Marching On Together

Kennyb41 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 7:32 am "The chance to reinvigorate the cherished Leeds culture, to create a platform that attracts the world's finest players and build a truly global brand that celebrates diversity is a prospect that thrills me."

It's this bit that worries me.

As someone said on another forum far away, 'we're a football club, mate, f**k off'.

Corporatism will ruin everything soon enough.

Interview here. Apologies if its already up.


Starts by saying he's got no money. Alot of it is corporate spiel as others have said with a dollop of hot air thrown in. Interesting he's going to be dividing his time between us and the 49ers. So he said its important he gets the right people in to run the club.

At times he talks a bit game. We will ahve to wait and see what transpires.

Have we got the whole shebang, ground, thorp arch, stadium etc ?
Has Radz got a suite named after him and is Orta our president ?

united8 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 6:19 am Good news.
Lots to do before Leeds v. Cardiff on 6 Aug.

Welcome to the MOT forum, United8

Championship's guru Bejamin Bloom take on Leeds.

SaraM wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 9:08 am It's this bit that worries me.

As someone said on another forum far away, 'we're a football club, mate, f**k off'.

Corporatism will ruin everything soon enough.

True.

Believe it or not i'm still gutted Bert's gone.

He had big plans and on a shoestring too.

1964white wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 12:38 pm Championship's guru Bejamin Bloom take on Leeds.

Thanks for posting this video - very interesting.
So, I watched this straight after watching the new chairman's interview on the podcast.

Being in North America for the past 30 years, and working with many American companies, in multiple sectors (but as a Canadian) over that time, here's my take on what I've just heard - trying to be as objective as possible: (I posted just yesterday that I would remain a sceptic until I see what the 49'ers actually DO).

- Marathe did come across as genuine. Of course he speaks 'corporate speak' but in fact I'd be worried if he didnt! It's that language that will bode well in key partner, sponsor and player negotiations.

- He does indeed have a long, varied history in sport and I do tend to believe him when he says his true passion is sport and competition. In addition to his 20+ years with the 49ers, he also helped cricket in the USA get recognized by the ICC. The fact he says he played football as a kid doesn't mean much as the US context is just so different in this respect. But at least he is a true fan of the game.

- He was instrumental in re-building the 49ers stadium and - as mentioned in the podcast - it is an amazing stadium! So that will be valuable experience in a major rebuild/facelift at ER in the year to come.

- American CEO's/ Presidents do talk a good talk. but you have to hand it to them - when they set targets and goals, they can be laser focused and get things done. That's why their corporations have such global successes. Its when they let their arrogance overtake, and they refuse to learn that they tend to fall no their faces.I don't sense that from Marathe in this early conversation. He talked about learning and wanting to learn a number of times. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that and hope its true.

- I'm' not worried about him referring to wanting to make us a global brand - frankly we already are. He did say that was more of a by-product of local/domestic success. He's right, you can't build a global brand on nothing. The old marketing saying is true - good marketing cant ultimately sell a bad product! Ajax have a focus on being a global brand (now have an office in New York too) and I think it's been a successful strategy for them and helps their balance sheet in a positive way.

- Bloom's take on the takeover tends to support the idea that the timing of this takeover for us is perhaps a good thing.
We clearly need to draw a line in the sand and move forward - and that includes moving forward from the (sorry Kenny) Bielsa years - as great a memory as they were. Looking back , it took us a long, long time to get over Don Revie. The managers that followed were always compared to him - those huge boots just couldnt be filled.
If we take out the wonderful Bielsa years and look at our trending - it's not really a very pretty picture is it? Marcelo was the disruptor we needed but, with benefit of hindsight, his amazing vision and football mind may have been too much for us at that particular time.
Ironically the lack of support he got from management once he got us promoted was maybe not dissimilar to what happened to Falke at Norwich. It was good to hear Marathe talk about wanting to support Daniel for the long term - not just to get us promoted.

- As the saying goes over here - my 'spidey-sense' tells me Marathe will be watching Kinnear like a hawk in the coming months. Angus is not his man, but he will give him time (in the interest of stability) to prove himself under the 49ers philosophy. But he will not hesitate in pulling the ripcord, if he's not happy. What's the saying - "hire slow and fire fast". Take it from me Angus - keep on your toes and make sure you're moving things forward.

So - new broom sweeps clean and all that. Lets now turn to football - see what players come in over the next month or so and then hope we can fulfill the forecast Bloom makes that we should without doubt be top 4 by end of the coming season (preferably top 2 )

SaraM wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 9:08 am It's this bit that worries me.

As someone said on another forum far away, 'we're a football club, mate, f**k off'.

Corporatism will ruin everything soon enough.

I'm afraid we can't get away from that. Football clubs are big business and football is a global business. Football clubs are run like businesses (as distasteful as that sounds) in order to be able to pay the massive wages players demand. That's where the problem really lies. Average footballers making more money in a year than a brain surgeon or an airline pilot is - to me - bloody ridiculous. But its not going to change.

So we need business brains equal to or better than our competition if we are to beat them on the field.

malcolmw wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 6:25 pm I'm afraid we can't get away from that. Football clubs are big business and football is a global business. Football clubs are run like businesses (as distasteful as that sounds) in order to be able to pay the massive wages players demand. That's where the problem really lies. Average footballers making more money in a year than a brain surgeon or an airline pilot is - to me - bloody ridiculous. But its not going to change.

