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-------- Original Message -------- Subject: From YEP. The Yanks are commin?? Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 10:27:08 +0100 From: David Holden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Americans join queue to invest in United View GalleryBy Richard Sutcliffe KEN BATES has revealed six serious would-be investors are interested in getting involved with Leeds United if the club exit administration tomorrow. The Elland Road outfit were placed in the hands of administrators KPMG on May 4 amid debts of £35m and a balance sheet indicating an injection of £10m was needed to keep United alive. Within a few minutes, KPMG had sold the club to a newly-formed company headed by Bates with the deal being subject to approval at tomorrow's creditors' meeting when a Company Voluntary Agreement will be voted on. Leeds property magnate Simon Morris, a former United director, has submitted rival plans for a £10m takeover, but Bates hopes the creditors will instead agree to his offer of 1p in the pound. The United chairman last night told the Yorkshire Post: "We have six serious would-be investors or investor groups whom you have never read or heard about. "They want to come in once Friday is out of the way. What will be disastrous is if these people who I call spoilers, manage to do so. "One (of the would-be investors) is a huge American group who have just completed a huge takeover successfully. I will not discuss their identity, but it is all very encouraging. "Serious investors don't talk to newspapers. They don't go through the newspapers. "I won't mention names, but when you read 'I am going to do this and that' you can usually take it for granted that they are enjoying their two-bob's worth of glory and then they will fade away. "When a deal is done, it will be announced. "We know other people are also holding off until we come out of administration, so there is plenty of money about. But it has to be on the right terms and the right motives. "The moment someone comes in and talks about the property angle then we kick them out. They are not interested in Leeds United, they are interested in the land." Due to being in administration for the past four weeks, Leeds have been unable to negotiate transfers in or out of Elland Road. However, if tomorrow's creditors' meeting hands control back to Bates then manager Dennis Wise, subject to the Football League's next board meeting on June 6 rubber-stamping the deal, will be able to belatedly start re-building for life in League One. Bates, who has also revealed to the Yorkshire Post that Wise volunteered to take a pay cut following relegation, said: "Other clubs have been able to sign players since May 7 and, in fact, some players that we wanted have already been signed. "But Dennis has had a lot of meetings and discussions with players. I have now sent Dennis and Gus (Poyet) away on holiday and by the time we will be able to trade again, they will be back. "Dennis Wise has also volunteered to take a pay cut, which I think must be a first in the history of football. He is leading by example." Providing tomorrow's creditors' meeting can be successfully negotiated, Bates is forecasting a bright future for United. He said: "There have been a number of encouraging things. Firstly, we have 1,760 people on a waiting list who are new people wanting to buy season tickets. (United's season ticket tally last season was a little under 11,000). "As of today, 109 executive members have not renewed, but over 80 have said they want to be new ones. So, that is looking good. The corporates are very important because they pay big money. "We have also agreed three new sponsorships – which we can't sign yet obviously – and that, again, is hugely encouraging. "And we have also done a deal with our on-line betting partner (Bet24) who will pay us between two and four times what they did this year. "We have also had an amazing number of supportive letters from fans. There was an old guy from Ilkley who sent us £25 with a note saying 'hope this helps'. We had a 16-year-old schoolboy from Ireland who sent us a e50 note, while a guy from America sent us $100. "It has all been very touching. I have written back to them all to return their money, and told them to save it for a big promotion party next May." _______________________________________________ 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
