in the middle of preparations for the Final.

It was the same senior Civil Servant that claimed single-handedly to have stopped football hooliganism.

Sir Nicholas Henderson, Paris Ambassador, after the 75 Final, complained that he couldn’t understand Grammar school boys. How would professionals like Revie, Clough and Charlton from impoverished working-class backgrounds fit into this alien culture. When Revie resigned three bright managers from working class backgrounds were interviewed for the England job. It was given to the manager, without an interview, who had connections with Oxford University and the amateur game. They never stood a chance.

Revie and Ramsey were not the only ones singled out for Thompson’s opprobrium either. He disliked Hardaker, Secretary of the Football League and Sir Stanley Rous President of FIFA too.

Lecherous Behaviour

There was further evidence of antiquated entitlement, long before the ‘me too’ movement, women at functions and planes complained about Thompsons lecherous and touching behaviour, including Elsie Revie, which could have hardly endeared him to Don Revie, the committed family man with a daughter and who was looking after his mother-in-law and three aunts. This was inappropriate behaviour in any decade but particularly in one where women’s rights were the zeitgeist, and men could no longer expect automatic deference and respect. The Establishment detached themselves from this sea change. The abduction of a young female Leeds supporter saw a bout of victim blaming by the higher echelons of the FCO to cover their own failings and saw no reaction whatsoever from Revie's employers, the FA.

They took no action against Thompson for his atrocious behaviour either.

The archaic FA v Don Revie

Historically, the England team had been selected by an FA Council for nearly a century until Alf Ramsey, and there were elements, Thompson included, who wanted this restored. They were deluded in believing that the secretaries from County FA’s such as Cornwall, Rutland, and Hereford could select better players than one of the world’s most successful and experienced managers.

Jimmy Armfield, a former England captain, describes how a chauffeur, recently appointed as an England Selector was a challenged by a professional.

‘A selector. You’re a bloody driver. The only thing you can select is gears. You know nothing about football’

Indeed, the FA thought Ramseys reign was a failure as his wingless wonders was not the way that English football should be played, despite winning the World Cup.

‘The worst thing that happened to English football’

an FA administrator told Alan Hardaker, secretary of the Football League.

Don Revie was the master tactician, but with it came the historic deprecatory title of schemer. His style of football at Leeds United, who had dominated English football for a decade, wasn't without its critics.

However, it was undeniably successful, and most of the country's football supporters were behind his appointment.

Even at outset there were elements in the FA, who disagreed with the appointment and wanted a manager who was more amenable to their control, and certainly not from a northern working-class background with revolutionary new ideas. Ted Croker, the FA secretary bemoaned

‘the lack of respect for authority chiefly found in working class homes’

a swipe at Revie’s and others upbringing. Jimmy Armfield himself after a very successful tour, was severely criticised by the FA for not insisting that players wore blazers in 93-degree f heat and intense humidity, these were the characteristics the FA admired and valued rather than on field success.

Yet Thompson himself, used foul and abusive language at a FA AGM according to the Daily Mirror, had a dictatorial attitude towards other members of the FA, having used foul and abusive language at their AGM.

Thompson couldn’t help himself and constantly interfered with team selection. He believed as ‘the master’ he had a right to do so. He told Revie not to play Gerry Francis, told him to rest Keegan, then drop him, and not to play Allan Clarke and MacDonald. The problem got so bad and upsetting to the England squad, that according to Ted Croker, Don Revie banned Thompson from having team sheets before the game. An FA councillor, out of Thompson’s earshot, even said

‘no one can have an opinion on soccer except him’

Won every footballing honour but told how to manage by a chemistry don

It is difficult to imagine how a man who had won every honour in the game felt when being told who to select and how to play by an Oxford chemistry don with the backing of the ageing and sometimes sleeping FA Council. This wasn’t in the job description.

Revie had been led to believe that he was to be given a level of autonomy. But his attempts to improve standards for his players in line with other countries brought a rebuke from Thompson who believed Revie was spending too much on their wellbeing and comfort. Even an 8 day get together for the players was questioned. Revie’s contract was further breached by Thompson as he was told in no uncertain terms that team management and coaching staff were not to travel first class as had been authorised. Given the level of vitriol stirred by the Press and enhanced by some elements of the FA, by even an average performance, this placed them in potentially confrontational circumstances in what was then a turbulent society undergoing radical change.

Revie was blocked by the FA hierarchy from carrying out his reforms to the structure of international football from schoolboy upwards. Revie attended games at all levels, but this was a step too far for the FA Council who saw more of their influence over the game waning if reforms took hold. One FA council member wrote to Thompson ‘Revie thought he was more important than the post he was paid for’. The council, where amateurism was still the guiding principle despite the modernisation that both Ramsey and Revie had introduced, demanded a restoration of their control. Revie had challenged their authority with his state-of-the-art ideas and reforms.

We need to remove Revie and quick

Revie had failed to ‘co-operate dutifully’, he needed removing and quickly.

Thompson was not beyond indulging in mind games either to achieve the removal of Revie, he purposely would say Revies name wrong, and in a reminder of their differing backgrounds and positions he would use the public school language of calling him just by his surname. Thompson, according to the Daily Mirror had a dictatorial attitude.

Clough-inevitably the last word on Thompson, the mad professor

Perhaps the last word on Thompson, as he would have liked it, goes to Brian Clough in his autobiography.

‘I was wary of the mad professor’

‘a stroppy know-all bugger who in my view knew nothing’

Clough was no fan of either Leeds United or indeed Don Revie

Intriguing behind Revie's back

Wragg spoke to Ipswich about the availability of Bobby Robson, and Thompson openly admitted to Earl Harewood that he would be sacked. A whispering game had started. The press picked up on it and the pressure mounted. Restricted, undermined and criticised by his employers, attacked by the press, and for the first time in his adult life not enjoying football, the stress took its toll on Revie psychologically, he lost his voice and suffered insomnia. His family and friends were worried, his health was suffering.

Even though he had no job to go to Revie approached Dick Wragg and offered to resign if the FA made his contract paid up. They refused, possibly with the hope that he would walk.

Walked on his own terms, but the only good money is old money

Walk he did, but on his own terms, to a lucrative job in UEA. Revie, the FA had conveniently forgotten in their game playing, he was one of the most sort after managers in the world despite the lack of success in the International Arena.

The FA was well known in the footballing world for being perfidious little Englanders and Revie’s reputation on the international stage had not been harmed by their intrigues. The world believed that British attitudes were still entrenched in colonialism, certainly in the sphere of football they were right. The more enlightened overseas FA’s valued Revie’s innovative approach and he had been previously offered very lucrative jobs managing the top Italian teams and the Greek national side.

The size of the UEA contract was staggering, it evoked jealousy, but most importantly for Revie it set up his family for life, a long way from the impoverished and financially uncertain back streets of Middlesbrough in the Great Depression he grew up in. The sheer size, however, of the monies on offer played into the FA’s hand’s and they spun the ‘Don Readies the traitor’ myth.

n other countries such success would be applauded, but this was England where the only good money was old money.

Constructive Unfair Dismissal

Most lawyers looking at the sequence of events were, and still are, staggered that Don Revie didn’t claim constructive unfair dismissal against the FA. This was defined as a breach in contract entitling the employee to resign in response to the employer’s conduct. He had every right to leave and sue.

Indeed, all the elements are there, his terms and conditions were constantly breached, and his role diminished, he was harassed and bullied, he was threatened with dismissal, undermined by his employers looking to replace him, interference in his role by the unqualified, inappropriate behaviour, psychological warfare resulting in illness and the inherent belief that he was the FA’s servant.

The FA should have been dusting up their professional indemnity insurance and explaining their abuse, racism, misogynistic and anti-working-class attitudes. However, Don took no action. Possibly he had just had enough, possibly he didn’t want his country tainted by the actions of the FA. It was however a mistake and gave the upper hand to his former employers.

