Leeds United loss at West Ham reflects badly on Sam Allardyce amid ‘scathing’ Georginio Rutter rebuke – Phil Hay
Sam Allardyce was “scathing” on Georginio Rutter when he ignored the youngster while bemoaning his options up front for Leeds United says Phil Hay.
The Whites boss left Rodrigo on the pitch until full time despite the goalscorer “struggling badly” in the 68-year-old’s own words [via The Guardian, 21 May], while the club-record signing didn’t get off the bench despite Patrick Bamford already being withdrawn injured, and asked afterwards “who am I going to play up front if those two are missing?”
Two second half strikes from the Hammers then condemned Leeds to a 3-1 defeat which might have sealed their fate and Hay doesn’t think Allardyce came out of it well after how he managed the situation.
Speaking on the Phil Hay Monday Club for the Square Ball (22 May, 4m 55s) he said: “Allardyce has spoken a lot of truth about the state of the team… he was, without naming him, a little bit scathing of Rutter by saying the reason he left Rodrigo on the pitch injured was because he didn’t feel he had another centre-forward on the bench. We’re all sitting there saying that was supposed to be Rutter, he was supposed to have the calibre to play as a nine, but apparently not.
“I didn’t feel the second half reflected particularly well on Allardyce to be quite honest, and I also didn’t feel like it was the epitome at all of a team fighting to the death.
“What Allardyce had said about testing West Ham’s legs early on was proven to be true… but he has spoken about things you can’t get away with in the Premier League… If I’m being honest, I don’t think you can get away with having a half-fit centre-forward lumbering about for half an hour. Rodrigo’s mobility was clearly a problem…
“If the game plan was to try and nick a chance that Rodrigo stuck away then you’re talking incredibly long odds.”
House of cards
Rutter has clearly been on the receiving end of a hospital pass that he could have done without after Leeds United splashed £35.5million on him in January [Sky Sports, 15 January], apparently as one for the future.
Then-boss Jesse Marsch needed help who could contribute now as the club drifted towards danger, and that has only become more true under Michael Skubala, Javi Gracia and Allardyce as Rutter turned out to be less of a back-up option and more of an afterthought.
That the 21-year-old isn’t the finished article isn’t his fault, as the now-departed Victor Orta’s transfer strategy has been shown to have come up short, but if he is so far off the pace that he is only worthy of being completely ignored in a time of need makes everyone look bad.
Given the bizarre way Gracia ignored Willy Gnonto, with Allardyce also leaving him out of the starting XI two out of three times, perhaps it suggests that Rutter is stuck in a no-win situation with decisions made outside of his control.
He surely would have been more of a threat than half of Rodrigo, even allowing for the Spaniard’s excellent opener, so Allardyce leaving the senior man out there and just hoping for the best suggests he doesn’t believe any longer.
And if the man in charge, who flashed crossed fingers at the end of his press conference afterwards, is just hoping rather than managing then it is a poor look for a doomed-looking side.
Allardyce, Orta, all the managers who have had a go this year, Rutter himself, and most of the rest of the squad, plus Andrea Radrizzani, can all take a share of the blame if they go down, with those who come out of this season deserving praise far fewer in number.
In other Leeds United news, a mooted replacement for Orta has reacted to being linked to a job at Elland Road.