Leeds United Red Bulls

20/7/2013

By Adam Walker

So I wake up on Friday morning, do my usual routine of having my breakfast and looking online at the latest sports news. I look first towards my beloved Leeds United and I see a Yorkshire Evening Post report that Red Bull are interested in investing in us. Throughout Friday afternoon I've been looking at various views online of Leeds fans. I must say I'm shocked at the amount of people who are willing to sell the tradition and soul of the club for money.

Leeds United is one of the most famous clubs in the UK and famous all across the world as 'Leeds United'. What baffles me is that when some fans see the money they think it is the best option for the club. Sure, I'm sure the money through sponsorships and advertising would be extraordinary, however would you really take pride in our club if we were called the Leeds United Red Bulls who played at the Red Bull Arena?

I know us lot would probably still refer to it as Elland Road but I believe it tarnishes the clubs identity. We would no longer be a football club, we would just be a part of a franchise. Not the identity we previously had.

Red Bull's colours are red, yellow and blue. I wouldn't want red anywhere near our kit. You've got to stick by traditions in football, especially with a club like Leeds United who often reminisce of years gone by with the full white kits.

As Leeds fans you would be asking yourself do you want more money and no identity or some money with your identity and dignity intact. I know what I would choose. I just hope these reports and rumours aren't true as I believe the Leeds United image and identity should always remain the same.

Thank you for reading, please comment below for anything to add or anything to disagree with. All opinions are taken into account

67 Comments

Tony

20/7/2013 04:40:43 am

You talk of tradition of leeds united but correct me if I'm wrong ...didn't we use to play in red .

Adam

20/7/2013 04:43:40 am

We did, but we all know it was wrong.

Bobby

20/7/2013 05:41:58 am

We also stole white from Real Madrid. Some history. What are we fucking Liverpool? We need to stop clinging to our history which quite frankly is not as glorious as we'd all like to believe. Red bull do not want to franchise us. We are not some no mark Ghanaian, American or Austrian team. We already are a huge footballing brand across Europe. Unfortunately we're also a skint one and we need investment. Red bull want to provide sponsorship and a name change, in return for huge financial gains for lufc. What amazes me is the amount of idiots who think we can ever be syccesful without significant investment.

Martin 1961

20/7/2013 02:43:23 pm

If red was so wrong then so is white,we stole that from R Madrid our true colour is gold and blue.
MAN U played in white
LIVERPOOL played in white
CHELSEA played in white
All in the prem and no complaints from there fans
So lets stick to the stolen white and stay in the championship,i think not. CASH means prem, so take it

LAMBY1806

21/7/2013 03:41:00 pm

Actually our original colours as Leeds United, were blue/white stripes which were Huddersfield Towns cast offs. If I remember correctly we shared the same chairman (maybe wrong!) And almost Very nearly Merged with the dirty dogs! It was only after uproar and investment along with a new chairman did we pick up the colours Old Gold & Blue from the city Emblem which we also incorporated as the clubs emblem. So for me as long as we keep a certain degree of 'LEEDS' and Burn Ridsdales Shield and confine it to the bowls of Hell! That's where the Red comes in! Also if red had to be part of the clubs kit colours then it's the Goalie that draws the short straw!

Dean

20/7/2013 04:43:26 am

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't we used to have a red kit back in the 70's? Plus the way things are at the moment, we aint going anywhere. We've just been outclassed by Walsall for Gods sake. We need players and the only way to get that is through money. I don't care wht Red Bull would call us or the stadium, we'd always be Leeds Utd and it would always be Elland Road to me and most of the Leeds fans. The only difference would be that we would have a chance of success instead of going to the likes of bloody Yeovil Town and Barnsley every week.

Adam

20/7/2013 04:48:05 am

So you would be okay with us being renamed and having a completely different identity? You're basically saying you'd support another club with money. If that's the case go support Manchester City. Are you supporting Leeds or are you supporting a football club dictated by money?

Dean

20/7/2013 05:12:02 am

There's no substance in the claims that Red Bull are even attempting to buy Leeds. They are merely investing and all this is likely to affect is our shirts which will have a Red Bull badge on it and maybe one of the stands being renamed the Red Bull west/North etc. And for this, the sums of money mentioned are a £30M cash injection as well as £10M per season as long as they are sponsoring us. I really can't see your objections to this. It won't remove our identity, no one will ever do that but it will move the club forwards. After our miserable pre season would you rather us chase away investment and slip back into league 1 or worse? Get with the times or we'll get left behind, it really is that simple, you can always go set up your own version of Leeds FC if it bothers you that much.

mark

20/7/2013 08:52:14 pm

You sayin u would stop supporting leeds if gfh had loads of money?

