Leeds United must get managerial decision right…

Leeds United must get managerial decision right despite Jesse Marsch new decision

“Parting ways with Jesse Marsch, a man who has given us absolutely everything to be successful on the pitch, was painful. This is not just from a human level, but because the departure of a head coach is a sign of collective failure from everyone in the boardroom and on the playing side."

Those were the words of Angus Kinnear in the Leeds United matchday programme against Manchester United at the weekend. To put it simply, they cannot afford to fail with the next managerial appointment and time is of the essence.

Marsch is closing in on what would be a remarkable return to the Premier League with Southampton - who are set to face Leeds in less than two weeks time. The Saints parted company with Nathan Jones following defeat to Wolves on Saturday, February 11 , which left them rock bottom of the table and with a four point gap to safety - which is coincidentally where Leeds find themselves in the table.

So how is it, a side that are bottom of the Premier League are able to attract a manager while Leeds United have reportedly been knocked back three times? Perhaps, it's due to the ambitious coaches who have been linked with a move to Elland Road, which is not necessarily a bad sign.

However, the Whites hierarchy have to get this appointment right, even if it's just a short-term one. A short-term appointment might not appease the majority of the fanbase, especially given the names linked with Elland Road - outside of the likes of Andoni Iraola, Arne Slot and Carlos Corberan - haven't exactly been inspiring.

Sean Dyche has gone in at Everton and was able to pick up three points at home to Arsenal, a huge result for the Toffees and it's fair to say some would have turned their noses up at the prospect of the former Burnley boss rocking up at Elland Road. But, he does have Premier League experience and the recent gamble with Marsch didn't pan out how they expected.

There's be the usual customers linked with the Whites, Sam Allardyce even said he was confident he could keep Leeds in the division, however, he's been out of a job since getting West Brom relegated back in 2021.

In times of crisis, it's best not to panic and you need look at Newcastle United for inspiration. After sacking Steve Bruce things looked bleak - but fast forward to recent date and the Magpies are flying. The appointment of Eddie Howe was seen as a second roll of the dice after Unai Emery turned them down to stay with high flying Villareal.

Sure, the Magpies had £100million or so to spend in the January transfer window and the new Leeds United boss won't have such a luxury. Instead, they'll have to come up with a system that gets results on based on the talent available at their disposal.

The Whites fanbase have become accustomed to high energy, somewhat frantic football and while it's been good to watch when the results are flowing, it's pretty dismal when things aren't going well. With two important games against Everton and Southampton, time is of the essence.

Michael Skubala was able to get a strong performance out of the Whites at Old Trafford in his first outing as interim boss, but they weren't quite able to find that goal scoring streak at Elland Road in the reverse fixture. The decision to give him the upcoming games, starting with Everton seems a sensible place to start.

They need six points in their next two games to get their season back on track - it's as simple as that. Anything else leaves them staring down the barrel, with relegation a scary proposition.

Leeds United must get managerial decision right despite Jesse Marsch new decision

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