The soap opera-like drama of the last few weeks has left the
majority of Leeds United fans thanking their lucky stars that Brian McDermott
remains at the helm of the club, at least for now. Whilst our club has only
made further dents into our far from impeccable reputation, McDermott has held
himself together quite brilliantly, showing the sporting world the consummate
professional that he is. We at @LUFC_Calypso feel that it is vitally important
that he remains at the club for the remainder of this season and for the start
of the next, and have offered up 5 reasons as to why this is so important for
our future.
1)
He loves the club
One of McDermott’s more appealing qualities is his loyalty.
With a number of high profile managers in the modern game finding themselves
changing clubs like they change their clothes, McDermott has shown through his
time at Reading that, if the club is right, he will give his all for the club
and their fans. This is no different with us, and his love for the club and
more notably the fans is something that we should not turn our backs on. The
mutual respect between him and the fans has not always been shared with
previous managers, and this should not be taken for granted. The clear emotion
he showed in his press conference says it all – he’s Leeds and he knows he is.
2)
His scouting background makes him the perfect
man to rebuild our squad
Although many have been quick to criticise McDermott in the
two transfer windows for which he’s been in charge, there is no doubt that with
our squad needing serious rebuilding, there aren’t many more equipped to
undergo such a challenge. With perhaps Noel Hunt being the odd-one-out,
McDermott’s permanent signings have been young, prospective talents who will
ultimately prove to be good acquisitions and, in stark contrast to Warnock,
there can’t be too many complaints. In addition to this, with his hands clearly
tied behind his back in January, McDermott has handled it better than many
would. McDermott must be given the opportunity to weed out the deadwood players
and replace them with more forward thinking players. This is all dependent on
the never-ending takeover scandal being resolved, but the least he deserves is
a fair crack at a transfer window with some money to spend.
3)
He wants to play a style of football that
pleases the fans
Despite the occasional incident of referring back to
Warnock’s hoof-ball values, it is clear to see that McDermott is trying to play
football the way that almost all the fans would like us to be playing. Passing
the ball on the floor was unheard of during the Warnock era, yet McDermott is
gradually emphasising that we have to play that way to achieve success. Whether
the current players have the ability to play that way consistently remains to
be seen. The personnel can be changed,
but we need a tactical and technical framework to build upon. Brian offers us
that.
4)
He is a consummate professional
Although the touchline antics of the Di Canios of this world
are intensely entertaining from the outside, it must be difficult to hold any
kind of respect for a manager who seems to have no respect for the game. Again,
many criticise McDermott for being ‘too nice’, yet I see no problem with the
manager of a football club maintaining a sense of dignity in the face of the
press and the footballing world. None of us know what goes on behind closed
doors, and the fact that he has the full support of the dressing room means
he’s doing something right. Letting your football do the talking, or at least trying,
is an enviable quality.
5)
He knows how to get out of this division
McDermott clearly possesses the formula that must be adopted
in order to get out of this division, and turning our backs on a man who
clearly knows how it’s done would be naïve to say the least. Although placing
our faith in promotion specialists hasn’t succeeded in the past, McDermott is
still hungry for success, something that cannot be said for Neil Warnock upon
appointment at our club. It is undeniable that a change in management does work
in certain circumstances, yet it is crucial that Brian is given the opportunity
to see his 3-year-plan through.
Whether or not Massimo Cellino, GFH Capital or Together
Leeds end up owning our club, the fate of McDermott as a long term manager at
the club is far from certain, yet we strongly believe that we have the right
man in charge currently, and we must keep it that way. Marching on Together. Do you think McDermott is doing a good job? Do you think he
will keep his job until the end of the season? As always, let us know your
thoughts by tweeting us at @LUFC_Calypso!
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