20/7/2013 04:55:18 am

We had a red away kit for one or two seasons as an experiment. Guess why it didn't last? It's remembered no more fondly than any of the tosh Macron have inflicted on us.

We aren't going anywhere immediately and only money solves that presently, I agree, but there are other avenues which aren't Red Bull. A club the size of Leeds is still an attraction for investors - the takeover saga proved that wealthy people are still sniffing around. Just as the club is starting to get sane after we deserted the cancer of Bates, why re-contract a different form of the illness from fellow egomaniac Red Bull? Our club is now reconnecting with the city and bringing fans back into engagement, this is cause for celebration even if we're still looking underwhelming on the pitch.

And I don't accept you can just change a stadium or team's official names and they will be ignored. When kids who might support us in the future see 'RB Leeds FC' playing, it will be the same little superficial idiots who'd otherwise support a franchise club like Man U or Chelsea who support us in the future. Our pure white, the passion and fury of our identity and image, the ideology of side before self, that is what Leeds is all about. Change that officially and those traditions will die out, just as they have at every other club this insidious marketing limpet has dug its hooks into.

If this goes ahead, it's goodbye to the football club of Don Revie, Billy Bremner and Gordon Strachan and hello to being a corporate shell with a heart and soul the size of Farsley AFC.

MARTIN 1961

20/7/2013 10:11:12 pm

HM,Get a grip on life and slow down,its only a sponsorship not a buy out and if it happens and the ground is named Red Bull Arena and we play in the red bull colours, who gives a shit.

We need the investment to buy the players to propel us to the land of milk and honey and also the investment in that shitty ground of ours which has 2 half decent stands and 2 that look like turd buckets.
You go on about the pure white of LEEDS and the history of our club under the great Don and Billy, I agree great times and good history, but it was the Don who brought in the white of LEEDS and the same white that saw us get fucked over by Peter the Riddler and relegated us to 2nd rate football.
All the above is history some good some bad.

So HM grab yourself a can of RED BULL and look at the colours, RED, BLUE,GOLD, and if you know the history of LEEDS blue and gold are the 2 original colours of club and white was never in it. That is history or have u forgot

So before you slate something that can b positive for our great club look back at all the shitty pointless things our club has done like

10 different club badges, what the fuck is that all about, only 3 of these has any relevance to the city of Leeds or the county of Yorkshire and our currant badge is very pretty but has sod all to do with Leeds apart from a tiny York rose the size of Rooney/s dick at the top..
I could also slate Lucas the bleeding cop cat, he has fuck all to do with LEEDS.
So when u harp on about the identity of the club stick a rocket up the backside of Lucas, who in my opinion was the brain wave of a retard from Manchester and bring in Orville the psychopathic Owl lol.

So come on all u true fans lets get positive, get the investments into our great club, get back to the premiership & stuff the scum 5-1 like we use to do.
And the icing on the cake will be when ORVILLE THE PSYCOPATHIC OWL from Leeds swoops down in front of the Stratford End and gives that Red Devil mascot of Scumchester United a good X rated seeing to in front of 76000 interbred retards.

But for this to happen Orville needs the wings only Red Bull can give him.
I may have been on illegal substances when I wrote all of this, but at least I can be positive.
So HM change you outlook, take your kids to the RED BULL ARENA in 10 years time,which will still be on Elland rd and cheer on the mighty LEEDS.

Its not a sport any more its a business and that requires big money.

20/7/2013 11:58:20 pm

To Martin1961:

It's never just a sponsorship with Red Bull. They admit as much themselves. Their game is ownership, and even the slightest involvement is a bad sign. I and I think hundreds/thousands of others would care very deeply if United stopped being United.

Our ground is fine, I go regularly and it is perfectly satisfactory to me. Not a priority at all, especially seeing as we can't fill it at the moment. Yes, we need investment in the team and academy. Who's to say the groups from Yorkshire, America and the Middle East who were interested during the last takeover have suddenly stopped wanting to be involved with LUFC? I find it extremely unlikely that Red Bull are the only option. We can get success, and do it fairly. And more importantly, we MUST do it that way. In this modern football landscape of Scum and Chelsea and Scum City winning unfairly, it's time we stepped up and proved that it can be done differently and rightly.

Revie bringing in the white is not comparable to Red Bull turning us red, or whatever. Because he did it for the interests of the side rather than the self. Community rather than commerce. It was already the colour of Yorkshire, it had featured on our strip already, and we never dropped the yellow and blue which are still our city's colours. A far cry from RB's modus operandi. Their main kit changes are to introduce red, not blue or gold.

