More of this, please, Ross
It’s been a shocking and distressing day for all of us – many out here are thinking back to this morning when we were grumbling about another dull deadline day in prospect. And now – we’re wishing we could turn the clock back.
The last couple of hours have been depressing and humiliating. For God’s sake, even Gary bloody Neville feels sorry for us. Brian McDermott, the voice of reason in the Elland Road asylum, has been sacked – although there isn’t the courtesy of a statement from the club to confirm this. A couple of hours before this, the club turned down a bid from Cardiff for captain and top scorer Ross McCormack. Ross then gave a statement to pisspoor TV station Sky Sports, saying he was happy at Leeds and looking forward to playing for McDermott. A tinge of alarm there, that solidified into an icicle of dread when the axe fell on poor Brian’s honest head.
The thing is – you don’t just play for the manager. With all due respect, Ross, you play for the fans, for the shirt, for your team-mates, for the club. Managers come and go as we all know. It’s sad – tragic, sometimes. But it happens – and when it does, then the senior players are under a moral obligation to stand up and be counted. That is what the Leeds fans out here now desperately need of the Ross McCormack they’ve watched scoring goals and kissing that badge this season. Don’t take the easy road and opt out. Don’t lose that fight and defiant professionalism that has marked you out as star man this season. There’s a derby match tomorrow against Huddersfield, and as usual they will play it as a Cup Final. For once – instead of succumbing to that smaller-club chip-on-the-shoulder motivation, the Leeds players need to respond in kind. They will need their skipper and talismanic striker to lead them in this. They will need YOU, Ross. And the fans will need you, too.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. They don’t come over all prima donna and let themselves be persuaded by the disgraceful Sky TV that the only option is to flounce in and demand a move. It’s been such a horrible, horrible day – but Captain Ross McCormack and the rest of the lads in those shirts – shirts that any of us fans out here would give a year’s salary to wear – can start the fightback tomorrow. That’s what the big players do. That’s the professional thing to do. You have a contract, guys, but what’s more than that – you have a duty of trust to the fans that have stuck by you through a decidedly average season. They kept the faith after Rochdale and after Sheffield Wendies, and they cheered you to the rafters as you lost unluckily to Leicester. Please don’t abandon them against Huddersfield. Pride is at stake here, and it’s about much, much more than an individual player’s unhappiness. Rise above it, fight and win, if at all possible.
The time to sit down and think things over is in the summer. Things may be clearer by then. Now, in the heat of the moment, is not the time to act in haste. It’s not a time to forget the fans who worship you, and head off to the the very bottom of the Premier League, where Vincent Tan awaits. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire? Bite your lip, Ross, and roll those sleeves up. You can be the hero we need in very dark times.
Get that shirt on, go out and fight
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Where do we fuckin start. GFH whoever is in charge you should be hung from the rafters if you thought we were a short term profit and took 6-9 months in due diligence. Then fool you I hope you’ve made a massive loss and deservedly so. Its just business to you but to may thousands its much more. FUCK OFF AND NEVER DARKEN OUR DOOR AGAIN
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You’re out of touch Rob! Money ruined this game due to Murdoch and his cronies. Cancel your subscription now!
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You should read a few blog back numbers mate – I’ve been saying that for bloody ages.
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I hope he’s reading this.
MOT
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I hope he’s asleep!!
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Rob, there is more to Leeds United than football. The running of the club is a disgrace. GFH are a disgrace, David Haigh is a disgrace. I for one cannot think about the game against Huddersfield. Leeds United were subject to a decade of degredation when Risdale went and Bates came in. Now we have become subject to another decade of degregation,at the very least, by GFH and Cellino. Next week I will not be putting anymore money into Sky TV and I won,t be putting any, like current sponsors, I won’t be putting any money into Leeds United. Now is the time to man up, man the barricades at ER and see this lot long gone. Many people will disagree and take the money from Cellino, but they are selling their soul. I for one will not be part of it, brother!
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Rob – a sound blog as always, particularly in the chaos we find ourselves. Tomorrow’s match is important and we need our captain and talisman to galvanise the team and the fans. We may have lost our manager this evening, but it would be too much to bear to lose our skipper as well !
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I’m seriously lost now rob , are we still owned by Gfh ? Will we have a manager, sorry coach tommorrow ? Is Ross still the capt ? Are we now in the mafia ? Who owns elland road these days ? Is Gary Neville now a amdassador of the club? Are bears still s**ting in woods?
Its all so bloody confusing ,
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I can confirm about the bears.
