Good Morning. It's Wednesday 3rd May, and here are the latest headlines from Elland Road...
Orta backed Gracia til the end
Phil Hay has made some very interesting disclosures about Victor Orta, and the goings on behind the scenes at Elland Road, in the Athletic, this morning.
The former Chief football writer of the Yorkshire Evening Post revealed that Orta fought tooth and nail to keep Jesse Marsch at Elland Road, and even threatened to quit, should they sack the American. It must have been a kick in the teeth then, when, in early February, Marsch was given his marching orders.
Last Sundays drubbing at Bournemouth, turned out to be the catalyst for yet another change. Radz and Orta argued long and hard following he drubbing at Bournemouth, and once again the Leeds owner undermined his Director of Football by insisting Javi Gracia must go. Orta, ever the optimist stood in Gracia's corner; but the board backed Radz. The final nail in Orta's coffin was when he refused to back Allardyce, after which his tenure at Elland Road was untenable.
There was a genuine sense that Marsch would not survive until a board meeting eventually let the matter lie. Orta, the club’s sporting director, made it known to certain people that if Marsch went, he would consider resigning. A vote of no confidence in the American would be a vote of no confidence in him too, and he did not see grounds for change.
Orta, at that point, believed Marsch would hold it together, despite results suggesting Leeds were in for another dangerous dance with relegation. Marsch had been his choice 11 months earlier, his go-to after the dismissal of Marcelo Bielsa and an appointment made based on two years of analysis. He was convinced by Marsch and prepared to fight his man’s corner, with his own job if necessary."
That, in isolation, is Orta explained: a scout and a director of football with total conviction in his ideas, sometimes to the bitter end. [Following the Bournemouth game] urgent discussions at boardroom level concluded that Javi Gracia — the coach brought in after Marsch finally departed in early February, three weeks on from Villa Park — should go.
Again, Orta’s attitude differed. Gracia has been recommended by him, the solution to a fairly shambolic attempt to replace Marsch competently, and he still believed that enough points could be found under him in the four games Leeds have left.
By Monday evening, he and the club’s ownership were on completely different pages. The board had resolved to dismiss Gracia. They were reaching out to Sam Allardyce, perhaps the last manager Orta would ever go for. And so, on Tuesday morning, Leeds’ director of football exited the building, the book closing on his story at Leeds.
Allardyce great escape strategy
Leeds-live have searched through the archives to find an interesting article from Sam Allardyce; in it, he explains his philosophy regarding Premier League survival.
The 68 year old is due to be installed as Leeds fourth Manager of the season later today (if you count Skubala); once Andrea Radrizzani catches up with dead man walking, Javi Gracia; but has Radz left it too late? There are 12 points to play for, yet three of them are against top six opposition, starting with a trip to the Emirates at the weekend.
Big Sam has his work cut out over the next 25 days if Leeds are to somehow perform the Great Escape. Unfortunately, the likes of McQueen, Garner, Bronson and Attenborough have been replaced by Laurel and Hardy, plus the Chuckle brothers.
Speaking to Sky Sports back in 2017, Allardyce explains the importance of keeping a clean sheet, not losing possession in your own half, and quality set pieces - Uh-oh!
It only takes one goal to win a game. Only one goal to win your three points and most of the teams in the Premier League are the ones with the best defensive records.
When you look at the clean sheets records, it gives you the platform to be successful in the season. You can't always score two or three goals depending on your squad and your position in the league. That and scoring first. Clean sheets and scoring first are the two easier ones for everybody to look at." "Don't lose possession in your own half' and 'Play the first pass forward.
The Premier League is so good because your opponents will capitalise massively on those mistakes. If you're playing the ball to your midfield player, he can't be facing his own goal square on because if somebody shuts him down or is around him, how can that be a positive pass?
Another one is winning the knock-down balls in transition. If you're static, you're not going to put yourself in a good position to win the ball. If you're on the move when the ball is on the move, you can adjust into a place where you can regain possession.
Set pieces as well. When I was at Crystal Palace, I didn't actually improve the 'Set Piece Goals For' record, but I certainly improved the 'Set Pieces Goals Against' record." "That's just down to training ground stuff - man marking in certain positions, who you're going to mark. Every week it's just a brief highlight of this is who we're playing against, this is how we're marking today, this is what they do.
I think as we [Bolton Wanderers] grew, it became a little bit less [long ball] but when the tag is already put on you, it's very hard to get it off. But it wasn't about that in the end, it was about the quality of players we ended up with.
But we had such a good squad of international players that we still played like that sometimes, but not as often because we have better talent, better quality and produced much better, exciting football and that's why we ended up in Europe.
Odds slashed following chaotic 24 hours
In a last ditch desperate bid to avoid the drop, Leeds Chairman Andrea Radrizzani has decided to clear the decks, and start again. The mass exodus is expected not just to include Messrs Orta and Gracia, but many senior coaches also.
The disruption has caused a betting frenzy in the last 24 hours. Top bookmakers Bet365 have slashed their odds to 8/15 on Yorkshire's finest returning to the Championship next season. Only Southampton 1/66 have a worse handicap. Everton 8/11, Nottingham Forest (3/4) and Leicester City (7/4) remain in the mix.
Do me a favour. They're all in it for themselves. Shame he didn't go with Marsch as promised. Hopefully Abad, Gallardo and his other mates have followed him.