As for all the badge changes, I agree it's silly to change them too often. We should pick something strong and effective and stick with it. That said, I don't mind the club using multiple imagery to market and promote our identity, such as the sheep, owl and peacock which are all animals associated with the LUFC culture. If they want to make T-shirts featuring different symbols, that's cool with me.

And yeah, Lucas the Kop Cat is just stupid. Something for the kids really, I've never thought of mascots as part of the club's identity or anything. They can abolish him tomorrow and I'll probably sleep soundly.

The problem is, if we do ever attract enough investment from RB to beat Man U on a regular basis away from home (highly unlikely) it won't be the real Leeds winning that game. It will be a corporate business beating another corporate business. When we beat those dirty Mancs in 2010, it felt so sweet because it was a new, improved, aspirational, debt free, modern Leeds against an aging, indebted, lying, Yank-owned, soulless Manchester. It would be like watching Man City vs Chelsea, except we'd have gone further than either of them and Man U combined in how much we'd sold out. Passionless. I can just imagine their fans now deriding us for being 'rentboys' while our branded-replica-shirt-cladded herd waved their Red Bull clappy sticks in lukewarm disapproval.

That you can say it's not even a sport any more and keep defending the status quo is absolutely amazing to me. Football is a sport, the game by ordinary people with ordinary people for ordinary people. That should never have changed, and thankfully we're now heading even further in the direction where fans don't have to act or be treated like consumer slaves.

colin gill

20/7/2013 04:48:54 am

totally disagree with you. You are living in the past, and talking about the past i have supported this club since 1945. I am afraid that you have to move with the times and move forward the way the game is playing out. Of course it will always be Elland Road that we go to. One final note I cannot in all the years remember that the ground was officially called Elland Road Ground. Whatever it is called in the future it is the ground Leeds United will play on, and if this deal goes through with enough money for us to buy it and Thorpe Arch back and strengthen the team then how can you object

Adam

20/7/2013 04:57:01 am

I object because of the nothing our club will become. If you do your research you would know that Red Bull doesn't just invest, it completely takes over clubs and makes them their own. It's just a marketing ploy. They don't care about the fans or the club they are taking over, they only care about their own selfish greed. Fans of Salzburg after the takeover have moved on and created their own club who now play in the 5th tier of Austrian football. You can argue about how money will change us, but will it change us that much. Will Red Bull give us enough? You don't know that. For the risk of becoming a club with no history and no identity I do object.

Simon

20/7/2013 11:11:08 am

Grow up! Leeds WERE great but not now so money is needed. As for history, all of us will still call Elland Road, Elland Road (after all it is the address!) regardless of any new name for the stadium. Besides, who has suggested that LUFC incorporate the name Red Bull? Stop scaremongering and support the future of the club!

20/7/2013 05:01:33 am

Is the King Power Stadium "still" Filbert Way? Is "the Etihad" still Eastlands? Is "the Emirates" still Ashburton Grove? This idea that fans won't used the sponsored name is bizarre and unproven. People will use the same rationale as they did in Austria when Red Bull poisoned Salzburg, and keep insisting that it's a "new club" which must have a new name, a new stadium, new traditions and a new reverence for energy drink peddling shysters.

Chareose

20/7/2013 10:37:24 pm

I dont give a damn about the grounds name, it didnt effect Arsenal !! What i do care about is the shirt colour and the clubs name because thats what truly identifies us and seperates us from all the other dross out there.............. They just need to be careful what they agree to thats all...sponsorship is good !

c rogers

20/7/2013 09:56:00 pm

I called my daughter Elland and the ground will always be known as Elland Road so doesn't matter what anyone calls it , it will still be Elland Road

Chareose

20/7/2013 04:50:03 am

Have to say...the way pre season is going we need all the money we can get to rebuild a side..........bring on Red Bull please

20/7/2013 04:57:01 am

This is like saying that anyone not in their ideal job should earn a little bit on the side by prostituting themselves. That's exactly that this move would be, prostitution of our club - pimping it out to the marketing mafia for a quick buck after they've had their quick f...

Adam

20/7/2013 04:58:08 am

Red Bull is not the answer.

Gordon

20/7/2013 04:54:40 am

When someone asks me are you going down Elland road , that's it .the football ground is named after the road it's on and that will never change regardless of what somebody else might name the stadium . Ill always be " off darn elland road " scum jester played in a virtual all white away kit and they weren't that fussed . It doesn't matter what Red Bull do as long as they're only sponsors not owners and they pay . Ultimately We the fans are Leeds United .

Ronald Osborne link

20/7/2013 04:55:44 am

To be honest I was looking forward to this season and very confident of promotion. But am dismayed at the weak performance of what looks like the starting lineup on the 1st day of the season.

