Redbull aren't going away

[Ratscoot]

It appears Redbull really are now trying to buy the Mighty Whites even Massimo has confirmed it


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/ ... ds-united/?

Please please be true

[The Subhuman]

shudders

[John in Louisiana]

Cellino could - and probably will - get us back to the top level, but he doesn't have the resources to have us competing for the top four (or one).

Red Bull, on the other hand......

I'd hate to see a change to the name of the team or the stadium, but I'd like to think that even Red Bull management aren't so utterly clueless as to try and change the name of the team. And while they might change the name of the stadium it will always be on Elland Road.

The interest on the part of a sports giant like Red Bull tells us that they see a tremendous amount of value in the team and the name. The brand recognition worldwide for "Leeds United" is still very high, and there's a great deal of value attached to the name. I'd like to think people as business savvy as Red Bull management wouldn't fool around with that.

[The Subhuman]

Cellino could - and probably will - get us back to the top level, but he doesn't have the resources to have us competing for the top four (or one).

Red Bull, on the other hand......

I'd hate to see a change to the name of the team or the stadium, but I'd like to think that even Red Bull management aren't so utterly clueless as to try and change the name of the team. And while they might change the name of the stadium it will always be on Elland Road.

The interest on the part of a sports giant like Red Bull tells us that they see a tremendous amount of value in the team and the name. The brand recognition worldwide for "Leeds United" is still very high, and there's a great deal of value attached to the name. I'd like to think people as business savvy as Red Bull management wouldn't fool around with that.

you mean despite doing that everywhere else to the disgust of their fans

[Crude]

It seems this story has wings after all. I am really divided whether this would be a good thing or not. After all the hassle Cellino has put up with from the utter incompetence of GFH and a biased (bordering on corrupt) FL, it would be very easy for Eleonora Sport to take the money and bugger off back to Miami/Italy.

[drsdadsotherson]

A football club is 75% made of the souls of the fans.

They can call it whatever they like, it'll still be my team.

[Drs.Dad]

A football club is 75% made of the souls of the fans.

They can call it whatever they like, it'll still be my team.

Wot he said, with knobs on!

[CptCrash]

A better punt than Massimo....

[60sUnited]

Bring it on, they don't need to re-name the team and as others have said call the ground what THEY like but it will always be Elland Road to the fans. Be great to have some real investment and get back where we belong !!

[Ratscoot]

Bring it on, they don't need to re-name the team and as others have said call the ground what THEY like but it will always be Elland Road to the fans. Be great to have some real investment and get back where we belong !!

Marching on together that's all that matters

[The Subhuman]

Like Cellino they like to tell the manager how to do his job...also they're not that successful...I'd prefer MC over Red Bull I think I understand his motivation and passion.

[MOTliam]

Unsure where I stand on this. On one hand it'd be great to have some real investment and a chance at success. We don't know what the real plans are yet and this is of course rumoured interest so we don't know for sure that they even want to buy us. If they are going to 'franchise' Leeds which is what past evidence would suggest then this is terrible. It is the equivalent of ethnic cleansing for a football club. Draining the heart and soul and everything about a team out of it leaving nothing to even recognise any more. It wouldn't be our Leeds United anymore - I'd rather stick with what we have than that. If, however they come in and do things in the correct manner then I am all for it. As fans we will just have to wait and see what happens, and act accordingly when it does.

Until this week I was full of hope for life under Cellino or whoever it currently is that is acting on his behalf. The academy was thriving, getting better performances on the pitch etc. Not sure at the minute how to feel about the current goings on in the backroom. Would like to hear from an official source why Thompson has been suspended, the whole Antenucci thing. For now we'll just have to get behind the team on the pitch and continue our support which for all the bullshit of this season remains our strongest asset.

[andywatson]

It's funny, but I was thinking about this this morning. Or more specifically what is it we want from an owner? Whether we like it or not, the owner spends his cash and can do whatever he wants with the club. I might not be Cellinos biggest fan, but I am not going to become a Burnley fan because I don't like him.

Lets run with Red bull, and think about it.

There is little doubt that Red Bull would bring significant and sustained investment into Leeds. There is also little doubt they would bring the kind of professional management (board level rather than the first team manager) that we haven't seen for a very long time, if ever. When I look down the M66 at Man Utd, much as I dislike them, I have to respect the way they have built their global brand. They (and Arsenal to a lesser extent) have thrived in the money dominated premiership without a sugar daddy, but with good financial management of their "brand". On this level RB would be a massive plus.

