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kjelvi

NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« på: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:13:28 »
Peter Ridsdale's bok "United We Fall" er nå ute - og en rekke aviser og nettsteder vil de kommende dager ha mye stoff rundt Leeds' "rising and fall".

Lager en tråd for å holde disse 'samlet' på ett sted.

"United We Fall" by Peter Ridsdale
© Peter Ridsdale 2007.
Published by Macmillan on November 2, priced £18.99.
All book royalties donated to St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds.



£11,39 + p&p på Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/United-We-Fall-Boardroom-Beautiful/dp/0230018661/ref=pd_bbs_1/202-9238121-9280603?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193733123&sr=8-1



"United We Fall" is the unique story of life inside football, told from behind-the-scenes of one of Britain's most legendary clubs Leeds United. It is also the true story of the childhood fan who became chairman of his Premiership team. Peter Ridsdale, one of the game's most controversial and colourful figures, oversaw the most dramatic and talked-about period in Leeds United's history. In this compelling account, he writes about how the dream spectacularly unravelled when the club went into financial meltdown. It is a fall from grace which speaks volumes for the politicking, pressures, successes and failures within the professional game today.This book is like reading the confidential files of a Premiership football chairman, detailing the characters, the prima donnas, the fall-outs, the outrageous transfer demands, and secret deals. Then there is the Leeds United trial, a near-death plane crash, and the fatal riots from Galatasaray - and how one chairman fought to keep a club together throughout it all.

« Siste redigering: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:37:10 av kjelvi »

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall"
« Svar #1 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:14:04 »
I'll never play for that b*****

LEEDS fell apart because David O’Leary lost the Elland Road dressing room as the club crumbled under the weight of record debts.




Former chairman Peter Ridsdale claims O’Leary must shoulder the lion’s share of the blame for the meltdown at Leeds after TEN players refused to play for him.
Ridsdale is adamant O’Leary failed to realise just how deep the resentment was against him after he released his own ‘tell-all’ book while in charge.
It began when O’Leary, who is being linked to replace Steve Staunton as Republic of Ireland manager, dropped keeper Paul Robinson.
The current England No 1, now at Spurs, was in the team and playing out of his skin but was dumped in favour of Nigel Martyn.
Ridsdale reveals: “The first crack was just before our FA Cup game against Liverpool in January 2001.
“As the team left our hotel for the short trip to Elland Road, I saw Paul Robinson looking thunderous and close to tears.
“I hurried up to him and tried grabbing his arm to ask what was wrong.
“‘Don’t talk to me now’, he said, ‘but I’ll tell you this — I’ll never play for that b*****d again’. Paul was young and still learning but one thing was true — he never did play for the manager again.
“Managers often have spats with players but, in such a closely-knit dressing room and involving such a popular young member of the squad, this seemed like the first red flag being raised from a spirited dressing room.”
He added: “It galled me to see O’Leary promoting his book Leeds United on Trial, which came out in January 2002. He broke the sacrosanct code of the dressing room by criticising players.
“From my chairman’s office I could almost hear the team’s respect breaking up.
“O’Leary denied there was a dressing-room revolt.
“But towards the end of the season a senior player asked to see me in my office and he said ‘Mr Ridsdale, unless you change the manager I won’t sign a new contract. I also feel I represent the mood of most of the dressing room, the lads have lost it with the gaffer’.
“Lee Bowyer, Danny Mills, Rio Ferdinand all criticised the manager for washing dirty linen in public.

“The manager’s book was the cause and effect of the crisis that sent the club over the edge. Ten players, either directly or indirectly through their agents, said they’d be looking to move elsewhere if David O’Leary remained as manager for the 2002-03 season.”

Ridsdale reckons the sale of Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United also exposed O’Leary as being unable to cope with controversy.
He writes: “At the board meeting EVERYONE, including the manager, agreed a valuation of £30million for Ferdinand.
"In public, David distanced himself from such reality by describing the proposed sale as criminal. Whenever there was the slightest whiff of controversy or bad press, David ran a mile.”
O’Leary stunned Ridsdale with his cheek when he attended a board meeting aimed at cutting costs.


