Leeds To Start Next Season -15 Pionts

[eddie11]

It just gets worse

Leeds hit with 15-point penalty

Leeds have received permission to play in League One this season after being granted their Football League share but must do so with a 15-point deduction.

The club have appealed against the sanction imposed by the Football League and their case will be heard at a special meeting of all league clubs.

Doubts had been raised over Leeds' future after the club failed to agree a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA).

The Football League accepted there were "exceptional circumstances".

Report: Leeds Utd given 15-point penalty

But in making their decision, it was stressed they could not allow Leeds to operate outside the strict rules concerning administration.

Leeds are back under the control of Ken Bates after administrators KPMG sold the club to him for an undisclosed sum.

The CVA would have allowed Leeds to pay off an acceptable amount of their debts to creditors.

"The Football League Board agreed that, notwithstanding the manner in which this administration has been conducted, the club should be permitted to continue in the Football League," said a statement.

"Consequently, the board has decided to make use of the 'exceptional circumstances' provision within the League's insolvency policy, for the first time, and agreed to transfer the club's share in The Football League to LeedsUnited 2007 Ltd. Accordingly, the club's share has now been transferred.

"However, it is acknowledged the club did go into administration and has been unable to comply with the terms of the League's well-established insolvency policy.

"As a result, the board determined this transfer of membership should be subject to Leeds United having a 15-point deduction applicable from the beginning of the 2007/08 season.

"Leeds subsequently have lodged an appeal against this sanction, which will be heard at a special meeting of all League clubs, to be arranged in due course."

Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney met with both KPMG and Bates, telling them to change the CVA, which governs how much creditors will get.

From BBC SPORT

[mrtoad]

They have only been given the punishment that they would have recieved hadn't they circumvented the rules last season. It will certainly make it tough for them next season, and it will probably make players think twice about signing for them.

[warriors]

Yes but they have allready a signed up squad and sold one along the way for $$$$$. But yes they will stay in this Div I think for at least 3 years unless the 15 points deduction is reduced even then it may only be to 10 points which will get them half way this year in the Div.

My concern is will the fans ( next year still want to come) this year they have already signed up season tickets with a hope that they would push for promotion. Not now -15 so next year maybe a big drop off of fans to other Yorkshire clubs. But I hope not, yet they will have to drop there pricers and then it has a efect in there $ recovery to pay for better players.

It is not looking to bright.

So my question this year is the same as last year.

Will they or won't they get out ot this lowly div?.

[redrus]

Leeds In Big Trouble

Friday 3rd August 2007

From the Grauniad:

'Ken Bates's hopes of securing the Football League share for his new company Leeds United 2007 appeared more distant yesterday after the league and HM Revenue and Customs declared their opposition to his most recent takeover of the club.

'Customs & Revenue had already challenged through the high court the result of a previous sales process arranged by the administrator, KPMG, that saw the consortium led by the former Chelsea chairman win control of Leeds.

'That was a company voluntary agreement (CVA) in which Bates's company proposed to pay 8p in the pound to all creditors. KPMG responded by organising a second bidding process that Bates again won, with an offer that amounted to 52.9p in the pound to creditors.

'The key to winning the bid was that Astor Investment Holdings, a company that insisted it had no existing formal connections to Bates, withdrew its claim for £17.6m owed to it by Leeds. The administrator had been satisfied by Astor's solicitor, Mark Taylor - himself a director of Leeds United 2007 - that no connections existed.

'However, Customs & Revenue yesterday said it was not satisfied by the sales process. "We are not prepared to enter into any arrangement that lacks complete transparency about the identity of creditors and the terms of any deal being reached," said Dave Hartnett, a director-general of business at the revenue.

'The Football League has meanwhile been working to persuade the administrator and Leeds United to reinstate the CVA process.

'Meetings have been taking place this week involving the chairman of the Football League, Lord Mawhinney, Leeds and senior officials from KPMG.

