Angus Kinnear admits Leeds United boardroom were misaligned at pivotal time on road to relegation - YEP 8/9/23
Leeds United chief executive Angus Kinnear has discussed the board’s decision to keep Jesse Marsch in his post as head coach despite a run of difficult results towards the end of 2022.
By Joe Donnohue
Kinnear has admitted the time to relieve former Leeds boss
Marsch may have been prior to the six-week break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In his annual interview with The Square Ball, Kinnear has
revealed there was misalignment between members of the Whites’ hierarchy prior
to the full takeover by 49ers Enterprises this summer.
“In the run-up to Christmas, we were in a difficult
position,” the chief executive says. “The trajectory wasn’t moving in the right
direction. We had a significant dip and it was probably the Bournemouth and
Liverpool games when we thought we were moving in the right direction. Perhaps
if we hadn’t had those two results, we might have made the decision
earlier."
Marsch had been under pressure in the lead up to
back-to-back wins versus the Cherries and Jurgen Klopp’s side, having gone
eight games without a victory. Many supporters perceived those results to have
saved Marsch’s job, which subsequently led to the American remaining in the
role until early February, when he was eventually sacked following defeat to
Nottingham Forest.
“Based on where we ended up, it was the wrong decision
because we got relegated. That’s what everybody was trying to avoid,” Kinnear
adds.
“It was debated a lot at the time. If we had the decision
again, knowing what we know now, we’d have absolutely made the change then.
Without going into the individuals involved, there wasn’t alignment on the
board at that stage.
“You have to look at what type of change you can make, what
type of manager can you get in, what are the chances of that manager making it
better. You have to take all those things into account. But a change would have
been better at that point.”
