Well Leeds should never have gone bankrupt.

I don't believe that Leeds has ever been bankrupt.

Amazing news .........everyone should sign up to BT Broadband & Affinity

Thats about right, though its always good to see Sky have some competition

With regard to the impact on Leeds, well - atm it just makes the unbridgeable gulf a bit wider, so no effect really. When / if we get to the Prem, it won't change much. The days when we could get promoted and come in the top 2 in our first season back, without spending the GNP of a small country, have long gone anyway

What we will need to do is consolidate and get established as a mddle-top half club. Only then will a push at the top spots look like its financially possible.

Agree it makes it harder but its the same issue as before, really

I've said before it will take half a billion to get Leeds from where they are now to compete with top 4....it simply won't happen with GFH.

It's very hard to see how we can be anything more than top 10 in prem at very best without substantial change.

Jonty yup we all know it, unfortunately a team must have billionaire owners to be a top 6 team these days, money talks

Jonty, do you think we will see Leeds as a top 4 club again in our lifetime. I am nearly 48, I have my doubts to be honest.

Leeds United will be in the big league again and vying for the title again in my lifetime. And I' m 56.



To say otherwise you might as well gibve up and go annd support

.......Watford...!

Eric, its a drug, I could never leave, I am very loyal. I think Jonty makes a valid point about money needed to get us there, don't know where it will come from, but as I have told you before, I like your optimism

I am not sure I agree Eric. What you need to believe in is, the chance of improvement - getting into the playoffs would be that, right now. As I am not one who believes in Leeds "right" to be at the top, I am not sure I need to believe it will happen. If your view was correct, then the supporters of 80-+ clubs might as well take up tiddlywinks, as they are never going to see their club win a champions league final.

Don't think it will take as much money as everyone thinks. Both Manchester City & Chelsea have spent fortunes and neither could truly say that they are invincible. Southampton hasn't spent megabucks but appear to be punching above their weight.

I don't think Leeds United should spend big but a transfer budget that reflects the revenue shouldn't be a big ask.

I believe that Leeds United will return to the Premier League but not with the current regime in place. Furthermore I think if the club can continue to bring on the youth and keep them we might just be in a position to compete with the so-called big boys.

This is Leeds United after all, we'll never be truly defeated.

Castro, I worry we won't see a Leeds team at the top again in our lifetime.

Stevie, Southampton are hardly an established top 4 team, so not a good example, having just stayed up last season.

Having said that, they already spent over 20 mill this summer and have spent heavily in last few seasons just to try and stay in the Prem.

I think Everton are a better example of a team consistently spending money (about 130 mill in 6 years) yet not able to make any inroads into top 4.

If you wanted to take Leeds to top of Prem you have to buy the club, lets say 50 mill, buy ER, buy a training ground, buy the players to get us out of this league, then buy the players to keep us up, upgrade the ground, buy the players to try and get to top of perm, and that takes time as you can't get best players straight away as you can't offer CL football.

I think this would take about half a billion and yet we get excited at spending a mill on Murphy....really shows how far away we are I'm afraid.

Southampton hasn't spent megabucks
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Southampton have spent 35 mill this season and 36 mill last season, sounds like megabucks to me.

There are teams are spending those sort of figures on one player. In Premier League terms it's not much. We spent similar to that when we were in the Premier League.

Again I didn't talk about consistently being in the top four. I stated that Southampton, in relation to the so-called bigger clubs, are more than holding their own.

They are!

I believe that the current owners will have gone within two years. Promotion will generate funds and that money, if wisely spent, will be enough to keep us there. Progress thereafter could lead to anything.

There are teams are spending those sort of figures on one player.
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You mentioned Chelsea spending fortunes, yet Southampton outspent Chelsea over last 2 seasons.

So how can you say 71 mill isn't megabucks?

It's more than a lot of Prem teams have spent recently...more than Villa, Everton, Chelsea, Fulham, Palace, Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, Stoke, Sunderland, Swansea, West Brom and West Ham, yet Southampton will still see it as a good achievement if they manage to finish in top 10 and will need to spend another 30 mill again next summer just to try and compete, let alone get near top 4.

It's not £500m. And it's not megabucks relatively speaking. I'd have been happy if Leeds United were sat where Southampton are now, wouldn't you? You can take figures any which way you like.

Torres cost close to £50m and is getting a regular berth now. He wasn't bought in the last two seasons. You're taking specific figures to suit the argument. Or are you telling me that Southampton has a greater player value than Chelsea?

We all know that a team which needs overhauling due to promotion will need to spend more. You're also mentioning a number of clubs that have held their own in the top tier without spending so you're actually proving my point too.

Stevie, thats 71 mill over 2 seasons, plus the millions put in before that in transfers plus money spent on ground and they're still nowhere near breaking into top 4, and that's from trying to get there from 4 years ago, it;s even more expensive to try and get there from now.

I started talking about how much it costs to get there, nothing to do with player value.

As for all the other clubs, they;re great examples of the fact you have to spend millions just to achieve staying in perm....costs a fortune to try and crack top 4.

Great, I have BT Broadband and Infinity so wont have to fight for the TV when its on ITV !!

No doubt the cost of BT will go up

"It is also grave news for ITV which had already lost the FA Cup rights and must now hope it can cling on to the Champions League and Europa League highlights."

Well ITV only show the Champions League highlights on the Tuesday night anyway. Wednesday night's fixtures are forgotten about.

ITV's coverage of football is poor though, and due to the fact it will mean less of Clive Tyldsley, it can only be a good thing.

BT had Michael Owen passing "comments" during the games... What a droning voice he has. Hw was missing from last weeks game...great.

Yeah I've heard a lot of criticism about Owen commentating on games. Didn't actually mind him as a pundit on MOTD recently, but then that's not the same as listening to him for 90 minutes.

Ugh, Owen is monotonous as hell.

Dave insider info .....BTSport will always be free