Leeds United Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours

punk77

blaa85 wrote: »

Down to 9 men, hope Austin is ok.

Jaysus, suspected broken leg Could be the end of his season. Feel sorry for the lad. 0-2 down now so I feel sorry for myself aswell :mad:

punk77

1 - 6. A complete and utter disaster of a match. If Rudy's leg is indeed broken then he's out for the rest of the season and Pearce will serve an automatic suspension for the red card. No win in 6 league matches now and a mere 3 pts from 18 :mad::mad::mad:

Lamper.sffc

6-1 to Watford:(

Our limited squad in size and quality is starting to buckle. With the games coming thick and fast our squad cant take it.
We could be in real trouble if this continues.

Zaph

And as well as Pearce being out apparently Brown is also suspended for the Millwall match after picking up a 5th yellow card. That was a complete and utter embarrassment today. The squad is far too small and lacking in any creative talent for us to challenge for promotion this year. The way things are going a relegation battle will be on the cards before long.

G.K.

I don't know what to say, frankly.

championc

Fans spitting fire on the Full Time Phone-in on YR. As some said, writing has been on the wall. We're lucky to have the points we have so far.

maximoose

It is absolutely ridiculous how often we get completely spanked at home.

JokerD

"Papering over the cracks" is the best way I can describe our good form earlier in the season......

We don't just need 1 or 2 players in my opinion, we need 5 at least. Nowhere near enough depth in certain positions while other clubs seem to be adding players.

I'm fed up about hearing that we nealy signed a player, we're being left behind as we stagnate, even clubs that you couldn't imagine being in a better position than us in recent years are now.

I remember playing Brighton in League One in 09 when Delph scored a classic in their old ground, fast forward 3 years, they've a new stadium, spent more on Makail-Smith than we probably have on our starting XI and are in a better position than us.

Southampton, totally bypassed us after being in League One, they had a lot of investment.

Norwich, miles ahead of them in League One, they're Prem now.

Huddersfield, behind us last year, probably heavy favs to finish above us now.

They're the ones that I can think of at the minute.

We need GFH to put the money in and quick, sick of these hammerings, we should be a team to be feared.

A lot of soul searching needs to be done at Leeds, we're in trouble at the minute and need to come out fighting and catch a grip of ourselves.

JokerD

Duncan CastlesDuncanCastles
Will have significant news on Leeds United later. #LUFC

JokerD

Phil Hay: Bit of TO news from today - I'm told that Shaun Harvey will remain as CEO under GFH C and Bates hopes to stay until around Xmas #lufc

JokerD

US multi-millionaire Preston Haskell offers Ken Bates alternative option for the sale of Leeds United. #LUFC
An American businessman with a personal wealth of over $250million has offered Ken Bates an alternative option for the sale of Leeds United. Preston Haskell has proposed an investment into the Championship club that would surpass the funds Bahraini investment company GFH Capital has tabled.

In addition to the new equity Haskell wants to invest in Leeds, an immediate £10m would be made available to Neil Warnock to strengthen his squad in the Football League loan market and January transfer window. The American's stated aim is to first achieve promotion to the Premier League and ultimately return Leeds United to contention at the summit of the domestic and European game.

“I look at a team like Leeds United as a long-term investment,” Haskell told The Sunday Times yesterday. “As a businessman I see a club that has an incredible brand and that offers a great entrepreneurial opportunity to take it back to the level which it saw in its glory days. Leeds is a well-managed club from Ken Bates down to Neil Warnock, and I have great respect for that aspect of its operations."

“It's a very strategic investment. I love English football, the Premier League is where everyone aspires to be, and Leeds has an incredible support base, the pedigree, and a global reach, including South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and Norway. In short, it has a global following. It is one of the absolute blue-chip teams.”

punk77

http://twitter.com/DuncanCastles/status/267418012867510273/photo/1

JokerD

punk77 wrote: »

http://twitter.com/DuncanCastles/status/267418012867510273/photo/1

It just continues, maybe Bates is trolling GFH until their exclustivity ends and that loan we apparently got from Enterprise Insurance is to give to them to pay them back.

punk77

Good man, JokerD. I wish I knew how to post images

JokerD

punk77 wrote: »

Good man, JokerD. I wish I knew how to post images

No probs, I wonder when that was taken, apparently this lad was at the Hull game.

