Ben Fry intervjuer Kenneth:
...Kenneth overrasker i sitt syn på kvinnelige linjedommere, han forteller hva lønnsbudsjettet er, og han forteller at vi har noen 'long term plan announcements sooner rather than later'
http://www.thesquareball.net/what-ken-said/2011/02/02/drawing-spending-poaching-wedding/.What Ken Said – 02.02.11 – Drawing, Spending, Poaching and WeddingBy Fax Man On February 2, 2011 · 2 Comments ....Taken from Yorkshire Radio’s interview with Leeds United chairman Ken Bates today… After last week’s poor showing, ‘Mr Chairman’ serves up a feast of goodies for sickpots across the globe. He talks about the draw with Hull, transfers, the wage budget, his love for the Tax Man, Snoddy’s call-up to the Scotland squad, fixture moves for TV, the FA Youth Cup, Premier League bullies nicking our kids (including how much we really got for the ‘Chelsea kids’), Coventry, season ticket renewal figures, sexism in football and a big upcoming announcement. Oh and Ben Fry’s wedding plans too. Enjoy…
Ben Fry: Firstly, what was your reaction to the 2-2 draw with Hull last night?
Ken Bates: That’s an interesting debate isn’t it. It could be looked on as two points lost. Eddie Gray said yesterday that after the game he was happy with us getting a point and that’s what we got. But against that, we came back from two goals down against Burnley and I think from two goals down against Watford. But we’re coming back from behind too often. Although we have an excellent record of, I think, only losing one game in 16, on the other hand we have drawn eight. Well, we’ve got to tighten up at the back because we’ve got the strike-force to score goals.
BF: Looking at the league table, it seems it could be 12 or 13 clubs actually battling for promotion.
KB: Well yes, and that’s good – from the other 12 or 13 clubs’ point of view but not from ours. I think the good news is of course is that we do have to play most of the clubs above us. We have Notts Forest at home, we’ve played Cardiff home and away, we’ve got Norwich at home, got Notts Forest at home, we’ve got Watford at home, we’ve got Swansea away and QPR away. So our destiny is certainly in our own hands. They are all six-pointers. We have to win them.
BF: Now this week the transfer window closed on Monday at 11pm. Were you pleased with the work that has been done during the month?
KB: Well actually, looking long term, which we always do at Leeds, we have had a very interesting situation in the January transfer window because we have ether transferred, ended the contracts or moved on six players. So our squad is much smaller now than it was on the 31st of December. And what we have tried to do is cull all the players who have done their best for us but we now feel that we need better. So thanks to them for all their help, their assistance and hard work but at the same time there’s not much time in them staying at Leeds if they don’t really figure in Simon’s long-term plans. It’s far better that they should go out to try and improve and extend their careers elsewhere. And that’s all we’ve done. It has been a bit hard over the last couple of weeks and days but it has paid off because they have all got clubs to go to and we have now slimmed down our wage bill, which is very high – between £10m and £11m this year – depending on appearance fees and bonuses. We have now got ourselves slack and space to go forward. And as Simon said last night, which is quite true, he could – there’s some people disappointed that we haven’t signed anybody – but he was saying there’s point in signing people just to be squad members. We need to sign players now who are better than what we have got, to improve our team and to improve our success rate. Most of the players we were looking for were Premiership players. And the problem is, is that the Premiership clubs, all of whom apart from one or two exceptions, want to cut their wage bill and are hoping to sell. So they want rid of them while there’s a chance of selling them. After the 31st of January, they now know they are stuck with their surplus players to the end of the season who may not be good enough for their aspirations but are still better than the average Championship player. So we’re hoping to recruit one or two of those when the emergency loan system starts next week. Silly bloody system anyway. This whole thing is a farce and I think it has artificially shoved up transfer fees because people panic at the deadline. If there wasn’t a deadline, things would be more orderly. Then Sky wouldn’t know what to do on the 31st of January.
BF: There has been a lot of talk in the media with the transfer window closing and the activity of Premier League clubs, particularly Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle. More than £200m spent in the window. In this current financial climate and this feeling of austerity around the country, do you think the criticism of the clubs is fair?
KB: Well football clubs are like any other business. They have to spend, either on youth development or transfers, to improve or expand as does any other business. I know you talk about the £200m that those three clubs spent, but basically it was Chelsea’s £75m wasn’t it? They gave £50m for Torres and so Liverpool then handed on £35m to Newcastle, so it’s the same £75m going around in circles. It’s not as bad as it’s made out to be. But the other thing is, that is an advantage, 20 per cent of the £200m you referred to, or 40 per cent paid out in VAT, so the Tax Man will be very happy. Mr Torres’ salary is now going up to £40m or £50m over the next five years. Well the Tax Man will be happy because he will take £25m of that including National Health Insurance. So the money goes around, it doesn’t actually go out anywhere. And then no doubt Mr Torres will buy himself a new car and that car will retract 20 per cent VAT. Then they spend a lot of money on petrol so it all comes round. Most of it will finish up in the taxpayers hands, which they will then give to government to waste as they like. So it doesn’t really make a lot of difference . If clubs make a big profit, such as Newcastle at £35m well they pay corporation Tax on that as well. It makes the world go around and keeps the excitement going in football. In many ways it stimulates the economy.
