Leeds United may ‘finally’ be free of syndrome as ‘totally alien’ 15-year 49ers plan emerges – Phil Hay
People close to the 49ers’ takeover of Leeds United believe the current ownership plan could last as long as 15 years, according to Phil Hay.
Speaking on The Square Ball podcast on 6 November the Athletic journalist said that it was a “totally alien” concept at Elland Road where the club endlessly been caught in a syndrome of hoping and speculating about improved ownership since Peter Ridsdale’s era as chairman which began back in 1997.
Hay feels that the Whites may be “free of that, finally” now that the current regime have 100% control and are expected to be in place for at least the medium term.
Hay said (18m 15s): “The ownership thing is significant because if you speak to people around about the 49ers takeover they speak about this buy-out as being a kind of project that could run for 10-15 years or something like that.
“The concept of Leeds having no ownership discussion or debate, or potential for ownership change, over a period of 10 to 15 years is just totally alien to the club, because it’s been the complete opposite.
“If you go back to Ridsdale onwards there’s constantly been that thing in the background of, ‘Is somebody good going to buy this club? Is somebody with money going to buy this club? Is somebody going to take it on and do big things with it?’
“And in the end it’s been this incremental jump from one owner to another, and we might be free of that, finally.”
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There have been some good times in the 26 years since Ridsdale originally arrived at Elland Road but there have also been some very bad ones.
Leeds United fans have rarely had anything like long-term confidence in the path that club was set to take, with even the heady days at the peak of the Marcelo Bielsa era tinged with uncertainty as the manager only ever signed one-year contract extensions.
This being Leeds supporters will want to touch wood before getting too comfortable, but having been involved in the Whites for five years before completing the full buy-out from Andrea Radrizzani the 49ers appear to have ushered in a new era.
Success is perhaps easier to come by in the Championship than the Premier League, granted, but the relative stability that the club is experiencing with Daniel Farke in charge is no mean feat when there was anything but that during the summer.
It is still early days with the new American owners but they seem to have put the right people in the right places so far and the team is showing the benefits of that.
If indeed they are to stay for the next decade and beyond there will understandably be high hopes for what they can achieve in that time, assuming Paraag Marathe and company remain as committed and enthusiastic about the development of the club years down the line as they are during what is effectively the honeymoon period now.
In other Leeds United news, Hay says that one player who is excelling now has “knuckled down massively” after questions about his attitude.