http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2133251,00.html
The story overplays the Supporters Trusts involvement in the flower-power initiative but at least it is National coverage. --------------------------------------------------------------- Leeds players' long wait for wages set to end soon Louise Taylor Tuesday July 24, 2007 The Guardian As despairing Leeds United fans deposited bunches of white, yellow and blue flowers around the Billy Bremner statue outside Elland Road yesterday, the club's present-day players were increasingly hopeful that they would soon be paid for the first time in seven weeks. Indeed, providing four-way negotiations involving Mick McGuire, the PFA's deputy chief executive, Shaun Harvey, a Leeds director, the Football League and KPMG, the stricken club's administrator, progress as expected, it is understood that player payments owed since the end of last month could be initiated by tomorrow or Thursday. "It should all be sorted out soon. It feels like we're moving towards a solution," a source explained. Nevertheless things are rarely straightforward with Leeds these days and fans felt sufficiently despondent to launch their "Save our Club" initiative by "saying it with flowers" yesterday. Aidan Booth of the Leeds United supporters trust is determined to alert the world that the club could yet go under. Moreover, he hopes that the floral display at the Bremner statue might just persuade those involved to conjure up a viable survival blueprint. "This summer is the 40th anniversary of the summer of love and the flower power movement," explained Booth. "And it was also the time when the great Revie-Bremner team became a major force in European football." The Football League is so concerned about the terms of the club's recent resale to Ken Bates by the administrator, KPMG, that it is withholding Leeds's "golden share" - effectively membership rights - in the competition, along with more than £2m raised by the sales of David Healy, Robbie Blake and Kevin Nicholls. Although Bates and his board would prefer the golden share to be returned and transfer monies released before the players are paid, the negotiations currently being led by McGuire are believed to be exploring ways of remunerating Dennis Wise's squad without the share being handed back to Leeds this week. It is understood that if Wise's squad - who agreed a wage deferral in May - are left unpaid for 90 days they will be at liberty to leave Elland Road on free transfers. _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist Join The Leeds United Supporters Trust at www.lufctrust.org