BF: Talking of excitement, some excitement yesterday for Robert Snodgrass. He was called up for the Scotland game against Northern Ireland this week alongside George McCartney, on loan from Sunderland. Do you feel Snodgrass’ call up is long overdue?
KB: Well I don’t know if it’s overdue or not but I think it’s very welcome and it’s nice that his ability be recognised. I think Snoddy, to a certain extent, is underrated. Not by our fans but in general he keeps below the radar. His free-kicks are first class, his passing is brilliant, his passing is superb – I don’t know why Chelsea didn’t give us £50m for him instead of Torres. On a serious note, he has been a valuable acquisition, he’s a worthy member of our squad and I’m delighted for him.
BF: It could be quite ironic, because he could line up for Scotland on the right-hand side against George McCartney at left-back. It could be an interesting battle…
KB: I think there might be a pep talk to both of them before they depart. No contact arrangements, I think. I think the deal should be that Mcartney let’s Snoddy beat him half the time and Snoddy lets McCartney tackle him half the time. Then honours are even and McCartney will have a great game and so will Snodgrass. They can both come back when they are finished and get on with what they are paid to do – picking up points for Leeds United.
BF: Back to club matters and two games moved for TV last week. The Swansea game to 12:45 on February 26 away and the Nottingham Forest game to a 12:45 kick off after getting moved around to the Friday and then to the Saturday, it’s now back on Saturday April 2. Is this something that we can expect as we get a bit closer to the run-in and the TV companies wanting Leeds on TV as much as possible?
KB: The problem for the fans, particularly is that towards the end of the season, TV companies want to make their choices later and later and later because they are looking for the games that they see as the most attractive viewing because it sells their advertising and/or subscriptions. But the problem is is that fans make their early bookings by plane or train and then find out they have been moved and it inconveniences them. I know I said before, this suggestion that the club did it for the money, well we don’t. Leeds United lose an average of £200,000 per home game if we are put on TV. It affects the gate, it affects sponsorships, it affects food and drink sales, programme sales and so on and so forth. Away, well we only get £10,000 as a fee so it doesn’t affect the club very much but it is something that is part of the price for playing attractive football. I mean, TV companies want goals and they know that they way Leeds are, you’ll see goals. It’s good entertainment, we’re and attractive team and play attractive football and score goals, unfortunately concede them as well. It goes with the territory.
BF: Now a date has been confirmed for the next round of the FA Youth Cup. It’s the fifth round against Aston Villa at Elland Road on February 15. Do the club see the FA Youth Cup as a good way of judging the progress of the younger players?
KB: Oh yes, yes. It’s a very good test because the youth leagues we play in aren’t particularly attractive I don’t think. Of course in the early rounds of the cup we have just played small clubs but Aston Villa, which I think O’Neill left in good shape regarding his youth squad, it will be a good test to see we play against them. I can’t remember, I think we played Liverpool recently in the Youth Cup and in that game I think we lost 2-1 but the game was a good test of our ability, so yes it is important.
BF: Whilst we’re talking about the kids and the younger players, I believe there is a meeting next week between the Football League and the Premier League to try and deal with the fact that Premier League clubs are trying to poach, or take, young players from Football League clubs?
KB: Well the problem is, there are two things that are happening at the moment. Kids are taken, poached or whatever you wanna call them, by Premiership clubs from the smilers clubs, basically the Football League clubs and whether it’s Leeds or whether it’s Rochdale, it’s not fair to the Football League who spend about £40m a year, believe it or not, on youth development. And it’s an argument to whether they actually get their money back for what they are putting in. At the present situation, it’s called Bottom’s Up – a matter of compensation, i.e. when they take a player they give you £20,000 to maybe £100,000 for him and then they pay you more when he signs a full contract or makes so many appearances in the youth team, and then the first team, and if he gets an England cap and sometimes a sell-on percentage of the transfer fee if he moves on. But why that is totally unfair is two reasons; first of all, the Premiership club is taking little or no risk, probably for £1m you can nick 10-15 kids from lower divisions and if they are no good, they just toss them on the scrapheap, maybe you just get one out of them, so you have destroyed nine or 10 kids’ lives and got the one you wanted. Well that’s just not fair. It’s not fair to the club who loses the player but more importantly it’s not fair to the kids who may have done much better by staying at the lower league club and got first team practice more quickly, improving their ability and self confidence and doing more for the club that found them. Now people know that we have been involved in several high-profile cases and which we have insisted on getting proper money i.e. the Chelsea one is a perfect example where we got £4.5m – true it all went to the Inland Revenue but that’s another story. We got £4.5m so Chelsea had to pay to take the risk. Now the system we’re proposing and that the Football League are proposing is that big clubs have to put their money where their mouth is. If you see Billy Bloggs as a future international at 16 or 17 then you should pay £300,000, £400,000 or £500,000 up front. And any extra money is add-ons because at least you have been compensated immediately. And again if you have to pay substantial sums, and the fact of the matter is, that you’ll think twice about stealing somebody else’s player if it’s going to have a financial cost to you. That’s why we think it’s right. Again, a manager will sign a player and the manager will get sacked, the next manager doesn’t think much of the player his predecessor signed so the kid goes backwards again. One of the real problems of course is greedy agents, I call them Money Sharks, and unfortunately some parents who see their sons as a money-making opportunity and don’t particularly consider the best for their sons who they claim to love.