Renaming the stadium. I have no idea whether they would buy back ER, although it would seem to me to be a prudent step. I have very few doubts it would become the Elland Road Red Bull stadium very quickly. I am probably at odds with many here (nothing new there then!) in that I wouldn't really wouldn't care. It would stay as ER to me. So this is a neutral.

Renaming the club. Ouch. Well we are a global brand ourselves, and they would be foolish to change it, right? I don't think they would see it that way. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a name change to RB Leeds United, which seems to be their preferred format. Could I cope with that? I don't know- maybe. I certainly couldn't entertain something along the format of Red Bull Racing (F1) which dropped Leeds from the club name. That would be a step too far. Could I get used to RB Leeds united- well thinking about it I would probably adopt a similar strategy to ER, and simply carry on calling them Leeds and almost forget the RB bit! Interestingly Salzburg are known as FC Salzburg due to sponsorship rules in UEFA competitions, so RB have a history of being flexible. This is a definite negative, but perhaps one I could live with if the format was as I suggested.

Branding. One of the things major brands are incredibly possessive over is their branding. I remember doing some work with Coca-Cola and I had to ensure I used exactly the right shades of red and type face anywhere their name was being used. RB will be similar. Enterprise will be dropped as shirt sponsors, and we will have the 2 charging red bulls on the shirts. I have no problem with that. The question is whether they go further- and they will. The club crest will be the 2 charging bulls, with Red Bull Leeds as the text. Salzburg, Leipzeig and the NY red bulls all wear almost identical kits. Home shirts are white with a red trim for NYRB, or plain white for the European clubs. All have red shorts and socks match shirts. Away kits are blue and yellow. Well the white shirts aren't a problem! I will absolutely tell you now that they will introduce red shorts, and possibly red trim on the shirts, but I think that is less likely. Don't believe me? Ask supporters of SV Austria Salzburg, the club formed by fans of FC Salzburg when Red Bull changed their strip from the traditional violet and white. In fact Red Bull tried to claim RB Salzburg was a "club with no history" when they took it over and rebranded it, and said it was formed in 2005, although the football league stopped that claim being used. So assuming the white shirts look like Leeds shirts, can I cope with red shorts? Can I cope with red and white scarves? It sounds pathetic, but I don't know. I have long berated Cardiff for selling their soul for a run in the premiership. Would we be any better? Another definite negative- and possibly a big one.

So 4 factors. One positive, one neutral, and 2 negative. But they aren't all equal. To me the biggest, and most important factor is the rebranding (which is both 3 and 4), whether it is done to meld the brand of Red Bull to the history and tradition of Leeds United. Get this right and I will be able to cope, get it wrong and I could be faced with a very unpalatable choice. Drop the name Leeds (which seems very unlikely) and I don't think I could accept that. Red shorts.... hmm, that would be tough (and yes I am aware that seems a pathetically weak thing to be complaining about). I think I would have to just buy my sons shirts instead of full kits in the future!

Strangely enough, the least important are the ground name, but also the investment. I really think I don't care where we are in the pyramid. I have definitely come to the conclusion that as long as it is a Leeds team that I feel serves and respects its history and culture, then I relate to that, and I can support it. I have a soft spot for the Kevin Blackwell team with Paul Butler as captain. They were a limited bunch who introduced us to hoofball. Bastards. But they all played their hearts out, and made the play off finals despite being relegation favourites. I remember watching us being torn apart at Wembley, thinking thank f**k for this, because if we had been promoted we would have been ripped apart every week and set all kinds of unwelcome premiership records. But still they were a great Leeds team- in their own way. No one has come closer to getting us back to the premiership than that bunch of cobbled together misfits that didn't know if we would still exist by the end of the season. Strangely this is the thing Cellino has going for him- the emotion of football, the understanding of what it means. I just wish he didn't have so much baggage.

[drsdadsotherson]

Did people stop listening to Queen when Freddie died? No, because Queen is a part of them. Something they grew up with and hold dear.

Will nature stop when the giant panda goes extinct? No. Nature will go on because it's about so much more than one issue.

Did people stop reading the Potter books when Dumbledore popped his beardy clogs? No, because it was Hogwarts they loved and it was still there.

