The Leeds United season review – constant chaos disrupts Championship escape

The modern day Leeds United is one that can be associated with confusion, chaos and controversy, but this season has been extraordinary even by those standards. The first full season of contentious owner Massimo Cellino’s reign as Leeds United boss has brought much negativity and discontent amongst Leeds supporters as proceedings off the pitch have caused maximum disruption on it. Amongst it all however, there were spells of the season which provided hope and promise, but unfortunately this couldn’t happen without something happening to stop this progression. Nevertheless, it has been a season that will ultimately stick out in the memory of many of the Elland Road faithful, but not necessarily for the right reasons.

The summer brought equal amounts of optimism and worry. The optimism was provided by a new owner, plenty of promises, and a completely revamped squad with 15 new faces. The worry however, was provided by the appointment of a less than impressive ‘Head Coach’. David Hockaday, who was sacked from his previous role as Forest Green manager for under-performing, was given the job following meetings with Cellino. Names such as Paul Clement, Steve Clarke and Eamonn Dolan were all linked but Hockaday was appointed as he was seen as the man to take the side forward.

A poorly organised pre-season in Italy meant that Leeds beat FC Gherdeina 16-0 and had to abandon the other friendly due to the opposition failing to turn up, a Leeds v Leeds game having to be played instead. This should have been a clear signal of what was in store for the season, but the desire for Premier League promotion meant that this was overlooked in favour of widespread optimism.

An opening day defeat to Millwall in a less than impressive performance showed that Leeds were far from the standard they needed to be. Billy Sharp arrived, a win over Middlesbrough arrived, and a slight belief that Leeds were on the way up, despite it being early days. Defeats to Brighton, Watford and Bradford in the cup signalled the end for Hockaday and his ‘Champions League’ aspirations before the end of August, and the introduction of Neil Redfearn as caretaker, a familiar figure at the club. Redfearn turned the team’s luck around and 10 points out of a possible 12, including a 3-1 away win over eventual champions Bournemouth, pushed Leeds away from the bottom end of the table.

This led to the arrival of Darko Milanic from Sturm Graz, joining the club after paying his own contract off. Milanic was hardly an improvement on Hockaday, securing just 3 points out of a possible 18, largely due to his heavily defensive way of playing. Milanic’s philosophy involved trying to take the lead and then sit back and defend it, and with a lack of defensive quality, Leeds struggled to do so. Another problem was that Milanic continued with the diamond midfield, a formation that was used under Hockaday and failed. It left Leeds with limited resources out wide and meant that the strikers struggled to flourish.

Milanic was sacked after just 32 days in charge, breaking the infamous record set by Brian Clough, Leeds needed to appoint the right man, and Cellino had to look no further than a man who had done it all before.

Neil Redfearn was given the job on a permanent basis, a popular appointment amongst the Leeds faithful. Despite results struggling to improve immediately, a post Christmas revival, led by Redfearn, would save Leeds from the League One trap door. December also signalled the long awaited arrival of an assistant to Redfearn, and that came in the form of Steve Thompson following Redfearn’s recommendation to the owner.

Thompson was instrumental in the revival of Leeds United, particularly in tightening up the defence and the second chances of players such as Murphy, Wootton and Berardi. January arrived and so did Sol Bamba, someone who was vital to the Leeds back four and meant that top scoring teams such as Bournemouth and Middlesbrough would fail to score against the Whites, Leeds beating both again and securing the double over 2 teams who finished in the top 3.

The diamond was also ditched in January, with the FA Cup game against Sunderland signalling a change in formation and Redfearn introduced a 4-2-3-1. This allowed Leeds the width that they desperately needed, and also gave a role to players such as Luke Murphy which allowed him to show his true potential. Another thing that came to light during the second half of the season was the youth team players who had successfully been introduced to senior football under Redfearn’s guidance. Sam Byram and Charlie Taylor played a vital part in providing width to the Leeds side, Lewis Cook stepped up to first team football and looked as if he had been playing at this level for a number of years, and Alex Mowatt’s finishing ability meant that he played a huge part in Leeds winning matches, scoring 9 goals which were all fantastic finishes.

Another thing that appeared this season is something that Leeds fans are becoming used to, takeover rumours and discussions. In a bizarre season, bizarre ownership suggestions have come to light. Actor and Leeds fan Russell Crowe was linked with a move for the club and was public in his criticism of the way the club was currently run. In addition to this, energy drinks giant Red Bull appeared as a possible owner for the future, but nothing surfaced in this bid.

One group that should be taken seriously however, is the Leeds fan ownership group who are moving towards taking part of the club back for the fans. The mistreatment of the club by those who consider it nothing more than a toy means that a group of fans who want to take part of the club back to run with the best interests at heart should be given full support, particularly after the incidents involving the current owner this season.

Cellino’s suspension by the Football League in January allowed Leeds to thrive on the pitch under Redfearn and Thompson’s guidance, that was until another controversial decision was made by the club. Steve Thompson, someone who had received much praise from players and fans alike, was mysteriously suspended until the end of the season and was told his contract would not be renewed. The decision drastically affected Leeds’ form, losing 5 consecutive games on the bounce, something that Leeds had not done all season, despite the poor managerial choices.

The decision not only troubled Leeds’ form but also damaged the future of Redfearn, a popular figure at Elland Road. Redfearn had spent his time in charge unsure of what was going on in the club’s hierarchy, having his requests for players turned down, and now his assistant has been suspended for reportedly ‘under-performing’ in his role. It appeared that Leeds, or Cellino, was attempting to push Redfearn away from the club, despite his work in extraordinary circumstances being nothing short of remarkable.

What Redfearn brought to the job was something that Leeds United have desperately needed for a number of years, football before politics. Suggestions that he was pressured into playing certain players or formations were ignored in place of what was best for the team to go forward. He has spent large parts of his reign as Head Coach doing things that no manager should do, his hands on approach has meant that this Leeds side can continue to show promise, and Leeds should be incredibly grateful for that.

What has triumphed this season is the period of the campaign where football was the priority, however short it seemed. When football was priority, football was played well and the right results started to come in, something that needs to be seen as vitally important for Leeds going forward. As highlighted by The72’s Graham Smeaton, this season has been one filled with poor decisions, decisions that have affected Leeds and the chances of success.

The unpredictable nature of those at the top has meant that decisions can happen at the club without, what seems to be, much thought of the implications and consequences. With a structure that seems to be collapsing more and more every day, a successive team is becoming increasingly impossible without the stability surrounding it. The season that Leeds have seen must not be repeated again if the club wants to return to it’s former glory. What this season should be looked back upon is one which is a learning experience, and Leeds, or more specifically Cellino, must learn that it is not the correct way to run a club that wants success.

Previous Article
, Bournemouth set to land Everton’s English prospect

Bournemouth set to land Everton’s English prospect

Next Article

5 things that helped Chesterfield reach the play-offs

Related Posts