We do need investment and does not really matter where it comes from. We need a young side who have a lot of passion and confidence.

Ferret

Shaun Mitchell

20/7/2013 05:03:06 am

Its not gonna be a full takeover, just sponsor ship and perhaps a change to one of the stands, Red Bull West stand??

Were not gonna wear red, were not gonna lose the Leeds Utd name!!. Im all for this news, moving on with the times

Tare

20/7/2013 05:04:13 am

The White shirt and Elland Road are holy issues here. DRs visionary look for the future and home ground for the sweating opponents.

Whether they (Red Bull) are investors or shirt sponsors well we will see that in due time.

Tare

Sutty

20/7/2013 05:07:47 am

I have to disagree I'm afraid. Leeds United have been dictated to by money since Ridsdale took charge, the difference being we've always been in massive debt, not having the money to spend. Also, from what I understand Red Bull wouldnt have the rights to the name Leeds United as they would be sponsors not owners. It's funny you talk about integrity and identity. We've had no integrity as a club since Captain Birdseye bought us. As for identity, down the years we've played in red, yellow & blue, white, green and blue..... etc. AND we've changed the club badge half a dozen times that I can remember. So what if they call Elland Road 'The Red Bull Arena'? The fans will only ever know it as Elland Road, and we sure could use £30m to get us back to the Prem and stay there. I think we as Leeds fans will always have our identity as a group, but dont you want to have it back in the top flight again?

Tare

20/7/2013 06:25:47 am

Sponsors or owners, a thin line line between life and death.There is one minor issue here that this birth place of football is in England, agreed? Well sailor men & co spreaded that beautiful game over the seas. Today thing is vice verse Brazil, Germany,Holland, Spain has "swallowed" the game and made their version of it. Whether you like it or not but LUFC is the last fortress of British football. Chelski,scum,gunners,pool well they are more or less plastic groups here and for a reason.

LUFC has top class Academy, modern Manager and hopefully investors in the backside.

Tare

aaron

20/7/2013 05:07:47 am

Need investment badly, more than worrying about the name of ground we have only owned for ten of the last 30 years...

Sprake

20/7/2013 05:23:15 am

Please stop this childish thing about red.
I belive Man.Utd. have played in white and also blue without there fans rioting about it.
If you want to be part of top half Premiership Club it is time to stop this nonsense.

Dibble

20/7/2013 05:26:19 am

I seem to remember Nike were going to build us a new satadium at sturton called the "Nike stadium" ( that was until the bowyer, wood gate incident) we will still be at Elland Road it would be red bull stadium Elland Road

Craig

20/7/2013 05:33:20 am

Im all about the sponsorship deal. It is worrying to think how much would change but it will always be the same club to us, who else will you follow? No-one. I think its needed to get us back on track. I dont think they will take the white out us. MOT

Rising Giant

20/7/2013 05:49:51 am

Get with it!!!!......Every club sells its soul to the financier...its just the price...Arsenal,Newcastle..tradition goes out of the window...CASH IS KING!!!

neil

20/7/2013 06:41:28 am

wake up son, 1 throphy in forty years, eland rd as we fans all know needs major updating. bring on red bull please. certainly got more status than the lurpak, would you not agree.

20/7/2013 10:42:36 am

And how were our trophies won? By selling our soul or by building on the achievements of previous greats in a constructive way? I wasn't around for them, but I'll hazard a guess at the latter. Lurpak and Red Bull are both lousy sponsorship partners, screw the pair of 'em.

Jezza link

20/7/2013 07:36:55 am

Red Bull are a great brand. They are not some dodgy loan shark company or a gambling outfit trying pass off addiction as a normal leisure pastime.

Leeds and Red Bull are a great blend. Two amazing brands both dedicated to achieving the upmost in their fields. the influence of Redbull would be positive and very welcome.

The stadium will always be Elland Road to those of us who love the place. The occasional reference to the RedBull Arena in the press will be worth the investment and kick up the backside.

Remember RedBull gives you wins!

20/7/2013 10:43:45 am

Leeds are an institution, not a brand. A brand's main function is profit. An institution's main function is community. BIG difference, and that's why the two are INCOMPATIBLE.

Martin 1961

20/7/2013 02:28:08 pm

100% agree, I travel up from Cheltenham 180 miles for a home game, I park my car at Elland rd and watch LEEDS UTD,if its the red bull arena I still travel the same distance and from the same place and still park at Elland rd and still watch LEEDS.
So take the cash and move forwards.
41000 at LEEDS or 18000 at LEEDS only a knob head will say 18000,its a no brainer

sean

20/7/2013 08:22:57 am

so we sign a 10year deal with redbull. look at whats happened in the last 10 yrs sweet F.A. i would welcome it as its only 10 yrs and it must be better then the last 10 years

great white hope

20/7/2013 08:47:22 am

How many shirt sponsors have we had in the last 20years. How many stand name? Did you kick off every time. We need a cash injection. History does not vanish through changing a sponsor. Change can be for the good. We sing load enough they'll know who we are. Stop worrying about lossing the past to the the future WE ARE LEEDS! And there is nothing they can do to change it.