Mistakes

It was clear that for a man who was meticulous in his planning, Revie had been adversely affected mentally by the sequence of events. He relied on a trusted friend to help him when he arranged to release the story of resignation to both the Daily Mail and the FA simultaneously. Unfortunately, the offices of the FA were shut, and it appeared that the Daily Mail had a scoop ahead of all the other newspapers, and of course his employers.

The other papers were furious, many of the journalists had been close friends of Revie for years. They felt betrayed. For others this was the opportunity to reverse the societal changes that threatened their lifestyles. In the febrile atmosphere, Don Revie the man, was forgotten, his damaged state of mind from years of inappropriate FA behaviour was ignored, lost under a teetering stack of dirhams. The hounds were let loose.

Journalists let loose and Old Adversaries tongues wag

Many of the journalists came from the privileged background of leading public schools and Oxbridge. They invariably earnt more than the players and managers they were writing about, and they felt they deserved it. However, that was changing and there was festering resentment. Some like Peter Lewis had his own table at the Savoy and insisted on being served by the same waiter. John Moynihan drank pink champagne after matches which he watched with his bohemian friends. He loftily remarked

‘everyone seems to watch soccer nowadays, what a shame, I suppose we started it’

Geoffrey Green, regarded by many as ‘the godfather of football reporting’ spent his early life, playing polo, hunting leopards, tigers, and elephants and taking lunch at the Maharaja’s Palace. A long way from Bell Street, Middlesbrough. Green lamented ‘Hitler was right’.

There was a North South divide too. The journalists who covered Northern teams were regarded as of a poorer quality than their southern counterparts, who often had allegiances to southern teams. Northern teams and their players were portrayed as dour, defensive, and dirty. In distinct contrast teams like Chelsea were championed as avant-garde, free spirited, cavaliers.

The knives were out, old, disproved accusations were repeated as fact. Bob Stokoe, a jealous, irrational adversary of many leading managers, including Clough and Revie, was quoted as saying Revie ‘should have been castrated’.

Derek Dougan, PFA chairman said about Stokoe

‘you can’t pay much attention to what he claims’

Accusations of bribery were commonplace in English football at the time, Shankly, Docherty and others faced accusations which were never proved but they filled the column inches. An FA charge against Brian Clough, as it was rumoured he liked a bung, was only dropped because of his ill health.

Dougan remarked

‘Certain reporters will say anything, pay anything for a story, no matter how true or untrue it was, just to cause a sensation’

Billy Bremner wins record damages after accusations of bribery

Even today a twitter poster, welsh guru, despite all the evidence to the contrary, repeated the myth that Revie had only gone to UAE to avoid the accusations of bribery being prepared about him. Such was the atmosphere of retribution, any story, however farcical, would have been printed. Richard Stott writing in the Daily Mirror claimed he had prepared ‘a dossier’ of Revies misdemeanours, but in Stotts archive at the Cardiff School of Journalism there is no evidence of such a resource, just a few notes as articles he published. Indeed, the Police declined to investigate.

Billy Bremner took it further. He sued and won a court case against a Sunday newspaper that printed the allegations of bribery, and he was awarded the largest libel damages ever awarded at time of £100000 plus costs.

Vengeance however was in the air at the FA. How dare the servant leave the master without permission.

Revenge

Thompson wanted his revenge, and against all advice he chaired the disciplinary hearing, charging Revie for bringing the game into disrepute. Sat with him were 4 other notables, all born before the first World War and well past retirement age. Prominent was Bob Lord, a man who days after the Munich Air disaster had distastefully criticised Man United for levering the tragedy for their benefit. Revie declined to attend, and he was banned from all involvement in football under the jurisdiction of the English FA until he faced the charge in person which he did a year later.

Revie was found guilty and was banned for ten years. An unprecedented penalty, even the players gaoled and banned for match fixing served less time. Significantly the FA did not ask either UEFA or FIFA to extend the ban to their jurisdictions, presumably due to the flimsy basis of their decision and process.

Thompson, blinded by arrogance and vindictiveness had acted as prosecutor, judge and jury, and Revie sought a judicial review. His lawyers claimed the sentence was savage, out of proportion, a restraint of trade and an infringement on his right to work.

Justice Cantley- a snobbish man who skewed the trial of the Century- a biased judge

Revie had the misfortune of appearing before Justice Cantley, a man that Michael Bloch later described in his book on Jeremy Thorpe as

‘a snobbish man who skewed the trial of the Century’.

Cantley told friends that he didn’t relish the thought of sending an old Etonian, Privy counsellor to prison. In a notoriously summing up, he described a witness

‘he is a crook, a sponger, a whiner and a parasite … but he could be telling the truth’

The verdict was swung.

The summing up was famously parodied by Peter Cook in the sketch ‘Entirely a matter for you. A biased judge’ even releasing it as single.

Cantley was heavily criticised for his role in the Birmingham Six and Guildford Four cases where his failures led to the convictions of innocent Irish working class men and their false imprisonment for 16 years.

Cantley, in his snobbery, recognised a fellow traveller In Harold Thompson, describing him

‘as a honourable man who was disgusted with the selfish greed of the game and wanted to make change for the better’

In parallels with the Thorpe trial, he haughtily rounded on Revie saying

‘he presented the public a sensational, notorious example of disloyalty, discourtesy and selfishness’

Cantley, however reluctantly overturned the 10 year ban however but refused Revie any damages. Revies image was tarnished by Cantley’s snobbery and favouritism.

The FA continued to victimise Revie despite losing the court case

Thompson and the FA were far from satisfied with the verdict and reinforced by Cantley’s bias, they continued to victimise Revie. In another example of their Little Englander attitudes, they tried to stop Liverpool from playing in the UAE merely because Revie was in the same country.

Clubs were warned about playing host to Revie after he was spotted attending a game between his hometown club and Leeds United.

Not only was this spite spat at Revie, his former players and club suffered too. It is widely believed that one of the reasons Jack Charlton did not even get an acknowledgement from the FA of his application for the England job was his connection to Don Revie.

The FA famously failed to back Leeds United at hearings in the aftermath of the European Cup Final with Brian Glanville saying about the Star Chamber conduct of UEFA that

‘Leeds should be vigorously supported by the FA’ ‘they have been shamefully abused’.

There was no help from the FA or Thompson.

When Don died of motor neurone disease after a long illness in 1989, the FA couldn’t even be magnanimous enough to send a representative to his funeral.

The Don Readies myth dispelled

Never has such a man been so maligned and the ‘Don Readies’ myth persists in many minds, but he was never paid more than 15k pa by Leeds United demonstrating clearly loyalty to his players and directors. The club would have paid more if he had pushed. Following his appointment as England Manager Leeds United offered Peter Taylor, as an Assistant, more than Revie had been paid.

He turned down higher paid jobs at Man City, Sunderland, Coventry, Everton, the Greek National team (£20k per year tax free) Panathinaikos (28k pa tax free) and then a bidding war between Torino, and Juventus where he was offered three times his Leeds salary, but he never left Leeds United.

Chris Evans' book on Don Revie reveals that he asked for 25k equivalent of two years’ salary when he offered to resign. This would mean that he was paid substantially less as an England manager than he was at Leeds United. Hardly the mark of a greedy man.

He was however valued very highly on the world stage and entitled to be rewarded accordingly.

Loyalty and family were driving factors in his personality. He was brought up in poverty in Middlesbrough in the Great Depression with his mother dying when he was 12 and Dad, a joiner, was in and out of work having to look after 3 children, often looking for sticks to heat the home from the bitter north sea winds. Brian Clough, also from Middlesbrough never turned down a media opportunity and sort a massive pay out when he was sacked by Leeds United to set him up for the rest of his life.

Those memories influence and never leave. Glanville said about Revie ‘he was someone who had the daily fear of waking up poor again’ particularly with his family responsibilities.