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Thanks rob , I’m to bed now with at least one thing still in tact
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It’s a great rallying call Rob but if Ross is still here to repeat it on the pitch tomorrow half the team won’t have clue what he’s saying if some of the wilder claims are to be believed. What a way to run a railway!
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Football is a universal language, haven’t you heard? 😉
I also hear that Cellino is being given a crash course in Yorkshire profanity from a United mob who are blocking him inside Elland Road – how naughty!
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I think this goes beyond all that, and if I were Ross I’d get out now. Just remember that despite what Cellino’s lawyers has said there will be a lot of trouble. Also remember that NO ONE, no one at all of any integrity, will want to coach for Cellino unless they’re desperate for cash. Same goes for players. So the only staff or incoming players will be of the kind unwanted by other clubs. There won’t be anything to play for, no one will know where they stand. Nooruddin & Haigh represent a faint hope, as do the League, but I think that will take several years to play out – this could easily take the rest of Ross’s career, actually.
One writ, and what Phil Hay called the Jenga tower today will start coming down. Remember also that we operate in the red. The price for the club was said to be 52 million, but 22 million was paid – debts of around 25 million and they’ll have to attempt to buy off Haigh. They probably could – Haigh could try for part of the club instead but be forced to take cash, as I understand it.
Now I don’t think that 30 million will be enough. No stadium, just rent going out. Poor performances on the pitch, declining season ticket receipts, a wage bill that increases debt week to week, no sponsorship, no Flamingoland money either, and would you want your business to replace them? Some money will come back from season tickets and catering, but not enough to cover the shortfall that every loanee Italian adds to.
I’m not going tomorrow, because there’s nothing to say goodbye to apart from a few of the players, and who knows who’ll even be picked? That isn’t Leeds United over there, Leeds United died suddenly. Whether a football club of the same name will ever reappear in a few years time – minimum – is a moot point where Ross is concerned.
You say the fans are the club, Rob – well, I don’t think we are. There has to be something for us to support, and how can you support that? I’m going to spend the money saved on football – because I won’t be watching any – taking my daughter to South America, it’s time she saw somewhere that isn’t Europe or North America. Respect to anyone who finds a reason to stay, but I think you’ll only make yourselves miserable.
One crumb of consolation – I reckon Bates was getting various fees from ongoing contracts. This could cost the vile old turd money. He won’t be pleased. Haigh hasn’t done this either, he’s actually more like Krasner. (Blame them from getting in the way of better owners – possibly.) Also, the roots of this go right back to Leslie Silver selling up. That’s when we started to get charlatans for owners.
I’m off. No point in making myself sick tomorrow, and football clubs don’t get funerals. Respect to anyone who can stomach more.
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well rob,it might sound rotten but as the saying goes….beggars can`t be choosers..anyway,whatever happens I`M LEEDS AND F@#%ING PROUD OF IT AND ALWAYS WILL BE.dutch white
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I agree Rob….Captain by name captain by nature is whats needed. At the minute we are rudderless and heading to god knows where ! We need the players to stand up in the face of all this and show what the word ‘professional’ means in football.
Now more than ever its not a time for sulking or blaming…..whoever is in charge tomorrow needs to pick eleven players who want to show pride in the badge they wear on their chest.
They play and get paid handsomely by the club….McCormack needs to get the players together tomorrow and sort out the men from the boys….who fancies it and ho wants to sit around and seek blame. The latter, stay away for some time as its gonna get rough for a while. They are not cut out for leeds.
Play for yourselves and the fans. Heroes are made from times like this and leeds fans won’t forget if the players unite and put in a performance tomorrow.
Marching on together as always. We will always be here.
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To blame Leslie Silver unbelievable, he was the last man to put real money into us. Don’t forget he also employed Wilko and Strachan. My god how I wish for those days now.
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I don’t blame the man! I agree with you about Silver, I’m saying he was the last good one. He was entitled to sell up and retire, I’m just saying that’s when the rot started.
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God bless you Ross and for sticking two fingers up to sky ….. Did you see that twats smirk sorry Rob but what a fucker and how wrong was he ….. Complete and utter knob
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No need to apologise, I couldn’t agree more!
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Never liked Simon Jordan until tonight. Anyway,it looks like Ross reads your blog Rob.
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Ha! I was hoping he was getting his rest before the dog-botherers match!
