Lingering just above the relegation spots; a circus behind the scenes with an owner disqualified from owning the club (with numerous more cases yet to even be approached), laughable finances and very few positives on the pitch, are Leeds United in real trouble?

Hell, even Ken Bates is still alive. Sometimes you just can’t win. Now let’s all just look at Mirco Anteucci’s beard and pretend everything is okay. Line up to cuddle Adryan too. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

Transition pains

Impatient for success we may be, but I think the Leeds fans have been pretty pragmatic thus far in recognition of what this season really is. Neil Redfearn continually refers to this as a season of transition and for once I believe that’s correct and not just a hopeful excuse used to placate disappointed supporters. With obvious investment made during the Summer, focusing on players at the younger end of the career spectrum it was obvious that there’s a strategy in place.

Massimo’s methods at Cagliari were ones of intended sustainability; acquire talented young players, let them grow, sell them for profit, repeat. While no one likes to see talent sold, I’d rather we nurtured future stars and sold them to Premiership clubs for inflated prices than continue down the Ken Bates “sell for any money, I need a new chair” avenue. Or whatever mastermind sanctioned the “swap leading goalscorer for Steve fucking Morison” transfer.

We’re in a transitional phase; players like Mowatt, Cook, Byram, Doukara, Silvestri, Cooper, Taylor, Dawson, Sloth and Adryan need time and experience. Fringe players like Montenegro and Del Fabro need this even more. We were never going to be the finished article overnight.

Relegation risk

The problem with a transitional season is how much disruption you cause yourself. Granted, Massimo has exacerbated this making two laughable coaching appointments forcing us to essentially start the season multiple times under many different tactical systems. Assuming Dave Hockaday had a tactical system beyond spirited grunting by Junior Lewis instructing the lads to pass sideways until victory was gifted.

But after 21 games (little under half the season) we’re lingering dangerously close to the relegation places and enjoying the exact kind of form that puts you into League One. Reminiscing on Twitter the other day, I struggled to put together more than 5 good performances this season – and even that was cheating because I cited at least 2 first halves where we threw the game away in the second.

Transitional seasons are a great thing if you survive them and come out stronger. What many clubs fail to do is see them through. Look at AVB at Chelsea, look at Moyes at Scum. Both tasked with building a new team and creating a successful legacy but axed due to a lack of results. It’s very rare that you win the league AND transition.

But getting relegated while trying to change things round is not ideal either…

Money money money

With vague (yet restrictive) Financial Fair Play restrictions placed on the club due to losing far more than the maximum £8m the Football League allow, Leeds face a transfer embargo in January. This embargo could extend well into the Summer if we continue to haemorage money (which we will).

I’m undecided whether a club like Leeds can exist profitably outside of the Premier League. Evidently not with GFH involved.

We seem a little bit like a fish out of water, not necessarily because of our reputation or ability, but in terms of infrastructure and expectations we just don’t seem to make sense in these lower leagues. But this is 2014, the PL is as good as fiction for most teams in the Football League. The sums that the top clubs habitually spend seems as close to Leeds as Michael Brown joining Hogwarts. The parachute payments that relegated clubs receive absolutely dwarfs whatever else a self-sustaining club could otherwise get.

Leeds United have no money. We lose money like an addict in Vegas. Our owners charge us loan fees. Our owners charge us management fees and incur legal costs against the club. The Football League shout at us for having no money. The Football League ban our one owner who does have some money. Money is a problem.

And we still have players on the books taking moderately expensive wages that we don’t need anymore (Noel Hunt, Luke Murphy, David Norris to name just 3).

Disqualification

There are enormous question-marks over Massimo Cellino as owner. At the time of writing the Football League have disqualified him from owning the club and an appeal has been lodged. Granted, the appeal was lodged at the 11th hour with the obvious intention of dragging things out, but even if this one instance drags out beyond March (when Cellino’s conviction is spent), there are a series of other “problems” with Massimo which the FL will no doubt wish to explore further.

These range from other tax issues, whether he deliberately withheld information from the relevant parties, and so on. You can guarantee one thing – if Massimo bests the FL in this particular game, maybe even winning the set, you can almost guarantee they’ll do everything they can to win the match.

I appreciate that’s a tennis analogy but you see the point I’m making. It does sometimes feel like the Football League has a vendetta against Leeds (the cynic in me would suggest it’s because we’re worth a lot to them, in terms of revenue, spectacle and attendance, so keeping us out of the Premiership is in their best interests).

So are Leeds United in real trouble? In football terms I don’t think so. I believe there’s enough quality in the team, enough passion in Redders and Cellino that together they’ll make it work. Off the pitch, however, I think there are big problems. I don’t see us getting relegated, but I can see us getting stuck in another 12 months of TOMA.

When will it end? I just want to focus on the football! Also, can someone push Luke Varney down the stairs please? Preferably onto the twitching corpse of Kenneth Bates. Thanks.