Jeff Stelling cites Leeds United move for Javi Gracia as he appears to call for Hartlepool boss Keith Curle to go
Jeff Stelling enviously cited managerial change at Leeds United in a late-night Twitter post, shortly after Hartlepool suffered last-minute defeat to Newport County.
The Sky Sports host is famously a fan of the League Two side, and after a 91st-minute winner on Tuesday (21 February) condemned them to 22nd place, a point above the relegation zone in the fourth tier but having played four games more than Crawley below, he appeared to be reacting to the result by calling for Keith Curle to go.
Javi Gracia was finally appointed Elland Road boss earlier in the day, as the club belatedly found a replacement for Jesse Marsch, while fellow Premier League sides Everton and Southampton have also sacked managers in recent weeks, as have Championship club QPR.
Posting on his personal Twitter account late on Tuesday following the game Stelling wrote: “Feel bad but Everton, Leeds, Southampton, QPR just changed”.
Careful what you wish for
The jury is currently out on whether Gracia will prove to be the right man for Leeds United but he is at least now in place, although work permit issues are threatening to make even that an ordeal.
Sacking a manager is no guarantee of brighter days ahead as the time since 6 February when Marsch was let go has seen the Whites lurched towards one candidate after another and come up short.
The hierarchy appeared to have given up the chase and were letting Michael Skubala shoulder the responsibility, until that plan was disposed of in the wake of defeat at Everton on Saturday (18 February).
The victorious Toffees do look rejuvenated with Sean Dyche in for Frank Lampard, so United fans will desperately hope for a similar effect from Gracia once he is finally allowed to work.
Gareth Ainsworth went in at Loftus Road on the same day the new Whites man was appointed at Elland Road, but Southampton got it badly wrong in bringing in Nathan Jones to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl and are only now benefiting from the Welshman’s own sacking.
So it can very much go either way when pulling the plug on a coach’s time in charge, but Leeds have now completed the change and Stelling appears to want to see the same at his own beloved club.
In all leagues the real proof as to whether it was the right move or not will not be available until the final league standings are reached at the end of the season.
In other Leeds United news, a managerial decision has been made for the crucial bottom-of-the-table clash between the Whites and Southampton.