I can, just not necessarily upwards

I thnk with Leeds in regards to football, people think of it as bigger than its success has shown because of the city as a whole.

If another rich billionaire came along right now and had the option of buying Stoke, West Brom, Hull or Leeds, even though Leeds are a division below they would still be as an attractive buy (maybe more attractive) than the others because of the potential.

Man City owners bought them but are up against the biggest club in England in Man Utd. Roman bought Chelsea and has several other Premiership London teams around them. Leeds have no other teams, even the other West Yorkshire teams are lower division and wouldn't be a threat when/if Leeds got big again.

I think that is really what Leeds has going for it over other clubs that aren't in the current big 4/5....the city itself, and why it gets thought of as bigger than most, not because of on field success.

Like I indicated earlier they have a global following that is still bigger than most in the prem that makes them bigger than most and up their with those top teams

The question is though why has noone with billions come in for them then? We've had a collection of crooks and conmen in charge for a decade. The club is still in a mess and the finances are still looking bad. Though an abramovic could surely afford to take that on and build from there. The fact that they haven't speaks volumes

If you buy into a Premier League club, you're buying a ready made revenue stream worth tens of millions and all the prestige that goes with it.

If you buy a Championship club, you're getting none of that. You're going to have to throw tens of millions of your own money at it to get it into the Premier League, and given the parachute payments to relegated clubs even then there's no guarantee. They're just not attractive to oligarchs, more to well off chancers like Bates and Cellino.

No I haven't agreed with your comments at all. You stated that Leeds were never a "big" team, when in fact they were one of the strongest in Europe for 8 or 9 years. Ask any football fan what the record crowd is for a European game and they will tell you it was for Celtic v Leeds in the European Cup game in Glasgow, Leeds were a massive team in that era and have the fanbase to get back there again. Tell the 28,000 who came from all over Britain and Europe yesterday to see Leeds that they are not one of the biggest clubs in the country. Leeds Utd didn't win as much as what they deserved due to proven cheating by foreign referees and incredible bias against them from the F.A, never the less, the legacy of the "great" team lives on, as the lads from Dublin and Norway will tell you that I sat next to in the West Stand a couple of weeks back.

If round about the turn of this century Ridsdale had sold the club when the team was doing well and finishing in the top four playing in Europe getting to the champions league semi with a very good young side ,then the club would now be well up there in the FA prem,but no publicity Pete wanted his glory by living the dream.

Yeah 28k compaired to 60k at nal,(40k waiting list for season tickets) 75k at old Trafford, Leeds United are a massive club, as I have stated and many others hav backed me up. LUFC are not a massive club and apart from a coouple of good periods have always been a mid sized club.
Only people who really belief Leeds are a massive club are disillusioned leeds fans.

Oooh, you were doing so well up to that point.

The season Leeds made the European Cup Final they finished 9th in Division One. So that must have been one hell of an FA plot. While they were successful domestically, the Revie side were simply not "one of the strongest in Europe". Results just don't back up that assertion.

I know history is pretty much all Leeds fans have to hang onto these days, but it's taken on a mythical proportion removed from reality. Most of their success in Europe came in the Fairs Cup, the equivalent of the current Europa League.

the fairs/Uefa cup was stronger than the old style European cup that's why it was changed to the European Champions League.1974/75 finishing 9th was due to a few things the team was coming to its end the team was getting old and the first 44 days was Clough thing.If you look at from 1964/5 up to 1973/4 the team was going for everything each year more or less and each year it had a different rival and yes refereeing and league management decisions did go against them in a suspicious way too.Its a testament to those years that they achieved big club status in that short time and the legacy is still there. My game is RL Elland road was miles away when I was a boy we played football at school and RL at home and watched Leeds and Bramley.How many times have any of you been in a foreign country and said 'I come from Leeds'? and got a reply 'ah Leeds United Billy Brmener, Jackie Charlton ,Johnny Giles'etc .Leeds United have been bust 3 times this century because of conmen chancers and incompetents .I am so relieved we got a good owner and management

My uncle took me to watch Bramley once when I was very small. I saw them in one of those Co-op Finals days at Warrington too.

You are a nincompoop. Stick Arsenal in The Championship for 10 years and let's see how many they get when they are 5th bottom against Wigan. Do you really think they would get anywhere near 28k? Even in this dire predicament Leeds will still be averaging more than a good few Premier League clubs. Leeds will always be a massive club, you're entitled to your opinion, but it's not one most people would subscribe to.

Don't talk silly, Leeds would have been in the European Cup for 10 years running under current rules. Only champions were allowed to play in the European Cup, so Leeds would have been playing against top four teams from all the other European countries in the Fairs Cup, exactly the same standard as the current Champions League. The current Europa League is a joke, just like your incorrect assertion.

Not sure I agree Leeds Owl.
Leeds have massive support and were a big club.
But now they aspire to be big again but sadly are no longer a big club.
Big clubs do not struggle at the bottom end of Division 2 now known as the Championship.
They are only a big club in the eyes of the fanatical fans of LUFC.

leeds didn,t have huge support when they were famous, 1970 cup final replay at old trafford they were outnumbered by chelsea who had the old stretford end and more of the ground, thugs yes, great support, no

that was still in the period from 1963 to 1974 when they were building up to being a big club ,before that it was well accepted that Leeds was primarily a RL city .Although I bet that the season 1969 1970 the Averaged a bigger home support than cheatzi .They actually generated a great deal of goodwill after the Wembley final and the Old Trafford replay after playing Chelsea of the park and still not winning the FA cup.It was also that period that started their global support. The following season the first 3 home games they got over 48000 I remember reading a national newspaper headline saying Leeds lost the FA cup final but they won a crowd.

leeds averaged 34000+ chelsea 40000+ not even close

Could've sworn this thread was about the Rhinos squad

It was... but somehow it's drifted to kickyball attendance figures.

Excuse me,but do you come from Leeds ? Because I am tempted to quote Maurice Leyland

I did say I Bet ,but I also said their global support was still in the process of bing created .

it was changed to stop major clubs forming a breakaway European league and to maximise income from tv. but I agree the UEFA cup was a bloody tough competition, far stronger than todays Europa cup which is a joke

no i don't, don't know what that has got to do with anything anyway? but feel free to quote away if it amuses you, facts are facts re the attendance you bet was higher, massive leeds have never in their history averaged over 40000 for a season. big clubs do, ps being a rhinos fan does not mean you have any love for the football club, i,m sure i,m not the only fan who does not support or even like LUFC

If only there were Leeds united forums

Well this started off as being an opinion of wether Leeds are still regarded as a big major club and everyone is entitled to their own opinion , that's life!but you happened to switch it to an attack on Leeds people calling them thugs and Leeds have had their problems with fans like other clubs had at that time and Chelsea were called the National front club.Attendances in London is the reason why they in that city have never been as partisan as Northern people because they will attend the nearest big attraction . Leeds were getting there up to ten years ago the support was evolving and they were up their at around 39k, like I said before Leeds was never traditionally a football city but it was getting there and had a far bigger global fanbase than Cheatzi.Maurice Leyland wasn't a Leeds man ,but he was a Yorkshireman and once said to a southern journo "keep thi nose out its nowt ter do wi thee"