Sky Bet Football League thread 2015/16

[lanky316]

9 points clear... It's going to be close. Next week home to Newport which is a real chance to secure hopefully finish the job. Just want to survive and hope we can get in a decent manager for next season. The minute we got rid of Westley for Sheringham we knew it could be a long season but if we survive hopefully we can rebuild and stabilise.

[Adam]

9 clear? With 15 left to play for is it? You're as good as there now surely. See you next season.

[The Lusophone]

Will also see you next season, as Plymouth will probably bottle the playoffs like they've bottled automatic promotion.

[Noah]

Another victory for Brighton in the search for automatic promotion.

I just hope the team does end up grabbing one of those 2 spots because playoffs scare me.

[Colly]

Leighton Oreos have 'parted company' with Kevin Nolan, not realising that I'm the one responsible for their poor form due to backing them at the start of the season.

[MDK]

What a joke.

[Arjen Robben]

95th minute winner

I love you, Adam Forshaw

[Colly]

Such an amazingly shit winner, the miscued shot into Adomah's face was superb.

Won a small acca on you, Man City and Real, but stupidly forgot to put a handicap on Real to up the odds.

[Lineker]

Quote

A Leeds United employee has won her case for unfair dismissal and sex discrimination against the club.

Lucy Ward claimed she was sacked because she was former head coach Neil Redfearn's partner.

Ms Ward, who worked as the club's education and welfare officer, travelled to Canada to work as a BBC pundit at the 2015 Women's World Cup.

The club, which denied any wrongdoing, claimed she was sacked for exceeding her annual leave entitlement.

At the tribunal, employment judge Stephen Keevash said, on the balance of probabilities, club chairman Massimo Cellino told then club executive director Adam Pearson that Ms Ward had to leave the club.

There were no grounds to disbelieve Ms Ward's testimony concerning her application for time off to commentate for the BBC, the judge added.

Speaking outside the hearing, held in Leeds city centre, Ms Ward said her "name had been cleared".

"I spent 17 years building up a really good reputation at Leeds for it to be destroyed by the current ownership," she said.

"It's a club that I love dearly and I'm very proud to have been a part of Leeds United and all of the lads I have looked after."

She added: "I look forward to the rest of my career, hopefully back into football."

Ms Ward, who worked in the club's academy, had previously told her managers about her BBC analyst work with their "full support", the tribunal heard.

Leeds United claimed Ms Ward "repeatedly failed to work on a Wednesday", but she responded she worked from home on that day and her working pattern was "well-known" and agreed with her line manager.

The hearing previously heard Mr Cellino decided to sack her because she and Mr Redfearn came as "a pair".

The judge agreed with Ms Ward's legal team that the club had taken a "sexist" view and ruled the reasons for her dismissal were "a sham".

Ms Ward earlier told the tribunal she was "treated like a piece of meat" in the way she was dismissed.

Leeds United secretary Stuart Hayton, giving evidence as a witness, said Ms Ward was a strong character who "intimidated" her line manager and "was ruling the roost".

Judge Keevash said Ms Ward was not aggressive nor disruptive and found her and Mr Redfearn "credible and truthful" witnesses.

He added the former Leeds United executive director Adam Pearson was "evasive" in giving his evidence.

The hearing previously heard of an alleged conversation between Mr Cellino and Gary Cooper, the chairman of Leeds Ladies FC.

Ms Ward said she was told by Mr Cooper that Mr Cellino had said to him: "Football is no place for women, they should be in the bedroom or the beauticians."

Mr Cellino did not give evidence during the tribunal.

A further hearing is due to take place to arrange compensation.

[Lineker]

On 4/12/2016 at 17:38, Colly said:

Leighton Oreos have 'parted company' with Kevin Nolan, not realising that I'm the one responsible for their poor form due to backing them at the start of the season.

Apparently he is staying on as a player, though.