READ ALL ABOUT IT ... Rids with The Sun

Ridsdale adds: “The future of the manager and the club was decided on May 31 2002 at Elland Road. David asked to attend so he could address the board in person.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing ... David was explaining how he needed another £23m for new players on top of the £97m he’d already spent.
"He tried to blame me for the poor season, he laid the blame at my door. I bit my lip and said nothing. I felt he was challenging the board with a subtle message ‘It’s either the chairman or me’.
“I thought he wanted to attend to be contrite and say the right things to save his job. Instead he walked in, put the revolver to his head and pulled the trigger.
“David was summoned to Elland Road in the final week of June. I didn’t mess around or soft soap him. ‘I think for everyone’s sake you should move on and we should find a new manager’.
"The tension bristled between us but there were no signs of anger. He looked like someone who had been expecting it but he disagreed he had lost the dressing room.
“He squandered a golden opportunity and his legacy will be: The man who gave Leeds one hell of a ride but won us nothing.
“Of course, the board must also carry the can. We spent too much, putting our money where his mouth was.”

The Sun
« Siste redigering: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:23:51 av kjelvi »

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall"
« Svar #2 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:25:53 »
O'Leary's deal with bung agent

DAVID O’LEARY struck a secret deal with bung agent Rune Hauge that ultimately landed the disgraced Norwegian £1.75million.


Former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale has revealed how O’Leary went behind the backs of directors and authorised an agreement in a bid to sign Rio Ferdinand from West Ham.
Ridsdale makes the astonishing claim over the £18m signing of Ferdinand in his explosive book, United We Fall, serialised in The Sun this week.
Ridsdale alleges ex-boss O’Leary was solely responsible for handing controversial Hauge permission to try to capture the England star.
Hauge then hit Leeds with a near 10 per cent commission demand of £1.75m once the deal was virtually done. Ridsdale has always been blamed for giving Hauge the commission-rich contract.
But after maintaining his silence, Ridsdale insists he has written proof of O’Leary’s role and for the first time has lifted the lid on what went on behind the scenes.
Ridsdale claimed: “It was O’Leary’s signature that allowed Rune to contact the player, player’s agent and club representatives on our behalf.
“David signed the form on May 15, 2000, THREE months before Pini Zahavi informed me of Rio’s interest in joining us and SIX months before the actual transfer.
“David hired him without my knowledge and without board approval. He acted unilaterally.
“The fax to Hauge’s company was sent from the training ground NOT my office at Elland Road. If Leeds United were raped by Hauge, then our arms were pinned down by the manager’s mandate. We contemplated not paying but were told the deal would be off.
“Within 24 hours of agreeing a deal with West Ham the whole deal was in jeopardy over an agent’s fee and his role. Why would O’Leary give exclusivity to Hauge without informing the chairman? I cannot provide a satisfactory answer.
“I had a board of directors around me, it was a plc and no decision was taken by an individual.
“The rumour was that I’d built the conservatory at my house out of the proceeds, even though it was finished six months before we signed Rio.
‘I’m not saying O’Leary did anything illegal but we had a certain method of conducting transfers at Leeds United.”
Hauge is the Norwegian agent who bunged then-Arsenal boss George Graham more than £400,000 over two transfers in the early 1990s.

The Sun

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall"
« Svar #3 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 09:27:34 »
Former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale has revealed that Jonathan Woodgate provided him with one of his biggest laughs at Elland Road. Apparently, the defender once left his passport at home on a European trip because Ridsdale told him to keep it somewhere 'safe'. (The Sun)

Robert

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #4 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 10:39:53 »
Hahaha, morsomt med Woody.
Vurderer å kjøpe denne boken faktisk.
Ved problemer med forumet, ta kontakt via PM

Promotion 2010

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #5 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 12:14:09 »
Sitat
“The manager’s book was the cause and effect of the crisis that sent the club over the edge. Ten players, either directly or indirectly through their agents, said they’d be looking to move elsewhere if David O’Leary remained as manager for the 2002-03 season.”