20/7/2013 10:45:36 am

No-one kicked up a fuss because RedKite and NetFlights don't have a predatory history of buying up and eviscerating the character of football clubs like Red Bull do. Our past defines our present and our future. There's no reason for us to "not worry" about losing it - Red Bull told Salzburg fans that they had no history. That does NOT sit well.

Leeds fan from Preston

20/7/2013 11:23:38 am

I grew up with a dad who introduced me to the team I love. Leeds. I'm 20 years old and been a life long leeds fan. I know history is important but the present and future is now more important for us. The team will always be Leeds United. The Ground will always be Elland Road. Nothing will ever change besides the sponsor on the shirt. Football has changed a lot now and unfortunately we have to also change somethings. We need the money and I'd say it would be great for red bull to sponsor us. Even if they change the name of the stadium people would still call it Elland Road. My dad's been a life long fan and he also agrees with me. MOT!!!

20/7/2013 11:35:30 pm

"The team will always be Leeds United. The Ground will always be Elland Road"

Wimbledon fans said the same before they were franchised. I've listed other grounds where fans simply adopt the sponsored name. It's simply not true that when you allow in a group like Red Bull, people just ignore them. They become the heart and soul of the club.

Nick

20/7/2013 12:40:46 pm

What a short sighted and naive and frankly outdated opinion. This is the future of football and you go with the times. What is the point in tradition and history and all that if you are languishing in the division below the EPL

20/7/2013 11:37:46 pm

Fan involvement and fan ownership are not traditional or outdated concepts. They're actually modern and futuristic.

Michael

20/7/2013 01:30:02 pm

At the end of the day football is now about money. After seeing how badly we played against walsall it is clear we need wingers. If we get some transfer money in exchange for the naming rights to the stadium that will be good business.

martin

20/7/2013 01:56:43 pm

I have been going to Elland Road since 1969, but we need to move with the times.If we get paid shit loads of money for naming it the red bull arena I can not see a problem in it.The ground will still be on Elland road, there for every sat I will be going to Elland road. Check out google maps, the ground is Leeds united fc,has it ever officially been named Elland road, where as Liverpool is Anfield , Stoke is Britannia , Derby is Pride Park and so on when on google.
I live in Cheltenham and travel 180 miles to c Leeds play and no matter what the ground is called its still on Elland road, so lets take the £ and move forwards.
If u hate the name Red Bull arena then call it Elland rd, its only a fuckin name, we r Leeds and will always b Leeds, and one last point correct me if I am wrong but our original colours are gold & blue not white

Richard

20/7/2013 09:40:37 pm

Richard

20/7/2013 10:09:11 pm

Hm, your comments defy all logic you bafoon! You can scream until your blue or red for that matter in the face as regards to our identity but take note LUFC just like all other clubs from wealdstone to west ham from Luton to Leeds they are ALL businesses who's main goal is to generate income and create as much profit as they can. Your notion on becoming a franchise is also flawed if we want to return to the big time too. We are not a small town team with next to no chance of making the big league like yours Huddersfields and Barnsleys of this world we are the 3rd largest city in the uk the financial capital outside of London and have 1 million people who populate our city, so to not take investment in a club as large as ours would penultimately see us go bust or be languishing in a league far far from the premiership. IDENTITY...... There will be no identity if there isn't a club to support anymore you absolute tool. Emirates and Ethihad, King Power (by the way it was Filbert Street not Way) who cares but there's only one common denominator in the afore mentioned. They've all got money and 2/3 are challenging for the title and Europe each and every season!!! You want identity then go watch Farsley FC because big clubs command big wages, big wages means big players, big players big sponsors..... You catch the drift? Identity? You just jumping on the band waggon similar to these eco friendly bafoons who climb trees to stop them being felled. It's a corporate world with corporate monsters life has changed move on and get with the times!

20/7/2013 11:05:35 pm

At least I was being polite to fellow Leeds. Should I call you Richard or Dick, by the way? :)

Clubs are businesses as it stands, yes, but they are not comparable to profit-making commercial entities in (m)any other regard(s). Which other business has customers who'd never switch to a competitor? This is why I point out that Leeds United are a community institution, because they have a geographical monopoly. The clue's in the club's name really.

