Damning new Leeds United record sums up the big…

Damning new Leeds United record sums up the big decision they must get right

Two of the three shortest managerial reigns in Premier League history have been served at Leeds United. Sam Allardyce’s 25 days and Javi Gracia’s 71 days are a reflection of how drastically the past two seasons have unravelled at Elland Road.

Since the summer of 2021, through Marcelo Bielsa’s final days, into Jesse Marsch and then the final two rolls of the dice in 2023, the project has come apart at the seams. The pressure on getting the next appointment right is immense.

With ownership issues and takeover wrangling dominating United’s internal conversations, there is only so much chief executive Angus Kinnear can do. Conversations can, and have, gone on, but there will be no signatures, no pre-season training plan, no transfer window guidance, no tactical philosophy until Andrea Radrizzani finds a resolution.

Bielsa was the unifying figure the club and city needed after the EFL rot of 14 years claimed Thomas Christiansen and Paul Heckingbottom as its latest victims. Snaring another head coach of Bielsa’s standing in England’s second tier, with a shortened close season and ownership creases to be ironed out, would be some statement to make.

Assuming it won’t be a showstopping global headline maker like that, Leeds do need to find someone that can inspire hope and confidence. Poor results, difficult transfer windows, quickfire appointments, a muddled tactical plan and a Frankenstein squad made up of players for different needs have seen belief and pride drain away.

The reaction to Allardyce’s approach, especially in that final must-win game, perhaps pointed to an appetite on the terraces for a more attractive, progressive style of play. Heckingbottom was considered something of a bright, young thing with big ideas when he arrived from Barnsley, so we have seen the next best new thing in the EFL is not always a recipe for success.

We will not know if the next head coach is the right one until we’re deep into October and looking at the league table. Hindsight will be a wonderful thing, but if, in June, with everything still in front of them, they can find someone to unify and inspire, Leeds will have cleared their first hurdle.

Supporters need to believe the club is going somewhere under Allardyce’s successor. They need to feel excited about heading down to Elland Road every other weekend, like they are on another journey to something better.

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