Hadde Ridsdale hevet blikket, så hadde disse 10 spillerne spart oss for det helvete vi har vært igjennom til nå.

Med disse salgene ville økonomien sett ganske annerledes ut, og kanskje O'Leary kunne kjøpt annerledes eller satset på flere egne talenter...

Bare en tanke!  ::)
Min første Leeds-kamp:
Strømsgodset vs Leeds, 19.september 1973

Robert H.

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #6 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 13:07:49 »
Skulle tro Ridsdale så seg tjent med å ikke nok engang rippe opp i denne sagaen, men også han har vel regninger (eller gullfisker) å betale, hva vet jeg...? ::)

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #7 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 13:09:30 »
Skulle tro Ridsdale så seg tjent med å ikke nok engang rippe opp i denne sagaen, men også han har vel regninger (eller gullfisker) å betale, hva vet jeg...? ::)

Usikker på motivet.
Men det er trolig ikke økonomisk...!

"All book royalties donated to St Gemma’s Hospice, Leeds"

Jon R

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #8 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 13:34:18 »
Tja. Han ser jo ut til å lesse mye av ansvaret over på O`leary her, utvilsomt i den hensikt å gjenoppreise noe av sitt eget ettermæle. Hvordan responderer DOL på å være "on trial" på denne måten, mon tro? Tipper det ikke tar lenge tid før vi kan lese en litt annen versjon i et eksklusivt intervju i en eller annen tabloid.  ::)
Jon R.

brenaldo

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #9 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 14:05:19 »
Dette er et forsvarsdokument fra en stor klovn >:(
Medlem nr. 850

Masinga

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #10 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 14:11:39 »
Hadde aldri trodd at Ridsdale skulle skrive bok om sin brokete fortid. Jeg tar ikke det Ken Bates sier som god fisk, men jeg tror Bates når han sier at Ridsdale hadde talent som markedsfører, men var en økonomisk katastrofe. Han manglet rådgivere rundt seg som kunne advare mot galskapen han og O`Leary lot utvikle. Mulig at DOL ble et monster etterhvert. Men en styreformanns plikt er å si nei når det som forlanges av penger til spillerkjøp sprenger alle budsjetter.
Masinga, medl.nr. 1250

Tom S

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #11 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 17:57:52 »
Off, vert kvalm kvar gang eg høyrer eller les om denne Ridsdale!

COME ON LEEDS !!

newsome

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #12 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 18:12:47 »
 >:(
Håper ingen bruker penger på denne idiotens bortforklaringer og forsvarstale.
Som styreformann var han ansvarlig for alle økonomiske transakjoner som Leeds foretok.
Ã… gi DOL ansvaret for nedturen er bare patetisk.
Det er en mann som har ansvar for Leeds Uniteds fall og han heter Peter Ridsdale.

Geir Magne

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #13 på: Oktober 30, 2007, 22:17:40 »
Ansvaret for nedturen må DOL og PR dele. De har begge stor skyld.
Happy days are here again, it's official from Number 10!

SirOlsen

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #14 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 08:10:54 »
Ja, for du har sikkert ikke en finger med i spillet i det som skjer i den nåværende klubben du regjerer i Mr. Riddicolusdale
-SirOlsen-

ragnar

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #15 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 08:46:47 »
Hovedskylden ligger på Ridsdale og O'Leary, men resten av styret er ikke frikjent av den grunn. Og hvor var klubbens eiere i den perioden Ridsdale og O'Leary herjet som verst?
*In El Loco we trust!*

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #16 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 08:54:56 »
O'Neill signed as Leeds boss