You can leave the North East, but the North East never leaves you.

Kevin Keegan described Don Revie, ‘as a warm kind man, who enjoyed simple pleasures and loved his family. He was a loyal friend’.

Revie the Grandfather of the modern game

Revie suggested that Government taxation rules were changed to improve ground safety. Don was motivated by the horrific scenes at Leeds v Sunderland in 1967 when 32 fans were seriously injured. Neither the FA nor the Football League thought improvements were necessary. Evidence however suggests that this was further arrogance by the FA. In the 1960s there were 367 serious injuries and 4 deaths, in 1970-75, 352 injuries and 66 Deaths.

Football fitted into the establishments class structure. Theatre and opera patrons were given extensive protection, but football fans were not. There was a clear disregard for public safety covered by a false veneer of British orderliness and class. Don challenged this, predicting all seater stadiums, catering and entertainment that would keep supporters entertained for hours and even boxes for commercial sponsors.

Don believed in mentoring younger managers such as Ferguson and McMenemy at a time when the value of club managers was being questioned by the FA. Don would talk to Bill Shankly every Saturday night about the game and how they could improve it. He encouraged international players to talk to younger players and go into schools to work on their skills. He believed that players should be part of the community.

Commercially, Don was ahead of his time. He asked for kit sponsorship in the England job to inject money into the game which in turn went to the players. It was unbelievable to Revie that FA were still paying for kits and boots at all levels of the game when companies were prepared to provide these free of charge. Revie also promoted the sale of replica shirts with the FA being given £15k or 15% of royalties, covering his own salary. Team suits were provided by Austin Reed, and Revie brought in sponsorship deals with Courtaulds, Thomas Cooks, and the Milk Marketing Board. All conveniently forgotten when he was charged with spending too much money.

Revie's work with players cements his legacy in footballing history. He introduced diets, and banned players from going out before games, and asked for matches to be postponed to keep players fit. It is his infamous dossiers, much criticised and mocked at the time, that are the prototypes of modern-day managerial research. Bielsa, Guardiola et al owe much to Don Revie, the derided pioneer. The man with the obsessive eye for detail.

Kevin Keegan - ‘History has shown that Don was ahead of his time’

The FA learns it lesson

By the time that Bobby Robson and later Sven Goran Eriksson resigned in similar circumstances, the FA had changed and learnt its lesson. It had only taken them from 1968 and the Chester report.

Don never received his knighthood, despite a letter from the FA to the author and MP, Chris Evans suggesting that he had. Neither has his family received an apology for their behaviour towards him that caused so much anguish pain and hurt.

History had been written by the administrators who never admitted their mistakes and the actions of the achiever has been forgotten.

Leeds Football Pubs - No.3

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 16:56:34 GMT

No. 3 - The Plantation

The Plantation is a local’s local where everyone knows everyone. Hidden in the middle of a residential estate less than three miles from Elland Road Stadium. The Pride of Middleton is a proper Leeds United Pub, a place you’d avoid unless you wanted things to get a bit tasty on matchdays, The Plantation is definitely somewhere you’d actually want to go for a matchday pint.

Home and headquarters to the South Leeds Independent (SLI), coaches are run to all Leeds away games, with a park and ride service for all home fixtures – just park up, jump on the SLI matchday special and away you go. £4 adult and £2 junior return journey.

Pub Opening Times

Monday to Thursday 4pm – 11pm

Friday 2pm -11:30pm

Saturday 12pm-11:30pm

Sunday 12pm to 11pm

Opening times much, much earlier for lunchtime kick offs

Music Quiz and Hoy/Bingo on Wednesday nights from 8pm
Hoy on Sunday evenings from 6pm.
Regular summer bbqs and events
Free room hire
Sunday lunches relaunch April 2022
SLI meetings and regular gatherings.

A true Leeds United Pub.

Petition - The FA to apologise to the family of Don Revie

Fri, 28 Jan 2022 00:56:08 GMT

Don Revie had a unique, brilliant, and inventive footballing brain, winning multiple honours and creating a team that not only dominated English football for over a decade, but was feared throughout Europe. A Footballer and Manager of the Year, an England player and manager, few, if any match his record. Indeed, without Don Revie, many of the innovative aspects of the modern game would not exist.

Yet his reputation was tainted by certain members of the Football Association who intrigued, interfered, and intimidated him as England Manager leading to his eventual resignation. Don Revie was certainly way ahead of his time, but the FA was fifty years behind, in a bygone age, culturally and professionally.

Instead of being lauded in the pantheon of footballing greats for his achievements and revolutionary ideas, the FA continued a vendetta to the detriment of Don and his family, the legacy of which persists today

At the Leeds United Supporters Network (LUSN) , we welcome the efforts of Chris Evans MP , who through his book ‘ Don Revie the Biography ’ drew attention to the underhand tactics of the FA and has spearheaded the campaign to obtain an apology for Don Revie's family.

This petition will highlight the depth of feeling, not only amongst Leeds United Supporters, but throughout the wider footballing world, that history should be written by those that achieve, not by those who administer.

Clive Miers , Vice Chair of Leeds United Supporters Network, commented,

‘Looking through today's footballing prism, Don Revie was a footballing colossus; Not only did he have immense success as a player and manager, but he undoubtedly laid the groundwork for many successful players and managers that have followed. In many respects he is the father of the modern game, and it is hoped that the FA recognise that the vexatious and vindictive actions of their predecessors have done immeasurable harm to his reputation, to his family and indeed English football. We would urge everybody who appreciates football and its history to sign the petition’ .

LUSN Boost Leeds Food Bank Charity

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 16:13:32 GMT

A call from a Twitter post from the Leeds North & West Foodbank drew the eye of a member of the Thames Valley Whites as a worthwhile cause to support. Tanya Hillier, who works in social care within the Central Oxfordshire region and the Thames Valley committee member, contacted Steve Griffin, Branch Secretary, and suggested that we ask the members travelling to the next home match against Newcastle to contribute food items.

Food banks are a sad fact on our communities and past and present Governments over recent years have continued to allow people fall through the gaps. The result is food banks have sprung up in every corner of the UK as a necessity to help feed those who have fallen on hard times. The most vulnerable in our society have now become reliant on these banks through no fault of their own.

Elland Road has now become a focal point on match days where the charity collects food items given generously by the Leeds United supporters.

Every home fixture, supported by the Leeds United Supporters Trust , a food-bank van sits opposite Billy Bremner's statue where supporters visiting on match-days can donate essential food items to the volunteers who manage food parcels for those in need.

The branch put out the call to its membership that would be travelling on the coach to think of others and bring some items they could donate. There is always that tin of something in a cupboard that would never be consumed or that extra unneeded bag of pasta going to waste.

The response by the membership could easily be described as outstanding. As each member boarded the coach, 65 in total, they deposited their generous gifts into a big polythene bag. As they meandered through all their pick up points from South Oxfordshire to East Leicestershire, the coach reached Elland Road and had amassed 14 'bags for life' of various food items.

All the food items were offloaded from the coach and taken to the drop-off point at Elland Road with the help of Tanya, Rolf, Donna and Steve Griffin.

The collection was posted on social media throughout the day to publicise and make others aware of this essential and most needed charity.

A total of 30 crates was collected by the volunteers on this particular match day.

The committee and especially Tanya, would like to say a big thankyou to the TVW membership and how proud they are for responding and donating to those most in need within our communities.

If you are in financial crisis and live in England or Wales, please call the free national helpline, Help through Hardship, on 0808 2082138 for free (open Monday to Friday, 9 am-5 pm, closed on public holidays) to talk confidentially with a trained Citizens Advice adviser. They can help address your crises and provide support to maximise your income, help you navigate the benefits system, and identify any additional grants you could be entitled to. If needed, they'll issue you with a voucher so you can get an emergency food parcel from your local food bank.

