'The Sheriff' hoping to ride Leeds into the Premiership ‏

By Keith Ingham

From the beginning of his start of owning Leeds United I had misgivings on Massimo Cellino, I still have even after the excellent article by the Yorkshire Evening Post's Leeds United writer Phil Hay. Cellino in it regards himself as the new sheriff of Leeds 11, a bold and confident man by his own admission seems to be heading Leeds in the right direction.

You must remember I'm from the era when football was different, cotton shirts and shorts and a ball that didn't fly about like a beach ball. Leeds United in those days were owned by local business men, Cussins followed by Leslie Silver who ran the good ship Leeds well enough to recoup two League Championships, a FA Cup, League Cup, Fairs Cup and countless near misses for the club. I'm trying to say it was invested in when needed and it had all the right people in the right places. A well run club and even without the massive wages a place where players wanted to come to learn under Don Revie.

Move forward forty years and it's become more news worthy off the pitch than on it. Over spending, living the dream then the nightmare that followed it. Administration and eight years of Kenneth Bates had ruined the club I fell so in love with back in the days of cotton. It's been written about before so I won't bore you with facts and figures already put in print on the cyber space we use now.

I thought that Ken's tenure was bad but the ones, GFH that followed him simply hadn't a idea of running a football club but they knew it's name would fill their business's bank account and indeed their own. If these 'cowboys' would have been left in charge the 'Sheriff' wouldn't have had a place to look after !.

In reading Mr Cellino's article he assures us that the club is run in a far better state now than it was, nearly debt free and with working capital to ensure Head Coach David Hockaday will have new players at his disposal in the near future. Although without doubt these players will come from outside England, Cellino is confident that they will adapt to the British game and make the club stronger on the playing side. What is apparent is that Massimo is in this to take Leeds United into the Premiership but as a well oiled machine with less 'baggage' than previously. He wants us to believe in what he is doing and that he's Leeds, Leeds, Leeds.

I may myself have reservations on the man and his methods but I can't and won't discard his passion. That is certainly what this great club needs from top to bottom.

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