Leeds: Cellino May Be An Evil Genius, But He’s OUR Evil Genius

Massimo Cellino has been portrayed by the national media as an Italian Dr. Evil: he beat the Football League, fought and won a long, bloody battle with the clubs previous owners, cut a swathe through the clubs finances, drastically cut costs, made a pile of painful decisions, ostracised people who disrespected him, appointed an unknown coach, sold the club talisman, aborted transfer deals for promising new recruits because of greedy agents and pining girlfriends and to top it off. slagged off his own coaching appointment and went on holiday for two weeks just before the season, leaving a threadbare squad and confusion.

The press and the miserablists had a field day, sofas and keyboards were dripping in invective, no mark ex footballers mocked the club and tipped us for relegation, even the Cellino supporters were concerned after a lackadaisical opening to the season.

Doom and gloom abounded, a season of mystery was forecast, fuelled by the most vocal social media keyboard warriors and the Leeds hating press.

Suddenly, like a phoenix rising from the flames the epiphany, an experience of sudden and striking realisation dawned upon the throng, Sheriff Cellino had a plan, unbelievable Jeff!

Massimo and his merry men, a tight knit team of deputies, including Nicola Salerno, Daniel Arty, Graham Bean and Cellino junior have managed to sort a few things out.

Financially the club is on a much firmer footing after the cost cutting and debt restructure.

Football wise, despite coming from non league and with many questions still to be answered as to their capability at Championship level, Hock & Junior appear to have got the players fitter than in previous seasons and playing a passing style that is much more pleasing on the eye than the goofball practiced by the neanderthal Neil Warnock or nice but ineffective Brian McDermott.

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Hock is becoming more comfortable and refreshingly honest in front of the media, not without the odd cliche but hey, this is football management.

The squad looks to be well integrated with the old players, new recruits and Academy educated youth mixing in well with a burgeoning team spirit, training looks to be hard yet enjoyable.

On Tuesday night, after the loss to Millwall on Saturday, Leeds United played Accrington Stanley in the Capital One Cup at Elland Road and 13,407 people turned up, more than Fulham are likely to get for some league games this season.

The fans are desperate for success after a dozen years of false promises, rape, pillage, gypsies, tramps and thieves, they will support Cellino & Hock, unreservedly as long as they see ambition and good football, played in attractive way with passion and pride in the shirt.

This week has seen a crescendo of excitement as the defensive steel and fox in the box striker have been added to the player roster with the promise of more to come.

There is still some deadwood to clear but lets not dwell on that.

The new squad is now a mix of steel, experience, youth, promise, British & foreign, nous, guile, power, pace and goals and they all appear to want to succeed, for themselves and for the club.

Cellino & Salerno have in essence swapped out a fat, gobby, disruptive one season wonder for 11 new players, more to come and still have cash in the transfer kitty and money towards the purchase in Elland Road later this year, not bad my friend, not bad at all.
I have always been a massive Cellino supporter and more critical than not of Hock, but tomorrow, as Leeds run out in front of 30,000 at Elland Road against Boro, like all fans of the mighty whites am willing the coach who looks like Grant Mitchell to be victorious over the pretty boy Julio Iglesias lookalike.

This has undoubtedly been the best week for Leeds fans in 12 years, we are in dreamland, there is real optimism that at last we have an owner who craves success as much as we do and has the money, capability and bollocks to deliver it. He even apparently asked Sky to not show tomorrow’s match because we are not ready.

Cellino cares deeply for his reputation, he wants us to be great again as much as any fan, he wears his heart on his sleeve and professes says love for us and that bodes well for Leeds United Football Club.

Cellino may be an evil genius and he’s our evil genius.

Follow Paul on Twitter, @SporcoLeeds