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Henry Winter in the Telegraph pointed out today that Stoke City, who achieved promotion to the Premier League yesterday (congratulations) feature three former Leeds United players in their ranks.

However, former United captain, signed by David O’Leary, Dominic Matteo hasn’t played since November due to long-term injury.

Danny Pugh arrived at Stoke on a loan deal from Preston, which was made permanent in January, for £500,000. Pugh had joined Preston from Leeds when, incredibly, we allowed him to leave on a free transfer after the play-off final debacle! The former Manchester United trainee made just 34 starts for Leeds in two years - he was part of the exchange deal that took Alan Smith to Old Trafford - but has already made 27 starts for Stoke since November 2007! We wish him well in the top league next year.

Last season Richard Cresswell left us, after an injury plagued stay at Elland Road, but he has played a major part in Stoke’s promotion. Starting 42 league games (plus one sub) he has netted 12 times for Stoke.

The official Leeds website is stating that we had the foresight to include a £200,000 promotion clause in the deal that took Richard to Stoke! So McAllister has already got some cash in the transfer kitty even before the play-off cash rolls in.

Paul Scally, “mouthy” Chairman of relegated Gillingham has hit out at Ken Bates following the severe barracking he received at Elland Road yesterday.

Scally whined to the BBC,

“I was one of 63 chairmen who voted to support the action against Leeds for misdemeanours carried out by the people running Leeds at the time. They broke the regulations, got punished by the Football League board of directors and we were asked whether we supported the board.

It was an anonymous vote and I was happy to come out and say I was one of the ones who supported the board. Because of that - and Ken has whipped it up - there were 36,000 out there who think I’m the reason they lost 15 points and that clearly wasn’t the case. Ken Bates has disappointed me enormously. I’m stunned by the way he’s behaved.”

If Scally was stunned by the way Ken Bates behaved then he was the only one in the country! 

Paul Scally’s weekend got worse today when the former manager of Gillingham, Tony Pulis took Stoke City to the Premier League in the second automatic promotion spot. Scally and Pulis had a major fall-out which resulted in Pulis taking Gillingham to the High Court. Scally really does have “people skills” doesn’t he? Instead of being in League Two next season he could have been on the Premier League!