[Lineker]

Quote

The protest group campaigning for the removal of Massimo Cellino as Leeds owner has called on the Italian to “end this farce” after former employee Lucy Ward won her claim for unfair dismissal and sexual discrimination against the club.

Former academy welfare officer Ward – an ex-player herself and the partner of former Leeds head coach Neil Redfearn – left the club last summer.

The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Ward’s QC called the situation “an utter, total shambles” and asked why Cellino had not spoken in court.

In the wake of the verdict, the Time To Go Massimo group, which has mounted a sustained campaign to oust Cellino from Elland Road, once again called on the 59-year-old to leave.

A statement read: “We are disappointed that because the club failed to follow a correct and fair procedure in dismissing Lucy Ward, a substantial amount of the club’s money will be essentially wasted on paying further legal fees [as well as at least some of Ms Ward’s legal fees] and giving her the compensation she is entitled to.

“We consider Lucy to be ‘one of our own’ and wish to thank her for what we understand to be a wonderful 17 years of service at Leeds United [including her playing career], raising amazing talent like Fabian Delph, James Milner, Sam Byram and Lewis Cook to name but a few.

“We hope she would consider returning to Leeds United at a later date under different ownership and much improved practices.

“Today is yet another in a long line of events that drags the great name of Leeds United through the gutter. We implore Massimo Cellino to end this farce and sell the club to one of the more credible groups interested in purchasing Leeds United, and to sell it to them at market value.”

Cellino’s two-year reign in charge of Leeds has been littered with controversy and managerial sackings. The former Cagliari owner is currently on his sixth manager while also appealing a second Football League disqualification for tax evasion.

Last week his son and Leeds director, Edoardo, was charged by the Football Association after he called a supporter a “spastic” on social media.

Time To Go Massimo, funded by unhappy supporters, has carried out a number of protests over recent weeks including the staging of a mock funeral and the projection of several anti-Cellino messages onto the side of Elland Road.

Leeds United have not commented.

 

[Adam]

I remember when there was all this kerfuffle over Cellino even taking over the club. I don't understand how he was allowed to, or what people in the FA must think when they see this ongoing parade of ridiculousness at LUFC. Stupid.

Also @Lineker, been meaning to ask, why do some of the articles you post now have giant long walls of blank text at the end of them? So much unnecessary scrolling to do!

[Lineker]

14 minutes ago, Adam said:

I remember when there was all this kerfuffle over Cellino even taking over the club. I don't understand how he was allowed to, or what people in the FA must think when they see this ongoing parade of ridiculousness at LUFC. Stupid.

Also @Lineker, been meaning to ask, why do some of the articles you post now have giant long walls of blank text at the end of them? So much unnecessary scrolling to do!

I was wondering that myself. I have no idea! they look fine when I post them and then going back later, blank space is added. I open up the post editor to fix it, but the post appears as it should in the editor! Any ideas @kliq?

[kliq]

4 hours ago, Lineker said:

I was wondering that myself. I have no idea! they look fine when I post them and then going back later, blank space is added. I open up the post editor to fix it, but the post appears as it should in the editor! Any ideas @kliq?

Can you link me to where you copied this from.

[Lineker]

5 minutes ago, kliq said:

Can you link me to where you copied this from.

Guardian

Noticed it from Autosport too.

[Matt]

Can't we just fold the club and forget about it? I really don't care any more, it's just one thing after another 

[MDK]

Nearly bottled it today. Still, beating the daggers is always nice.

[The Lusophone]

Need you to bottle it next match please.

[MDK]

Just now, Mad Jack said:

Need you to bottle it next match please.

Bugger off, we'll do you 4-2. 

[Adam]

What an afternoon yesterday was. Absolutely incredible. I mean, we will sitll go down but at least we've given it some fight at last.  Wigan are top of the league and were on a 20 match unbeaten run. We hadn't won in 17 matches...isn't football a funny old game.

We were the better team all afternoon, if the players take heart and confidence from this performance then maybe just maybe we can make a go of this. Have to win every game remaining but stranger things (might) have happened in the past.