Watermelons and ‘good-looking’ coaches – the Leeds way to manage
Guardian 23/9/14
Massimo Cellino compares managers to ‘watermelons’
Darko Milanic’s qualities include being ‘a cool guy’
Massimo Cellino claimed he did not know why he decided to appoint Darko Milanic as the new manager of Leeds United and likened coaches to watermelons, saying: “You find out about them when you open them.”
The Leeds owner confirmed the former Slovenia international and “very cool guy”as the club’s manager. “Yes, we agreed a two-year deal,” Cellino told Sky Sports News. “He’s just arrived today. We’ve been waiting for him about 15 days. I don’t know [why I’ve chosen him]. The coaches are like watermelons. You find out about them when you open them. His particularly qualities? He’s good-looking, what can I tell you?
“He was a very good counter attacking defender with Partizan Belgrade and Sturm Graz, and a good coach with Maribor for four years and took the club to the Champions League and Europa League, and he made it good as player and coach and he likes the Premier League.
“He gave up his place in the Premier League in Austria to come to the Championship with Leeds, and we hope that the club in Leeds is a good chance for him to have a good team and an important club to run, so he can make us proud. He does not talk much and is very pragmatic. I like him. He is a very cool guy.”
Milanic, 46, resigned as the head coach of Austrian side Sturm Graz on Sunday and is expected to sign a contract at Leeds on Wednesday.
Cellino sacked David Hockaday and Hockaday’s assistant Junior Lewis on 28 August after only six games in charge, and held initial talks with Milanic eight days ago. The Serbian Novica Nikcevic, Milanic’s assistant at Sturm Graz, is expected to join him at Elland Road.
Milanic captained Slovenia at Euro 2000 and after turning to management guided Maribor to four Slovenian league titles and three cup wins.
He joined Sturm Graz on a three-year contract in June 2013, steering the club to a fifth-placed finish in 2013-14.
Massimo Cellino compares managers to ‘watermelons’
Darko Milanic’s qualities include being ‘a cool guy’
Massimo Cellino claimed he did not know why he decided to appoint Darko Milanic as the new manager of Leeds United and likened coaches to watermelons, saying: “You find out about them when you open them.”
The Leeds owner confirmed the former Slovenia international and “very cool guy”as the club’s manager. “Yes, we agreed a two-year deal,” Cellino told Sky Sports News. “He’s just arrived today. We’ve been waiting for him about 15 days. I don’t know [why I’ve chosen him]. The coaches are like watermelons. You find out about them when you open them. His particularly qualities? He’s good-looking, what can I tell you?
“He was a very good counter attacking defender with Partizan Belgrade and Sturm Graz, and a good coach with Maribor for four years and took the club to the Champions League and Europa League, and he made it good as player and coach and he likes the Premier League.
“He gave up his place in the Premier League in Austria to come to the Championship with Leeds, and we hope that the club in Leeds is a good chance for him to have a good team and an important club to run, so he can make us proud. He does not talk much and is very pragmatic. I like him. He is a very cool guy.”
Milanic, 46, resigned as the head coach of Austrian side Sturm Graz on Sunday and is expected to sign a contract at Leeds on Wednesday.
Cellino sacked David Hockaday and Hockaday’s assistant Junior Lewis on 28 August after only six games in charge, and held initial talks with Milanic eight days ago. The Serbian Novica Nikcevic, Milanic’s assistant at Sturm Graz, is expected to join him at Elland Road.
Milanic captained Slovenia at Euro 2000 and after turning to management guided Maribor to four Slovenian league titles and three cup wins.
He joined Sturm Graz on a three-year contract in June 2013, steering the club to a fifth-placed finish in 2013-14.