'Mawhinney claimed yesterday that his demand to reinstate the CVA had been approved by the two other parties to the negotiations. "We have got to resolve it soon because the season starts in nine days' time," he said.

'But the league will not hand over the share to Bates's company - which would provide it with the players' registrations - without the approved CVA.

'"One of the issues [the parties have] been wrestling with is that the administrators have sold to [bates's] Leeds United 2007 certain assets and liabilities, including Elland Road and the players' contracts," said Mawhinney.

"The players' registration remains with the old club, which is in administration. The registrations are a relationship between us and the club.'

redrus

[Sunderland]

I think it's very sad indeed ...

[mrtoad]

I think it's very sad indeed ...

No you don't

[mrbojangles]

I think it's very sad indeed ...

No you don't

I do.

We all have one thing in common and that is football. The fans (i don't care who you support) really don't deserve this. It is so called business men who have landed them in the sh1t.

All the best Leeds

[mrtoad]

The ineresting thing is, that the person who is proabably responsible for this Mr Peter "I love myself" Risdale has been able to get back in control of two football clubs since then. Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

[mrbojangles]

Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

Absolutely

[redrus]

I think it's very sad indeed ...

No you don't

I do.

We all have one thing in common and that is football. The fans (i don't care who you support) really don't deserve this. It is so called business men who have landed them in the sh1t.

All the best Leeds

The ineresting thing is, that the person who is proabably responsible for this Mr Peter "I love myself" Risdale has been able to get back in control of two football clubs since then. Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

Absolutely

Yes yes and, yes, I agree.

Even as a United fan, I agree....! Downfall on Leeds scale is <deleted>. There is nowt like a Leeds away day....! I'm sorry for your downfall, please, come back, asap.

redrus

[bendix]

My sense is that the 15 point reduction will be reduced on appeal. Not eliminated totally, but reduced to around 5 points.

And it certainly hasn't affected player signings this week. They've signed 4 players this week, two previous loanees (Danish international keeper Casper Angerken and defender Matt Heath) or pre-season trialists (Leon Constantine and Curtis Weston). All four are pretty good players for Div 1.

I've been a Leeds fan for 38 years. This kind of shit becomes second nature after a while; I'm just relieved to have a club to cheer for. For a while, i was seriously thinking they would have gone out of business.

We'll be back.

[mrtoad]

And it certainly hasn't affected player signings this week. They've signed 4 players this week, two previous loanees (Danish international keeper Casper Angerken and defender Matt Heath) or pre-season trialists (Leon Constantine and Curtis Weston). All four are pretty good players for Div 1.

I agre, that they are reasonable signings.

Constantine though, is a bit of an enigma. Whe he was initially at Torquay he was utstanding, and looked like a really prolific lower division goalscorer, sadly he went a bit off the boil and had a couple of different clubs. Looks like he has got himself back on track at Port Vale with 24 goals last season, so he should be a canny signing if he keeps up his present run. He will either be great or absolute s#%@

I'd hedge my bets that Leeds finish around 10th this year if they have the full points deduction. Without it, they may do considerably better, but league 1 is a difficult league to get out of. Just ask a team like Notts Forest.

[mrbojangles]

I'd hedge my bets that Leeds finish around 10th this year if they have the full points deduction. Without it, they may do considerably better, but league 1 is a difficult league to get out of. Just ask a team like Notts Forest.

Yeah i'd have to agree with that. Even without the points deduction we only scraped out of that division. But that was a distant memory ago

[bendix]

And today they resigned Rui Marquez, the Angolan international (he was at the World Cup last year) and who proved a revelation when he played towards the end of last season.

Also signed up Dave Prutton, the Southampton midfielder. Only 25 and already 300 league appearances.

Things are bad, but they are looking up. All credit to Wise for keeping these players interested when they looked like there may have been no club for them to sign to for a while.

[totlanh]

A complete travesty of supposed justice IMHO.I jusat hope Leeds answer by securing promotion this season,but it will be very difficult.Good luck anyhow chaps....