The club is showing no signs of liquidating, so I have no idea why you're saying "there will be no identity if there isn't a club to support anymore". You do know most clubs which get promoted and do well do so because of a wealthy owner or benefactor, not by actually changing their core principles.

In fact, changing our yellow, white and blue colours could drive away the people who saw that gorgeous combination and thought 'this is the team for me'. Changing our traditional stadium could drive away the young kids who see us during a big game with three sides of the ground standing and booming out support. Changing our name from the hopeful but essential 'United' to a fatty drinks brand could mean those who buy our products are actually a bunch of Man U-style consumers rather than people who have the club's true interests at heart.

You mention how big and great our city is, and that actually undermines your point. Leeds IS a big draw for investors. Therefore Red Bull are NOT the only option, there are dozens of people who I'm sure would jump at the chance to be a part of a truly ambitious Leeds United. Bates built walls which prevented that, GFH are tearing them down and repairing the broken structure. But we need to patiently consider the various options before we rashly commit to our club's basic, foundational tenets being murdered and brought back to life as a marketing zombie.

Next, stadium names. Filbert Way was the original name of the Walkers/King Power Stadium, my point being that fans have almost entirely forgotten its non-branded name and now just say the sponsor to each other, acting as advertising tools spreading 'brand recognition'. The same would happen to Leeds. I'm glad you're admitting honestly that people would forget 'Elland Road' and call it the 'Red Bull Arena' if it were to happen, but it's hardly a welcoming truth for purist Whites, is it?

I am not from Farsley and I don't support Farsley. I'm a Leeds fan, the only thing that would prompt me to move away from the current club structure is if someone like Red Bull turned us into an MK Dons and a phoenix AFC Wimbledon style club were created. I thankfully don't think things will ever get that bad, but the servile corporate-loving section of our fanbase is certainly fanning the flames.

And actually, you're bang wrong about moving with the times. The times have changed. We're now in an era of prudence, responsibility and... FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY. The FA, FL, UEFA and our government aren't going to make their rules laxer, they're only going to keep piling on the pressure for clubs to be self-sustaining and fan-run rather than beholden to corporate/personal interests. Thankfully, they are beginning to 'get it'. Now it's for the anachronistic money-lovers to get with the times and embrace the future of communitarian football. :)

Thomas Tucker

20/7/2013 11:12:03 pm

Big clubs in the Prem have not given up their names or brand names in order to make a buck. Like I said Leeds needs to do business responsibly. Red Bull does not care about football nor Leeds, they care about branding and marketing their product.

Michael

20/7/2013 11:59:51 pm

Other clubs have money though. Red bull wants to be associated with decent football team. The better we do, the better they will look as a company. Therefore they will care

martin 1961

21/7/2013 12:04:43 am

Spot on Richard
Like I said in earlier posts, its a business 1st then sport 2nd.
Red Bull Arena its just a name, we should b great full we r not in talks with DUREX.

Just imagine going to watch our beloved Leeds and being confronted with a big sign saying welcome to the DUREX ARENA home of LEEDS UNITED the safest ground in England.
The south stand would b called the Jerk off stand the east family would b Johnny safe stand and for the north and west stand god only knows.
After the game you would be humiliated again by a big neon sign saying Have a safe journey home, please come again.
All the Leeds fans would just be sperm donors, and we would be walking around in pink coloured ribbed replica shirts.

So before you slate what could be a good deal with Red Bull, have a good long think about what the future could hold for us.
I for one don't want to be called the wanker from the Durex Arena.
There are already 70 odd thousand wankers at Old Trafford and that's how it should stay.

Think positive and pray for a bright future, one that's has us in the premiership.
But to do this we need big bucks and you don't hear the Man city or Chelsea fans slating where there money comes from do you.

Master Bates has gone so lets put some faith in the new owners, fill Elland rd and see where it takes us.
Lets face it the last 10 years have been total crap.
Can it get any worse ??????

Thomas Tucker

20/7/2013 11:10:11 pm

If Red Bull comes in serious money would have made to be available. I can live with a Red Bull arena, I can live with their advertisement on our shirts. But I can not live with a Leeds United Red Bull or Red Bull Leeds. Sponsorship is okay but not at all cost. We have to business responsibly and not just just to make a quick buck, that has not worked in the past.

Andyb1974 link

20/7/2013 11:10:45 pm

As a leeds fan I reckon we should take the money as from what I heard on the radio we fucking need it there s no mention that we are gonna be changed by name its only the ground and the shirt we are well on our arses and need a cash injection to get up and running lets face it without it the season that we were expecting to happen a few weeks ago wont go a head it would be such a bonus to help get out of the shit and give us a damn good chance to challenge for promotion as a fan it will always elland road and leeds united lets just hope we get the investment in before the start of the season cmon lets get brian the funds he needs MOT

Freddy39 link

21/7/2013 12:10:51 am

If Bates had sold out the Elland Road name to Red Bull, he'd have just pocketed the cash and said 'up yours, morons'. GFHC will put a chunk of cash onto the pitch, if it all comes off. If there's no deal then admin could well be on the cards again. Red Bull Stadium, yes I could live with that!

