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Cellino talks, but is it what we want to hear?

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Massimo Cellino gave his first interview since arriving back in England from his third holiday this season.

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Firstly, I want to point out the issue with that. He often refers to himself as the manager of Leeds United. So why is he off on holiday so frequently instead of managing us? It’s ridiculous. It must have been a lovely break for him, it is a great shame that we fans have not felt as relaxed, eh? Whilst away, presumably resting up before his appeal was heard, doubts within the fan base have started to grow, and from the fans I have witnessed, there has been a definite shift in the confidence that was held in Cellino. His interview with Simon Austin certainly didn’t help.

The first big statement that worried me within the article was the following, after insisting he did not fear relegation – “It would not be a disaster. It is a disaster when you are starving or have a terminal illness. I am not worried about that.”

Now, I am not for one second saying that I feel he honestly would not be that bothered if we were relegated. Of course he would. It would signal the failure of his two year plan, whilst only being halfway into it. It would be a huge failure, not only for Leeds, but for Massimo’s image. A man who holds his representation with such high esteem would be crumbling inside if he knew he had yet again failed to deliver. So in that sense, I feel he literally just meant that the world would not end if Leeds got relegated. He’s right. It wouldn’t. Does that mean he should say it? Of course not. He is running a club which is already full of doubts and worries. Playing down relegation is not a good move. At all. Sometimes the man really needs to think before speaking, which brings me on to my second issue with the interview.

This issue is within regards to Stephen Warnock. There was a lot of debate on twitter when Phil Hay announced that Warnock was likely to be leaving Leeds amidst a possible relegation battle, with many defending Massimo on the grounds that Warnock may have wanted to leave. Now, before I discuss what was said in the interview, I would just like to point out that if Warnock definitely wanted to leave Leeds, would you blame him? He certainly isn’t 21st in the Championship quality, that’s for sure. Right, so what did Massimo say? Did Warnock want to leave? Well, seemingly not. Massimo revealed that Warnock had approached Cellino on Saturday, with the hopes of signing a new two year deal (Warnock is out of contract at the end of this season). Massimo stood firm. He has a strict rule for players over 30. They will only be offered a 1 year deal at most.

Mirco Antenucci, a now 30 year old forward at Leeds, was offered a 2 year deal, just a month before his 30th birthday. Now, this keeps within Massimo’s rules, that’s fine, despite Antenucci technically having a 23 month contract from the age of 30.

Warnock has since left the club to join promotion hopefuls Derby County, and we have lost our captain and one of the most experienced players in our team.

I also do not appreciate the sly little comments Cellino made about Warnock in the interview – “and is often complaining.” He’s gone Massimo, and the majority are upset that he has gone. Stop trying to save face and make it look like others were in the wrong. You may have screwed up big time here, we’ll just have to wait and see.

I would now like to draw attention to the watermelon reference, again. A manager is not a watermelon, Massimo. You don’t just “find out what they are like when you open them”. You scout for coaches just like you would do for players. Then again, that may explain his ‘stab in the dark’ policy for player recruitment, I guess. On the manager front, however, it was refreshing to hear he wasn’t planning to sack Redfearn just yet, which although sounds disappointing given our poor form and Redfearn’s unexplainable use of substitutions, it gives a sense of stability to the club. Something we haven’t had since Massimo walked through the door.

Moving swiftly on to Luciano Becchio. Our Argentinian Prince. In the interview Massimo said “We love Becchio and made a big mistake when we let him go.” Yes, Massimo, we did make a mistake and we do indeed love him. We. Not you. Trying to sugar-coat ignoring Redfearn’s wishes with the ‘love card’ is ridiculous. Becchio is not another pawn in your PR game of chess, no one bought the fake love there, my friend. Stop trying too hard. I do understand his reasoning’s for rejecting Becchio, however.  He is older now and has been injured recently. That’s all true. Nevertheless, would Becchio really be that bad of an option? He gives our team another plan rather than just pretty little passes on the ground that lead to nothing. He wouldn’t score any less than our strikers have scored recently. So, is there that much of a risk? I certainly don’t think so.

Later on in the interview it was revealed that Cellino said – “The main thing I have learnt is that the Championship is a lot harder than the second division in Italy.” Brilliant. Finally, he is learning from his mistakes. Yes? Well why are we still being linked with rejects from the Italian leagues then? That is NOT what we need right now. We know it. Redfearn knows it. Massimo even said he knows it. So why is he making the same mistake, again?

Simon Austin then revealed the rest of the interview later on that day, and a key quote I took from it was the following, “I know who I am and I am not a dishonest guy. When I came to England, I saw it as the country of justice and fairness.” Well, I beg to differ. Here are just some of the offences Massimo has been involved in since taking over in Cagliari, just over two decades ago: Defrauded the EU out of £7.5million, evaded import duty on 2 yachts, failure to pay import duty on a range rover, may have possibly embezzled funds during the Stadium saga back in Italy, the same case may face a corruption trial, he was accused of doping offences and using violent threats against his own players, was involved in and/or had knowledge of match-fixing in Italy during two separate seasons and he avoided paying tax during the sale of two players. So, is Massimo that honest of a man? Really? If Massimo miraculously wins this current appeal, or if he does return to Leeds in March, I predict nothing but issues for our beloved club. Unwanted, doubt-increasing issues. Is that really what we deserve after the reigns of Bates and GFH?

I implore you to consider all of these previous circumstances and really consider the issues and trials Massimo faces in the future and ask yourself, will we be successful under this man? Whatever you decide you will of course be considered a Leeds United fan, and treated accordingly. We all want the best for our club, I just personally feel Massimo is the barman, continuously passing us the vodka so we can forget the past and stay happy. I do not trust the man with my club.

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  • I’m leeds fan 50 years and I just don’t trust any one in our club any more not even our players its heart breaken for our super fans they are best in the world tony from Israel

    • Rhys says:

      It truly has been a sad state of affairs for the last decade or so. Keep up the support, Tony.

  • Jim says:

    You’re a clown Pal!

    • Rhys says:

      I prefer constructive criticism, to be honest, but as I’ve said, we are all Leeds fans at the end of the day, so no harm, eh?

  • Caron says:

    I am the wife of a life long Leeds fan, with a son as passionate and I am a fickle fan, but would support no other team. This is a brilliant article, I also blog and you are sure to get many more comments on this. You say it like it is, well done and thank you.

    • Rhys says:

      That is greatly appreicated, Caron. I too would never support another team, which is why it is so awful to have witnessed it get dragged through the dirt so frequently. In truth, I wanted it to work under Cellino, I really did. I just cant see that happeneing anymore though.

  • Factual article , sadly yet again dark days for the best fans in the world
    MOT
    Big Rich

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