LUST Blog

L.U.S.T. Update: Frustrated Players Back Our Vision
DateFriday, June 8, 2012 at 5:50PM

Leeds United Supporters' Trust have been speaking with sources close to the players at Leeds United, as frustration grows among fans over the lack of progress on transfers, the current takeover talks, and yesterday's embarrassing court case. They have told us that the players are as disillusioned and disheartened as the fans at the moment, feeling undervalued by the club and totally frustrated by the lack of ambition Leeds United are showing. Many players have read and fully agree with the aims of L.U.S.T.'s Vision Statement, and want us to get their views out on their behalf.

Our sources say that players fear if they speak their minds openly and publicly at the moment they could be left to rot in the reserves, or be sold to clubs they have no interest in playing for. They are anxious, however, that Leeds supporters should know how they are feeling.

We've been told that the players are passionate and committed about bringing success to Leeds United. They desperately want to be part of a Leeds United side that wins promotion to the Premier League. With the current situation at the club, though, they cannot see how that will be possible. They understand that without an increase in the playing budget at Leeds, the club will need to sell before it can buy, but the only players the club can sell are the ones who want to stay and fight for promotion with Leeds United. This has put them in a catch-22 situation, not knowing whether they will still be at Leeds next season, or what sort of team they will be playing in.

While they want to stay at Elland Road, the players feel completely undervalued by the club. We understand that some of the contract offers the club has been making have offered a miserly increase in weekly wages, offers which do not come close to what players could earn elsewhere. They feel that they are nothing more than commodities to Leeds United, and they have compared their disillusionment to that felt by the fans in recent seasons. Their view is that the club does not care about either the players' or the fans' opinions enough to share their ambition.

A number of players have grown so frustrated by the situation at Leeds United that they are on the verge of giving up, walking away and accepting offers to play elsewhere. Our sources stressed to us that these players do not want to leave Leeds.

The players want the fans to know loud and clear that they share our passion for Leeds, and that they have a burning ambition to get our club to the Premier League. Equally, they share in the frustration and pain the fans have been feeling. Players who want to play for Leeds United fear that they will be forced out of the club this summer, and have to go and play elsewhere for the good of their careers and personal futures. They are frustrated that the people in charge of the club do not share the ambition of the players, and the fans, to make Leeds United a great football club again.

One of the main aims of the Leeds United Supporters' Trust Vision Statement is to reunite the club and its fans. We want to see harmony between the fans, the players, and the management of Leeds United, so we can build a successful team together. We are pleased to learn that there are players at Leeds United who fully endorse that vision, and who are desperate to help us make it a reality.