Leeds United players loyal to sacked Javi Gracia as Sam Allardyce arrives at ‘divided and demoralised’ club
Sam Allardyce is facing a “divided and demoralised” Leeds United squad with a number of players still loyal to Javi Gracia, the Daily Mail reports.
The new manager is tasked with rescuing the Whites season over the four remaining games after his predecessor lost control of the club’s form.
Allardyce’s arrival and Gracia’s departure were officially announced on Wednesday (3 May), but amid the general turmoil there are splits behind the scenes with a number of players still supportive of the Spaniard.
Victor Orta also remained loyal to the third manager of the season and he has subsequently left the club as a result, but the fourth comes in needing to win over members of the playing staff who feel similarly and remain at Elland Road.
The Mail reports: “Mail Sport has learned that there are divisions in the dressing room at Elland Road mirroring those in the boardroom, which saw the departure of director or football Victor Orta on Tuesday due to his belief that Javi Gracia should have been retained.
“A number of players are also understood to have remained loyal to Gracia, who won just three of his 11 matches in charge to leave Leeds deep in relegation trouble after four defeats in their past five games.”
Less than ideal
Gracia seemed to be an agreeable man and, for a few weeks at least, a solid manager, but few would argue that the signs were positive after the 4-1 loss at Bournemouth on Sunday (30 April) made it four defeats in five with 17 goals conceded in the combined losses.
Whether Allardyce, out of work since being relegated with West Brom two years ago, is the answer with less than a month of the season to go is another matter, but the squad surely has no choice but to accept it if they are to be in with a chance of staying up.
Willy Gnonto is unlikely to be one who feels a loyalty to the former boss, as the Italian star was bafflingly sidelined for long stretches under Gracia and he is sure to be key in the final games.
Given how many players were badly underperforming in recent weeks the incoming head coach might not need the services of some if they aren’t fully on board anyway.
To a point it is understandable that the dressing room will have an amount of discontent given the chaos that is currently consuming them.
Playing for four different managers in a single season, while the Elland Road hierarchy mismanage important situations throughout, isn’t conducive to a settled group.
But if Premier League survival is to be on the cards Allardyce is going to need to galvanise them in the short time he has prior to a daunting visit to Manchester City, with a maximum of 12 points still on offer.
In other Leeds United news, Phil Hay has named three more figures set to follow Orta and Gracia out of Elland Road as the exodus continues.