gdp's Comments

The Scratching Shed : The Word Of Ken: Post Deadline Day Special

Fri, 2 Sep 2011 08:54:44 +0000

I have to say that, although I want Ken Bates out simply due to the fact that he's made himself the subject of so much mockery and legal investigation in equal measure, I never believed the worst of all that's written about him. You'd think he was the devil incarnate judging by what some people write!

The Scratching Shed : The Word Of Ken: Post Deadline Day Special

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 18:40:33 +0000

Pleased to hear Bates reveal how much we got for Max and that it is available for Simon to spend.

The Scratching Shed : Hope Leaves Leeds United On Deadline Day

Thu, 1 Sep 2011 08:08:54 +0000

There's always the loan market! (cue: non-existent tongue-in-cheek, noose around neck emoticon)

The Scratching Shed : The Mangle: Lost love letter to Max Gradel

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:34:21 +0000

We don't need to spend "big", just show some ambition.

The Scratching Shed : Coventry City & Brighton Chase Barndoor Billy

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 12:28:30 +0000

Same thing was going through my mind.:p

The Scratching Shed : Ken Bates: West Ham Can't Afford Max Gradel

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:11:23 +0000

You are totally right about money not ensuring success.

The Scratching Shed : Ken Bates: West Ham Can't Afford Max Gradel

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:10:19 +0000

You are assuming he thinks at all - how magnanimous of you!

The Scratching Shed : Ken Bates: West Ham Can't Afford Max Gradel

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:54:50 +0000

These comments are designed to put Gradel in his place - "Don't get too carried away by your own importance son, the offer was derisory".

The Scratching Shed : Gradel exit rumours continue

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:04:03 +0000

Bates OFFERED Blackwell a contract and he signed it.

The Scratching Shed : Gradel exit rumours continue

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:02:57 +0000

But we can't! that's exactly what I'm saying. We can only sell him or put him on a longer deal if Gradel and his agent agree to do so. Gradel was on a 3 year deal when he signed his first contract with us but he seems to be refusing to extend it or sign a new one.

The Scratching Shed : Gradel exit rumours continue

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 08:29:29 +0000

We all seem to forget that the club pretty much has their hands tied. All the "we should do this and that" talk doesn't take account of the fact that you can't force a player to sign a contract. When Beckford left for his payday - because that is exactly what happens when an out-of-contract player leaves - I was always fearful that other players would see the same opportunity. I predict that Max is going to do exactly the same as Beckford did. His agent will have been monitoring interest in his client, Max is taking every opportunity to draw attention to himself by making ambiguous statements and in January he'll be in serious conversations with clubs. By that time he'll have lost an interest in playing for Leeds United just as Beckford did.

The Scratching Shed : Henri Lansbury Linked With Move To Elland Road

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:35:05 +0000

Just as we dismiss one crazy rumour, along comes another... http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/leed... You read it first here: "Leeds' spending power can compete with that of Fulham and Swansea, even with their Barclays Premier League status." The reporter has obviously never spoken to or read anything written by Ken Bates!

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 08:06:24 +0000

The sentence began "If Gradel does not want to be here...". I agree with you that we shouldn't be shipping out Gradel for a windfall but if he's set his heart on leaving I think we should cash in and that Lansbury would be an ideal replacement. We also have Nunez who provides something a little different in a similar position.

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:59:55 +0000

Lansbury is a great player - did well for Norwich last year - but unless we choose a 3-6-1 formation where would we play him?

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:58:16 +0000

Would you drop Clayton for Johnson? Never in a million years!

The Scratching Shed : Clayton Hammers Home Late Upton Park Equaliser

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 07:53:54 +0000

We have an imposter! Agree with the comment though!

The Scratching Shed : Grayson puts huge price on Max Gradel's head

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 14:16:10 +0000

To be fair to TSS, he never actually suggested that Grayson was touting Gradel to West Ham. The following paragraph is more nuanced than I saw initially. "The decision to release such a statement now could be taken as a “could [sic] and get him” plea from Grayson who fears contract negotiations will not yield the desired result for Leeds. It’s an entirely speculative suggestion, but the timing of this does seem a little odd." The only thing I was commenting on was the 'timing' comment - the only time to answer a question is immediately after it is posed and therefore Grayson had little choice.

The Scratching Shed : Grayson puts huge price on Max Gradel's head

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 13:24:23 +0000

Agreed. But we're now in the realms of speculation - has Gradel been offered a contract and is stalling?

The Scratching Shed : Grayson puts huge price on Max Gradel's head

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:47:18 +0000

Not if the question to which he was responding was something like: "West Ham were after Gradel in the summer, how hard will it be to hang on to him if he plays a blinder on Sunday?" Be honest TSS, if Gradel scores three on Sunday and the Hammers or a PL team offer between 7.5 and 10 million for him, would you resist the offer? Not with Nunez in the squad!

The Scratching Shed : Grayson puts huge price on Max Gradel's head

Sat, 20 Aug 2011 12:14:23 +0000

Oops... I think I've broken your website!