Leeds United: Ken Bates not responsible for programme notes today, has Ken’s power at the club reached rock bottom?

In what is quite a surprising twist, Ken Bates was not responsible for today’s programme notes, instead deferring to the GFH Capital team of Hisham Al-Reyes, David Haigh and Salem Patel.

Bates, famed for his vitriolic notes which tend to criticise a giant range of characters (calling Leeds fans names from ‘sickpots’ to ‘morons’), has apparently given up the duty for at least a week. This will come as a surprise, given Bates’s penchant for remaining in the public eye, and the fact that, given no word otherwise hasĀ emanatedĀ from the club, he remains chairman of Leeds.

If Bates has surrendered his power (and we cannot assume he has, given that it is only one week) to publish his thoughts in the programme, it suggests an internal power struggle has occurred, because Bates would likely not have given this up without a fight. It also points to the fact that GFH Capital won this fight, and have realised the potential damage given Bates a platform would cause to their attempts to reinvigorate the fans.

For those who have doubted GFH Capital’s control over the club, given what we feel is a figurehead position to satiate a weakened ego, this could be taken as a sign that things have changed slightly. It would be wise to watch the programme notes for the Bristol City game, to see if Ken Bates resurfaces.

Of slight interest from the programme notes is that GFH Capital are planning an event to meet the new ownership.

Follow Amitai Winehouse on Twitter (@awinehouse1).

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