MESSIAH ... Ridsdale believed Martin O'Neill would save Leeds

PETER RIDSDALE has revealed how Leeds had Martin O’Neill under contract to take over as manager.
The former Elland Road chairman details in his explosive book ‘United We Fall’ how O’Neill signed a pre-contract to replace Terry Venables — just three months before Ridsdale was forced out of the Yorkshire club.
Ridsdale blows the lid off the unknown story as he gambled on the man he calls ‘the Messiah’ rescuing Leeds from oblivion.
He had twice tried to get O’Neill when George Graham left for Spurs and when David O’Leary was sacked.
Ultimately, his third move for O’Neill was also doomed to fail, despite the current Aston Villa boss agreeing Leeds could announce his takeover.
Ridsdale writes: “Discussions over the phone led to a secret meeting at my house. Martin had come down to discuss terms and reach an agreement in a deal approved by the board.
“At long last, I’d captured the signature I had been chasing for so long — the man I’d wanted before David O’Leary, the man I’d wanted since George Graham’s reign.

Coup
"This was a coup I couldn’t wait to announce. At the third attempt the deal to bring Martin to Leeds was signed, sealed and waiting to be delivered to supporters. It was January 3, 2003.
“I’d worked tirelessly to persuade him to come and meet me ever since the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve.
“It meant he was free to discuss his future with other clubs with only six months remaining on his contract with Celtic.
“Excited and animated, he talked about the strengths and weaknesses of each Leeds player, which players he’d like to bring in.
" That day I’d agreed to pay him £2million a year to become the new Leeds manager. He left me with a signed document I could take to my board as evidence he’d finally agreed to come.
“It read ‘This document states that I will enter a pre-contract agreement with Leeds United AFC on Monday January 6, 2003 to become their football manager when my present contract expires on June 30, 2003 with Celtic FC.
‘I will come earlier if Celtic agree to release me from my contract. I am happy for Leeds to publicly announce the above statement on January 6. Yours sincerely, Martin O’Neill’.
"No one has ever known about this document before, no one was aware that a managerial rescue package was in place in early January 2003 as our season began to come off the rails.
“In six months the Messiah would arrive, subject to me being chairman — that was one of his stipulations.
“If we can hang on until then everything will be fine. But time was something I didn’t have on my side.
“Terry Venables was our manager at the time.
“It was agreed by the board that we’d inform Terry of our decision to sack him after the away home at Bolton — but Leeds turned on the style to win 3-0 in a thriller.
“We decided to defer his dismissal until the next defeat because we’d look idiots sacking a manager after such a comprehensive victory.
“We should have been ruthless. Instead we procrastinated and it was a spineless mistake.
“Terry went on a good run, losing just one of the next seven games.
“The dead man walking just carried on walking.”
With a cash crisis looming because Leeds were out of Europe, the sale of Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle turned everyone against Ridsdale.
Home-grown Woody was sold for £8m, plus a further £1m if the Magpies won the UEFA Cup.
The sale was a last resort to balance books but it signalled the end for Ridsdale as fans revolted.
He added: “Overnight, I became Public Enemy No 1. The reaction to Woodgate’s sale was venomous. One crude note pinned beneath my car windscreen wipers read ‘We hope you die for selling Woody’.
“I’d become accustomed to hate mail over the Woodgate-Bowyer trial, but that abuse was from non-Leeds fans. This time the hate was coming from our own supporters.
“Then came the game against Middlesbrough on March 15, 2003.
“The abuse from suited supporters was shocking. I heard one man expectorate violently and his spit landed on the lapel of my suit.
“Not even the thought of Martin’s pre-contract lifted my mood. The dream was over for me and the club.
“As I went back to the boardroom at half-time, this hooligan in a suit screamed another obscenity and spat at my feet.
“That was the final straw. For the first time in my life I walked out of a Leeds home match. It proved to be my last home match as chairman and the Martin O’Neill pre-contract sank with my resignation.”