Would you disown your child if they wore the wrong colour or changed their name? Of course not, because what you love is the whole package, not the superficial accompaniments.

It might be sad if things change on the outside, but you don't throw away your favourite chair because it gets a stain. It's still your chair, it's still comfortable and contoured to your butt. It still does the job you need it to.

Why is LUFC any different? Red Bull Leeds can play at Ellredbulland Road in red and blue for all I care, because Leeds United doesn't depend on the superficial and the shallow, it depends on those passionate fans who sit around the pitch week after week, loss or win.
If you're going to allow a colour or a name to change your passion, maybe you should question if it a passion at all.

[The Subhuman]

Did people stop listening to Queen when Freddie died? No, because Queen is a part of them. Something they grew up with and hold dear.

Will nature stop when the giant panda goes extinct? No. Nature will go on because it's about so much more than one issue.

Did people stop reading the Potter books when Dumbledore popped his beardy clogs? No, because it was Hogwarts they loved and it was still there.

Would you disown your child if they wore the wrong colour or changed their name? Of course not, because what you love is the whole package, not the superficial accompaniments.

It might be sad if things change on the outside, but you don't throw away your favourite chair because it gets a stain. It's still your chair, it's still comfortable and contoured to your butt. It still does the job you need it to.

Why is LUFC any different? Red Bull Leeds can play at Ellredbulland Road in red and blue for all I care, because Leeds United doesn't depend on the superficial and the shallow, it depends on those passionate fans who sit around the pitch week after week, loss or win.
If you're going to allow a colour or a name to change your passion, maybe you should question if it a passion at all.

[theleedsmango]

Did people stop listening to Queen when Freddie died? No, because Queen is a part of them. Something they grew up with and hold dear.

Will nature stop when the giant panda goes extinct? No. Nature will go on because it's about so much more than one issue.

Did people stop reading the Potter books when Dumbledore popped his beardy clogs? No, because it was Hogwarts they loved and it was still there.

Would you disown your child if they wore the wrong colour or changed their name? Of course not, because what you love is the whole package, not the superficial accompaniments.

It might be sad if things change on the outside, but you don't throw away your favourite chair because it gets a stain. It's still your chair, it's still comfortable and contoured to your butt. It still does the job you need it to.

Why is LUFC any different? Red Bull Leeds can play at Ellredbulland Road in red and blue for all I care, because Leeds United doesn't depend on the superficial and the shallow, it depends on those passionate fans who sit around the pitch week after week, loss or win.
If you're going to allow a colour or a name to change your passion, maybe you should question if it a passion at all.

Business people, which is what Red Bull are after all, are smart people. Out of 100 Leeds fans, probably 1 or 2 would purchase a predominantly red kit. 10 times that amount would consider buying a white/blue kit. As a brand company, they will be smart enough to understand that simply putting their name on Leeds kit isn't going to cause an immediate global interest. They will want to harness Leeds passionate and global support base, hence why they would go for Leeds in the first base.

[theleedsmango]

Not to mention, the best thing we've got going at the club at the minute, has Red plastered in his name.

[andywatson]

Business people, which is what Red Bull are after all, are smart people. Out of 100 Leeds fans, probably 1 or 2 would purchase a predominantly red kit. 10 times that amount would consider buying a white/blue kit. As a brand company, they will be smart enough to understand that simply putting their name on Leeds kit isn't going to cause an immediate global interest. They will want to harness Leeds passionate and global support base, hence why they would go for Leeds in the first base.

Ah, but we are not talking about Leeds United fans, we are talking about Chinese people who might become Leeds united fans. They might prefer a red kit, and their purchasing power is massively greater than local support. As I said above, the kit won't be red- they seem to have a standard football strip for all their teams.

Did people stop listening to Queen when Freddie died? No, because Queen is a part of them. Something they grew up with and hold dear.

Will nature stop when the giant panda goes extinct? No. Nature will go on because it's about so much more than one issue.

Did people stop reading the Potter books when Dumbledore popped his beardy clogs? No, because it was Hogwarts they loved and it was still there.

Would you disown your child if they wore the wrong colour or changed their name? Of course not, because what you love is the whole package, not the superficial accompaniments.

It might be sad if things change on the outside, but you don't throw away your favourite chair because it gets a stain. It's still your chair, it's still comfortable and contoured to your butt. It still does the job you need it to.

