In spite of the magnificent efforts on the field, it was Bates and company who fell foul of the Football League's administration rules last summer and, unfortunately for him, Gary McAllister and the players could not quite deliver his salvation at Wembley.

In many ways I admire Ken Bates, especially when he is pronouncing on football matters. However, he will never learn that his hectoring ways do not work with everybody, especially those running national bodies such as the Football League.

And it was also no surprise that the club's appeal cut no ice with the independent tribunal in April.

Bates' track record at Leeds has not been good. He started off by losing the goodwill of thousands of long-serving fans when he closed the upper east stand and parts of the West Stand. For a long time he refused to see the argument about high admission prices.

He took the club into administration and fell foul of the Football League rules, and he then dragged out an appeal which in my opinion he never had a hope of winning.

And the latest debacle on the Wembley ticket allocation process almost beggared belief.

At some stage I am sure he will sell up, make a fat profit out of our club and then spend the remainder of his days with kindred spirits in his Monaco tax haven.

Maybe then, just maybe, we can have a wealthy, respected and better-connected person at the helm of our club who can quietly and efficiently help steer us back to our rightful place in the Premiership.

Keith Handley, Horsforth, Leeds