It was not the news that Grayson got sacked that came as a surprise, rather why it took so long. Regardless of how we feel about SG as an ex-Leeds boy and all that it means to us, he clearly had taken our club as far as he could. He was tactically inept, sometimes too pig-headed in his selection policy and his morality off the field would have cost him respect in the dressing room, at the club and in the game. Before yesterday's result, Leeds had only picked up two away points since November, and had lost 10 games by the end of January. Just not good enough, and as teams above began to stutter Grayson just couldn't get his team to show any sort of consistency to take advantage. Yet another heavy home defeat quite correctly brought his downfall. So, on to the next chapter in our history. We have seen that spending loads does not guarantee success (just look at Leicester) so what type of manager do we need now? As usual, there are a lot of names being mentioned, some interesting, others no hopers (although not guaranteed with Bates in charge). Arguments are made for bringing in a young lion with potential or an experienced manager with a track record. For me it should be the latter. The most important thing a lot of people seem to overlook is the magnitude of managing Leeds United. This is the biggest club outside the Prem (and WUMs before you start I said BIGGEST not TOP) and one of the biggest in the country, the expectations are huge not just from inside the club but from within the game, and the pressure on the manager to lead this club to glory is intense. With this in mind, is it wise to gamble the immediate future of Leeds on a good young 'un with potential? Since Wilkinson, Graham and O'Leary we have not had a manager who could cope with the expectation. The most experienced we had was Venables, but he only came with seemingly one plan in mind, get the sack and a £2m payoff thanks to the ridiculous contract Ridsdale gave him. How else can you explain his insistence to play Jacob Burns and antagonise Dacourt out of the club? This is a critical moment for Leeds, and a key appointment for Ken Bates. He says he can't understand the outcry against him, the perceived lack of ambition shown by him and his board. Well Ken, now is your chance to put it right. This appointment will show how ambitious Bates really is. If he is serious about taking Leeds to the Prem then interviewing the likes of Warnock, Curbishley or other candidates of that ilk will show intent. Considering Redfearn, for example, will prove he is a joke chairman. As fans, I know we wonder amongst ourselves why anyone would want to work under Bates, but the truth is Leeds United is still a big draw as a club, and there will be a queue of managers who see it as a prestigious job regardless of who is in charge. The appointment of Grayson was understandable at the time, we were a Lge One club and SG had experience of getting Blackpool out of that division, with the added bonus of being "one of us". So why not adopt a similar strategy this time, why not go for a manager with experience of taking a club to the Prem? This week will no doubt be interesting and probably a bit frantic, and it will show us once and for all what Bates' ambition really looks like. A big, big appointment for the future of Leeds with a team still capable of going up THIS season...time will tell. One thing's for certain, there's never a dull moment at Elland Road.
Grayson did not deserve to be sacked, he left a good team he had built at Blackpool to join us in a lower league. He put up with Ken Bates & Shaun Harvey to get us promoted to the Championship (and knock a lesser united out the FA cup). Imagine how annoying it must be to have had more spending power at Blackpool than Leeds, and watch the team he built make the Premiership! He was left to build a team with nothing and everytime he discovered a gem it was sold, to fund a building or radio station. Then when the pressure finally started building on Ken, Simon was dropped and replaced to create a distraction. As for Warnock, he spends money and leaves when he has none.... Do we really need to bring in Paddy Kenny and Shaun Derry? As that's all he does each time he moves clubs.
I somewhat agree with what you said BillysStatue but i seriously dont want warnock and i fail to see why EVERYONE does
So it is revealed Warnock is still being paid by QPR and can't take another job whilst this is in place. He is meeting QPR to agree a settlement which will release him from his contract, and he feels he still has "one big challenge" left in him. Interesting, does this mean he may well have some agreement in place with Bates and now just needs to agree a payoff with QPR so that he can report to Thorpe Arch?
I'd take Lee Clark personally. He's young, enthusiastic and really hates loosing! Gets his side playing good football from what I've seen, with pace and dangerous on the counter. Also seems to have an eye for undiscovered talent
1) What manager likes losing then? 2) What undiscovered talent? 3) Why hasn't he got Huddersfield promoted, this is his 4th season in charge and not exactly running away with the league?
Agreed Ristac, he's spent money and got nowhere. He's had backing from the chairman at Udders, so how's he going to cope with the evil KB. Okay he got the silly unbeaten run record which neglected to include the play offs and the Peterborough defeat. Not the man for the Leeds United job.