I do believe now that GFH will be the new owners very soon but at least there's options.

punk77

JokerD wrote: »

I wonder when that was taken

....or more to the point, Why it was taken, and by Who, and how did Castles get a hold of it?

JokerD

Official J.F.F ‏ItsTheJFF
Rudolph Austin's leg is not broken. Its a sigh of relief for all us !

Carcharodon

JokerD wrote: »

US multi-millionaire Preston Haskell offers Ken Bates alternative option for the sale of Leeds United. #LUFC
An American businessman with a personal wealth of over $250million has offered Ken Bates an alternative option for the sale of Leeds United. Preston Haskell has proposed an investment into the Championship club that would surpass the funds Bahraini investment company GFH Capital has tabled.

In addition to the new equity Haskell wants to invest in Leeds, an immediate £10m would be made available to Neil Warnock to strengthen his squad in the Football League loan market and January transfer window. The American's stated aim is to first achieve promotion to the Premier League and ultimately return Leeds United to contention at the summit of the domestic and European game.

“I look at a team like Leeds United as a long-term investment,” Haskell told The Sunday Times yesterday. “As a businessman I see a club that has an incredible brand and that offers a great entrepreneurial opportunity to take it back to the level which it saw in its glory days. Leeds is a well-managed club from Ken Bates down to Neil Warnock, and I have great respect for that aspect of its operations."

“It's a very strategic investment. I love English football, the Premier League is where everyone aspires to be, and Leeds has an incredible support base, the pedigree, and a global reach, including South Africa, Australia, Ireland, and Norway. In short, it has a global following. It is one of the absolute blue-chip teams.”

Maybe I am way off but a personnel wealth of 250 million doesn't seem like that much compared to some of the big individual investors involved in football.
Sounds like he just wants to flip leeds.

punk77

Carcharodon wrote: »

Maybe I am way off but a personnel wealth of 250 million doesn't seem like that much compared to some of the big individual investors involved in football.
Sounds like he just wants to flip leeds.

Even less when you convert it to pounds. A mere £156.25.99m in sterling

punk77

JokerD wrote: »

Official J.F.F ‏ItsTheJFF
Rudolph Austin's leg is not broken. Its a sigh of relief for all us !

Yeah, read that earlier. According to a fan at the match he was taken directly out the NW corner of the ground as opposed to down the tunnel and some of the players (especially Byram) looked shaken.
Any, here's hoping for the best for the lad.

punk77

Andrew Haigh ‏@AndrewHaigh
Preston Haskell is a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis. Ken Bates' Outro Limited (who own 72.85% of #lufc) is based there. What a coincidence

The plot thickens. Apparently the guy in the pic is Preston Haskell IV.

punk77

Some good news for a change :

Ross McCormack ‏@Rossmccormack44
And for every1 asking, I will be in the squad on sunday at millwall if I come through training this week! That's the plan!!

event

Yes, we don't have a great squad and all that but questions need to be asked of warnock imo

punk77

Top effort from a few boycotting Leeds fans today. Picked a right day to do it, battled through snow drifts up to 2ft most of way up and -15c on summit of Ben Nevis.

punk77

From OS today:

RUDY INJURY - UPDATE
12 Nov 2012
Club waiting on further scans...




The club is waiting on the results of further scans before confirming the full extent of the injury sustained by Rodolph Austin against Watford Saturday.
The Jamaican international was stretchered from the field early in the second half after a collision with a visiting player.
There have been conflicting reports over the course of the weekend, but the club is waiting until the swelling has subsided and Rudy has undergone further scans before diagnosing the extent of the injury.
United manager Neil Warnock said: "We were all shocked by what happened and our thoughts were with Rudy. Other things pale into insignificance when you see things like that.
"We'll know more about the full extent once the swelling has gone down and he has had a further scan."

Fingers crossed..........

10000maniacs

I have allowed a couple of days to allow my anger to subside because I didn't want it to cloud my comments on Saturday. But come on 6-1 at home.:mad: Shameful. And I hold Neil Warnock fully responsible for this farce. No manager should allow his team to lose 6-1 at home. He's not up to it. Sorry.

punk77

From OS today:

RUDY - THE DIAGNOSIS
13 Nov 2012

United midfielder Rudy Austin has sustained a cracked ankle bone following Saturday's 6-1 defeat at the hands of Watford.
The Jamaican international sustained the injury following a clash with a Watford defender shortly after half-time and he was stretchered from the field.
Heavy bruising around the ankle prevented an immediate diagnosis of the injury, but following further scans on Monday evening it was confirmed as a cracked bone at the front of his ankle.
The diagnosis is better than was initially feared, United manager Neil Warnock had expressed concerns that the player had suffered a suspected double fracture.
"It's better news that we first thought," said the boss. "The swelling made it difficult for us to get a full diagnosis until Monday evening. We wish him well in his recovery and hopefully he will be back with us sooner rather than later."

punk77

From the YEP today:

Leeds United have been knocked back in their quest to sign Stoke City striker Cameron Jerome – and are now looking at alternative loan forward targets.

