I'D ONLY BEEN HERE A FEW WEEKS WHEN MCKENZIE ASKED ME IF REIDY WAS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB KEVIN BLACKWELL - The People

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people.co.uk - FOOTBALL: INTERVIEW ALAN BIGGS - I'D ONLY BEEN HERE A FEW WEEKS WHEN MCKENZIE ASKED ME IF REIDY WAS THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB
FOOTBALL: INTERVIEW ALAN BIGGS - on the chaos and charisma of life at Leeds
THE 40-mile trip from Bramall Lane to Elland Road isn't the most taxing of journeys, but for Kevin Blackwell it has proved something of a white knuckle ride into the unknown. Having spent most of his career working for one man - his mentor at Sheffield United, Neil Warnock - Blackwell was plunged headlong out of his comfort zone when he accepted a role in the soap opera that is Leeds United. But strangely enough, the former Blades coach is loving every minute of it. In fact, he claims he would even make the same choice again. "Yes, with hindsight, I would,'' he admits. "I have no regrets because when Leeds came calling, they were too big a club with too much charisma to turn down. I believed in them then and I still do. "I honestly think that they will always be a major force in football. Surely no one will allow them to die?'' Former goalkeeper Blackwell has already served under two bosses in his brief career at crisis-torn Elland Road. He could even have been the gaffer himself had Leeds not persuaded the Premier League to let them keep the under-qualified Eddie Gray, recruited as caretaker when Peter Reid was sacked. Remarkably, Blackwell, 44, did not know either man before they worked together, but nothing could have prepared him for the whacky world of Elland Road. He recalled: "On the first day in training we had only 15 players and I said to Peter, who'd headhunted me, that we wouldn't be good enough. He said he was expecting some money to be available in August. "It didn't materialise and we had to put in youngsters too soon. Then we had to sign loan players who couldn't be integrated because they'd all missed pre-season. Basically, the financial situation dictated everything. "It was a strange scenario. I'd only been here a few weeks when The Professor (chairman John McKenzie) called me in and asked me if I thought Peter was the right man for the job! "Of course, I said he was. I was still getting to know Peter and the club. It was a very strange thing for a chairman to ask an assistant about his boss - slightly bizarre, to say the least. "It made me think things might not be right. Then Peter was called to a meeting and told his future would be decided overnight. "When Peter did leave in November, he apologised for bringing me here. He said that he had no idea the situation was so grave. I said I couldn't thank him enough. "I believe that what can't kill you, you can learn from so this will stand me in good stead. "Whatever happens, I've been given the opportunity to work with great players like Alan Smith, Mark Viduka, Dominic Matteo, Eirik Bakke and Paul Robinson, plus youngsters like James Milner and Jermaine Pennant." The salvation of the club depends on these players - and Blackwell believes it would have been impossible for players not to be affected by the circus surrounding them. He said: "For people to come in every day wondering if they are going to be sacked or get paid, it's bound to have a debilitating effect. "The players are human beings and day after day this club's affairs are exploded in the newspapers. It's been a real eye-opener for me. "Please God, nothing like this happens to another club. I hope everyone in this great industry of ours learns a lesson from what's happened here." Blackwell is diplomatic when it comes to discussing the excesses of former chairman Peter Ridsdale. He only says: "We've lived the dream but it wasn't attainable. You've got to have realistic dreams. "We jumped too far too quickly - but there's no doubt in my mind that Leeds will be a force to be reckoned with again. "All clubs need stability. Instability can be horrific. It's unthinkable anything could happen to Leeds." Blackwell is adamant that Tuesday's 4-1 win over Wolves can kick-start a climb from the bottom of the Premiership and that Gray is the right man for the job. "Eddie has steadied the ship. I didn't know him before but I had major respect for him as a player and he comes across as a thoughtful man,'' said Blackwell. "I don't think about my future. Heaven forbid we go down but if that does happen, then I couldn't think of a greater thing than Sheffield United coming up. "I know that I'm held in high esteem there but let's just hope promotion for United is not at the expense of Leeds. "What I'd really love is to be playing them in the Premier League next season." Now that's a journey that shouldn't prove as stressful as the last one.

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