Alternatively, you can call them on 0113 2444 696 (Donations) or 0113 269 2985 (Food Parcel Support), or go on their website Leeds North & West Foodbank | Helping Local People in Crisis to contribute yourself by Donating Money, Donating Food, Volunteering or, if you're a business, partnering with us to make a real difference in the local community.

Leeds Football Pubs - No.2

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 13:34:28 GMT

No. 2 - The Old Peacock

There cannot be a football club that is more inextricably linked to one pub than Leeds United.

The Old Peacock has stood on Elland Road since 1826 and has played an integral and legendary role in the history of Leeds United and its supporters. Much more than a Pub, it has been a meeting place for generations of supporters, on occasions an extra stand, a nickname, the seat of various protests movements, and a launch pad for projectiles arbitrarily aimed at opposition supporters.

Long before football was even organised, The Peacock, owned by Bentleys Brewery, opened its doors. It was so popular that it often ran out of beer. The Beer Act of 1830 saw thousands of pubs open and rather than brew their own, some pubs bought their beer from breweries like Bentleys. Beer was then priced at between 1s and 1 s 6d (5p to 7.5p) per gallon perhaps indicating the drinking prowess of its customers.

A legacy which has persisted on match days.

‘Only had the one officer’ referring of course to one gallon.

In 1842 the Peacock became ‘The Old Peacock’ when the ‘New Peacock’ opened further down Elland Road towards town in an area known as Islington although there was no demand for humus and cappuccinos in this Northern locality. Indeed, in the Old Peacock, tripe was the delicacy of choice left by the workers from the nearby Tripe works.

Bentley's Yorkshire Brewery, colloquially known as ‘Bugger Your Bladder’, in a fit of Victorian paternalism, purchased the land opposite to the pub for recreational purposes for its workers. It was called the Old Peacock Ground after the pub. It was not quite the benevolence it seemed as the Bentley brothers were not short of a bob or two, as they had walked away with £200k when their business became a limited liability company, a mere £22m today.

The Old Peacock ground was sold in 1897 to Hunslet Rugby Club for £1100 provided that it was maintained as a football ground for 7 years and Bentleys kept the catering rights. Despite rumours to the contrary, forensic evidence suggests that because of the intense heat generated by today's pies they are unlikely to originate from that time although this disputed with many supporters contending that the filing, at least, is not contemporary.

Hunslet, the forerunners of Leeds City, played their first game in April 1898 in front of 3400 supporters on the ground which was now known as Elland Road. No doubt a few celebratory gallons were quaffed at the Old Peacock across the road.

In 1910 the pub was surrounded by thousands of supporters when the gates were closed to Elland Road before a FA Semi Final between Barnsley and Everton played . The Old Peacock roof became a surrogate stand for locked out spectators throughout the decades.

The symbiotic relationship between club and pub was cemented when newly founded Leeds United took the nickname the Peacocks after the pub. This has had unfortunately had consequences for zoo keepers throughout the country, one of which bemoaned ‘We had to move the Peacocks because bloody Leeds United fans kept trying to pinch their feathers’. Indeed in the late 60s and 70s a Peacock feather was often pinned to the wall of myriads of teenage Leeds Supporters bedrooms alongside their Athena posters of Farah Fawcett Major and the Tennis Girl.

In 1963 the old pub was demolished and a new one built further back from Elland Road. The ‘old’ was now ‘new’ but not in name. It was positioned so that it’s roof provided a better view of the pitch until the South Stand was inconveniently built by Leeds United Director Bob Roberts who had interests in a nearby restaurant.

The Peacock's new side entrances provided cover for Leeds supporters to remain hidden until the arrival of the away fans. It’s car park provided an ideal battlefield, with the opportunity for a swift one if there was a lull in the fighting. In inclement weather missiles could be projected from the comfort of the Peacock entrance without the necessity of leaving a pint unattended. Everything had been thought of.

Although the Football Ground Guide does not recommend the Old Peacock for away fans it has never been regarded as a hard-core hooligan pub. Several incursions by away firms have been met by derision rather than fists. It is a scarfers pub.

In the early days of internet message boards like Waccoe, the Old Peacock Beer Garden was used for real life meet ups of the avatars, a hierarchy determined by the number of posts rather than their footballing knowledge, where keyboard warriors could settle their differences over a tinny purchased not from the pub but a local offie to avoid the queues inside.

After the Supporters Club would not use any of their reserves to help alleviate the Club's desperate financial position, Ken Bates ousted them from their privilege bar inside Elland Road. Instead, they acquired the lease of the Old Peacock for 90k. The ‘back room’ was now exclusively reserved for the members of the Supporters Club with sentinels consisting of the Executive. With a nod from Ray Fell and you were in, safe to experience a quiet bar surrounded by Leeds United paraphernalia through the ages. Far away from the heaving masses of humanity at the front bar and free to discuss the failings of the Bates regime and wish or plot his downfall. Despite the huge takings on match day, the Supporters Club were unable to attract customers throughout the week and The Old Peacock was forced to close its historic doors.

First Greene King and then Ossett Brewery took on this iconic pub creating a ‘food and ale’ pub but on a match day there is a metamorphosis into a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of football fans to meet.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 on Trip Advisor The Old Peacock has replaced tripe with exotic Thai Street food with separate lunch and dinner menus, including such delights like pineapple fried rice and pandan crepe.

The Old Peacock - 251 Elland Road, Beeston, Leeds LS11 8TU - 0113 271 5962

For full menu- https:// www.theoldpeacock.co.uk

Opening Times

Monday 3pm to 11pm
Tuesday- Thursday 12pm -11pm
Friday-Saturday 12pm -12pm
Sunday 12pm -11pm

For beers see www.ossett-brewery.co.uk

Leeds Football Pubs - No.1

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 01:38:13 GMT

No. 1 -The Scabby Taps or the Scarborough Hotel

The Guardian described the Scarborough Hotel as a ‘salubrious gastropub’, and the Guardian should know!

With its selection of eight indulgent pies, it's a far cry from the 1970s when for the first half of the decade it was the premier football pub in Leeds City Centre and a packet of cheese and onion was a rare epicurean delight.

Hundreds of youths with denim and white skinners, Docs, sheepskins or butcher coats would pack the Scabby Taps to the rafters. It was a meet and greet pub. Opposition supporters would arrive at Leeds Train Station on their football specials oblivious to their route would take them past Leeds United's most notorious followers.

Supporters who had spilled out onto the pavement outside would alert those inside that the opposition had arrived, and pursuit commenced. The police would try in vain to close the door, but the heavying mass of angry humanity would win the day. A phalanx of Leeds support would head off in hot pursuit, their battle cries frightenedly amplified by the Dark Arches, finally dying out as they reached the Dragonara Hotel to pitch battle with the fleeing away fans.

The Taps would be left silent, like a platform after a train had departed, apart from those few traditional Yorkshiremen who had just bought a round.

It was a meeting place for Leeds Supporters from not just Leeds but for all those supporters that had travelled to Leeds from all over the UK. It was common to see Leeds fans from Glasgow being misunderstood by supporters from Lincoln, Derby and Nottingham Leeds mixing amicably with their ‘eh up me ducks’, or Cockney Whites chatting to Harehills lads about investments.

Many had moved away from Leeds, or their families had, in the post war diaspora but there was one pull back to Yorkshire and that was Leeds United. By the mid 1970s too, Leeds supporters’ reputation was fearsome and the hardest kid in every school or college was always Leeds, resplendent with their Gelderd End and YRA badges and silk scarf wrapped around their wrist to identify themselves.

Cockney Reds arriving the night before a game expecting the run of the city but were surprised that Harehills and Seacroft lads had been tipped off and the Taps emptied on their arrival.

The Landlord, Jack Senior, didn’t seem to be interested in the age restrictions. It was all money to him. He would claim to anybody that would listen, and there weren’t many, that there was a phantom in one of the rooms upstairs.