United boss Neil Warnock made a renewed move to bring in the Huddersfield-born frontman yesterday, (Nov 12) but his advances were rebuffed by Potters counterpart Tony Pulis amid ongoing fitness concerns regarding Michael Owen.

It’s a blow that Warnock could have done without after being close to sealing a deal to sign Jerome ahead of Saturday’s Championship clash with Watford.

The former Liverpool and England star has missed the Potters’ last two Premiership games and played just 54 minutes of top-flight football in four substitute appearances since joining the Midlands outfit in early September.

A contributory factor to the Jerome no-go is that the City forward line have also been struggling for goals in 2012-13, having plundered just five between them in 11 league games.

Coupled with the ongoing uncertainty regarding Owen, Pulis is currently reluctant to let Jerome go out on loan ahead of the emergency loan window deadline in 10 days time, especially with no recall clause on the first month of any initial temporary deal.

Jerome is believed to have been Warnock’s no.1 striking target, with the 26-year-old having also interested several other Championship clubs this autumn.

Wolves have been watching the former Cardiff City forward’s situation closely, while Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers are also known admirers.

Jerome is known to be desperate for some game-time, according to sources close to the player, after a frustrating season thus far in the Potteries which has seen him make just three substitute appearances and one start in the Capital One Cup.

Meanwhile, United are awaiting news regarding their appeal against the red card shown to influential defender Jason Pearce in Saturday’s heavy 6-1 loss to the Hornets.

Pearce was given his marching orders for a late challenge on Hornets rival Matej Vydra, but after reviewing the video evidence, United believe they have a case for the dismissal to be rescinded.

That said, the club run the risk of the FA possibly increasing Pearce’s three-match ban by an extra game if they decide the appeal is frivolous, which would potentially rule him out of the West Yorkshire derby against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on December 1.

On the initial decision to dismiss Pearce, Warnock said: “His foot did not come off the floor and he has genuinely gone for the ball and I was disappointed.

“I thought it was a very poor decision and it changed the game.”

Tom Lees is hoping to sample more international fare this evening in England U21’s friendly clash with Northern Ireland at Bloomfield Road, having linked up with the Three Lions following a quicker-than-expected recovery from the eye injury he sustained at Brighton and Hove Albion the previous Friday.

The injury forced him to miss the midweek clash with Burnley and he returned as a first-half substitute following the dismissal of Pearce against Watford on Saturday.

Lees has already been capped twice by the U21s.

United youngsters Dom Poleon and Zac Thompson have been named in the League One Team of the Week after impressive performances in Bury’s 2-0 home victory over Portsmouth.

The pair are currently on loan at Kevin Blackwell’s Shakers, unbeaten in their past five league games.

KJ

10000maniacs wrote: »

I have allowed a couple of days to allow my anger to subside because I didn't want it to cloud my comments on Saturday. But come on 6-1 at home.:mad: Shameful. And I hold Neil Warnock fully responsible for this farce. No manager should allow his team to lose 6-1 at home. He's not up to it. Sorry.

We had 9 players for half the match.

Hijpo

Pearce gone for three games, Austin out for months, McCormack not back until december, when is lees back?

The squad already looks tired and is no depleated even further. God knows what position we will be in come the end of december.

punk77

No surprise on Pearce tbh but another blow all the same. Lees is in the England U-21 squad for tonight's game vs N Ireland. He played in the 2nd half vs Watford on Saturday.

event

KJ wrote: »

We had 9 players for half the match.

which wouldnt have happened if he hadnt made 3 changes at HT

10000maniacs

KJ wrote: »

We had 9 players for half the match.

You can thank KJ all you like for his post, but we were only 0-1 down at half time and he takes off three players. Idiot.

championc

Hijpo wrote: »

when is lees back?

Is that the same Lees who played half a game on Saturday ?







