Alright, so it's been awhile. You can chalk the lack of posting up to me being horrendously ill over the last few days. I've barely had the zest to crawl my way out of bed, let alone sit here at the computer and write seemingly useless jargon. I realize though, that I have an adoring public (!?) and that they indeed do need to hear from me. Besides, I'd be a terrible blogger if I let this slip for more than a week.

Today's topic deals with a story of English football. More specifically, it deals with Leeds United - a club on the brink.

If it were two and a half years ago you might have thought me crazy to even mention this. Leeds were stepping into a golden age as they became UEFA Champions League semi-finalists. Fat television contracts meant fatter contracts for their players and spurred the young team to play with more gusto and grit than any other Premiership side.

It seems odd then that Leeds managed to find themselves 80 million pounds indebted two years later. That's when all the bad stuff started to happen. The players began to bicker back and forth between each other, causing a slump in performance and a terrible 2002 season. It didn't help that they changed managers at least three times.

It also didn't help that they offloaded all but three of their shining stars in order to lower their debt. Defensive cornerstone Rio Ferdinand was sold to Manchester United for a record 30 million pounds, but that money somehow got squandered away. Striker supreme Robbie Keane was sold to Tottenham Hotspur and continues to make Leeds eat their mistake. Keane's scored in each match that Leeds have played against Tottenham, with Spurs victorious each time. Robbie Fowler, another striker, was sold to Manchester City to ease debts. As if their defenses weren't weak enough without Ferdinand, they up and sold Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle. Lee Bowyer was sold to West Ham last season, who in turn were forced to sell him to Newcastle as well, due to their relegation. Those are the most notable but there are more.

Despite their efforts, Leeds United has a week to climb itself out of debt. If the board of directors cannot relieve the debt within that time, Leeds United will go into administration. At least they'll go down in history as the first club in the Premiership to go out.

For those of you who are unaware of what administration is in terms of sports, it basically means club suicide. Businessmen come and do whatever they can to relieve your debt. Think of them as sports repo-men. Any notable players will probably end up being sold on an auction block. If that's not enough, the good Lord only knows what they could sell next.

It looks like Mark Viduka, Alan Smith, and Paul Robinson will be the first to go. I imagine Viduka will end up at a lesser club that is desperate to score goals. Hopefully, Smith will end up at a club that can tame his fiery temper and bring out the obvious talent in him. He would do wonders learning from Alan Shearer at Newcastle, but I could see Liverpool or Fulham making a swoop for him as well. Robinson's up in the air but many clubs would love to land an England international keeper. I heard that Manchester City were the likely suitors, but I'm not sure how likely that is now that they've signed England's Number One - David James.

I'm really not sure how this is all going to end, but it's not looking good for Leeds. If they don't make it it's been a good run. If they end up in a lower division I'm sure we'll see them in a few years!

- Colin (invincibleironman@hotmail.com)