David Parkin ponders the future of Leeds United post Ken Bates

SO farewell then, Ken Bates.

The erstwhile chairman and more recently president of Leeds United has been despatched from his role by the club owners in the kind of speedy manner he has dismissed club managers in the past.

Bates was clearly surprised at the move which was confirmed via the hand delivery of a letter while he was on holiday with his wife Susannah in Italy.

He has threatened legal action. But that is the default position for the former Chelsea owner.

He once introduced himself to me by saying that he had won £400,000 in libel damages from journalists and I should be careful not to be his next victim.

What a charmer.

Much was made of him signing a three-year contract for an estimated £500,000 for a private jet to ferry him from his Monaco home to Leeds.

Bates claimed it was a legitimate expense. It might have been when he owned the club. He could do what he liked and always did, you only have to look at the rambunctious way he took on fans and sponsors.

Charm and courtesy didn’t come into it.

But the club’s new owners, Dubai-based GFH Capital, were never going to be happy with him jetting in for matches and other appointments aboard a hired jet.

The easiest way to get to Leeds from Monaco is to take the helicopter shuttle from Cap D’Ail marina to Nice where you can get a Jet2 flight into Leeds Bradford International Airport.

But that would involve 81-year-old Bates coming face to face with fans of the club and that probably would have been a bridge too far for such a controversial figure.

So what now for Leeds in the post-Bates era?

Well GFH Capital might start building bridges with the business community, who Bates showed scant regard for during his time at the helm.

His approach seemed to be that businesses owed the club, rather than Leeds United having to persuade and court them to be either sponsors or corporate partners.

I doubt that the new owners will have time for a charm offensive to the business community, as they are unlikely to be around long.

GFH Capital clearly have little money to invest in the club and their strategy appears to have been based on buying it and then flipping it for a profit.

And who could argue with that?

I’ve always been surprised that a club like Leeds United hasn’t attracted major foreign investment. When you look at its history, the fact it is the biggest one-club city in the UK and the loyal fan base then it seems bonkers that foreign investors have acquired clubs like Manchester City, QPR, Blackburn, Leicester City, Cardiff City, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest.

But I suppose negotiations for the sale of those clubs weren’t being led by Ken Bates.

With the start of the Championship season tomorrow, I don’t sense much optimism among Leeds United fans with no big name signings by manager Brian McDermott, who sounds increasingly frustrated by his lot.

There has been more activity off the pitch by GFH Capital, following the departure of Bates and his loyal chief executive Shaun Harvey, who has quickly found himself a job as chief executive of the Football League.

And I would expect the frenetic behind-the-scenes activity to continue. GFH Capital are unlikely to be around for long as club owners.

Perhaps with the controversial Bates gone, the club will appear a better investment to any wealthy potential buyers.

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 Did you celebrate Yorkshire Day yesterday?

No, neither did I. I was in London for the day so escaped some of the laboured PR stunts and boring lunches that go hand-in-hand with an event that has little tradition, despite people’s attempts to make it a milestone event in the calendar.

Yorkshire, more than any other English county, has a strong identity and pride and it doesn’t need to make a focal point of one day of the year to shout even louder about itself than it already does.

Have a great weekend.