Leeds owner Cellino, racking his brains
Leeds United owner and all-round-the-bend football nutter Massimo Cellino has confirmed he is content to put back his original target of Premier League football by at least one year, predicting that – despite the evident failure to meet his original target of 2016 – promotion can be achieved by 2016b.
The Italian – so famous for being “one topping short of a pizza” that it’s rumoured he has settled on Barking as his London residence of choice – is a controversial figure for United fans, and has sharply divided opinion among a support whose fanaticism and loyalty are legendary in the game. His crazy insistence on his superstitious whims being given free rein throughout the football club – the programme for our 17th home league game against Nottingham Forest later today will be numbered 16b – is just one manifestation of an owner who puts his own ego first and foremost. It’s stupid and it’s embarrassing but, because Massimo wants it that way, that’s the way it shall be – while the rest of football looks on and laughs at us.
The schism between pro-Cellino supporters and those who want rid of the so-called King of Corn appears to be based broadly upon intellect, or the lack thereof. The more gullible, hard-of-thinking and easily-deluded tend towards a fierce but irrational devotion to Cellino, whereas those fans capable of thinking for themselves (or indeed at all) are largely anti. The Cellino supporters habitually use phrases such as “I would never of thought Evans would be a good manger but to all intensive purposes he’s defiantly doing a job”, whereas those opposed to the Italian are generally able to use their own native language to better effect.
Faced with this bafflingly obdurate (and frequently hostile/aggressive) ignorance, the more rational and thoughtful Leeds fan will doubtless wonder gloomily how Galileo Galilei must have felt when persecuted by those who still believed, against all scientific evidence, that the Earth was the centre of creation. Sadly, we are currently stuck with an owner who seems to hold much the same view about himself – and he’s supported by an uncritical minority who simply can’t seem to see or understand how ridiculous the situation has become.
This grey matter divide in the Whites support is clearly discernible in various Facebook groups, where feelings run high when the less capable “Cellino in” brigade feel themselves out-thought and out-manoeuvred – then resorting to profanity and censorship as their most effective means of coping. In the interests of clarity and transparency, Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything frankly acknowledges that it was initially a vocal supporter of Cellino, but thankfully reason and common-sense prevailed. This blog believes that any rational Leeds United fan will weigh-up the evidence, as we have done, and conclude that the Italian is an overwhelmingly negative factor in the club’s quest even to regain a measure of credibility, let alone return to the top-flight. In this, we are supported by the forthright views of ex-United star and erudite football legend Johnny Giles, who believes Leeds will never prosper under such maverick and irrational control.
We’re right with our former midfield maestro – the best manager United never had, let it be remembered – in maintaining that Leeds must be rid of Cellino if we are to have any real chance of once again becoming a proper football club. If the current situation persists, it’ll be closer to 2116b than 2016b before we once again witness top-level football at Elland Road, which is an almost laughably tragic state of affairs.
Those who persist in their ill-conceived support for a man in Cellino, who has made a laughing stock of a once-great club, are now merely part of the problem. It is down to those of us who can see how bad things really are to leave il Duce in no doubt that he’s not required around LS11 any more. Not by anyone with a proper brain in their head, anyway.
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Well said. Now what do we do?
LikeLike
The Fandango?
LikeLike
Its a last minute call,but if we can spread the word why not boycott todays match day magazine? I’m not buying it.
LikeLike
Late call but a good one.
LikeLike
There’s nothing we can do, hopefully he’ll get bored soon and make his trips to Miami permanent.
LikeLike
100% agree with you my only concern is it tuck 7 years for some people to see through ken bates and that was with his open public dislike/hate for us so god knows how long it will take to shift mc and i do wounder if the same people that supported bates are still supporting mc now all I know Iam a Leeds United supporter not a bates mc gfh supporter and i do question how anyone loyal Leeds fan could support any of them greedy money grabbing rich shits is beyond me MOT
LikeLike
the big question at the moment is:-
Is he going to sell the club?
Cellino has been so quiet recently, it’s almost creepy!
The balance sheet should look good, so maybe…??