On the Matchday Replay radio show last night, Dom Matteo and the other studio guests were scathing of Warnock playing players out of position. They were completely bemused by him taking off Green who they said was the most creative player in Midfield.

NuckChorris1

Hijpo wrote: »

Pearce gone for three games, Austin out for months, McCormack not back until december, when is lees back?

The squad already looks tired and is no depleated even further. God knows what position we will be in come the end of december.

Prob not far off this:

event

Haha, they haven't a penny

http://m.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/nov/13/doubt-leeds-united-takeover-accounts-gfhc?cat=football&type=article

Zaph

The way things generally go for us, that sounds about right.

Hijpo

championc wrote: »

Is that the same Lees who played half a game on Saturday ?

Its quiet possible, how many lees have we?

I was working all weekend and had not seen any reports and after hearing the score i made it my business not to read any reports on the game.

Corholio

Apparently two of our (Cork City) younger players, Brian Lenihan and Stephen Kenny, are/were on trial recently at Leeds. Any sources around to find out how they got on?

JokerD

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds-united-takeover-saudi-offer-for-whites-1-5125991

GFH Capital’s bid to buy Leeds United will come under pressure from a rival offer from Saudi Arabia unless the Dubai-based firm completes its takeover before the end of the month, the YEP has learned.

An alternative proposal backed by Saudi Arabian money is due to be made in the next three weeks if GFH Capital fails to finalise its protracted attempt to assume control of Leeds.
United look destined to fall into the hands of the private equity company after almost six months of negotiations and GFH Capital expects to sign off a deal which would see it acquire a 100 per cent stake in the Championship club.

But reports over the weekend named American millionaire Preston Haskell IV – a real estate entrepreneur worth upwards of £150million – as another potential buyer, and the YEP has been told that the possibility of a late but serious Saudi offer has grown substantially in the past fortnight.
GFH Capital is currently protected by an exclusivity clause negotiated with Leeds in June but the firm has refused to confirm when that clause expires amid claims that the agreement is set to end as early as tomorrow.

It is understood that the Saudi group plan to approach United owner and majority shareholder Ken Bates before the start of December if GFH Capital’s buy-out remains incomplete. According to sources at GFH Capital, the company was hopeful of concluding its takeover this week.
But a contact involved with the proposed Saudi bid confirmed last night that the group were still watching events at Elland Road having pondered the option of investing in Leeds throughout the summer.
“It’s a very credible alternative,” the contact told the YEP. “They’ve got more than enough money to buy Leeds and if that doesn’t happen then I’d expect them to buy another major English club.”

The Saudi bidders are believed to favour the option of taking full control of Leeds at the end of the season, with a full English campaign ahead of them. The YEP’s source said the group would most likely provide “substantial bridging funding” to assist United in the January transfer market and support the club through the rest of this season.

GFH Capital also plans to provide cash for manager Neil Warnock in January and have repeatedly stressed the need to conclude its takeover before the winter window opens.
Leeds fell to 18th position in the Championship over the weekend after suffering a 6-1 defeat to Watford. The club have gone six league games without a win since beating Barnsley at Elland Road on October 6.

GFH intends to take full control of Leeds in a deal which would see Bates depart Elland Road soon after completion. As revealed by the YEP on Monday, the firm plans to retain long-standing club chief executive Shaun Harvey.

A source with the company again expressed confidence in its bid last night, saying: “Everyone is working as hard as they can to do what needs to be done. There’s nothing stopping this deal.”

JokerD

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/latest-whites-news/leeds-united-takeover-gfh-s-confident-it-will-close-the-deal-1-5127912

After six months of work and a seven-figure investment, GFH Capital believes its buy-out of Leeds United is all but immune to external competition.

But if recent rumours are correct, tomorrow (Nov 15) marks the end of the exclusivity clause agreed when the roots of this takeover first began to grow.

The Dubai-based firm has not confirmed when its solitary right to discuss and finalise the purchase of Leeds officially expires but nor has it contested the date of November 15 suggested as a deadline last week. Five months to the day after GFH Capital and United first negotiated the clause, the would-be buyers might now be forced to press on without it.
GFH Capital made a payment of £2million to Leeds when exclusivity was agreed on June 15, little over a month after preliminary talks about a takeover began. Writing his programme notes before United’s game at home to Charlton Athletic on October 23, Leeds chairman Ken Bates said: “Our discussions with GFH commenced in May, the club signed an exclusivity agreement on June 15 and received an upfront payment of £2m.”