Many supporters drifted away in the latter part of the 70s to nearby pubs and by the time punk was in full swing it was regarded as an NF (National Front) pub.

Although known colloquially as the Scabby Taps or the Taps, it is correctly called the Scarborough Hotel and was run by the Scarborough family from 1823 to 1847. An advert from 1884 extols the harmonica evenings and the aptly named Pablo the Magician once performed there too. You could water and stable your horses at the Hotel, but despite Leeds green credentials it is a facility little called for now.

Even in the 19th century it had a wild reputation and between 1875 – 1920 it was run, unusually, by landladies as they kept a ‘better house’.

It was part of the Leeds Jazz scene from the 1930s to the 1950s with the famous, well in Leeds, Bob Barkleys Jazz Band holding residence with the eponymous Bob playing the Tuba.

Its proximity to the train station has meant that the Scabby Taps has always attracted football supporters, although over the years it has become more gentile, sometimes merely watching the arrival of opposition ‘firms’ including the infamous ICF having their ‘lunch’ across the road at Dinos.

In 2003 the ever-youthful Toby Flint became the landlord. Toby must have been 12 when he took on the pub. The pub is now part of the Nicholson chain, and has moved decidedly up market, but so have football fans. At the side by the gents’ toilets, you will find the Mavericks congregating. A fiercely independent group of supporters that have travelled for years to virtually every game, home, away and in Europe.

On the other side a collection of supporters who at the core sit in the North East Lower, once affectionately called by a senior steward at Elland Road as the ‘naughty boys corner’.

In the middle , supporters four deep struggle to catch the eye of the bar staff mixing with the occasional scantily dressed hen party with the chief bridesmaid looking bemused that her carefully researched Trip Adviser descriptive of a traditional pub with ‘great ambience and character’ had seemingly metamorphized into a bacchanalian party.

Although it may now sport the label ‘gastro’ there is little food consumed on match day. There is neither time nor space, as the pumps are in continual use serving one of numerous draft beers and the tables are full. Despite the efficiency of the staff, such is the queue at times, that even football supporters have been seen buying a ‘nice bottle of red’ to maintain uninterrupted convivial conversation or perhaps its reflective of one of age's difficulties, a weak bladder.

In spite of this upmarket image, it will still be visited by the match constabulary who with a cursory glance withdraw, as inconspicuously as they can in near riot gear, disappointed that a free sweet potato and goats cheese pie has not been passed in their direction.

On non-match days the Taps takes on a different persona and is ranked number 1 on Trip Adviser for Leeds bars, but that is another story. Then its customers have time to consider its ceramic tiling and the Scabby Taps becomes the Scarborough Hotel taking on an architectural and sophisticated appeal.

For Leeds supporters arriving at the Station, it is worth a visit to this traditional football pub , down ‘the steps’ or ‘the turret’, to dwell on times past and maybe talk to those who ‘were there, back in the day’.

The Scarborough Hotel , Bishopgate Street , Leeds, LS1 5DY Tel 0113 243 4590

For full menu- https://www.nicholsonspubs.co.uk/

Beers - Beavertown Neck oil, Beavertown Gamma Ray, Tiny Rebel Catch, Curious beer Lager, Schofferhofer Grapefruit Radler, Maisels Weisee, Peroni, ST Stefanus, Nicholsons Pale Ale, Sharp’s Doom Bar, plus a variety of cask ales.

Bottled Ciders - old Mout Berries and Cherries, Strawberry and Pomegranate, Sandford Orchards Devon Red, and Berry Lane, Bulmer’s original.

Liquid Spirits - 16 different Gins, 13 Different Whiskies, and a number of cocktails (not recommended on match days!)

Wines -14 different vineyards with 7 House wines

Taxis - outside or at the Train Station c£8 to Elland Road

Bus - R2 Service to Elland Road- a 10 minute walk through Dark Arches to Sovereign Street.

Fan ownership. It’s nothing new.

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 15:47:26 GMT

A lesson from Leeds United's history

The fan led review about club ownership is heralded as a new pathway for English football. It may surprise many supporters that the great Leeds club that dominated English football for over a decade had no major shareholders. In fact, it was controlled by 970 shareholders stemming from the collapse of Leeds City, when shares were sold door to door, in the inner-city areas of Holbeck and Beeston which surround the Elland Road ground, to finance the launch of Leeds United.

Don Revie is inextricably linked with the parsimonious multi-millionaire Chairman, Manny Cussins. The joint heads of a seemingly well-oiled machine. The reality was that this was a far from harmonious relationship. Manny, however, only held 414 shares in the club, some 2% of the share capital. Don himself was, unusually, also a shareholder.

In 1980, Richard Hainsworth of The Yorkshire Evening Post investigated the shareholdings of Leeds United in the Revie Era, dispelling the widely held myth that the directors owned the club and milked its profits for their benefit. The reality was a shock. The directors and their spouses only held 2966 shares, less than 15% of the issued share capital. The Club Secretary at the time, Keith Archer, valued each share at 12.5p;

Manny Cussins of Sandmoor Court LS17 owned 414 Shares valued at £51.75
Mr Crowther of Blackpool owned 800 shares valued at £128.13
Bob Roberts of the Drive Adel owned 445 shares valued at £55.63
Harry Reynolds of Hough Top owned 373 shares valued at £46.62
Percy Woodward of Collingham owned 709 shares valued at £88.63

Not one of the directors could claim to be even a major shareholder;

Sam Bolton’s family held 1640 shares with a club valuation of £205
Tetley’s held 1450 shares valued at £175.63
Yorkshire Post Newspapers and John Smiths brewery both held 1000 shares with a value of £125

No shareholder owned more than 10% of the club; this dilution of the shares made the directors holdings virtually worthless. Financially they were incentivised by the value and profits of their own business interests not that of Leeds United.

Manny Cussins owned Waring and Gillows and John Peters, the 4th largest furniture retailers in the UK, Arncliffe Holdings (Builders) 38 Tailoring shops in Scotland, and 11 Clothing factories. Cussins had an ambiguous relationship with football. Jimmy Armfield describes a trip to Glasgow to watch four Leeds players in the Scotland v England match. Cussins woke a surprised Armfield at 7 am to visit and buy two factories but didn’t want to watch the game. His passion was business, football opened doors for him, it gave him real prestige, but it wasn’t a priority.

Surprisingly as history has linked the two together, Cussins hated Don Revie. He never came to terms with an employee telling him how Leeds United should be run. Indeed, he said to Tony Francis in Clough's biography (p138) ’I liked (Clough) him a lot. In fact, I preferred him to Don Revie’.

The Leeds Other Paper tapped into the views of many Leeds supporters about Cussins. Their ‘wheeler dealer column’ featured many stories about his business practices always introduced by Cussins introductory stock phrase of ‘I’m the Chairman of Leeds United’.

One of the stories they ran was of an ambitious junior employee of Cussins using his initiative to wash Cussins’ car on a visit to one of his stores. Cussins, impressed, tipped a fiver, but immediately accused the Store Manager of overstaffing and the young man was sacked.

Although Cussins used the club to boost his reputation, some director’s businesses benefited directly from their involvement in the club. Joe Jordan in his autobiography (p127) claimed that Bob Roberts firm had rebuilt the ground, including the 500k South Stand, whilst opposing testimonials for players.

The counter narrative to this was that the Directors had lent the Club vast sums of money. Richard Sutcliffe in Revies biography (p69) claimed that Manny Cussins and Albert Morris had granted interest free loans of £10k and Harry Reynolds £50k. If correct these were more than adequately supported by huge profits the Club was making, for example £138k in 1967 and £172k in 1971. The accounts in 1967 showed, however, that there were no directors’ loans outstanding, and it is likely that the loans were actually guarantor amounts with the club’s bankers. Peter Lorimer, who at the time was himself a Director, claimed that in 1974 the club had the incredible sum of £2m in the bank (the English Transfer Record at the time was £350k) and that the club was so structured that two home games covered the players wages for a season.