So we need business brains equal to or better than our competition if we are to beat them on the field.

It's chicken and egg.

Players can 'demand' inflated wages precisely because football is run like a business and not a sport.

The problem lies in the economic and cultural value system which subsumes everything to the profit motive.

It isn't sustainable.

It’s been said before that 49ers Enterprises and Radrizzani had enough time to plan for any foreseeable event regarding the take over agreement, be it that Leeds were going to be a Premier League team or that they were going to be Championship team. It seems, listening to Marathe, that the latter possibility had not been prepared for, which you have to say, given the team’s performance over the last two years, was at least remiss, probably foolish!

Anyway it’s done and dusted now so let’s hope that his confident patter is not misplaced, that he’s as competent as he says he is and that this club performs as well as he promises it will.

I’m looking forward to listening to Ben’s take on Leeds’ performances this coming season.

SaraM wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 7:15 pm It's chicken and egg.

Players can 'demand' inflated wages precisely because football is run like a business and not a sport.

The problem lies in the economic and cultural value system which subsumes everything to the profit motive.

It isn't sustainable.

I'm amazed it's gone on as long as it has, thought it would've crashed years ago, folk are fickle, but its the corporate lot thats sustaining it not the working classes anymore.

mentalcase wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 8:12 pm I'm amazed it's gone on as long as it has, thought it would've crashed years ago, folk are fickle, but its the corporate lot thats sustaining it not the working classes anymore.

Definitely, but that ultimately depends on markets that have been on borrowed time for fifteen years now.

malcolmw wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 2:41 am Well they first need to learn what 'football' really is.

There's an old saying in leadership training - 'You change people by what you do, not what you say'.
I'm glad its all final, we can draw a line and move on. But I will remain 'vigilant' until I see what this lot actually do in the coming 3 months.
I want to see leadership for good of club and community, not just financial margins and dividends for the 'suits'.

I don’t disagree and although they aren’t entirely without blame for the past 2 years capitulation, they didn’t have the final say, they’ve seen first hand the consequences of boardroom failure and how the atmosphere around the club can become quite unpleasant and hopefully have learnt from radz mistakes.

I don’t disagree, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, but the fact that they come from a sporting background is encouraging, there should be some transferable skills.

mentalcase wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 8:12 pm I'm amazed it's gone on as long as it has, thought it would've crashed years ago, folk are fickle, but its the corporate lot thats sustaining it not the working classes anymore.

I agree with these sentiments, but being pragmatic, I think its perhaps more sustainable than we think. As long as there is seemingly unlimited Saudi money to fund their sportswashing, and global venture capital money seeking a place to invest, football budgets will continue to grow and grow.
Its not unique to football - look at what Saudi money has done to golf in the past year - its shameful, but has to be managed as its not going away.
At least in the 49ers and Marathe, we have a chairman who is more informed on these "ways of the world" and (trying to be optimistic here) can help our club navigate this.
For sake of discussion though, I suppose we do have to look at the positives. New, state-of-the- art stadiums, massive growth in the game globabbly in countries that would not otherwise have been able to afford it, and teams playing a level of football like we have never seen - the current M City team being a (begrudging) example.

So, in the spirit of 'if you can't beat em. join em' - I just hope we get a super strong squad that will compete in Europe in 4 years and a lovely stadium that fits the city. There you go - I'm not asking for too much ... am I.

SaraM wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 9:08 am It's this bit that worries me.

As someone said on another forum far away, 'we're a football club, mate, f**k off'.

Corporatism will ruin everything soon enough.

I understand your sentiment Sara. But Leeds have been a global "Brand" since at least the 1970's. How else would an American kid like me with ZERO English Football on TV even be aware of Leeds United? Again, I see your point, but I think it's a distinction without a difference. The idea of "Club" really only matters to the locals. To everyone else in the world it's a "Team". And teams are brands.

Suffolkwhite Luke wrote: ↑Mon Jul 17, 2023 10:03 pm Glad it’s finally signed off. You would hope that our new owners would have been speaking to clubs and players whilst the I’s were getting dotted and T’s crossed and it’s merely a case of getting things formalised and signed off. However this is Leeds United and nothing ever seems to be simple for us.

Do you think Bert should've been sacked ?

united8 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 18, 2023 6:19 am Good news.
Lots to do before Leeds v. Cardiff on 6 Aug.

Art toreet pal, welcome

Do you think Bert should've been sacked ?

Kennyb41 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 2:37 am Do you think Bert should've been sacked ?

Is that your stock question to all newbies Kenny to decide if they’re worthy of your time

BlackHillsPaul wrote: ↑Wed Jul 19, 2023 1:38 am I understand your sentiment Sara. But Leeds have been a global "Brand" since at least the 1970's. How else would an American kid like me with ZERO English Football on TV even be aware of Leeds United? Again, I see your point, but I think it's a distinction without a difference. The idea of "Club" really only matters to the locals. To everyone else in the world it's a "Team". And teams are brands.

I think there is a world of difference between 70s style fame and notoriety, and a modern, deliberately manufactured, marketing image.

One is generated by large numbers of people spontaneously responding to something real, which moves or inspires them, and the other is contrived corporate bullshit for the purposes of making money.