Richard

21/7/2013 12:13:26 am

'Dick' I like how you did that HM fair play to you however after calling you a bafoon then it is to be expected a direct or indirect low blow was coming. However, your perfectly structured response to all my points are valid and I would tend to agree on some but you are missing the point totally. Leeds United do not want to be a small town club they want to go global by branding there name in big letters about who we are to gain substantial and lucrative financial gains. The 'who we are' put into context is not our history or our white shirts but its how big a club we are and the monster that we can become! It is only some of the folk who are living in the past who see this as a theft of identity. How can this be if its just a sponsorship deal and not a buy out? To me this is a dog eat dog world with the driving force behind any succussful business being 'money' how many large company's which were founded back in the day but have now gone national or international have not used sponsorship and naming rights to get ahead of the game, keep with the times and strive to move forward to be a market leader in there chosen profession the answer is lots. Now how many are founded on loyalty, identity, dignity and other such words? None is the answer. To become successful globally you need investment and or sponsors and if this means incorporating a large and hugely successful company's name into ours then so be it. My point is if we need investment and if investment comes at a price then so be it. I re-iterate if we were just a small town club with no aspirations then I could understand but we are not. Where we are going and where football is heading is not where you and the 'hangers' on are! We will happily leave you behind as we cannot and will not let a few fans like you ruin our dreams and ambitions to be a successful club once more. I must just add the majority are in favour of this deal and you know what happens when the minority votes.... Hang on people of the dark ages your either with us or your not? Success is everything, even at the expense of our so called 'identity' and a few thousand fans and until you understand this then I'm afraid you'll be left behind.

Mikey

21/7/2013 12:15:15 am

Why are you bashing this investment? The only history we have over the last 40 years is of being a 'nearly there side' finishing 2nd 3rd or 4th, a few times at the highest level but more often than not, in the lower divisions. Why on earth would anyone want Leeds United to carry on this 'history' that certain fans cling to, like that's all they've got to shout about because our current team is not good enough (sorry, I didn't realise you we're Liverpool fans too).

Our club needs investment and we need it soon, how long are we going to sit around in the championship before some of the fans leave and don't come back. 'Good riddance' I hear the so-called die hards say, but we need every fan we can get into Elland road. Red Bull can help that! As far as the Salzburg club goes, a tiny minority of fans set up another club, just like Man U fans did after the glazers bought them, get your facts right before you start an argument.

The investment could bring some pride back to our club after years of being a laughing stock. We can give our manager some resources to work with because at the moment, we can't event afford a new fish tank for the boardroom. We could keep the homegrown players we love to see in our side as the money would mean we could choose whether or not we wanted to sell them, not a case of the lennon's or the milner's of yesteryear.

How many fans would care if there was a red bull badge (in Leeds united colours) on the shirt as a sponsor? Only the shortsighted fans. Red bull aren't stupid, they know what our fans are like and they aren't gonna do anything to jeopardise the fan base. If we changed the stadium name, fans would still go and watch Leeds, don't be stupid. How many fans do Arsenal get in the Emirates again? Oh yeah, they fill it every week pretty much.

Red Bull is only a good thing and I think it's time that certain fans opened their eyes, put down their copy of 'Leeds United Fan's Annual 1971' and embraced the inevitable changes of modern football.

Richard

21/7/2013 12:19:21 am

Martin 1961...... Genius piece!!!

Martin 1`961

21/7/2013 02:29:58 am

Thanks Richard or is it Dick lol

Like the majority of the Leeds fans I tend to hide my discontentment behind a wall of humour.
Everyone is entitled to there opinion ,HM believes in what he is saying as do you, I fall on your side of the fence but only time will tell.
We are now in the 21st century and most move with it or forever be left behind. At no stage has it been mentioned that we are going to rename our club and to be honest im not even sure that would be permitted.
Sunderland, Man city, Derby, Reading, the list is endless,all these teams have relocated and have had there ground names completely changed, but they still have there history & identity.If our ground was to become the Red Bull Arena at least we are not relocating and it will still be on Elland rd.
Its then up to the individual to say where he or she is going but to me its Elland rd.
If the city council were to change it to Red Bull Way, which they wont that would be a different kettle of fish.

