McKenzie offered match protection

New Leeds chairman Professor John McKenzie is to be afforded protection at future matches following the recent reprisals against predecessor Peter Ridsdale.

McKenzie stepped into a harsh Elland Road spotlight on Monday following Ridsdale’s resignation in the wake of the club’s latest damning financial results.

Ridsdale also conceded supporter pressure had forced him to quit after five years at the helm, with the last nine months in particular, turbulent and acrimonious.

Such was the venom directed towards Ridsdale, with Leeds lurching from one disaster to another and with the club’s big-time stars sold off to ease debts, the 50-year-old received hate mail and death threats.

Ridsdale was even forced to seek the safety of the boardroom, along with wife Sophie, midway through last month’s 3-2 home defeat to Middlesbrough such was the abuse he was being subjected to.

McKenzie, who was appointed after just six weeks on the plc board, does not want to be on the receiving end of similar hatred as he attempts to steady the Leeds ship.

For the remainder of the season, low-level security will be on hand at matches to protect the 65-year-old and his own wife, Ann.

“The pressure on Peter has been unreasonable,” stated McKenzie in the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“If you’re high profile you also enjoy the crowning moments. I’m not criticising Peter, but I won’t be as high profile as he was.

“I want to have a reasonable life living in the Leeds area. I don’t want to have my wife subjected to problems, or me either. Hopefully we can over-ride that.

“Maybe it comes with the job. I’ve recognised it, but short-term measures have been taken.”

McKenzie has jumped to the defence of Ridsdale, who has carried the can for Leeds’ interim figures showing losses rising by £3.4m (€4.9m) to £17.2m (€25.1m), and the overall debt up by £1m (€1.46m) to £78.9m (€115m).

“You have to remember he was not alone,” added McKenzie.

“The decisions weren’t made by one man. Over the past five years they were made through the structure of the club.

“The simplistic way of looking at it is that we borrowed to support a high profile team and we didn’t achieve the results that level of borrowing could justify.

“As a result our football wages are out of proportion to our revenue. Sadly, when you’re low in the division the revenue side drops, but the costs remain high.

“Most of the money we spent should have been spent better, but people always make mistakes. I am sure I will at some stage.

“The problem is when you make more than one at time you get yourself into a situation and we probably weren’t prudent enough.

“It’s like how much you borrow on your credit card and it goes through the roof until someone reins you in. It’s a vicious circle.

“If you’re not careful any sales then are used to finance payments of the debts rather than a reduction.

“It would have been better had we started to put our house in order earlier. It could have been worse had we left as it was. That is not knocking anyone.”

McKenzie feels he has the support of the bankers currently propping up Leeds, with administration only a threat if the club are relegated.

Given his Far East connections, as he was initially appointed to the board to drum up business for Leeds from that region, McKenzie reckons money can be raised and costs can be cut without the need for further sales.

“Administration is not only about how much money you have or cash flow, it’s about confidence of people you have borrowed from,” expressed McKenzie.

“I think we have moved nearer to reinforcing the confidence of those people. That’s just words and I have to pursue that with actions.

“If we can get the finances in order I don’t think the level of confidence will change.

“But it would be very unwise to think one won’t have difficulties and clearly it would be much more difficult if we went down.

“We need to look through every aspect to see our costs. You have to look at cutting without damaging the results.

“For instance, it doesn’t make any difference to the performance of the team which office I sit in.

“Then we have to get revenue back up. That depends on the team and Sky games etc.

“There are ways of bringing money in, such as the international market, which may have an impact on the income.”

As part of the cost-cutting measures at the club, the services of public relations guru Max Clifford have now been dispensed with.