Former Leeds United forward Michael Bridges has claimed that his old club 'hit the panic button' by sacking Jesse Marsch after missing out on Sean Dyche.
Marsch was let go by the Whites last week after a run of poor results but has yet to be permanently replaced after numerous managers have rejected the idea of taking the role on so late into a season.
And with the club threatened by relegation, Bridges believes that getting rid of Marsch was a big mistake for the club to make, especially at such a crucial point.
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"Do you know what it was? It was a huge call," he told the GegenPod Football Podcast. "I felt with Jesse, having worked with him in pre-season and seen what he was all about, he talked the talk.
"I thought the way he produced the analysis and wen through it with the players was excellent, the way he conducted himself and he was so charismatic and he made myself and Tony Dorigo feel so welcome to the club."
"His respectful nature was absolutely unbelievable, but trying to change from one philosophy they had learnt under Bielsa where it was press at all costs but on the ball, they'd play really expansive, really wide.
"Whereas with Jesse, they played a very, very narrow system. Jack Harrison, for example, nearly got an England call-up under Bielsa but he found it very restricting under Jesse because it was so narrow and all about the counter-press, winning the ball back.
"Some players thrived off of it, some didn't. And I think the fans were slowly getting on board with Jesse, especially early on. The wins over Chelsea and Liverpool, but there were obviously things that weren't happening as well.
"If you're not getting the results, the fans will start to turn on you if things don't start to happen."
Bridges then claimed that it's possible that the executives at Elland Road only made the decision based on the other clubs around them, and that if that was their thought process, they should've done it before Everton hired Dyche.
"I felt like it was a massive call from Leeds seeing the clubs around them getting new faces in. Wolves with Lopetegui and seeing them fly, Aston Villa as well, getting Unai Emery in.
"I think they've hit the panic button and thought, 'we need to get someone else in'.
"The only thing that's gone against them is Sean Dyche going to Everton, and now they're finding themselves in a predicament where some managers are starting to turn them down because they want long-term security.
"Is that on offer? It'll be interesting to see what'll be offered, the contracts shown around or whether it'll be the interim manager for the time being. I know they were really keen on the Rayo Vallecano manager [Andoni] Iraola, but they won't get him at this moment in time.
"I know Steven Gerrard's name has been thrown around, Nuno Espirito Santo's name as well, but are they going to risk another stain on their CV if Leeds go down? I'm just hoping they make the right decision from this, but I think Leeds United have missed the trick not getting Sean Dyche in."
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