Its also been mentioned about the pure white of Leeds and that it is part of our history and identity, but face the facts the colours on a can of red bull are more true to our original identity than the white we play in now, or has everyone forgot blue and yellow are our true colours.
As long as we are known as LEEDS UNITED AFC everything else is insignificant.
We need big investment to move forward so lets welcome it with open arms a be great full..

Take the European cup, only the champions of each country were entered in it. They rebranded it the champions league and now only about 25% of the teams are actually champions of there country, so in reality its a complete sham,but its still kept its history and identity, which is the trophy they play for. Its a global success which generates billions of £, and all of this was achieved with rebranding and major sponsorship.
so lets jump on the band wagon, make the odd sacrifice, we will still have our history & identity but be up there were we belong.

Sorry guys no humour in this post, drugs must be wearing off .
Off now to find the smallest scum supporter then kick the shit out of him.
so see you guys in the south stand home to Brighton.
Mick & Lee all this is your fuckin fault im still flying from Saturday lol

jgh

21/7/2013 01:34:48 am

i think people need to start to think of the bigger picture we are leeds utd if we have to put red bull at the end of it then that is fine we will still be leeds utd forever.

phil

21/7/2013 02:39:18 am

If we dont do this, we'll rot in the lower leagues. Football has changed and this is the future.

Martin 1961

21/7/2013 02:49:42 am

This is my last post, im just about to land.
Forgot to tell u Lee I am being taken out for dinner tonight by a female Scum fan.
The first scum fan I have ever come across in my 52 years who has more than 10 brain cells.
And no way I am going to mention her name, she has one hell of a kick and a sting in her tail.
See u in two weeks mate.
Off to meet Kristella E at 7-20 lol MOT

Jezza

21/7/2013 03:26:07 am

Change is inevitable and can frequently be for the better. One of the last major changes this club undertook was to change from the traditional blue and gold to all white. Fans of the day probably thought what's the point!. Don knew what he was doing, the change galvanised a directionless club, focused the players and sent the message to all that things were going to be different.

Remember the definition of madness is to keep on doing the same thing while expecting a different result. Change can be beneficial. We all want a return of the good times, I say bring on Red Bull, lets Atari thinking positively about the future.

STELLA 88 link

21/7/2013 06:10:07 am

I've read all the post, and I must agree with those in favour of the red bull investment if it happens.
A lot of the most successful major business's have rebranded to keep in touch and thrive if you stand still and do nothing you will drown.
Martin 1961 you are a legend, some hilarious comments but some excellent valid points which are hard to argue against.
I to will be at the first home game and in the south stand cheering on the mighty whites , blues yellows or what ever colour we play in.

White girls are more fun, forget the red ones LOL**** MOT

martin g

21/7/2013 08:30:11 pm

i think some people need to open their eyes . if we get into the prem next season as we are we are doing nothing exept face relegation . investment now off a company like red bull would be a massive boost .if redbull renamed the ground maybe one day they would put some serious cash into redeloping elland road or building a new one because quite franckly when i look at elland road sometimes i feel embarrassed because 50% of the outside looks seriously run down , can anybody truthfully say that they are 100% comfy with gfh cos im not , ive not trusted them from day one , under them i feel we r a feeder club .bring in red bull and lets get Bates and Gfh FUCKED OFF for good before we are back in admin and master bates is buying us back for a couple of hundred from administrators

Adam

22/7/2013 12:46:29 am

Thank you for all your comments on this blog. All opinions have been noted and some good opinions at that from both sides. However it will not change my outlook on the future of Leeds United and this Red Bull deal. I've recently watched videos on how Red Bull ''sponsor'' their clubs and they don't. They don't sponsor these teams. They own them and change them completely. If you don't believe me look at how RB Salzburg have changed and the way loyal fans have had to move on to Austria Salzburg who play in the 5th tier of Austrian football these days.

I don't want an easy, get out of jail for free kind of thing. Sure, we all hate being in the Championship but we shouldn't need to change our name and our identity to get there. If GFH invested in us and Red Bull are showing interest then why wouldn't anyone else? Someone who didn't want to change the name of the club and stadium.

You can argue that money is the way forward but if Leeds United were to change their name and change their ways I for one would not be going to a game ever again. I would just support the game rather than the way modern football has changed my beloved club. You can argue that it's one less fan but would you really take pride in singing Marching on together, before a game cheering on Red Bull Leeds or Leeds United Red Bulls. I certainly wouldn't.

David goldberg link

22/4/2015 05:51:44 am

If u have forgotten and I am old enough to remember when our beloved Leeds United under the leadership of the don leeds did play in all sorts of red kit be it red sock white shirts and white shorts leeds v Chelsea fa cup final who really cares if we have a bit of red in our kit