Leeds United have won just one league fixture since their 2-1 win over Burton Albion on Boxing Day – a shocking outcome after starting the season in such good fashion. Before the January window, the Whites were in the playoff spots and all the fans were gleaming over the prospects of a promotion – Finally! Maybe this time we’ll get over the threshold. Or put up a decent fight to indicate the club’s ambitions.
But come May, It will be a big statement for them if they even finish in the top 10. Paul Heckingbottom has barely made a scratch in terms of improvement and low morale squad keep diving miraculously towards the bottom half of the Championship.
We are aware of some of the problems that had started to regurgitate earlier in the season – players getting injured, strikers hitting drought spells, suspensions delving from behavioural issues of some of the key players.
But at some point, every Whites fan anticipated a turnaround. The resurgence after a rough spell.
Apparently not.
All one can do is see out the rest of the season and start setting up the tents for the trudge back to base. Take better preparations for the next expedition.
A managerial change maybe? Including new signings obviously.
Here are a few names who could replace Heckingbottom.
Marco Silva
Time to simplify. The ex-Watford coach is still without a job and it is beyond one to think how any of the English clubs have not picked him up yet?
Yes, the Championship is not as illustrious as the Premier League. But Leeds is could be an entirely new project. Given the time and resources at hand, Silva knows how to deliver. His fast-paced attacking style of play has shown out a number of elite competitions in the top-division this season and it would not be surprising if it worked in the Championship. His player management abilities are top-notch and so is his experience.
The only pinch is his driving ambition, which somehow played into his sacking ceremony at Vicarage Road.
Graham Potter
We have all seen what the man can do with a club whose aggregate player wages are less than that of Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil. Now imagine what he could do with the resources Andrea Ragazzini has promised for the future.
He is young, he is ambitious and is waiting for a chance in the big leagues.
Alan Pardew
Take what you can get. The Newcastle United, Crystal Palace and soon-to-be West Brom reject might not be the best candidate for a long-term position but his experience in top-flight football should not be ruled out.
