This Time It's Finally Happened: Leeds without McDermott

Article by Gwyn Hughes

Brian McDermott had another late night call on a Friday from Massimo Cellino and this time there will not be a reprieve. Whilst Leeds United's new owner was under the impression that he could sack McDermott back in January, there is no doubt that he intends to make this one stick. I must admit it's the most passive and good natured sacking I have ever heard. Both parties have been so civilised and dignified over the decision that I feel that both men have a genuine respect for each other and for what's best for Leeds United. It's such a shame that Brian didn't get the chance to establish a legacy; what may have happened if he had been at the club in better times. Unfortunately, we will remember him mostly for the season of hell we've just had and the awful players that he brought in. His recruiting record has not been good and he may have been more successful if he had brought on more of the younger players through to the first team.

Over the last few weeks Cellino has been busy. He has fully realised what a difficult task he has in front of him and I have doubts whether he can clear up Leeds' financial mess up by the time the new season starts. Ten years of financial mismanagement cannot be sorted in such a short space of time. Someone has to start doing it or it will just go on. Now he has to find a new coach. He is restructuring the management of the club as well as its financial undercarriage, and he wants it done the proper way. I for one am pleased that we have him as our owner and feel confident that he will make Leeds United sound once again.

I hear seasoned commentators in the media exclaiming the mess Leeds are in, the constant referring to a season that has made us a laughing stock in the football world, the contemptuous attitude layered behind their words. Either they are misinformed about what is really going on at the club or they have not bothered to find out. Probably a mixture of both. We're hardly headline news on the biased Premier League channels anyway (I think you all know who they are) and to be honest I was a little surprised that they bothered to announce McDermott's departure at all. Hearing an interview with someone at the club will probably result in my asphyxiation!

But I think Cellino is doing what needs to be done. And more. If he is alerting the police about financial irregularities at Elland Road, surely he is making sure that the club is going to be run properly at last, the stench of long standing corruption and misappropriation is dealt with, and those who were involved in such acts will be found and punished. We have known for years that strange financial practices have been rumoured to be going on, and a no-nonsense maverick like Cellino is just the person to get down to the bottom of things and establish a legitimate foundation for the club to run as a sound business concern, as it should have been, and as it has to from now on. Personally, I can't wait to find out more. I hope he uncovers all the sordid details so that we can move on with a person who can run a business successfully but sensibly. We'll probably hear more guffaws and tut-tuts from the "elite" Premier League media who will no doubt turn their snobby noses at us as if we are the football equivalent of The Jeremy Kyle Show, but secretly relishing every detail that comes out as if it was on the front page of a cheap tabloid newspaper.

Cellino is getting on with it in his own way and I think the general consensus from the fans is positive. He is trying to stop a haemorrhage that would have eventually drained the life out of our club. Hard decisions have to be made and letting go of McDermott was a necessary step. I am sad to see him go, but more disappointed that he didn't do better. That may sound harsh after the nightmare season he's had, but I'm sure that more revelations will one day come out about what really was going on at Leeds. I have a feeling that McDermott was severely restricted as his role as manager. GFH had to borrow money they couldn't pay back for the players Brian got in, and in my mind they pursued this folly because they lied to the fans about their 'vision' for Leeds United when they took over. Their preposterously positive statements had to be backed by further lies which eventually contributed to the deep, black hole they put the club in.

But now we are in the hunt for a new man at the helm. Who will be brave enough to take on the pressure of being Leeds United coach and an employee of Massimo Cellino. It has to be a man who can stand up to him, shares his passion and is willing to accept that failure will result in dismissal. That kind of pressure can either make or break a person, but the risks are worth taking. The fans demand someone who will give their best, and with Cellino establishing a firmer financial climate, there will be no external excuses to fall back on. Focus can be on the team rather than what's going on outside the club. Wouldn't that be wonderful for a change?

There are plenty of out of work managers out there and the list of candidates will be a long one. So many clubs are now shedding their managers at an alarming turn over that there will always be plenty to choose from. but choosing the right one is still a tricky business. Something tells me that Tim Sherwood would be a frontrunner despite his lack of managerial experiences. I was impressed with his attitude, his honest opinions and his willingness to say what's on his mind. In my book he should have been given the Tottenham job, and the feeling in the media is that the London club have made a huge mistake in letting him go. I suspect Italians will be high on the list and I have favoured Robert Di Matteo in the past. Great record behind him and his team plays good football.

The next coach at Leeds will have something that previous occupants of the post never did. Money. When Cellino prepares the financial blueprint for the future of Leeds, money will be used for what it should be intended for, to invest in the club so that it can grow and prosper, not frittered away by chancers who think it will always be available. Cellino is a careful man and that's why he has become so wealthy.

Despite the gloom merchants who pour their false, pitying sentiments onto our club, I am feeling better about Leeds than I have ever been for a while. At last we have a trouble-shooter who will clean up the mess that others had produced 'for the good of the club'. I hope we get the right coach who will lead us to a higher dimension of football than we have encountered in the last decade. Let's all hope that 'doing things the hard way' is a thing of the past and that from now on we will be known for being a club who has ambition, resources and play great football as we once did not that long ago.

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