Skrevet av en West Ham-tilhenger..
What has happened at Leeds? At the beginning of the season, most people expected them to be a real force, not marking them down for automatic promotion but as strong favourites for the Play Offs. Under Grayson, their form was patchy but they were still in with a good shout, and when Warnock was appointed many people, including myself, expected a late season charge. But talk about ending with a whimper! Leeds disappeared off the radar faster than a plane crashing on take off.
That was not what Master Bates ordered! And with the purse strings pulled tight and the present team woefully inadequate - as the hammering by Forest demonstrated - it is hard to see the marriage of Leeds and Warnock lasting too long. Can two egos like Bates and Warnock share the same living space for too long before the verbal brickbats start flying?
Of course, it is the same old problem with Bates - he wants to run a football club along sound financial lines and that means shipping out your best players as soon as you get a decent offer for them, even when the sales generate very little cash in the big scheme of things.
How much did Leeds generate in transfer revenues at the end of the day? What did Gradel go for as an example? The fee was undisclosed but it wasn't megabucks and, although not Messi, he went on to score six goals in 24 starts for St Etienne, having finished the previous season as Leeds' Player of the Year. For Bates, the balance sheet looked healthier but given investment is crucial for growth, the short term gain was at a huge potential long term loss. Leeds missed out on the playoffs by 14 points - a massive final gulf it is true - but had Gradel and Howson been retained, and money been spent, the potential revenue from a season in the Prem would have far exceeded what Bates saved.
We shouldn't write Warnock off yet - he has a fantastic record in the Championship - but it may be that Leeds under Bates are destined for a long stint in the second tier of English football. We saw nothing over the final third of the season to suggest that they will challenge for promotion next season and if things are not going well by Christmas, it is hard to see anything other than an acrimonious divorce ahead. Unless Warnock is offered another job and walks out over the summer!