Why is LUFC any different? Red Bull Leeds can play at Ellredbulland Road in red and blue for all I care, because Leeds United doesn't depend on the superficial and the shallow, it depends on those passionate fans who sit around the pitch week after week, loss or win.
If you're going to allow a colour or a name to change your passion, maybe you should question if it a passion at all.

I understand the point you are making, but you picked some strange choices. People kept listening to Bohemian Rhapsody, with Freddy Mercury. The concerts have a value in themselves, but I think most people go along hoping to recatch some of that early magic, not for what they are getting today. The band is less than it was.

The panda is irrelevant to nature.

No, because it was still JK Rowling and the ensemble. How many people read the new Sherlock Holmes books now the copyright has finished on the character?

Your child remains your child, this might be the best example you have given.

My missus would throw out my favourite chair without a second thought. I am too lazy to go to the tip, and can't be arsed traipsing round furniture shops.

I guess though, in the end, you have hit on the key concept- what is Leeds United. Is it the fans? I think it's more than that- that answer is too pat and simplistic. After all I could walk down the road and find many passionate fans of many clubs. The FC united fans that left Man Utd in proest at the Glaziers are passionate. The Salzburg fans that left over Red Bull are passionate. So what is it that we support? I think it is more an idea. When I think of Leeds United I think of those great teams from the early 70s, even though I never saw them play. I think of their skill, but also their bravery, their commitment, their passion. That is something I can buy into. That is something I can support. I could never support another team because Leeds is who I am. It's a link back to where I came from. It's a part of me. I have never understood how so many Americans can get so passionate about college football (US style) or basket ball when they didn't attend the college. That seems strange to me.

But if things should change, the question I posed is "where is that line?", and there is a line. I left my ex wife, because there was a line. I have left jobs because there was a line. If you are sat watching a team in red and white, called Red Bull FC, in the Red Bull Stadium, purpose built by Leeds/Bradford Airport so the Chinese winners of the latest energy drink promotion can be flown in to watch a real live game- what exactly are you supporting? Is it what you bought into however many years ago?

I'm not saying if RB buy Leeds I stop supporting them, I was simply throwing out a discussion piece.

[theleedsmango]

Ah, but we are not talking about Leeds United fans, we are talking about Chinese people who might become Leeds united fans. They might prefer a red kit, and their purchasing power is massively greater than local support. As I said above, the kit won't be red- they seem to have a standard football strip for all their teams.

Indeed, but surely one of the main drawing powers (and it sounds big headed coming from us Leeds fans...) is that Leeds already has a passionate and influential global support. The key would be to tap into this. No offence to Cardiff or Hull, but they are teams that were picked to expand. I would assume Red Bull would be interested in appealing to Leeds current fan base, on an international scale, and growing that, rather than starting from scratch as it would be. I don't think Hull and Cardiff had much of a global fan base and their rebranding was an attempt to create one. Also, I'm not sure Red Bull would be wanting to target the Asian Market, I would assume it's the European market they are after.

Arsenal/Emirates is possibly the branding partnership I would like to mirror. You associate the brand when you think of Arsenal, but they've still got their identity. I'm not sure anyone can say where our identity is most important. To some it may be the kit, others the stadium, others the links with the community, others the history of the clubs... all equally valid and every fan has their own, equal opinion. I do feel that there is one or two solutions that would appease most fans.

[andywatson]

Arsenal/Emirates is possibly the branding partnership I would like to mirror. You associate the brand when you think of Arsenal, but they've still got their identity. I'm not sure anyone can say where our identity is most important. To some it may be the kit, others the stadium, others the links with the community, others the history of the clubs... all equally valid and every fan has their own, equal opinion. I do feel that there is one or two solutions that would appease most fans.

I think this is a very good example of it being done well, however it is worth remembering that Emirates don't own Arsenal- so the club is not a vehicle for something else. Arsenals board always have the option to say no. RB seem to have mixed success- they did a good job with the New York Red Bulls. I hope, assuming this goes ahead- although I think the discussion is relevant whoever the owner is- RB are as successful with us. As I said, I wrote it as a discussion piece following my thoughts on the matter. I slightly surprised myself that investment for success on the pitch was quite a long way down my list of priorities, and I would sacrifice that for a sympathetic owner.