Simon Grayson reveals job offers with Leeds United sack admission, Whites wish and song quip — YEP 1/6/24

By Lee Sobot

Simon Grayson has spoken to the YEP about his Leeds past, present - and future.

Simon Grayson has his own unique Leeds United treble that nobody can ever take away from him. Two parts of that treble brought him to tears.

"I remember leaving Leeds as a young pro with a tear in my eye when I went to Leicester," he recalls. "All them years later I left with a tear in my eye when I got sacked as a manager too."

No doubt tears will have also flowed in the third part of his Whites treble. As a Leeds United fan. This is Leeds after all.

Yet Grayson has also been able to savour tears of joy and says he will forever cherish his Whites memories as he now eyes his next return to management.

Had he wished, Grayson could already be back in the dugout. Speaking in an interview with the YEP, the 54-year-old revealed that he turned down two job offers in January upon his return from the most unusual latest chapter of his career - in India.

Having most recently left Fleetwood Town in November 2021, Grayson was announced the new manager of Indian Super League side Bengaluru FC the following summer.

Grayson took the team all the way to the Indian Super League final where the team suffered a heart-breaking defeat on penalties to ATK Mohun Bagan. Grayson then departed the club the following December and since been enjoying time with his family back at home, watching his son Joe lift the FA Trophy no less for Gateshead FC.

One week later, more tears and heartache presented itself as a fan, as an ex-Whites boss and ex-player as Grayson saw his former side beaten by Southampton in last weekend's Championship play-off final.

Speaking before the contest, Grayson admitted that he wished it could have been him attempting to take Leeds back to the Premier League as he declared his utmost respect for Daniel Farke.

Yet Grayson will always have the glorious memories of taking the Whites to the Championship out of League One and is now ready to create some more memories if the right job lands at the right time on his UK return.

"The India experience was an unbelievable experience for 18 months," Grayson tells the YEP. "I loved every minute of it. It was completely out of my comfort zone coaching personally, going into the unknown every day, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Football-wise, it taught me a lot about myself, the culture and philosophies and ideas and how you had to adapt. And I'm certainly a better coach from going out there now than when I actually went out in the first place.

"The difficult part was being away from home so 18 months was long enough. I was never going to stay much longer than that anyway. But it's been nice to be back home, to a different sort of climate!

"But it's been nice to be watching games and I was at Wembley the week before the play-off final watching my son play in the FA Trophy final which he managed to win as well so it's all catching up on different things.

"There were a couple of jobs in January that I turned down because I had only just got back and I wanted to spend some time with the family. And since then, I've sort of been doing quite a bit of media work and watching games.

"I want to go back to work but it's hopefully getting the right job at the right time. We'll just wait and see what happens. It's nice to be around the family and doing the mundane jobs like walking your dog every day!"

Grayson was speaking to the YEP ahead of last weekend's play-off final in which Leeds were finally looking to end the club's awful play-offs curse at the sixth attempt. Instead, a 1-0 defeat to Southampton has Farke's side staying in the same division that Grayson took them up to back in 2010.

"I'll be there with a tear in my eye wishing that maybe it could have been me trying to win a play-off final trying to get the Premier League with them," admitted Grayson beforehand. "But I wish Daniel and all the players all the best."

Just as Leeds will always wish their promotion-winning ex-Whites boss Grayson the best, backed by memories that will stay with him forever.

"Ultimately, and I say this to everybody, I lived the dream," said Grayson. "I supported that club and then played a few games for it but then to actually manage it and it still brings hairs on the back of a neck up because to be able to fulfil that, I am probably the only person to have done all three to be fair and to achieve that is like memories that will never be taken away from me but also so many good memories so the successful time that I had there.

"Yeah we had a couple of dark moments which you do as a manager, Hereford away and a few other games. But to manage the club, support and play for them was an unbelievable feeling.

"Even the other night in the Norwich game, all the songs were coming on and you can't stop yourself just singing away to Marching On Together as they came out, I saw Eddie doing the same thing as well - because it's in our blood - and I just loved every minute of it.

"I remember leaving as a young pro with a tear in my eye when I went to Leicester and all them years later I left with a tear in my eye when I got sacked as a manager. That's how much the club means to me and how much I love it."