The Sun

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #17 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 08:57:39 »
Doug's deadly lesson

PETER RIDSDALE got his first lesson in being ruthless when he was turned over by Aston Villa’s former chairman Doug Ellis.
Leeds were chasing Alan Thompson and Ridsdale believed he had already sealed the transfer for the Bolton winger when he spoke to Ellis.
Ridsdale says: “I told Doug ‘We both know there is a clause in his contract that Bolton will have to accept any offer of £3.5million’.
“Neither of us wanted to get involved in a Dutch auction so I suggested we both put in £3.5m bids and let the player decide.
“Doug said he was relieved I’d shown common sense and the next day Leeds made its £3.5m bid . . . but Aston Villa won the player with a £4.25m bid.
“I phoned Doug immediately, fuming ‘I thought we had a deal’ — but booming laughter greeted my protests.
“Doug chuckled ‘The first lesson you have to understand as a chairman is this: Don’t trust anyone in football’.”

The Sun

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #18 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 08:57:47 »
Why Cantona really left

ERIC CANTONA fired Manchester United to unparalleled success but there was a moody side to his nature that could not be controlled.
United manager Alex Ferguson did not hesitate to swoop when the Frenchman was sold by Leeds following a bust-up with boss Howard Wilkinson, who dropped him for a match at QPR.
Ridsdale said: “I was in the team hotel. Howard was the other side of some double doors dropping his bombshell.
“The next thing I heard was a clatter — perhaps a chair going over — and a single door flew open banging against a wall. Cantona stormed out in a whirlwind of red mist.
“He went to Paris instead of Loftus Road and his days with Leeds were numbered.
“Two games later he was sold to United.
“They had asked about Lee Chapman but were offered Cantona instead. They must have done cartwheels.
“Our fans felt betrayed — selling Cantona to our title rivals was tantamount to swapping religions.”

The Sun

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #19 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 09:01:23 »
I was offered £300k bung


KEANE ... move sparked agent bung 'offer'

PETER RIDSDALE this morning becomes the first football chairman to name and shame a football agent who offered him a £300,000 bung.
In the second part of our blistering exclusive, the former Leeds chief reveals how Pino Pagliari offered the illicit payment when Robbie Keane moved to Tottenham in 2002.
Ridsdale was in Italy at the time trying to resurrect the deal for Olivier Dacourt when he claims he was approached by Pagliari.
Ridsdale says: “Just as I was about to leave, Pino asked to see me outside in the corridor.
“He asked me if it were true we were going to sell Robbie Keane to Spurs for £7m and I confirmed we hoped to finalise the deal in 24 hours.

Invoice
"That’s when Pino asked if I’d be willing for him to submit an invoice for ‘agent services’.
“I asked ‘Why would you submit an invoice? The negotiations were nothing to do with you!
“Pino said ‘But Peter, if I bill you for £600,000, we split the commission 50-50. You’re the chairman, no one needs to know I wasn’t involved.
“I said ‘Pino, wrong man. I’ve never taken a bung and I’m now going to report this to my board’.”

The Sun

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #20 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 09:02:37 »
I wanted Graham to f*** off too


GRAHAM ... Ridsdale backed fans' view

GEORGE GRAHAM delivered the stability Leeds craved but it came at a price.
Leeds caved in to Graham’s demands for a £1million-a-year contract plus a further £1m signing-on bonus after he took them into Europe.
But from being the boss who Leeds fans loved, he became the manager everyone loathed following his controversial switch to Tottenham.
Peter Ridsdale writes: “Spurs chairman Alan Sugar was a true gent and a professional through the cat and mouse game.
“I had the utmost respect for him, but in contrast I lost some respect for George.
“Having backed him and shown the commitment he wanted, I felt let down. Ironically, we had to play Spurs at White Hart Lane and the Leeds fans, wanting to know what was going on, sang ‘Stand up . . . if you want the truth . . . ’
“Spurs fans who loathed George for his Arsenal pedigree sang ‘Stand up . . . if you hate Arsenal’.
“I looked at the man sitting next to me in his Leeds blazer, who had united an entire ground in vitriol and registered nothing on his face.
“What could I do with a man who didn’t feel Leeds in his bones?
“Elland Road had been his rehab centre and he was desperate to check out and move on.
“‘F*** off Graham, f*** off Graham’ shouted our fans, and my heart echoed the sentiment.”

