Ken Bates aiming high with LeedsDecember 21, 2010
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Ken Bates is vowing to restore past glories at Leeds United, but has no intention of allowing the club to go down the route of spending big in a bid to buy success.
Ken Bates: Back at Leeds.
After a lengthy spell in the doldrums, having come back from the brink of extinction, Leeds' stock is on the rise again and after victory over Championship leaders QPR at the weekend - the Whites are well placed to push for promotion to the Premier League.
Bates claims it is inevitable Leeds will find their way back into the elite in England and Europe, but it will be done at a pace that will allow the club to flourish for the long term.
"We will be there," Bates told Sky Sports News. "I can't say when. I said when I got planning permission at Stamford Bridge 20 years ago, I said the outcome is undoubted, the timing is uncertain.
"It is a dream of every club, but we will do it on a different basis this time. David O'Leary (former Leeds manager) was allowed to spend money like water, which ultimately caused the club's collapse. If we get back into Europe, perhaps I should say when we get back into Europe, we will do it on a proper basis. It will be step by step, brick by brick. That is how we are building Leeds. If it means it takes another two or three years then so be it."
From his time at Chelsea, Bates cultivated a reputation for a man not prepared to tolerate mediocrity. He demands high standards from his managers and it appears he has found an ideal sparring partner in Leeds boss Simon Grayson.
"We have got a good relationship," Bates said. "I like his Yorkshire sense of humour, he gives me a quick one-liner. He rings me when we lose, which I know some managers don't. He is honest, if he has a problem we talk about it, which is the only way to do things. We have total trust and faith in each other."
Bates has insisted he will not interfere with Grayson's team selection and transfer policy. "There never has been as far as I'm concerned, wherever I have been," he said.
"You don't keep a dog and bark yourself. 
"The manager has to be judged by his results so the only fair way is to let him pick his players. If he fails it's because he picked the wrong players.
"You can't do what some clubs do and have chairmen introducing players to the manager after they've been signed. That's not our policy here."
Bates claims Grayson was the subject of an approach from the Premier League last year.
He said: "Simon is in it for the long run. He was approached and offered a job on a much bigger salary, in the Premiership, over a year ago and he said, 'I came to Leeds to do a job and I'm going to finish it'. If he manages in the Premiership he wants it to be with Leeds."
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