[eddie11]

Well today those bastards upheld the 15 point deduction

"Leeds United presented their appeal and why they thought the board was wrong," said the Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney. "We then had a vote which overwhelmingly endorsed the decision that there should be a sanction. In a second vote the League overwhelmingly endorsed the sanction. Overwhelmingly means the vote was over 75% in support of the board.

"Leeds are starting the new season in League One as a valued member of the league's football family but with a penalty of 15 points."

Marching on Together, we will be back

How can those who are directly influenced by the result of the appeal have the last say i.e our rivals in the Football League?

Edited August 10, 2007 by eddie11

[bendix]

Things like this galvanise Leeds. Sod em, we don't care. It will make us even more motivated to get back to where we belong.

I wonder, by the way, how Ridsdale voted?

[eddie11]

here is a list of the teams who voted in our favour. ( not official)

Bradford City

Burnley

Colchester United

Darlington

Gillingham

Ipswich Town

Nottingham Forest

Plymouth Argyle

Queens Park Rangers

Sheffield United

Sheffield Wednesday

Stockport County

Stoke City

Swindon Town

Watford

Wrexham

Edited August 10, 2007 by eddie11

[mrtoad]

So it appears that Peter "Living the Dream" Ridsdale didn't vote in favour of the club that he destroyed.

[bendix]

The man is beneath contempt.

[mrbojangles]

So it appears that Peter "Living the Dream" Ridsdale didn't vote in favour of the club that he destroyed.

He probably read this thread anf got p1ssed off

The ineresting thing is, that the person who is proabably responsible for this Mr Peter "I love myself" Risdale has been able to get back in control of two football clubs since then. Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

[mrtoad]

So it appears that Peter "Living the Dream" Ridsdale didn't vote in favour of the club that he destroyed.

He probably read this thread anf got p1ssed off

The ineresting thing is, that the person who is proabably responsible for this Mr Peter "I love myself" Risdale has been able to get back in control of two football clubs since then. Personally, i think the guy shouldn't be allowed witihin 3 miles of a football ground.

Nah, don't think so. The guy has got very, very thick skin and has never admitted any responsibilty for any of the things that went wrong. Although, when it was going well, you couldn't keep him of the TV or out of the newspapers. I think he is a despicable piece of dog turd.

I'm a Man Utd fan (Football first though), and although I've had a chuckle about this a few times, I think most of us want to see Leeds back up and competing at a higher level.

[twentythreemc]

Ok so its mostly doom and gloom at the moment but, and this is possibly a long shot that Leeds could appeal to UEFA and FIFA as this is a very prejudicial verdict and one that I am sure will be viewed by the authorities outside our own leagues as setting a dangerous precedent.

How can a reasonable verdict be reached when self interest reigns supreme amongst fellow members of the league. Now let me say that in no way do I as a lifelong Leeds fan endorse what Ken bates has done and in no way do i support him , but the HMRC will get there day in court in September maybe then will he get his.

I for one am glad that we are kicking off the season tomorrow but my sense of relief is tempered by the fact that we have been deducted 25 points for some political football match between HMRC and the Football League and the egos of spoilt bastards who should know better.

They pretend there football people but there not because if they were they wouldn't let one club ever go out of business and they have it in there power to help, my heart goes out to Scarborough FC and Boston for there plight and we have come so very close.

Laugh now people because we will be back especially my good friend SUNDERLAND as my footballing resolution this year everytime Sunderland get beat I am going to get drunk in celebration, and I will post my thoughts on there progress on this forum, I wonder if anybody will shower R Keane in beer like they did to P eter Reid, I doubt it because none of them have the bottle.

I will reiterate my previous mantra on the subject I would rather support Leeds in the 3rd Division than Sunderland in the Prem Lge really no contest.

It is total symptomatic of the attitude of football fans in this country to kick a team when there down, well i for one will never cheer another English club in Europe, will never sympathise with another clubs plight or lift a hand to help.

Cheers

23

PS Apologies to the Buddhists on the forum Im really a pretty peaceful guy