The Sun

Sheridan

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #21 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 10:03:07 »
Fine oppdateringer av tråden, kjelvi.

Promotion 2010

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #22 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 10:10:58 »
O'Neill var visstnok klar for å ta over Leeds, men huff....så ble helten Ridsdale sparket.... :-\

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_2838282,00.html

Min første Leeds-kamp:
Strømsgodset vs Leeds, 19.september 1973

Dennis

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #23 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 10:29:33 »
Utrolig at Ridsdale vil bruke en pre-ansettelse av O'Neill til å vise Leeds-fansen at ting kunne vært annerledes. Vi hadde hatt like lite penger uansett, f**ksdale!

Tv2 Tekst-tv melder at agent Rune Hauge mottok 20 millioner kroner i en hemmelig avtale med David O'Leary i overgangen med Rio Ferdinand fra West Ham. Ridsdale hadde selvsagt iiiiiingenting med dette å gjøre.
Marching on together!

nord

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #24 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 13:14:04 »
Synes at Ridsdale prøver at vaske hænder! >:(. Jeg har ingen respekt for den slags personer!. Hvordan kunne han tro at med et forbrug og gæld som Leeds havde at de kunne overleve?. Jeg kan faktisk bedre lide den ånd som er i dagens Leeds selvom de spiller  3 div.  ::)
 

veteranen

  • Gjest
Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #25 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 14:09:47 »
Mye interessant lesestoff i denne boka. En del av det som er skrevet bør vi nok ta med en klype salt, fordi det er preget av Ridsdale subjektive oppfatninger om hva som skjedde. Men jeg synes uansett at det er helt greit at han legger frem sin versjon.

Ridsdale hadde mange gode egenskaper. Hvis vi går tilbake til tiden rundt 2000, så er det en kjennsgjerning at så og si hver eneste fotballsupporter i England missunte oss denne dynamiske og sjarmerende styreformannen som vi hadde. Han representerte og "solgte" klubben i offentligheten på en måte som ingen andre var i nærheten av. Han var også flink til å knytte kontakter, og han var mye flinkere til å lytte og samarbeide med lokale aktører, som media og supportere, enn det Bates er.

Ridsdale og O'Leary fremsto på den tiden som den perfekte duo, og det var for de fleste bare et tidspørsmål før Leeds ville overta som den ledende klubben på øyriket. Men så ble disse to lederne på forhånd (!) blindet av den suksessen alle trodde de ville oppnå, og de mistet begge fullstendig taket på sine egne oppgaver. Ridsdale mistet hodet når det gjaldt økonomistyringen, mens O'Leary, som tidligere fremsto som sympatisk og ydmyk, etterhvert begynte å oppføre seg mer og mer som en arrogant drittsekk.

Jeg har skrevet det før, og jeg gjentar det nå: Ridsdale må bære mye av ansvaret for det som skjedde i Leeds, men det blir feil å gi kun ham skylden! Peter Ridsdale var en del av et styre i Leeds! Han var aldri allmektig, slik Bates er! Hadde styret gjort jobben sin, så ville ikke klubben havnet i det uføret den gjorde.


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Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #26 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 17:04:00 »
Mye interessant lesestoff i denne boka. En del av det som er skrevet bør vi nok ta med en klype salt, fordi det er preget av Ridsdale subjektive oppfatninger om hva som skjedde. Men jeg synes uansett at det er helt greit at han legger frem sin versjon.

Ridsdale hadde mange gode egenskaper. Hvis vi går tilbake til tiden rundt 2000, så er det en kjennsgjerning at så og si hver eneste fotballsupporter i England missunte oss denne dynamiske og sjarmerende styreformannen som vi hadde. Han representerte og "solgte" klubben i offentligheten på en måte som ingen andre var i nærheten av. Han var også flink til å knytte kontakter, og han var mye flinkere til å lytte og samarbeide med lokale aktører, som media og supportere, enn det Bates er.