The commonly held belief amongst supporters was that directors were personally benefiting from the clubs success. However, the lack of shareholding meant that there were no large dividend pay-outs, the last dividend was in 1931, but perhaps the benefits came in less tangible ways. Certainly, rumours were widespread that many of the tickets for the 1975 European Cup Final ended up in the hands of the Directors friends and business associates. Carol Parkinson letter to The YEP reflected this view. She provided evidence that she had spent, in today’s money, the equivalent of £3200 following the club over the season and still could not get a ticket. She bemoaned,

‘I hate United now, the directors anyway’.

Undoubtedly, there was a ‘special allocation’ distributed at the Directors discretion.

Despite the lack of a meaningful shareholding this was one of the many benefits in being a director and being closely connected to the club. Prestige in the local community, association with success, personal ego and doors being opened for business accrued to the Board and their associates were others. Despite the broad base of the shareholding, it did not encourage ordinary shareholders involvement in running the club, perhaps a practical lesson for those that believe an extension of share ownership is the panacea to cure the ills of modern football.

The lack of dividends meant that the shareholding was very stable. Hainsworth reports ‘There is no open market in the shares and the directors try to veto any sales’. They were able to do this by virtue of Article 33 of the Articles of Association, but they had to ‘act in the interests of the club’ . A grab of shares was contested by the directors when they vetoed the sale of shares from a Probate Estate at 9 times the market value to an interested buyer. They were forced to back down when challenged by the Solicitors acting for the Estate.

Mark Twain said that ‘there is no such thing as an original idea’ and the Crouch Review demonstrates this. Leeds United had fan ownership and there was success on pitch, but manifest problems off it. The historic lessons of certain shareholders drawing benefit, prestige, ego, status and indeed tickets from an association with the club are perhaps considerations that modern supporters should be wary of. No shareholder owned more than 10% of the club; this dilution of the shares made the directors holdings virtually worthless. Financially they were incentivised by the value and profits of their own business interests not that of Leeds United.

Clive Miers

Leeds United Supporters Network

LUDO - Race Night

Sat, 09 Oct 2021 14:40:09 GMT

Race Night at Elland Road

The Leeds United Disabled Organisation is one of the most important Leeds United Supporter groups. Originally formed in 1992 it has been ever present for nearly 30 years.

LUDO has been the voice for its disabled members in improving access and facilities at Elland Road Stadium making their match day experience as enjoyable as any other supporter.

With a very dedicated Committee and regular meetings held at Elland Road it continues to seek improvements with the football club and its board members.

So make Friday the 22nd October, Race Night and, support the Committee and its members in raising funds in what has become one Leeds United's most esteemed group.

If you would like more information and membership of LUDO then please visit their site: https://www.ludo1992.co.uk/

The Gamble of Socios

paul@wearezion.co.uk (paul keat) — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 18:10:13 GMT

On 5th August Leeds United announced that they were joining a growing a number of clubs offering the Socios so called fan engagement token. The Leeds United Supporters Network have researched this product and liaised with the club over our worrying findings.

Labelled as fan engagement, Socio’s appears to be anything but. It prays on loyalty to our club, can create damaging addictions, lose supporters money, but could make fortunes for professional gamblers with wild swings in the value of the Cryptocurrency that underpins the scheme.

The regulator of financial products in the UK, the Financial Conduct Authority, although not able ‘currently’ to regulate cryptocurrencies, issued a stark warning in a fact sheet, (1)

this is a ‘very high risk, speculative investment’ ‘ Be prepared to lose all your money’

The Governor of the Bank of England too, Andrew Bailey commented ‘I am going to say this very bluntly. Buy them if you are prepared to lose all your money’ before observing that he didn’t think that they would last. (2)

The Treasury identified several risks to the consumer, of unsuitability, large losses, exposure to fraud and the failings of providers.

Outside the field of finance Castle Craig who run world renown rehab clinics for addiction said that Crypto currency dealing had the same behavioural addiction hallmarks as problem gambling with all the resulting issues for finance, families, and health (3)

Even the Advertising industry, who desperately need new revenue streams, said that ‘given target audiences lack of financial savvy there is perhaps an even greater need than usual to present campaigns as scrupulously and accurately as possible’ (4) something that hasn’t been apparent in most clubs marketing of the product.

Arsenal describe it ‘just like buying foreign currency for your holidays’. It is not.

Currencies move in small percentages, Chiliz, the underlying cryptocurrency has moved 40% in a day. There is little stability in the values of cryptocurrencies compared to the stocks and shares, foreign currency or even commodities such as oil. They are far more volatile. Chiliz, registered in Malta, is quite a small player in the market, further increasing the possibility of rapid movement.

Cryptocurrencies have been targeted on the younger generation often through influencers or trusted organisations. A ‘Save the Kids charity’ cryptocurrency was promoted by a number of influencers with over 50 million followers such as the FaZe Clan. Coffezilla, a youtuber, dedicated to evidencing online scams, revealed that the currency tanked by 50% two minutes after it launched, and the investors ended up losing virtually all their money. ‘It was a premedicated scam’ he commented (5)

Perhaps the last word in risk comes from Chiliz itself in its white paper or prospectus (6)

‘if any of the risks mentioned in the terms are unacceptable or the participant is not in a position to understand, the participant should not acquire, hold or use chiliz’

Socio’s identified many risks with their own product

In the case of loss there is no investor compensation scheme.

It is difficult to predict how and whether regulations will be applied, with a very pointed warning ‘that the company may cease trading if regulations may make trading commercially undesirable’.

There is of course a distinct prospect of this occurring, Standard Life/Aberdeen, the country’s largest asset management company with £535 billion under management believe that policymakers will act to stop widespread adoption of alternative currencies (7) Regulation often starts with strict rules on marketing and advertising, and we know that both the Financial Conduct Authority and the Advertising Standards Authority are looking at this.

Taxation rules are uncertain and buyers are advised by Chiliz to get independent tax advice.

There are risks with the failure of hardware, software, internet connection, money laundering, fraud and exploitation for illegal purposes (8)

Unfortunately, none of these risks identified by Socios/Chiliz have been passed on by the club to the supporters, it is hoped that this may come with the launch, of course. Perhaps the Chiliz sales pitch glossed over the risks to fans in favour of the benefits to the club.

This is a far cry from the glamorous concept of radical fan engagement with a crowd control engine giving fans voting rights to guide the favourite team’s management and strategic decisions. Indeed, fan engagement is very low amongst those entitled to vote, less than 15% and sometimes below 10% (9) . This would suggest that the purchase of tokens is little to do with engaging with the club but speculation.

Perhaps the basis of this can be seen by looking at the named executives, advisers, and investors in the Chiliz prospectus. Possibly ten are professional poker players, including the CEO of Socios Alexandre Dreyfus (10) , but only one has declared a financial services background. It’s a bit like asking Bet 365 to design a bank account.

It appears to be a western street front of respectability pulling in the unwary but hidden behind is a raucous gambling den with marked cards. Venture in there at your peril.

One of the four named investors stands out to football fans, Dr Stanley Choi, he of Wigan Athletic fame. Choi sold Wigan to Next Leader Fund, Choi’s company IEC lending them the money to acquire it, who then, only two weeks later, put Wigan into administration, ensuring with the points deduction that they were relegated (11) Wigan were 16th at the time they went into administration.

Rick Parry of the EFL speculated that there had been a massive bet in the Philippines that Wigan would be relegated (12) Wigan had certainly been mired in rumours of betting scandals for a number of years (13) . It is maybe coincidental that Choi is a top poker player, once winning $6.5 million in the Macau High Stakes Challenge and owning Casino’s in the Philippines (14) . He never attended a Wigan Board meeting such was his interest in football (15) and yet seemingly he wants to invest in a scheme that promotes ‘fan engagement’ something that was sadly lacking from his time at Wigan.

