Ken Bates: Leeds United's problems were far worse than I feared

WHEN Ken Bates joined Gerald Krasner at his unveiling as Leeds United's new chairman, his predecessor innocently asked: "Do you want to shake hands for the photographers?"

"Not now I've read the books," was the quick-as-a-flash response from the man who just a few days earlier had breathed new life into a football club that had seemed to be on its last legs.

Losing 120,000 a week following relegation from the Premier League, Leeds were in dire straits as the taxman chased an unpaid bill. A fire-sale of players had been followed by the club cashing in on Elland Road and Thorp Arch to leave then manager Kevin Blackwell later admitting that, without Bates's intervention, the club's very future would have been in doubt.

Bates's words to Krasner at that first press conference were meant as a light-hearted joke, relations were then still amicable between the former Chelsea chairman and the consortium that had sold him United.

But, five years on from his takeover, the 78-year-old admits the huge problems then facing Leeds made the job of reviving the fallen giant much harder than he had first anticipated.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post ahead of tomorrow's eagerly-anticipated FA Cup fourth-round tie at Tottenham Hotspur, Bates revealed: "Due diligence had been done before the deal went through but I soon realised the club's problems were much worse than even I thought.

"The finances were completely out of control and yet no one had done anything to sort out the under-lying problems. It meant unpopular decisions had to be taken such as putting the ticket prices up, something that should have been done years earlier but people like (Peter) Ridsdale wanted to remain popular by freezing them.

"The problems facing the club meant it took a lot longer to sort out than I initially anticipated and I would say it was only last summer when I finally thought the club was running along the right lines.

"For the first time, we were not having to make decisions to try and correct the mistakes of the past and that allowed us to plan properly.

"I also felt we had a manager with sufficient experience at this level to know exactly what was needed in terms of strengthening the team."

Bates's faith in Simon Grayson seems well-placed with the

40-year-old having proved a revelation since being lured away from Blackpool shortly before Christmas 2008.

Leeds sit proudly on top of League One and travel to White Hart Lane tomorrow, their reward for knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup earlier this month.

Results may have suffered a dip since the win at Old Trafford but Bates remains resolute in his belief that the appointment of Grayson will prove to be a case of third time lucky following the exits of Dennis Wise and Gary McAllister, pictured below.

The Leeds chairman said: "It is always a disappointment when it does not work out with a manager. Gus (Poyet) was lured away by Tottenham, followed soon after by Dennis going to Newcastle and those two events set us back quite a bit on the field.

"Gary then came in and I have to say I liked him as a man a lot. But he had certain standards and was not willing to compromise them. In the lower divisions, you often don't get the opportunity to play the football Gary wanted but he wouldn't change.

"Histon was probably the worst example as we kept trying to pass the ball on a heavy pitch when it just wasn't practical."

Bates's five years have, by his own admission, been something of a "rollercoaster ride" with Leeds having come within a whisker of returning to the Premier League in 2006 only to then be relegated to the third tier just 12 months later.

A traumatic spell in administration followed before a 15-point deduction by the Football League helped galvanise the city behind United who went on to qualify for the play-offs two seasons running, Doncaster Rovers and Millwall respectively ending hopes of a return to the Championship.

This time around, hopes are high that promotion can be secured to mirror the amazing off-field transformation that has seen the eye-watering losses of five years ago turn into a 4.5m profit last season. Success in the cups plus an average crowd of more than 25,000 this term promises to find the bank manager smiling and leave Bates confident about the future.

He said: "This year, we planned to break even or make a small profit. Our wage bill is still too high, probably around 1.5m higher than it should be. Pleasingly, that has been offset by the gate receipts being higher than we had forecast – our break-even figure is 22,000 – plus there have been the games against Liverpool and Manchester United.

"The pleasing thing in terms of the wage bill is all the players signed by Gary McAllister and Dennis Wise that are now surplus to requirements will see their contracts run out this summer, allowing Simon to finally have the squad he wants to take us forward."

Bates has come in for plenty of flak since decamping to Elland Road in 2005 with season ticket price hikes, the slide into administration and the failure to buy back Thorp Arch before last October's deadline all incurring the wrath of supporters.

Throughout it all, though, he has remained steadfast in his conviction that reviving the fortunes of Leeds was his calling after he was squeezed out at Chelsea following Roman Abramovich's takeover.

Bates said: "There have been difficult times but I don't think there has ever been a stage where I wished I had never come in.

"The challenge has always been to restore Leeds United to its rightful place.

"We should be in the Premier League and that is where we are aiming to be.

"If Burnley, Fulham and Wolves can be there then I am sure we can. And once we are there, we want to be up near the top end again because we are a bigger club than someone like Tottenham. Though I probably shouldn't say that ahead of this weekend."