Sam Allardyce takes swipe at former Leeds United bosses with 'completely destroyed' claim — Yorkshire Post 10/9/24
By Tom Coates
Sam Allardyce has taken a swipe at those who preceded him in
the Leeds United dugout.
Leeds turned to Allardyce in their darkest hour in the
2022/23 campaign, with relegation to the Championship appearing incredibly
likely.
Fans had endured a remarkable nosedive and Leeds had axed
Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia in the same campaign. Allardyce took charge of the
final four games of the season but was unable to steer the Whites to safety.
During the reign of Marcelo Bielsa, Leeds developed a
reputation for high levels of fitness and their ability to outrun opponents
late in games. However, by the time Allardyce arrived at Elland, the fitness
levels seen under Bielsa had fallen dramatically.
Speaking on popular podcast Undr The Cosh, Allardyce said:
“The biggest disappointment about Leeds was the fitness had gone from hero to
zero.
“In less than 12 months, they'd gone from top of the tree to
third-bottom. Previous coaches had completely destroyed the fitness levels of
the team. I just couldn't believe it.
“I thought, ‘if they've got the fitness levels they used to
have, we will definitely have a chance, if we can stay in the game’. They used
to win a game in the last five minutes, Leeds, because they could outdo the
fitness level of the opposition.
“They could overrun them when they were tired. They were
there all season, number one, in everything. Distance, high-intensity sprint
distance, all of it. They were way off, miles away.”
When Marsch took over from Bielsa, he claimed the players
had been over-trained, which proved to be a point of contention among
supporters and pundits alike.