Ridsdale og O'Leary fremsto på den tiden som den perfekte duo, og det var for de fleste bare et tidspørsmål før Leeds ville overta som den ledende klubben på øyriket. Men så ble disse to lederne på forhånd (!) blindet av den suksessen alle trodde de ville oppnå, og de mistet begge fullstendig taket på sine egne oppgaver. Ridsdale mistet hodet når det gjaldt økonomistyringen, mens O'Leary, som tidligere fremsto som sympatisk og ydmyk, etterhvert begynte å oppføre seg mer og mer som en arrogant drittsekk.

Jeg har skrevet det før, og jeg gjentar det nå: Ridsdale må bære mye av ansvaret for det som skjedde i Leeds, men det blir feil å gi kun ham skylden! Peter Ridsdale var en del av et styre i Leeds! Han var aldri allmektig, slik Bates er! Hadde styret gjort jobben sin, så ville ikke klubben havnet i det uføret den gjorde.


Av og til slår du til med noen velvalgte ord, vettis  ;D
Dette var ett av tilfellene (snart 1400 av de nå...)  :)

Tell me - I've got to know
Tell me - Tell me before I go
Does that flame still burn, does that fire still glow
Or has it died out and melted like the snow
Tell me  Tell me

Dylan

kjelvi

Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #27 på: Oktober 31, 2007, 20:21:30 »
Leeds United must stand firm against Peter Ridsdale's mud-slinging

The former chairman's shameful outpourings threaten to damage the current repair work going on at Elland Road. This is much more than putting the record straight.

'If Leeds don't stay United, then promotion dreams and the road back to the promised land of the Premier League will close and divert to a dreaded dark despairing place of debt'


It was all going so swimmingly for Leeds United until an old friend bobbed up his head from the murky depths, swimming against a tide of accusations including treachery (how could a Leeds fan allow his beloved club to sink so fast?) and firing a few timely warning shots from the past.
Publicity Pete Ridsdale's book is, on the surface, a smug, self-pitying story of the shameful scandal rag hogging rantings from much maligned managers and the threat of prison for two star players. Scratch below that layer of smarmy salaciousness and there's a poignant message - don't look back in anger and keep moving forward.
If Leeds don't stay United, then promotion dreams and the road back to the promised land of the Premier League will close and divert to a dreaded dark despairing place of debt. Disenchanted potential investors will disintegrate and in turn disinterest the fans.
There are many bad pennies from the past, many that weigh more than several pounds on my mind, weighing even heavier in my heart when I turn the pages of the papers with Ridsdale's poisonous words. I've met David O'Leary - his signings were as mixed as a bag of Rowntree's fruit pastilles. Some were OK, some were good, others got left on the shelf to ferment.
He had a high opinion of himself and had even higher ambitions for the club. But with it came diva demands of skyscraper proportions. Ridsdale signed the colossal cheques - he could have said no. If Ridsdale was a bona fide Leeds United fan like he claimed to be during his tenure at Elland Road, isn't it a tad ironic that he's washing dirty linen in public with the serialisation of his book regarding his turbulent tenure at the club?
Sure, he may be putting the record straight. After all, as TV chat show host Jeremy Kyle says every morning: "there are two sides to every story." Indeed there are. But do we really want to hear it? Doesn't that make him as desperate as dole queue David O'Leary? More to the point, does it not just reopen old wounds and start an unnecessary slanging match?
Let's face it, the past is done and dusted. We can't change it but we can dispute it and despair over it. Dark clouds are not going to descend on the club again if we learn from this sad story. Ultimately, who cares if Paul Robinson blubbed to oh, so understanding and cuddly Pistol Pete, who allegedly frittered fans' hard-earned cash on therapeutic fish? Who cares if O'Dreary 'lost' the dressing room?
Someone was lost in dreamland when they signed O'Leary's bumper cheque book, not to mention sanctioning deals that ensured the already overpaid over-inflated egos of the likes of Danny "Not So Effing Brilliant" Mills and company would live a life of 'Dallas' luxury. Top that off with having to pay off O'Leary and every other 'all looks and no substance' manager who followed the sorry trail of treachery a ridiculous amount of compensation to keep them sweet.
There's nothing new about any of Ridsdale's revelations. It is, frankly, a miracle that we survived the deadly duo's damaging dalliance with a half-baked budget plan and pretentions. It was no wonder that The sharks rammed, and bit hard and fast into the not very good ship Leeds United.
The only way to silence the snipers and scaremongers was to sit tight. With this siege mentality, finally we've somehow managed to get the club shipshape again and the last thing we need is a few untimely distractions diverting our course.
Gus Poyet's departure is a shame, but it won't sink us. A much more welcome blast from the past, Lucas Radebe has been mentioned as a potential replacement. But don't pin all your hopes on the chief. He may lead the way but it's up to the new Leeds United to stand up, be proud and plot a new course, venturing into a brave new era which will hopefully, ultimately, be remembered for championship cups rather than cheque-book blunders.
Is Ridsdale right to come out after so long with his treacherous tales of the past? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.

