Do you believe that? Or someone is doing a PR hatchet job On 3 Jul 2014 09:20, "Nick" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/03/massimo-cellino-leeds-united-paddy-kenny > > Massimo Cellino axes Paddy Kenny from Leeds over date of birth > > > > The increasingly bizarre world of Leeds United has taken another turn for > the strange after it emerged that Massimo Cellino, their maverick new > owner, has such a dislike of the number 17 it has turned him against one of > the club’s key players who was born on that date. > > Cellino is so suspicious of the number 17 that he had the seats at his > former club, Cagliari, taken out and replaced with 16B. Now he has > instructed the new Leeds head coach, Dave Hockaday, not to select Paddy > Kenny after discovering that the goalkeeper’s birthday is on 17 May and > concluding that he is bad luck for the Championship club. Kenny, the > second-highest earner at Leeds on £10,000 a week, has been left at home > while the other players embark on a pre-season trip to Italy and he will > not play for the club again. > > Cellino, who also has a fear of purple, has separate issues about Kenny > allegedly being overweight but is said to have reacted emotionally when he > found out the 36-year-old goalkeeper had a connection with the number 17. > > The Italian’s superstition about that number is so strong he has told > Hockaday it must not form part of the squad list next season. Michael Brown > previously wore 17 for Leeds but was released at the end of the season. > > The issue goes back to Cellino’s time in Italian football when he says > there was only one occasion in 20 years that Cagliari won or drew a game on > the 17th of a month. In a recent interview, he remembered that victory and > put it down to him asking the club’s supporters to wear the dreaded purple > to the game. “The whole stadium was purple on the 17th. We won because I > think that bad luck is like algebra: minus and minus is positive. Purple > and 17 … they became positive and we won. That’s the only time.” > > Cellino completed his takeover of Leeds in April but only after an appeal > against the Football League’s decision to try to block him entry on the > grounds he had a previous conviction for fraud. > > Since then, he has sacked Brian McDermott and unexpectedly brought in > Hockaday, who had been out of work for eight months after leaving his > previous club, Forest Green, on the back of a run of seven defeats in eight > games. > > Leeds are now embarking on a cost-cutting process that has seen the > canteen at their training ground closed down, meaning the players have to > take packed lunches or send out for sandwiches. The players are also being > made to pay to have their kits washed. Hockaday will not have control of > transfer business and Cellino intends to flood the squad with free signings > and cheap Italian imports. Stuart Taylor, who left Reading at the end of > the season, has joined Leeds to take over from Kenny. > _______________________________________________ > Leedslist mailing list > Info and options: > http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist > To unsubscribe, email [email protected] > > John 'Grampa' Sykes > Rest In Peace old lad > 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 > MARCHING ON TOGETHER > > _______________________________________________ Leedslist mailing list Info and options: http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist To unsubscribe, email [email protected] John 'Grampa' Sykes Rest In Peace old lad 28th Oct 1938 - 12 Nov 2013 MARCHING ON TOGETHER