BF: Chairman, given that Leeds could be back amongst those big boys sooner rather than later, your views on this are not really motivated by self-interest, more the good of the game and clubs in the lower reaches…
KB: Well the thing is, there’s so much money in the Premiership that they can afford to be fair. You can’t expect them to be generous but you can expect them to be fair. I mean Delph was a perfect example of how a transfer deal should go. We bought Delph from Bradford City before I came on the scene. Leeds paid £125,000 for him – a lot of money for a young boy but the deal was, as and when he moved on, Bradford would 12.5 per cent of the sell-on. They beneF***ed substantially from Delph and that’s how the money should trickle down. And that is what we’re going to argue for next week because I think it’s very important.
BF: Well Chairman, it will be very interesting to see the outcome. I’m sure we’ll get an update on that next week. Next up at Elland Road in the league it’s Coventry on Saturday. How do you see the challenge from Coventry? They are not challenging the top 12 at the moment but a difficult team to predict.
KB: Yes they are. I thought three points down there was three very good points. They are putting up quite a spirited fight. They are club that are involved in goals so that it could be a high-scoring game on Saturday. A very important one. We must win this one to keep in touch with the pack because then we have got some difficult away games before we start another home game. Yes, it’s going to be a good game. I’m looking forward to it, looking forward to welcoming Ray Ranson who we know of old and making it 16 games before the end of the season when let’s hope we are second and not third.
BF: You mention that you are already thinking about next season. How are season ticket renewals going?
KB: They are very good Ben. We have already taken nearly 2,000 renewals. We have taken well over £1m. All our season tickets and memberships total well over 38,000. There’s a buzz around the city and so there should be. Our long term plans are moving closer to fruition and it may well be that we’ll have an important announcement to make sooner rather than later. And you’ll be the first to hear about it.
BF: Now also, away from football, there is the wedding and lifestyle show coming up in the Centenary Pavillion on February 12th and 13th. A perfect show for anybody thinking about getting married in the next year or so. There’s also a great chance to win some fantastic wedding prizes as well. All the details on LeedsUnited.com. But Chairman, with an event like this in the Centenary Pavillion, are you pleased with the bookings that are coming in for the venue and how it’s performing?
KB: Well when you build a new venue, most people plan out their events up to 12 months ahead, so there’s a slow lead-in period while you’re not selling the venue because people will not book in advance of the opening in case it doesn’t open. So we’re quite pleased with it. This wedding show is the third one we have done now – it will be the biggest and the best to date and I would think Ben, in view of your impending nuptials, if you haven’t completed your plans I look forward to seeing you there. If fact, there’s no reason why you and your fiance shouldn’t do the opening ceremony. I’ll mention that to Deborah today when she’s organising her final wedding show plans that she can organise your final wedding plans.
BF: Chairman, you’re too kind. We’ll finish with one final subject today..
KB: Are you changing the subject?
BF: Just moving on… Chairman, sexism in football has been a hot topic after what happened with Richard Keys and Andy Gray last week surrounding the linesman Sian Massey. Do you think sexism is something that is still rife in football?
KB: Well, it was a man’s game but of course it is no longer because it is now a ladies’ game as well. We have an awful lot of ladies attend at Elland Road and of course kids as well. I just think that Richard Keys and Andy Gray were just burnt out dinosaurs. I think there’s more to this story yet than has come out. Susannah and I were watching the game and as they were lining up in the tunnel I said ‘oh they’ve got a lady’ I can’t call assistant referees, ‘they’ve got a lady linesman, this should be interesting’ and in fact I though she did a brilliant job. She was quiet and unobtrusive and as it turned out, she called that controversial offside decision, or not offside division, perfectly right. And she didn’t have the advantage of Andy Gray’s re-run at this angle and that angle and every bloody angle. She had to make a decision in a split second and she did it and she got it right. And just because she’s only 25, what’s that got to do with her ability as a football referee? I think that those two did a great disservice. OK, they didn’t do it on air but the fact of the matter is, it demonstrated their attitude and stories in the papers since suggest that attitude is fairly prevalent in that area. Quite frankly, I’m not sad to see the back of both of them. No, onwards and upwards. Football has changed a lot in the last 30-40 years. Chelsea was the first club to put ladies’ toilets in the press room. They were the first club to put ladies’ showers and changing rooms in the referee’s rooms too. Things have moved on. If you’re good enough, you’re the right gender.
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