Leeds United: What we need in a manager

Leeds United require a manager who is revolutionary in his thinking rather than evolutionary, when compared to Neil Warnock. He needs to understand the realities of modern football and what the game has become, and he needs to build a Leeds team around these principles. He does not need to be Pep Guardiola. He just needs to have a reasonable, modern plan, and a second plan when the first fails. Short termism has put Leeds United into this position where we have a short termist manager in charge, who reacts rather than building. The chase of the immediate satisfaction of the play-offs has put a halt to any building process that allows us to climb quickly at once towards the goal with ease. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it would not be built in 10 years if Remus had tried to build it.

Leeds United require a manager who understands the nature of the club. He needs to see himself as part, rather than outside, and understand that the club has been there before him and will be there after him. He needs to think it is a blessing to be at Leeds, and not to think that Leeds are blessed to have him. He needs to understand the fans and not mock them for voicing their opinions.

Leeds United require a manager who looks at the history of the club and understands why the fans are demanding. The reality is that we cannot accept a moment as a triumph until it is above the level we expect. We expect the best. Look at our response to finally leaving League One – job done, on to next year. Where clubs have parades and trophies crafted, we saw it as the first step back to the rise of Leeds. The manager must understand we won’t be satisfied with single results until they become many and we look unquestionably upwards.

Ultimately, Leeds United require a manager who represents a step into the modern era, after 5 steps back into the dark ages. We need the top manager for this level, but one who achieves by deserving to achieve, not through luck or complaints or diving and cheating the system. Not through corner balls or well-timed falls or Ryan Halls, but through deserving to win. As much as it does not matter that the outside world respects the team that walks on the hallowed turf of Elland Road, it matters that the fans that should fill those seats do. When they have that team, one that promises excitement and a belief that the future can be good, and with a little hope and ten tablespoons less luck than Neil Warnock relies on, those seats will be filled at whatever the cost. People just need something to believe in. The right manager will do that for us.

Follow Amitai Winehouse on Twitter (@awinehouse1).

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5 thoughts on “Leeds United: What we need in a manager”

  1. Read an interesting article on Swansea in the national press recently. The owners decided on a playing style and then employed managers who could work withing that style template. They’ve never allowed a new manager to come in and rip the team apart to build a team in his, (the manager’s), image. They’ve continued to build on solid foundations even when they’ve changed managers by sticking to the prescribed playing style.

    At Leeds, we start again with every new manager and there’s been a few. For me, we should seriously consider following the Swansea approach.

  2. We were following the Swansea approach with McAllister. He built the team that got us up and nearly got into the play offs. The problem was that team fell into the hands of Grayson and fell short of what it could have been.

    And this article is just another attack on Warnock, the Ryan Hall rhyme makes me cringe.

    How can you say Warnock isn’t building? He had to get players in or we’d have been in a relegation battle. He has Byram and Lees in the team. You can’t pick up a Snodgrass or a Gradel easily for the kind of money we got them for, and if you do you need experience around them.

  3. we need to step back and take a long hard look at the presant situation, warnock is not the man to lead us to the promise land where we should be, forget what ridsdale done we are where we are and thats that what is important is we must rebuild our mighty leeds to be a force again that puts the fear of god in any team that visits elland road, we need a manager who will give his all for leeds rebuild from the acadamy not send our young players out on loan and sell our good players off there was more than that statement from warnock than meets the eye. it may take a few seasons but i think our fans won,t mind as long as they can see progress they are a lot of good managers out there who want to play football not hoof the ball upfield and hope for the best look at warnocks track recored yes he,s won promotion for his teams but the following seasons all been religated i for one wants to see us staying up but sorry warnock your not the man it,s time you went it,s just a pity you can,t take that arsehole bates with you

  4. You’re right, it should come from a well thought out plan at the top who then work down from that to find the best manager to achieve it. Nothing is thought out currently apart from how GFH Will make a short term return for their investors. It’s all disjointed at the moment and going round in circles which always happens when there is no direction.

  5. Your headline “What we need in a manager” should read “What we need IS a manager” not an expert in blame culture !!!

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