The clause allowed GFH Capital to perform due diligence on United’s accounts and lay the groundwork for a takeover which, if successful, will see the private equity firm complete a 100 per cent buy-out of Leeds and repurchase the club’s Elland Road stadium and Thorp Arch training ground.
As a result of exclusivity, it was able to pick through the bones of a complex business without fear of Bates opting to sell the club or his majority stake to a third party.

Rival investors were always likely to hover in the wings and at least two still are, one from the United States and the other based in Saudi Arabia.
But though GFH Capital’s takeover is yet to be ratified, the company feels confident that the process has “gone too far” for the deal to collapse inside or outside the period of exclusivity,

A GFH Capital source told the YEP: “The deal’s moved forward in GFH Capital’s favour and the exclusivity agreement is almost irrelevant now. It’s really gone too far for that to be an issue.
“We’re at the stage where both sides are moving towards a final agreement and working towards signing the last piece of paper.”
The length of time taken by GFH Capital to seal the purchase of Bates’ 72.85 per cent shareholding begged the question of whether other groups interested in investing in Leeds would see an opportunity to disrupt a protracted process.

An answer came over the weekend when American millionaire Preston Haskell emerged as a last-minute rival to the GFH Capital offer, backed by the clout of a personal fortune estimated to be worth at least £150million.
Haskell is thought to be the prospective US investor who came to Elland Road and sat in the directors’ box for the Championship game between Leeds and Hull City on September 18. Having initially been interested in buying a smaller shareholding than GFH Capital, he is now said to be pursuing a full takeover.

Interest from a wealthy Saudi Arabian party is also becoming more serious having lain dormant for a number of months. That group are ready to approach United towards the end of this month if GFH Capital’s bid for ownership fails to proceed before then.

A source in involved with that potential bid said it was a “very credible alternative” backed by “more than enough the money to buy Leeds.”
Both the Saudis’ intentions and those of Haskell will be of no consequence if GFH Capital puts the finishing touches to its own £52million takeover.
The private equity firm has appeared increasingly optimistic of sealing its buy-out since company director Salem Patel and deputy chief executive

David Haigh met Bates for talks in Monaco at the end of last month.
GFH Capital was quietly hopeful of finalising the sale this week, though the company was still refusing to declare a more definite timescale last night. Work on its takeover continued today as the suggested date of November 15 for the end of exclusivity rapidly approached.

A legal expert in corporate law who spoke to the YEP on condition of anonymity said: “In simple terms the end of exclusivity means the sellers are free to talk to other interested parties.
“The bigger question is how much of a problem that is for the buyers. A lot depends on the progress that’s been made and the spirit of negotiations. If the seller feels that it’s almost done and worth sticking with then the end of exclusivity needn’t be an issue. It might be that a small extension is granted to cover the remaining work.
“But for as long as exclusivity is in place the seller can’t negotiate with other bidders or provide them with sensitive information. When that period ends, other bidders are free to put forward offers. The end of exclusivity is probably most relevant to them – though strictly speaking the precise date should be confidential.
“Third parties can actively attempt to persuade the seller that they’re a better bet. But saying that and proving it are two completely different things and the risk is that your advanced offer falls through, leaving you with nothing.
“In these situations there’s always an element of the bird in the hand being worth two in the bush. When it comes to it the biggest factor will probably be how advanced this process is – and, to be blunt, how confident the sellers are about a deal materialising.”

The exclusivity clause struck by Leeds and GFH Capital in June ended briefly at the beginning of the August, at a time when the company’s proposed takeover appeared to stand on the verge of collapse.
United announced in a statement on August 9 that the exclusive period had finished, saying: “The club remain happy to continue discussions but not on an exclusive basis so as not to prevent other options passing.”
A request from GFH Capital to extend the agreement is believed to have been rejected by Leeds initially, prior to the two sides reaching a compromise and re-instating the clause.
Bates said very little about the proposed takeover in his programme column on Saturday, writing: “Negotiations are continuing and are now in the hands of lawyers.
“Hopefully sooner rather than later the matter will be resolved one way or the other and then we can move forward.”

punk77

From OS:

