Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan says relegation for Leeds United would be a waste of an opportunity but not comparable to the financial disaster when the Whites were last relegated from the Premier League in 2004. Jordan believes there's no reason why the Whites can't come straight back up if they aren't able to pull off a great escape on the final day of the season.
Jordan wrote in his Daily Mail column: "If Leeds United manage to get out of their predicament and stay up, they will need to exhume Harry Houdini to tell them how they managed it. This has been a tragic waste of an opportunity for this remarkable club, who along with their fans spent so much time straining every sinew to get back into the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
"For a few halcyon moments three years ago they became everyone’s favourite second team, so exhilarating was their football. But while it is always darkest before the dawn, the current economic situation at Leeds doesn’t resemble anything like it did when they were relegated in 2004 and there is no reason why they can’t come straight back up.
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"They’re in a mess of their own making, but when they went down last time they did so in a catastrophic condition thanks to the La La Land that Peter Ridsdale had created. The irresponsible, profligate, shoot-for-the-stars mentality mortgaged Leeds’ future, left the club in financial disarray and ultimately put them out of the top flight for a generation.
"That spectacular fall from grace gave us a carnival of characters, from the irascible, ultimate football opportunist Ken Bates and the strangeness of Massimo Cellino to current owner Andrea Radrizzani, who was the miracle worker and saviour for a new generation of fans, catapulting Leeds out of the abyss of the Football League under the enigmatic Marcelo Bielsa. It is somewhat ironic then that Radrizzani is, in part, the architect of the current decline.
"However, it’s a different situation now compared to their last Premier League relegation and, while there is never a good time to go down, it might actually focus some minds at Elland Road.
"Relegation will lead to some much-needed clearer thinking at the top between Radrizzani and the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise who plan to launch a full takeover. There have been too many cooks, with none of them making a particularly good recipe."
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