LikeLike
Even for those of us foolish enough to have liked him initially (I hold my hands up) it has become crystal clear he must do the off but how? Maybe the football league will rescue us, ha ha.
LikeLike
Obviously with no brain we are no match for you Rob !!!! Every statement you write with intent and is so ACCURATE in truth. It is a shame we do not let you run the club because yes we would all believe and follow in you or not !!!!
As i stated several weeks ago in one of your articles the rot set in 20 years ago and funny enough it was the regime you and many fans followed and believed in, smiling , clapping your hands for a board that set us for DEBT AND MORE DEBT AND MORE DEBT, demotions, point reductions , players greed and abusing the honoured club and badge.
You can not even admit to the fact that IT WAS cellino’s cash that only saved us from another doomed administration only 2 years ago.
The man came with enthusiam and plans and very quickly learned of the scams that were and deeper then most people would ever know.
Yes his passion has led to some obscure comments and promises but so what, he sank some major cash and guess what tomorrow we are not going bust. I do not see you applaud him or praise him for anything, the fans are split because some are dreamers and some of us are optimists.( Or possibly your right half of us are brain dead, but thankfully see through some of the dribble you write).
Whilst he is here let us support him and try to rebuild the club, maybe not always the right way,( how nice it would be if we were all so righteous and posessed your intellect to the ultimate understandings of how things should be).
And oh so what if he does not like the number 17 or the colour people !!!!
70% of the Uk population are superstitious regarding walking under ladders.
84% of the Uk claim to have a lucky number, 65% claim to have a unlucky number.
95% of the population do not like certain colours.
Only 3% of the Uk population could afford to buy Elland Road back.
100% of Uk fathers would not let their daughter be slagged of in public.
Worse still 102% of us in the Uk do not moan about paying Tax on everything.( Apology the other 2% is my brain not working)
I wish as fans we could stop all those other people rushing forward with such vast sums of cash to invest in our club!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe it took a mad italian with a dream to get involved.
From a half dim wit fellow ” LEEDS UNITED FAN.
LikeLike
Best piece I have read for a very, very long time. I know a lot of Leedsfans 100 % agree with you Nigel Mc. Bravo from norwegian LeedsSUPPORTER for more than 40 years, maybe braindead, still SUPPORTER
LikeLike
Nigel,didn’t bates also “save” the club just as you claim Cellino saved the club? Then after bates,gfh saved the club too. Each and everyone had their fingers in the till. Cellini could have used the McCormack money(or some of it) to buy back Elland Rd. We’re destined for more years in limbo with Cellini just like we had with bates. Watch what happens when this brat does leave,there’ll be a scorched earth where Elland Rd and Thorpe Arch once stood and we’ll be left with Steve Evans or his equivalent plus a squad of journeymen. Off to the ground now.
LikeLike
Mick, Simon O’Rourke in his blog explained over a year ago why it made no sense for Cellino to buy back the ground and, by implication, no sense to the club. He further demonstrates how GFH remain a dead weight on the club. It appears that we are lucky even to have a a three quarters owner at all given the context in which Cellino recklessly committed himself and his money to the club. Crunch time is approaching fast, however: either Cellino puts aside the GFH factor – and the FL stop pursuing him – and puts 10 million or so of his own money into the team this summer OR he sells cheaply and goes home with his tail between his legs. Then what does he do with the rest of his life ?
LikeLike
Hi rob,
on hols in rio at mo.just read yr post after a hard night partying. love the 2016b lol.
I am still undecided about the crazy one, we are still in the cup(could semi’s be in reach) also we are holding our own in t championship not playing good football granted but our form is no different than other teams on fringe of playoffs. When the mancs grind out results playing bad people say its the sign of a good team,also we kept all our futre england players last summer and only lost sam in jan. I am prepared to give him one mor year.
Bring on 2016b.
off to another party now.
mot
LikeLike
If the Football League fit and proper to own a club rules included psychological testing, Cellino would be out on his ear. In fact he wouldn’t have got anywhere near Elland Road in the first place, nor would have many of his predecessors! And I include Shaun Harvey in that, who ironically is now heading up the Football League. Great material for a new comedy series on the TV don’t you think?
