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Marcelo Bielsa's Clean Leeds

Police have been called in by the new owner of Leeds United, Massimo Cellino, after secret spy cameras were discovered at Elland Road.

In a sensational twist to the convoluted takeover saga at Leeds, West Yorkshire Police have launched a theft investigation, which sources say relates to club funds used to install the cameras.

Sportsmail understands that when controversial new owner Cellino arrived in Leeds on Wednesday to start taking charge of the club, a security sweep found the cameras in the boardroom and the toilets.

Cellino called in the police, who spent Wednesday evening and much of Thursday trying to ascertain how the cameras got there, what money was used to pay for them and why anyone would want them installed.

‘He’s clearly not thrilled that these cameras were there and the police are taking those concerns seriously,’ a source told Sportsmail.

Italian Cellino, 57, officially became a board member of Leeds on Tuesday after his £35million deal to buy 75 per cent of the club from Bahrain bankers GFH was effectively given the green light last Saturday.

The Football League gave him the all-clear after deeming that a tax-evasion offence in Italy was not due to dishonesty.

It is not known who paid for the cameras to be fitted or where the money came from.

A spokesman for GFH said: ‘We have no comment.’

West Yorkshire Police would provide no detailed information about their investigation.

Head of crime for Leeds, Dep Supt Pat Twiggs, said: ‘We can confirm that police are investigating an allegation of theft relating to Leeds United Football Club following a report made by the club on April 9.

‘Enquiries are at an early stage and we are not in a position to give any further information.’
Cellino has made clear he intends to run Leeds, who host Blackpool today, and that GFH - who retain 25 per cent of the club - and their personnel will be marginalised.

In another twist last night, former GFH employee David Haigh, who had been contracted to become CEO in the Cellino regime, quit as managing director.

Haigh said: ‘Owing to various statements made by and on behalf of the new majority owners of Leeds United, I am left with no alternative than to resign.

‘This is a matter of particular regret to me since I was the person who introduced Eleonora Sport (Cellino’s company) to the club’s owners. I also gave them my full and constant support in the Football League’s lengthy approval process.’


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2602519/EXCLUSIVE-Police-Leeds-theft-probe-new-owner-Massimo-Cellino-calls-cops-secret-spy-cameras-Elland-Road-boardroom-toilets.html
 
Leeds United fans unhappy over Dave Hockaday appointment with former Forest Green Rovers boss replacing Brian McDermott

  • Former Forest Green Rovers boss Dave Hockaday named Leeds United head coach on a two-year deal
  • Hockaday 'will assume overall responsibility for the coaching staff and first team playing squad with immediate effect'
  • Former Leicester City midfielder Junior Lewis is assistant
  • Brian McDermott left by mutual consent at end of the season
It is fair to say Leeds United fans are not exactly ****-a-hoop over David Hockaday.

How does a man sacked from Forest Green Rovers in the Conference Premier after losing seven of eight games next land the main job at arguably the biggest club outside the Premier League?

Confused, and not a little angry, Leeds supporters can be forgiven for never having heard Hockaday’s name before Italian owner Massimo Cellino plucked him from obscurity.

Forest Green was Hockaday’s managerial debut and the team ended his first season in the relegation places, only to be saved by Salisbury City getting punished with demotion instead for financial irregularities.

Another season of struggle followed before Ecotricity owner Dale Vince completed a takeover and supplied Hockaday with the division’s healthiest budget.

Despite this the side finished 10th in consecutive seasons and by this campaign the 56-year-old was receiving abuse from the stands. During a 4-1 defeat to Kidderminster last October his own supporters sung: ‘F*** off Dave Hockaday’ and ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’.
He managed two more defeats before being given his P45.

But there is another side to that story. Some observers felt the style of football he implemented – 4-3-3, passing – was commendable but players were simply not adequately skilled. Such tactics might work with a Championship squad.

Also, while he possessed big-name players at non-league level accusations were levelled that once they had their pay cheques performing on a Saturday came secondary. Mentality was the problem. Still, it was Hockaday’s responsibility to motivate.

An ability to developing players on the coaching field is what Leeds have trumpeted and his roles at Watford and Southampton are testament to that.

Watford won promotion to the top-flight in 2006 with Hockaday on the staff. He had joined with Graham Taylor manager in 2000 as Under-18 coach and brought through Ashley Young among others.

But Bothroyd replaced Hockaday with Malky Mackay in January 2007 as the team struggled in and he was also dismissed from Southampton two years later.

His playing career was largely spent at Swindon Town and Blackpool playing as right-back. This appointment by Cellino is as left-field as they come.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2662591/Leeds-fans-unhappy-Dave-Hockaday-appointment-former-Forest-Green-Rovers-boss-replacing-Brian-McDermott.html
 
almost as bizarre as the venkys at blackburn, saw this bloke interviewed and his gameplan was to" work as hard as i can".

the ghost of risdale will never leave this club
 
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.

www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/03/massimo-cellino-leeds-united-paddy-kenny
 
:ross:

I hope for the Leeds fans that this is some ill founded rumour. It's too funny though, so I hope it's true :)

16b! Paddy Kenny's birthday...
 
Packed lunches :ross: Lovely stuff, I like this guy.

Although the solution to his Kenny problem seems clear - purple goaly kit. Algebra, innit?
 
That is so illogical. All they need is a purple jersey for the #17 goalkeeper.

Edit: damn, already said.
 
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Its nice to laugh at someone else for a change. Suddenly things dont seem as bad at our club !
 
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