TEAMtalk's James Marshment hits out at Ken Bates' dastardly ways, but also looks ahead to the possible appointment of Neil Warnock at Leeds.

With the dust now settling on Simon Grayson's departure from Leeds, fans are left to consider yet another managerial change at Elland Road.

As TEAMtalk's Sam Nightingale said on Wednesday, Grayson was always on a hiding to nothing due to the lack of ambition shown by chairman Ken Bates which constantly hindered Grayson's tenure at the club.

That said, and in hindsight, Grayson had probably taken Leeds as far as he could and leaves now at least with a modicum of respect, given his pretty impresive track record in charge and the club's still relatively-healthy current league position. Promotion from League One, plus FA Cup dalliances against Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal, are notable highlights of Grayson's spell in charge. This will serve him well on his CV and I'm sure it won't be long before Grayson is back in the game at another club.

However, his inability to find a successful formula in defence (often brought about by his own baffling selection decisions and inability to decide on a settled back four) was to prove his downfall.

And that's even before you consider embarrassing home defeats to Preston (4-6, after surrendering a 4-1 lead), Blackpool (0-5) and most recently Birmingham (1-4).

But before the next incumbent is drafted in, it seems all associated with the club are going to have to read a little bit more of the mud-slinging we have already played witness to.

Bates has never been one to mince his words during his long and colourful chairmanship in the game, and he was very quick to defend the decision to remove Grayson from office soon after the axe fell.

Leeds fans, of course, have been notably vociferous in speaking out against the Bates regime. And it's hard to disagree with them. Bates' lack of investment, in the end, certainly played its part in Grayson losing his job, however the chairman chooses to dress it up. More notably, it's probably also cost Leeds the services of several of their more talented players. That lack of ambition (or however Bates wants to cover it up) is the main reason behind our faltering promotion push this term.

In the midst of this war of words one man, so far, has been dignified by his silence, and that is Grayson, himself.

Always one of the more affable Leeds managers, Grayson was probably just not nasty enough or ruthless enough to last long-term in the Elland Road hot-seat and fit in with the club's unofficial mantra of 'Nobody Likes Us We Don't Care'.

Which brings us nicely on to the debate about who should fill Grayson's shoes - and one man who has made a career out of living up to that aforementioned catchphrase is Neil Warnock. Derided by the majority and loved to hate by Leeds fans down the years, Warnock appears to tick all the boxes, given his excellent record at getting teams promoted and the fact that he purely and simply represents the cheap option - i.e, he's currently out of work.

But his appointment would split Leeds fans down the middle, and it's remarkable how many times in the last 24 hours I have been reminded about that oh-so-popular, but oh-so-cruel anagram of his name! (Please don't say it - your comment will be deleted!)

If he is appointed, all I'd say to fans is give him a chance and see where we are in 18 months' time. Promotion this year looks out of the question and only the most ambitious of supporters can claim our first-team squad is capable of finishing anything higher than our current position of 10th.

But give him time and Warnock might just possess the right formula to awaken the sleeping giant that is Leeds United. Granted, it's a horrible cliche to use, but on paper at least, Warnock of the Whites looks like a footballing marriage made in heaven.

A word of caution, though. Warnock is nobody's fool and it'd be interesting to see if he could get along with Bates. Neither men are particularly fond of keeping their pie holes shut and a clash of egos somewhere down the line would not be totally unexpected.

Finally a word on our esteemed leader and chairman, Mr Bates! Cuddly Ken, Pappa Smurf, or whatever Leeds fans choose to call him, will probably only be remembered as 'unpopular' for his time at Leeds - unless somehow he can lead us back into the promised land of the Premier League.

However, he should be praised in some respects for his shrewd business manoeverings which have helped the club escape the doldrums of debt to what is a now, safe financial footing.

That said, supporters are right to call on him to pump greater resources into the squad. Again it's a cliche, but you really do have to speculate to accumulate if you want to win promotion from this division. Sadly for Leeds fans, Bates has never shown any inclination to do this.

Granted, the club cannot afford a repeat of the spending which was to prove the undermining of the Peter Ridsdale and David O'Leary era, but more investment in the squad could have resulted in a play-off berth last season and/or a promotion charge this.

Either way, Bates has been particularly bare-faced, cunning and shameful in the timing of Grayson's sacking - falling as it did just a day after the transfer window closed.

That decision means any new manager won't have the ability to bring in the new faces that the club desperately craves, and serves as a final two-fingered salute from Bates to long-suffering supporters.