Venables & O'Leary On Leeds Selling Spree

Ahead of Gillingham vs Leeds FA Cup tie, Terry Venables & David O'Leary talk about United's desperate attempts to sell Woodgate, Fowler & Seth Johnson in the 2003 January transfer window.

[@sophier5322]

RIP Mr Venables - thanks for everything. x

[@ianhitman]

The footage of his arrival at Leeds compared to the interview is a hilarious contrast. He walked in like Flash Harry, grimming like fuck. Months later he looks like he hasnt slept in weeks.

[@azapro911]

1:43 - 1:48 Authentic Cockney villain laugh.

[@peterh1353]

The worst player Real Madrid ever bought was "Woody" and kept bad company to boot. Fowler went through the motions are every club he played for bar Liverpool. Seth Johnson once got in to an England shirt - but god knows how.

[@JonnyInfinite]

Because he had a left foot

[@hobbyable1]

Leeds were never the same after Crookdale, he fricking wrecked that club, the amazing thing was nothing happened to him, he just went on to other clubs afterwards, only in football eh?

[@DOCTORDROTT]

Its simple, you buy average players at inflated prices, you gamble on if you get champions league money.You don't get that, you need to off load to reduce costs ASAP Ridsdale is a crook, Oleary was stupid in his requests for new players, Seth Johnson etc. They gambled and lost. Very poor decisions wrecked the club. Then Ridsdale screwed Cardiff city ! Only in football !

[@thommohawk1216]

What it does go to show though, is the fine lines in football and how easily it can all go wrong. Only takes a couple bad decisions at crucial times. Ridsdale's gamble, O'Leary's book, Bowyer court case and long suspensions. All to blame. The aftermath was simply horrendous! While it was a perfect storm situation, at the same time with the benfit of hindsight so it's easy to say now, but where Ridsdale screwed up was not selling Viduka for £30 million to Inter Milan when Leeds first failed to qualify for the Champions League, as opposed to taking a £60 million debt on. Had they sold Viduka (bearing in mind we had still had Keane, Smith and others up top) we'd have been absolutely fine. Probably would still have maintained top 6 and certainly would have avoided ALL what came later!

[@mattmillman8942]

Or just not brought Fowler, Leeds already had Viduka, Smith, Bridges (coming back from injury) Keane and with Wilcox, McPhail, Bakke and Johson all able to play on the left it meant Kewell could also play as striker, they'd have been better off buying a cover for Ferdinand as Radabe was out for over a year

[@BECKZMC]

All I know is they destroyed the best team in the world! Why I say ''the best''.... because that team used to challenge the best clubs not only in England but Europe including Milan and Barcelona and actually reached semi-final of the Champions League thanks to young local lads who played with their hearts and didn't have even half of the money that big names in big clubs had.... and now we watch clubs bought by arab multi-millionaires who buy the club, buy a manager, buy the stars and pretend to be GREAT! I call that pornography!

[@VillaBoys123]

Beckz Петков You are having a laugh. Leeds had a load of average players on 35,000 a week. A shit ton of money back then. They got to a semi final once, won nothing and underachieved in the league. A lot of those players never fulfilles their potential...mainly because they were lazy shits.

[@BroskiRIP]

Qwerty Qwertyson Good points. Rio Ferdinand, Woodgate, Kewell and Viduka were good. Smith, Harte, Martyn and Bowyer were at their peaks, but apart from that the likes of Dominic Matteo, Darren Huckerby, Seth Johnson and Robbie Fowler were a terrible waste of money.

[@BroskiRIP]

@Gold silver Robbie Keane was good during his loan spell, but not very good once they signed him for £12m (4 goals in 22 games). Also, most of these players weren't 'local' as the OP suggests, about 2 of them were.

[@thommohawk1216]

@@VillaBoys123 Would have been fine if you'd just said those players underachieved and left it at that. Leeds United were a top 4 side when they got to the CL semi final, you don't get to be a top 4 side with average players so you can get in the bin with that one.

[@VillaBoys123]

@@thommohawk1216 What did they do when they left Leeds?

[@VillaBoys123]

O'Leary seems to think just because they recouped a proportion of the fees means Leeds are okay. Nevermind they had to continue paying the stupid contracts, the agents fees and the millions already wasted on salaries of terrible terrible footballers.

[@natureclips5849]

Cars planes and even plastic surgery for O’Leary look at the nose

[@simonmaskell365]

Had to sell to survive. Debt and wage bill was to big.

[@JohnSmith-gq1ln]

Oleary wasn't a manager. He was a great player

[@TheLIMREPORT]

Sad way to end such a distinguished managing career. Just showed you how bad Leeds were at the time. They really could have used FFP. RIP Terry Venables.

[@posner89]

good job there wasnt an offer for Woody.... oh wait.

[@richardsharpe2966]

If Terry had got the Leeds United job some years early then it may have been a different story altogether

[@dlamiss]

yes he would havegot them relegated sooner

[@cockoffgewgle4993]

Crap, overrated manager who didn't suit Leeds at all. Leeds' style is fast and aggressive.

[@hakc97again]

Yes the financial situation would've been worse. He was dodgy fucker

[@EvoGoody]

Venables was a charlatan.

[@dommidavros2211]

Vendables was nuts and just let the best players go for next to nothing! He talks about “pressure from the top” but he should have bloody put his foot down ffs and either got the right price or turned down silly offers! He just let players go for peanuts! A shameful manager who ruined a once strong club and even today they haven’t recovered!

[@Aerojet01]

I sometimes wonder if El Tel was sent their to do a job, which most football managers weren't willing to do. Clear out all Leeds United's best players for a salary of £2 Million a year. I'm sure Terry did his homework before he took charge. Terry has always been sharp as a button. One big earner before eventually retiring from football management. Who knows.

[@antcunningham1997]

To be fair though Ridsdale made venebles sell their best players for nothing and venebles wanted them to stay. Most of the blame has to be on Ridsdale for that and of course the Woodgate sale was the final nail in Ridsdale coffin as chairman of leeds

[@EvoGoody]

Risdale messed up disastrously but Venables was a charlatan who didn't give a flying f u c k.

[@zaprese]

He had the same stats as Bielsa has now!!