LikeLike
Unfortunately Rob, I don’t think Cellino gives a flying f##k what any of us thinks. He will undoubtedly continue to run LUFC on the cheap and continue to blame successive managers for our failure to challenge. Then sell any talented individual who dares to ask for a pay rise. The man’s a complete tosser
MOT for life.
LikeLike
I am so sad and despondent to see another season pass us by.I just wish we could get rid of these Leeches and find an honest open buyer(if one exists).Oh for normality!!
LikeLike
It’s too early to say that the season has passed us by. We are solidly mid table, and only 14 points shy of playoff qualification. Besides – we did not lose to Forest today. The officials stole it from us again, as Evans pointed out after the match.
LikeLike
Plainly your division of pro-Cellino anti-Cellino fans according to intellect is a wind-up; what bothers me is that you should think it clever even pose things this way, let alone seek needlessly to provoke. I do not exclude the possibility of course that certain fans do view fellow supporters this way. They should reflect on the fact that without the dullards of their imagination there would be no club for them to support.
LikeLike
I do believe that society organises itself according to intellect, though naturally there’s no hard and fast rule. But a recent study found that the more mentally able were more likely to tend towards left of centre politically, and vice versa. So I’d accept that if you’re brighter, you’re less likely to support right wing views, including extreme nationalist views. The key words are “less likely”, but the influential factor at play is intellect. So intellect is important in how a person feels and thinks about a range of matters. My online experience is not the largest sample, but it does tend to bear out what I’ve said in the piece. The more vocal and vehement supporters of Cellino broadly come across as not exactly the sharpest tools in the box; the more thoughtful types tend to see the downside to his unique approach and chequered history. There are, of course, exceptions on both sides of the divide.
LikeLike
Wealth and power in contemporary societies are poorly correlated with intellect. It is one reason why those who are good at passing people often tend to be left wing (not all of them of course – perhaps the cleverest political philosopher of the past 50 years, the late Robert Nozick, was a libertarian of the right). The successful examinees resent the fact that the lower stream kid who is now a billionaire property developer, say, enjoys a higher social status than a PhD lecturing at even a very good University. As for thoughtfulness on issues closer to home, you should be mindful of the possibility and even probability that thoughtful people may not find the opinionated blogosphere a congenial place to ‘hang out’.
LikeLike
And yet there’s a solid core readership for the blog which, in any event, is only part of what I’m up to.
LikeLike
Good at passing exams, that is. I am something of a newcomer so it is hard to say much about the blog, though I have noticed that your bloggers tend to agree with you. The Scratching Shed, when it was active, reflected a greater diversity of view. Perhaps you will benefit from its (temporary ?) demise.
LikeLike
There are more comments disagreeing than actually appear, for the very good reason that a high proportion of dissenting views are expressed in violently abusive terms.
LikeLike
Cellino’s record of 36 managers in 22 years at Cagliari told me all I needed to know when he took over at Leeds. I was not seduced by his charm offensive and I shall not attend another LUFC match as long as the Italian to$$er is involved.
LikeLike
While your feelings are understandable, I am not sure you draw the right conclusion. Surely non-attendance until we get a new owner is a recipe for a free fall through the divisions.. For while it might lead to a change of ownership eventually our better assets would be sold in the meantime.
LikeLike
Que sera, sera. I would take League 2 right now if we were guaranteed Cellino was gone forever. With the right ownership and management team in place Leeds could rise to the Premier League quite quickly. They will never achieve that under Cellino’s ownership and the better assets (Cook, Mowatt, Taylor et al) will leave anyway once they realise Sam Byram has made the right move.
LikeLike
Irving08,are you suggesting then that we should just turn up every fortnight like good little mugs and nothing will ever change? All we have in our armoury is the withdrawal of our support/patronage. We could really turn the screws on him with a boycott,otherwise you’ll get what you deserve. Regarding your earlier reply where you quoted the opinions of Simon o Rourke,regardless of what he said Cellino promised a stadium buy-back. He conducted due diligence so he knew the crack despite what o Rourke says.
LikeLike