Graeme Souness tells Leeds United to hire Harry Redknapp or Sam Allardyce as new manager
Leeds have been told by Graeme Souness to hire Harry Redknapp or Sam Allardyce on a short-term contract to help them avoid relegation.
The Whites sacked Jesse Marsch last week (6 February) but have failed to hire a replacement, with Under-21’s coach Michael Skubala in charge for the foreseeable future.
But after reports that Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce would be interested in taking the role, Souness took to his Daily Mail column to tell Leeds that they’re better off going for someone with experience of the Premier League instead.
“Whatever end of the table a team is at, their appointment of managers and coaches never fails to surprise me, and sometimes amaze me,” he wrote (17 February).
“You are looking at Leeds and others down there, considering candidates who’ve not been involved in our game and who will need time to understand its demands. And by the time they get it – if, indeed, they do get it – it could already be too late.
“So why not a Harry Redknapp or a Sam Allardyce, even as a short-term fix? You need someone who knows the territory, so there are no surprises. I come back to it: there are no new ways of playing our game.”
Yikes
There is something to Souness’ point that the people being targeted don’t know about the Premier League yet and it could take them a while to adapt, potentially leaving the team in a place they can’t recover from.
However there are also many examples of those same managers coming into clubs in England and improving them massively in a short space of time, such as Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton and even Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.
Going back in time to bring someone in who hasn’t managed in the Premier League for years would be just as big of a gamble, because the game has evolved massively since they were last in it.
There’s also just as little guarantee of survival, so it makes far more sense for the club to go with whatever it is that best suits their long-term strategy rather than just making any old appointment for the sake of having someone we already know in the job.
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