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.

'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'


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.