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Den and Ken won't walk away from Leeds United
Ken Bates has predicted a long and successful relationship between Dennis Wise and Leeds United after revealing Wise coveted the manager's job at Elland Road "from the day I took over".
United were closing the door on their annus horribilis and welcoming in 2008 during today's game against Oldham Athletic, and Bates is yearning for a tranquil year after seeing Leeds return to profit and position themselves prominently in the League One table.
Wise's squad reached the midway point of the season on Saturday with a 3-2 loss at Swansea City, but their third league defeat could not obscure a five-month term of resilient consistency.
United have amassed 52 points from 23 games, enough in normal circumstances to guarantee their survival and place the club at the top of the division.
At the same stage last season, eventual champions Scunthorpe United had gathered 10 points fewer, and Nottingham Forest were top with 44.
The picture at Elland Road, however, is sadly distorted.
United's season has been shaped and driven by their 15-point deduction, a penalty which Bates is no closer to accepting than he was when the Football League imposed it at the beginning of August.
But the deduction, perversely, has had its uses.
The collective frustration created by United's punishment drew together a club that had been splintered by relegation from the Championship and a painfully-long period in administration.
It was the catalyst that led to Wise's acceptance among supporters who had been deeply sceptical of his appointment in 2006, even though Wise himself had always fancied the job.
Bates, who took control at Elland Road in January 2005, believed that, with time and a genuine chance, his manager would earn popularity in West Yorkshire, and the clamour of criticism that stalked Wise last season has fallen quiet, in part because of United's progression but also as a result of Wise's transparent commitment to facilitating the club's revival.
Bates told the Yorkshire Evening Post: "Dennis didn't come to Leeds on a whim. He wanted the job from the day I took over.
"At the time it wouldn't have been appropriate because I felt it was right to show loyalty to Kevin Blackwell.
"But when I gave Dennis the job, I did so because he wanted it and because I was sure he'd make a success of it.
"I asked him to clear out the Aegean stables and he's done that.
"The Football League didn't help him by waiting until five working days before the start of the season to return our share to us, but he stayed with us and he got on with it.
"If we carry on the way we've been going then we should be promoted in 2008, the first step on a long road.
"We've got the best manager in the division in my opinion, and I'm not worried if other clubs start taking notice.
"Dennis is honourable man and, in any case, he wouldn't want me to stop giving presents to my godchildren!
"Losing 15 points was a serious blow and I didn't expect us to be so high up the table by this stage. I'm pleasantly surprised.
"But then my way of working is to plan for the worst-case scenario rather than the best. It's safer that way."
That mentality has been borne out in the prediction made by United's board for league attendances at Elland Road this season.
Leeds budgeted for average crowds of 22,000; they have, in fact, recorded a figure of 27,563.
Their match against Millwall produced an attendance in excess of 30,000, and Huddersfield Town's visit last month filled the stadium to its capacity without using the East Stand's upper tier.
It has, says Bates, put "money in the bank", a rare period of affluence at Elland Road.
It was through insolvency, resulting in financial losses for hundreds of the club's creditors, that Leeds returned to profitability.
Administration left Bates open to criticism from those creditors; United's chairman still maintains that the "unfair" decision of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to call in their debt of more than 7m was to blame.
Either way, the brush with insolvency has moved Leeds into their strongest financial position for several years.
Bates said: "If you plan for the worst possible outcome, you avoid nasty surprises. We budgeted on crowds of 22,000, and we expected to gain 50,000 from our cup matches.
"The attendances this season mean we are making a profit, paying people on time and sitting with money in the bank.
"It gives Dennis a bit of flexibility in the transfer market, and we've got one player coming in on January 2.
"We're in active negotiations with a number of others. But we won't spend the money just because we've got it, and Dennis is agreed with me on that.
"At this stage, it's fair to say that we are planning for the possibility that we'll be in the Championship next season.
"If we don't do that then we could be looking at wholesale changes in the summer which wouldn't be ideal. It's important to plan ahead."
The most intriguing question for the majority of supporters it the future of Bates himself.
The 76-year-old says he has no plans to step down as chairman, and his recent, expansive musings about developing Elland Road do not tie in with an imminent departure.
He is, in any case, constrained by a clause in United's Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) which would see a large portion of any takeover funds paid to the club's creditors. The clause will remain in place until next summer.
Freddy Shepherd, the former Newcastle United chairman, is considering an investment in Leeds.
He is expected to push his attempt to gain a stake in United during the early stages of the new year, though sources at Elland Road say Bates would not consider handing over a controlling share to Shepherd or any other potential buyer. The entire shareholding is currently held by Forward Sports Fund, the foreign firm which facilitated Bates' takeover in 2005.
Bates said: "I've never said that I'd walk away from Leeds.
"A lot of other people have said that, but you've never heard it from me.
"There are serious investors who are interested in doing business with us, and if we find the right partners then we'd be delighted.
"But, if not, we'll move forward as planned.
"It's not an urgent necessity like it is for some clubs."
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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