TOM PLAYS HIS PART IN RECORD CHASERS
14 Nov 2012

United defender Tom Lees played his first full 90 minutes since suffering an eye injury as he picked up another England under-21 cap in Blackpool on Tuesday.
The former Academy youngster, who returned to action for Leeds as a substitute against Watford at the weekend, played the full game as England beat Northern Ireland 2-0.
It was the under-21s sixth successive victory, equalling a 21-year-old record.
Tom returned to Thorp Arch on Wednesday morning to join up with his club team-mates ahead of Sunday's trip to Millwall. The defender could return to the starting line-up with Jason Pearce set to begin a three-match suspension.

punk77

@JacobsBen: Leeds fans, I have an update: firstly, I know GFH-C are all very frustrated they can't give you news (and even tell too much to the press)

@JacobsBen: However, I now understand that the T/O has reached Football League approval stage, with news expected soon

@JacobsBen: I thus still believe the T/O remains on track, has been agreed by GFH-C/Leeds and will be signed off once the Football League approve

SarahBM

I think we will get a 1-1 against milwall. hopefully the away fans wont stoop to the Milwall level and conduct themselves with pride and dignity, no matter what horrible things the milwall fans chant and sing. coz we all remember the turkey flag waving the last time and the songs.
I hope that the Leeds fans will show sky and the rest of the world that we are the best fans in the world and I hope the team go out their and play and give those hard working fans who travel far and wide to follow them some thing to cheer about!!!
MOT

event

Didn't know we were on the box Sunday

fanzhiyidan

SarahBM wrote: »

I think we will get a 1-1 against milwall. hopefully the away fans wont stoop to the Milwall level and conduct themselves with pride and dignity, no matter what horrible things the milwall fans chant and sing. coz we all remember the turkey flag waving the last time and the songs.
I hope that the Leeds fans will show sky and the rest of the world that we are the best fans in the world and I hope the team go out their and play and give those hard working fans who travel far and wide to follow them some thing to cheer about!!!
MOT

we'll need to make up for the damage caused by that donkey who punched kirkland before we're able to claim to be the best fans in the world I'm afraid.

Tarquin1970

@PhilHayYEP: #lufc and GFH C announce that they have agreed to extend GFH C's exclusivity period.
@PhilHayYEP: GFH C deputy chief exec David Haigh says extension will allow GFH C to complete deal "without distraction".
@PhilHayYEP: Haigh says he looks forward to "positive statement about change in ownership" - but no timescale given #lufc

punk77

Full @GFHCapital Press release:

GFH Capital and Leeds City Holdings Ltd announce that an extension of the exclusivity period has been formally agreed around negotiations for the acquisition of Leeds United Football Club.
The relevant agreements are being processed by the respective legal teams and information supplied to the Football League as required under their regulations.
David Haigh, Deputy CEO, GFH Capital comments: “The fact that we are in such advanced talks means this extended exclusivity window is merely to ensure we can get past the final post without distraction.
"We have come so far and are looking forward to what we hope will be a positive statement about change in ownership of Leeds United shortly.”

Yawn........

punk77

From OS :

STRIKER IN LINE FOR SHOCK RETURN
16 Nov 2012

United striker Ross McCormack could be set to make his return to the squad for the trip down to face Millwall (1:15pm) on Sunday.
The early return of McCormack is the good news that United manager Neil Warnock needed this week and he feels it will give the rest of the squad a much needed lift.
"The good news is that Ross has trained this week and he's looked well," said Neil.
"I don't want to push him but I might have to put him on the bench on Sunday if he comes through this week alright."
"Which will be a massive lift because we've missed Ross and what he does in a game, he changes games," continued the United manager.
Although Warnock does not believe the striker is ready for a starting place, he is more than impressed with the way McCormack is looking since being back in training.
"I've not seen him look as well if I'm been honest. He's really worked hard and put in a shift while he's been injured," said the United manager.
McCormack has been out of action since having to leave the field early on in our away match against Cardiff City in mid-September and the United boss says it was a blow to lose a player of his quality so early on in the season.
"To lose him so early on in the season was a major blow," said Warnock.
"We have missed him, even if it's an option coming off the bench. He's somebody who can change the game."
There is a doubt with United captain Lee Peltier who may have picked up a slight knock and will be assessed before the squad is picked for the trip to the capital.
"Lee Peltier is struggling a bit so we will have to assess him, as always, the day before," said Neil.
With a doubt hanging over the fitness of the United captain the inclusion of Ross McCormack will be a boost to Neil Warnock as he will be without suspended duo Jason Pearce and Michael Brown and the injured Rudy Austin.

quarryman

Anyone else feel the "takeover" is just going to fizzle out to nowt?