The investors and the owners seem to hold most of the cards in this Socio’s scheme, 91% of Barcelona’s tokens, 81% of Juventus, 65.7% of Atletico are owned by one source (with cryptos there is no openness of ownership as with a PLC) (16) When trading volumes increase the stock is dumped such 400000 PSG on the rumours of Messi joining (17) . The more ordinary fans join the higher the trading volumes. It’s akin to a pyramid scheme. At every twist and turn the app encourages the purchase of more tokens, more cryptocurrency, higher trading volumes, the more of the reserve that can be injected into the system. Joey D’Urso article for the Athletic suggests that Socios have liquidated $80 million since March. (18)

As an unregulated product there are no rules on insider trading or market abuse (19) as there are with shares. Some Executives and Directors could take advantage of prior knowledge of transfer deals to gain personally as such a scheme spreads rapidly across the football community.

The Leeds United Supporters Network has for the last few weeks pointed out these issues privately to the club and recommended that it shouldn’t be launched as happened with West Ham (20) but if the club were unable to withdraw from the scheme for contractual reasons, how they should ensure that the product is correctly targeted on those that can understand and accept the risk.

The club gains from a commission on each trade, which allegedly is very lucrative. There are unsubstantiated rumours of up to 50%, however Socio’s claim that £73million have been paid to its partners (21) . We have pointed out to the club the dangers of marketing an unregulated product, when the club itself is regulated by the FCA and how that this historically has caused reputational damage and large compensation bills to many high street names. (22) There is a possibility of damage to the club’s standing as well as possible compensation for mis-selling, Certainly West Ham thought there was.

This product could therefore be seen as a danger, not only to the vast majority of supporters but also to the club itself. The Leeds United Supporters Network, having engaged with leading experts in the field of cryptocurrencies, felt that, for reasons of commercial sensitivity, the club should be advised, confidentially, of its research with the hope that the scheme would be shelved or correctly targeted. (23)

However, we have not received any such assurances and therefore it is important to say to our members that we do not feel that this is a product that should be bought by the broad fan base without full knowledge and understanding of the risks of crypto currencies. If any supporter is tempted, the regulatory publications should be referred to, expert advice taken from an Independent Financial Adviser and the taxation aspects looked at by a Chartered Accountant.

There is a wider concern that this is just the start. The loyalty that supporters have to the club and their trust in the current directors make them a lucrative target market for not just the unregulated cryptoasset market but also the risker areas of financial service products too.

Leeds United Supporters Network - Research 19/08/21

Sources

1 - FCA Factsheet www.fca.org.uk/consumer/cryptoassets

2- Andrew Bailey Press Conference CNBC 07/05/2021- Bailey also warned he didn’t feel the market would last. He contrasted the movements in forex and oil prices against bitcoin.

3- Castle Craig -castlecraig.co.uk- Guide to cryptocurrency addiction- They believe that it becomes a problem for 9 in every 1000, but also 70 invest at levels that could be very risky and may lead to difficulties. Therefore, for every 50000 fans it will be a serious problem for 450, and potentially for another 3500.

4- The Drum -Emma McInnes August 6th 2021-Why marketers must be wary of targeting the cryptocurious.

5- Nbc Inside the wild west of Cryptocurrencies and Faze Clan & Ricegum Promoted Scams for Kids - YouTube.

6- Chiliz whitepaper- CHZ_whitepaper.pdf (chiliz.com) page 59 reference to Dr Stanley Choi

7- Aberdeen/Standard Life Briefing note 17th August 2021

8- BBC- Hackers steal $600 million in major cryptocurrency heist 12th August 2021

9- @uglygame Martin Calladine

10- www.thehendonmob.com list of the worlds top poker players

11- Thepieatnight.co.uk 19/06/20 quoting Phil O’Brien Choi was a majority shareholder in the new owners but stepped back. His other company IEC lent the new owners £24.36 million at an interest rate of 8% rising to 20% after six months.

12- Independent -Mark Critchley 3rd July 2020 . EFL chairman Rick Parry secretly filmed discussing Wigan relegation and a bet in the Philippines.

13- cardschat.com Daniel Smyth ‘Stanley Choi considered key player in Wigan Athletic Administration Controversy’. It was alleged that in 2019 a wired spectator had been removed from the ground linked to betting in Hong Kong. NFL was set up in the Cayman Islands in Jan 2020 at the time Choi was the major shareholder.

14- www.thehendonmob.com list of the worlds top poker players includes the CEO of Chiliz.

15- The Athletic Adam Crafton 04/07/20- How Wigan were torn apart by invisible owners

16- @uglygame Martin Calladine Chiliz drops 40% on May 18th 2021

17- Ibid

18- The Athletic Socio’s fan tokens-what they really are and how they work-special investigation by Joey D’Urso Aug 18 2021.

19- Insider dealing is a criminal offence under part v of the Criminal Justice act 1993, and criminal market manipulation is an offence under sections 89-91 of the Financial Services Act- Reference FCA paper Market Abuse. There are no such rules on cryptoassets.

20- The Athletic Socio’s fan tokens-what they really are and how they work-special investigation by Joey D’Urso Aug 18 2021.

21- Ibid

22- PPI was an unregulated product often sold by companies who were regulated. A common law decision declared that high levels of commission meant that the contract was illegal counter to the defence that it was an unregulated product so there were no rules. Compensation totalled £38billion. The FCA now hold senior management to account for the sale of unregulated products expecting high standards to apply. In addition, financial promotions must be fair and not misleading, giving a balanced impression of the product and must not disguise or diminish. This is not apparent in the Socio’s marketing so far. Both the FCA and the ASA are looking at the marketing of these products.

23- Emails 8/08/21 09/08/21 and 13/08/21

LUSN Member Groups Marching on Old Trafford

paul@wearezion.co.uk (paul keat) — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 18:16:19 GMT

LUSN's first Away day of the 2021/22 Season

With the first day of the season just under a week away, Leeds United fans are preparing for a historical return to the Premier League. With a new away ticket policy announced a few weeks ago LUSN member groups such as South Leeds Independent, Thames Valley Whites and Garforth Whites are preparing travel arrangements for the visit to Old Trafford. With tickets at a premium and an allocation of around 3000 the LUSN network are busy filling up their coaches.

Dean Pearson, Chairperson of the SLI announced to the network that they will be providing two coaches for their members. With one of the biggest groups based in Leeds, members have struggled to obtain tickets for this match.

Thames Valley have also a coach travelling to Old Trafford with an early departure time of 7am from their South Oxfordshire base in Didcot, with an even early departure time for the Hampshire Whites based in Southampton.

Throughout the season member groups of the LUSN will be organising travel to all home and away fixtures ensuring supporters can safely travel together.

If you are looking for like minded Leeds United fans to travel then take a look at out ever growing member groups. Most groups are currently taking memberships for the 2021-22 season and what better way to follow the Whites then with like minded supporters. So get in touch with your local group now and let someone else make your travel arrangements.

LUSN welcomes Nottingham Whites

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 21:55:15 GMT

LUSN are pleased to add Nottingham Whites to the groups who have already joined.

LUSN now represents over 3000 Leeds United Supporters and we are still growing!

Gary Speed's Lost Plaque On Its Way Home

Thu, 29 Jul 2021 21:53:13 GMT

Gary Speed - Galway Branch's 1993 Player of the Year

In 1993 Gary Speed (RIP) was presented with the Player of the Year Award by Galway Branch of Leeds United Supporters. This group is now the Galway Whites - run by the same people.

In June, this year, an absolute gentleman named Mark, from Wrexham, contacted us looking for information about the Galway Branch. He had in his possession the plaque that was presented to Gary Speed al those years ago.

