Simon Jordan tears risky Leeds United manager option apart live on talkSPORT after Jim White makes new ‘box seat’ tip
Leeds United cannot take a “punt” on Michael Skubala as manager when the risk of Premier League relegation and far worse is on the line, says Simon Jordan.
Jim White had suggested that the caretaker manager and Chris Armas had put themselves in the “box seat” for the job after securing a creditable point against Manchester United on Wednesday (8 February), with the preferred options proving unobtainable.
Carlos Corberan and Andoni Iraola were both leading candidates before West Brom and Rayo Vallecano responded to the situation, but Jordan tore the idea of giving the temporary team the job to shreds, branding them “assistants for a reason” while calling on Andrea Radrizzani to sell the role better to top candidates.
Speaking live on talkSPORT (9 February, 12.33pm) White suggested: “Might well be that Michael Skubala and Chris Armas have put themselves in the box seat.”
Jordan responded with a flat: “No.”
White said in light of missing on Iraola: “Back to square one. If Skubala and Armas had taken Leeds to Old Trafford and got thumped six, then yeah, but they didn’t.”
But Jordan shut down the idea: “The irony of it is it’s a ‘no manager bounce’. Fine, okay. But it’s the same voices being given a different opportunity to express themselves. This is the same coaching staff that have worked with Jesse Marsch… It was a free hit.”
He went on to outline the gravity of the situation for the Whites owner: “Leeds United is a huge draw… it’s a huge opportunity in the biggest league. Radrizzani’s got to get his big boy pants on and sell it.
“I’d be very, very surprised given what’s at stake here with Leeds – Premiership survival, potential disposal of a football club – that they’re going to muck about and take a punt on some backroom staff that got a 2-2 draw.
“United did that once. They played PSG in the Champions League, got a great win away from home, took Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on for three years and went backwards.
“This team can’t go backwards, because in this instance it means going to the Championship and that will kibosh a whole raft of things at Leeds United, way beyond just an individual place in the Premier League.”
High stakes
There is a reason why the club spent so heavily in the January transfer market, because the future plans of the 49ers and the Elland Road expansion are going to be worth very little if the club is back in the second tier.
On that basis it surely makes sense to spend what it takes to bring in the right coach, even if that means meeting release clauses if required.
Skubala, Armas and Paca Gallardo got a decent result in midweek, and should they get another one against the same opposition on Sunday (12 February) there will be a growing suggestion they stay in place.
But the second they get a bad result the confidence would drain from the idea of them taking the rest of the season.
Missing out on preferred candidates is making this an increasingly worrying process for the fans, and if none of them are available until the summer it is going to be a nervous four months.
Gambling with Premier League survival isn’t an option, so while it won’t be exciting or even popular, it would make more sense to bring in the proverbial ‘safe pair of hands’ as caretaker until then, if that is what it takes to get things over the line this season ahead of installing the proper long-term plan.
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