sportingo.com

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Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #28 på: November 01, 2007, 08:45:37 »
Jimmy plotted Baink robbery



JIMMY FLOYD HASSELBAINK demanded a new contract that stated he must ALWAYS be Leeds’ biggest earner.

But Peter Ridsdale believes the cash demands made by agent Humphrey Nijman were so high as to price Leeds out of keeping the free-scoring striker.
Ridsdale says: “From the moment we sat down I sensed Nijman was trying to extricate Jimmy from his contract when he demanded his wages be more than doubled from £15,000 to £40,000 a week — silly money back in 1999.
“His requests to me were out-landish and unrealistic. I scribbled desperate mathematics on a scrap of paper but it would have been madness to cave in to such demands. We’d been out-priced by our own player. It was my first unsavoury taste of player power.
“When fans learned he had handed in a transfer request — I leaked it to two papers — they sang: ‘Yer just a greedy b******’.
“How Jimmy hated the truth being known. He was moved on to Spain, where he spent one season with Atletico Madrid before moving to Chelsea.
"When he came to Elland Road with Chelsea I offered him my hand but he pulled away and shouted ‘F*** off!’.”
Yet Ridsdale signed Hasselbaink for his new club Cardiff in the summer.
He adds: “Jimmy called me to see if we would be interested in him after being released by Charlton. I reminded him ‘You once told me to f*** off and said you never wanted to speak to me again’.
“‘I know’, he said, ‘but that’s history. I’ve matured since then’.
“‘No’, I said, ‘what you mean is you’re unemployed!’.”

The Sun

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Sv: NYTT: "United We Fall" av Peter Ridsdale
« Svar #29 på: November 01, 2007, 08:48:05 »
Bow’s F-word phone rant over £60k fine

LEE BOWYER went mental at Peter Ridsdale when the club disciplined him for dragging the name of the club through the mud.




The midfielder was accused with team-mate Jonathan Woodgate and others of a racist attack but under the immense stress of two trials and the jury deliberating for FIVE DAYS, his composure crumbled when Ridsdale whacked him with a £60,000 fine.
Ridsdale said: “Bowyer screamed his obscenities down the phone ‘You have no f****** right to treat me like this.
"I was found not guilty on all charges — how the f*** can you charge me with anything!’
“Whatever the view of the jury, the good name of Leeds had been destroyed in one night of drunkenness, and, on that charge Bowyer and Woodgate were as guilty as sin.
“I tried to explain but he wasn’t in the mood for listening or backing down and ranted about being victimised.
“Woody’s agent had earlier agreed he would be fined eight weeks wages. The player displayed grace but Lee clearly felt his acquittal had left him with a shining halo.
“Privately Bowyer made it clear he would never sign a new contract at Leeds while I was in charge and the episode also wrecked his relationship with the manager.
“It’s why we ultimately released the £15million-rated midfielder to West Ham six months before his contract expired for just £100,000, an effect of the Bosman ruling.”

The Sun
« Siste redigering: November 01, 2007, 11:51:21 av kjelvi »