It had been found in a hotel close to Chester. they were having a clear out and a mate of Mark's took it. Mark realised that the plaque was significant and contacted us looking for information about it. We told Mark the story and we are delighted to say that Mark is making arrangements for the plaque to be returned to us.

We can't thank Mark enough - firstly for looking after the plaque and secondly for returning it to us. He's an absolute gem of a person and we appreciate everything he has done so far.

Looking forward to the plaque arriving home.

Thames Valley - All set for 2021-22 Season

paul@wearezion.co.uk (paul keat) — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 21:50:41 GMT

Thames Valley Whites are now back up and running after going into forced hibernation since the 2020 Huddersfield game at Elland Road when attending matches ceased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their membership is now looking forward to the new season.

No doubt, it has been a long and arduous 18-month of no live football for this Southern-based Supporters branch of the 'Network'. As a founder member of the LUSN, the branch committee has been preparing for the upcoming season. The Government have lifted all legal requirements of social distancing and attending Elland Road to watch Leeds United in the Premier League now has its members counting down the days.

Adey Curd, the branch Chairperson, reflects on the missed promotion matches towards the end of the 2019-20 season.

''It was such a shame that this pandemic took away what would have been a great day in the history of our football club. We would have had a Party at Swansea City when we clinched promotion as we would have played those rounds of games on the same day as the other Championship fixtures''.

With Leeds United making a remarkable first season impact back in the top flight, branch members had to watch the Whites play on Television or dodgy links.

The Thames Valley members began the first part of the 2020-21 season social distancing at Didcot Town FC large function room with a hired giant Television screen. With sold-out signs displayed, the membership tried to recreate that Elland Road atmosphere. One bonus was they were back home a lot earlier than they would have been if they had attended the games. One member stated that the venue was the next best thing to being at the game, and with around 100 members, it made for a great day and atmosphere. Sadly with the impeding second lock-down, the venue had to be shut down.

The membership has stayed in contact with each other through the Branch Whatsapp group, which became very popular during the live games. The banter was good, and it also became a source of contact for those having to 'Stay at Home'.

As the country edges towards normality, TVW has identified Loughborough as the test for travelling to games on the coaches. With the first games of the season being Old Trafford, followed by Elland Road, the membership will need to re-acclimatise those long trips up the M1 motorway and almost 8-hour round trip journeys, usually broken up with a pub stop here and there.

New member Michael Jones told us that he had recently joined the branch after moving to Reading, Berkshire, from Wakefield. He was surprised to see a fully organised Supporters Club in the area and that they regularly travelled to every home and away game by coach.

''I was thinking of giving up my Season Ticket at the time as I thought driving up and down to Leeds would be too much so when I saw the details of the branch, I gave them a call''.

One of the fundamental advantages of joining the Thames Valley Whites is that new friendships are formed. Travelling alone by car or train can be pretty lonely, but the branch members are friendly and make new members very welcome on the bus. There is never a dull moment with all the banter.

So while Marcelo Bielsa prepares his team for the season, the TVW's also join him with a practice run to Loughborough.

LUSN's Ticketing Review with Leeds United

paul@wearezion.co.uk (paul keat) — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 18:26:06 GMT

LUSN latest communication with Leeds United

Following a request from Leeds, Clive, our SAB rep, produced a report for the club based on feedback from LUSN groups.

A number of things have been adopted or changed whether solely to do with that report or not we are not sure but our feedback has been considered.

a. Ticket sales being moved to a lunch time.

b. The club being totally transparent about the numerical distribution of away tickets instead of opaque.

c. The club was not aware that some fonts that their agency was using on ticket/membership information was unreadable on a mobile device. They were grateful that this was pointed out to them

d. Some groups were agitated about the lack of information about tickets for the pre-season friendlies. I reported this to Katie and information appeared within a day.

Hampshire Whites: Back at ER

Sun, 23 May 2021 13:53:26 GMT

23rd May 2021 - Leeds United v WBA

A few members of Hampshire Whites, who were lucky enough to come out of the ballot, excitedly set off to Elland Rd. Getting the tickets, organising the transport and sorting pick ups felt very strange after so long away. We set off very early to make sure we could drink in the atmosphere - was there going to be an atmosphere or was it going to feel empty?

We couldn't do our usual stop as it was full of motor bikers and we didn't want to waste too much time - so we had a service station stop - well unusual times!!

We arrived at Elland Rd and either drank or wandered around the ground remembering what we had missed!

The match itself was very emotional and felt more like a festival than an end of season match - thanks to West Brom for their contribution and to Pablo for some magic! The noise in the ground was amazing and added to the wonderful atmosphere.

We all had tears in our eyes when Bera and Pablo left the pitch. Then the 250 mile journey home!

A wonderful day, well organised by Leeds, and we are now looking forward to next season.

MOT

lusn-v2

VAR: Leeds United Fans Among Growing Majority Losing Faith in the System

LUSN Statement – Savile Chanting vs. Crystal Palace

LUSN Welcomes Leeds United Reflection and Improved Communication before FA Cup Game

Leeds United Supporters’ Network – Statement

Leeds United Supporters’ Network Tribute – Terry Yorath

LUSN - A New Year Message!

A Special Birthday

Hampshire Whites present cheque to Piam Brown Ward

The Piam Brown Ward

14th November 1998

The Good News

LUSS annual trip to Yorkshire

LUSS Trip of Football and History!

Away Ticket Changes - Ballot Statement

Statement - Away Ticket Ballot Announcement

The Ownership of Leeds

The 49ers - Sellers, Sinners or Saints ?

Socios - where are we now?

LUSN update on financial position of Socios - The Socios Rip Off

LUSS return to Leeds

LUSN group LUSS organise their annual celebration trip

Galway at Cardiff

LUSN group Galway Whites in Leeds

New Chair at LUSN

Dean takes over the LUSN Chair

LUSS in LEEDS

LUSS Annual Trip to Leeds

Galway Whites: Celebrations in Leeds

Oisin and Ray celebrate their birthdays with the Galway Whites

Jimmy Savile Chanting

The Effect on the Survivors of Sexual Abuse This article will make uncomfortable reading...

The Scale of the Problem

Damage that Savile chanting can cause to Survivors

The FA, EFL, the Press, and the Police

Enter the BBC

The FA and Leeds United

What do these chants feel like to a survivor of sexual abuse?

Icelandic Whites Arrive in Leeds

Icelandic Whites in Leeds for Annual Christmas Party

From Pies to Pints

Drinking beer - not wasting it

LUSN in conversation with Gretar Steinsson

Gretar, the quiet man at Elland Rd

Leeds on the road - Hampshire Whites!

An excellent evening at Fleming Park Bowling Club with Tony Dorigo, Angus Kinnear and Gretar Steinsson with over 75 Hampshire Whites

-

- All photos provided by Simon Davis at LUFC - thank you

Tale of Two Pies

LUSN working for its members - improving the matchday experience

LUSN - 2 years on

Another Successful Year For LUSN

My experience of meeting Adam Pope BBC Radio Leeds commentator

...by Daniel - LUDO (Leeds United Disabled Organisation)

LUSS arrive in Leeds

All roads lead to Elland Road for LUSS!

Talking to Supporters...

Just how expensive are our Tickets?

LUSN Vice-Chair, Clive Miers, investigates further...

Chelsea Away

Useful Away Information

Please take note of the AWAY Supporter Entry System and Requirements!!!

CHELSEA

Important Information for Coaches and LUSN Supporters Travel

There will be three stages to approach the Away stand turnstiles.

1st Stage

2nd Stage

3rd stage

Car Parks

Travel by train

Away Pubs

Prince of Tek

The Courtfield Tavern

The Blackbird

Speakers Corner

LUSN's Guest Speakers have been varied, to say the least!

Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board

Leeds United Supporters Advisory Board Positioning statement

West London Whites

New LUSN organization announcement

The Effect on the Survivors of Sexual Abuse
This article will make uncomfortable reading...