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Well said Rob- when events leave me speechless I’m glad that you still find the words. Life & Leeds United goes on, and on, and on. Let’s hope the team defy everything and Keep Fighting tomorrow. Gives us some hope for crissakes! MOT
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Always enjoy reading your blog rob, you speak a lot of sense in the ridiculous, insane world of Leeds, and all I seem to remember is sheer stupidness. I’m unfortunately of an age where the first season I can properly remember is the champions league heroics, gone slightly downhill since
If there is one thing I’ve learnt it is that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel (even if distant and very dim)! It seems Ross has tweeted he’d see us all tomorrow. MOT
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It’s a lot better news to go to bed on than some of the insanity from earlier, to be sure. Cheers, Tom.
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How can Ross sleep FFS (although I’d prefer him to be all rested up and ready to go tomorrow) with all this shite going on?
I think Ross WILL jump, if not tonight then defo in summer. The Spicy meatball is so bonkers he’ll probably sack Ross too. There’s already reports of some 30 year-old dago striker from Serie B coming over, so you kinda know Cellino is going to instal all his boyfriends in, pronto pronto. What a joke our club is being made to look.
Only a few short weeks ago we were looking pretty good, all pulling in the same direction. Suddenly we are in disarray, self-destructing before the eyes of the world, thanks to some of the lousiest business decisions and disgraceful treatment of employees I’ve seen in a long time.
At least Brian McDermott can hold his head up and look us all in the eye after this.
Just about everyone else involved in this corrupt, sordid affair can go and throw themselves off a cliff for all I care.
The atmosphere at Elland road could turn very ugly indeed tomorrow.
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As fans, and for the sake of our sanity, I think we HAVE to see how it goes, at least at first. There’s sod-all we can do about Brian, or about Rossco if he goes in summer. We can break our necks protesting, but at the very best it’ll only be counter-productive. These people don’t listen. We just have to give our support to the shirts and the badge – and hope that disaster doesn’t overtake us. Action should wait for signs that the worst is coming to the worst, IMHO
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It seems you’re wrong – either the Italian turd has started to fold and decided the club would be better rin by a manager, or Nooruddin and co are indeed making trouble. Of course all the attempts to reinstate Brian could just be to sack him later.
Not going near Elland Road and not looking at results – but am keeping my fingers crossed again.
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The fact is that nobody has a clue what’s going on, and all normal rules of logic and sanity are suspended for the time being. You’d have more chance asking a lemming why it jumps off a cliff.
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Extra quid in the parking meter tomorrow folks!
Ross will still be there and hopefully the boys will make a show of solidarity to the departing manager and maybe just maybe get 3 points in tomorrow’s derby. ALL fans stay on after the game singing Mcdermotts name for a full hour!
This Italian job might bring about a new and even more turbulent chapter for Leeds but lets all let Bri know that he ws highly thought of here and the treatment meted out this week has been nothing short of scandalous.
MOT
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The fans will definitely get behind Ross and the players during the game, but do you think that there could be a huge demonstration on the grass banking opposite the West Stand, like there was after Eddie Gray’s sacking in 1985 and Bremner’s sacking in 1988?
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I remember both – happy days lol
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Rob, always look at this blog for the temperature of us Leeds faithful. Today was just terrible. Not a single one of us wanted Brian out, and just listening to Ross on telly made it worse. Where’s the hope? But hope is all we have, for better or worse, and as we ARE the club we have to get behind the lads on the pitch. That said, I can’t remember being so low since Alan lee sent us down in 2007, followed by that joke pitch invasion. That would be in 45 years of expense, both monetary and passion. It must get better, please….MOT
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I love to see the passion of the Leeds fans for out club coming out in these comments. The worse things get, the more defiant and inspirational they get – just like this one. Fantastic. Thanks Stan – MOT
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The one good thing that comes out of all of this is BM’s integrity, standing and self respect is not only intact but has actually increased. He told Cellino to fuck off back to Italy, in effect, when he refused them the dug out! I bet that they loved that. Now, we should tell them to fuck off by staying away from ER. Ross will go and no self respecting English players will sign for Leeds. It is an outfit run by convicts. This is the end, but like BM we can leave with our heads held high.
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I seriously doubt it’s the end, though I think it will be for some – people have a right to vote with their feet, after all. We’re entering unknown country here.
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I am as disillusioned as everyone else by this whole mess, the one thing that gives me comfort though will be Ross trying his hardest to chuck one in the back of the net, I am a gambling man so I would wager he will have a little message of support for our outgoing manager on his under shirt. It would not be the first time that he wore his (and the collective fan bases) heart on his sleeve.
MOT
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