Sky Sports pundit: Leeds United fans show blind faith with stance on Marcelo Bielsa sacking
We’re delighted to welcome former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Leeds United...
Jesse Marsch has a massive pair of shoes to fill at Leeds United after he replaced Marcelo Bielsa as manager, according to Paul Robinson.
Marsch was officially announced as Leeds’ new manager on Monday, just over 24 hours after Bielsa’s sacking was confirmed in the wake of the 4-0 home defeat to Tottenham.
Bielsa’s legacy at Elland Road will be a massive one and Robinson feels as though Marsch will find replacing the Argentine similar to how Brian Clough found replacing Don Revie in 1974.
Clough lasted just 44 days in charge at Leeds and there’s no doubt that Marsch will be here for longer than that.
But Robinson feels as though fans who would have rather been relegated with Bielsa at the helm than try a new approach are blinded by faith.
“I’m not surprised,” Robinson told MOT Leeds News.
“It was a tough decision and a decision made with a very heavy heart due to the way Bielsa is respected and thought of and what he’s done for that football club.
“He’s taken Leeds from 14th in the Championship to ninth in the Premier League with a very similar squad.
“The joy and the happiness he’s brought to this area is something that’ll never be forgotten and it shows the decision was made with a very heavy heart.
“I’m sure it was a business decision that was all about staying in the Premier League rather than a sentimental decision – but it clearly wasn’t working. Any other manager at any other club conceding that many goals and losing that many games wouldn’t have lasted as long as he did. But he did have a lot of credit in the bank and rightly so.
“I still think now there’s a lot of support.
“I think it might be a knee-jerk reaction but I’ve seen a lot of people say they’d rather go down playing that style of football with Bielsa in charge than see a change.
“I mean, that might be a little bit of blind faith after having watched the last few games.
“Defensively, they were so poor. You can’t legislate for individual errors but the organisation of Leeds wasn’t there.
“And with the spine ripped out of the team for 90 per cent of the season, Bielsa’s had to be working with his hands tied behind his back.
“With all of that taken into account and looking at the players he has had, the performances haven’t been good enough.
“But there’s a huge legacy behind it. It’s very similar in a way to when Brian Clough came in after Don Revie, there’s one helluva big pair of shoes to fill for the next man to come in behind Marcelo Bielsa because he’s loved by players and fans alike.”
In other Leeds United news, images show Bielsa leaving Thorp Arch for the final time.