Mighty Leeds Weblog

Leeds United sacked Jesse Marsch yesterday after 343 days in charge which delivered just three moments of genuine belief this project might be moving in the right direction Three fingers can probably add up the occasions Leeds United looked like a competent, progressive project with a future under Jesse Marsch. That’s three matches from the 37 Marsch took charge of across 343 days. That sums up why Andrea Radrizzani and the board had to act. If you’re a Leeds boss at the helm of a listing ship in February, you have to live in fear of your phone ringing. Thomas Christiansen and Marcelo Bielsa each took bullets from the Elland Road hierarchy in February when it became clear pre-season expectations were in danger of getting away from them. Radrizzani, Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear evidently have a cut-off point where enough is considered enough. Perhaps that point should have been drawn in the sand far earlier than now. Even as Leeds went into last summer on that wave of disbeliev...

The Leeds United striker might have let slip his true feelings after yesterday's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest Patrick Bamford might have already hinted at doubts over Jesse Marsch's tactical set-up in the Leeds United dressing room ahead of the American's sacking on Monday afternoon. Marsch was shown the door after a torrid run of results which have seen the Whites now winless in over three months, with their last victory coming against Bournemouth before the winter break for the World Cup. But despite a promising run into the winter, the Whites have claimed just three points from the 21 on offer since that win over the Cherries which has seen them slip down to 17th in the league despite big investment in the January transfer window. Bamford's post-match interview following the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest can now be viewed in a different light following the events of today. After what many thought to just be frustrated words towards his own performance, i...

LOST IN CHARGE Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman The problem with sending Jesse Marsch out of Elland Road is that he takes with him the credibility that, following promotion in 2020, should have ensured Andrea Radrizzani’s ownership was written gratefully into Leeds United history. Choosing a coach to follow Marcelo Bielsa was always going to be the key test of what Radrizzani, Angus Kinnear and Victor Orta brought to Elland Road, and with the grintastic group photo they gathered for with their new man in March, they put everything on the line with him. Now he’s gone, in circumstances that feel familiar. For Jesse Marsch read Thomas Christiansen, and read a doomed repeat of the strategy Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani screamed their way out of in summer 2018. The idea in summer 2017 was that the board wanted a manager who would grow and improve alongside the team, developing young players who would become worth big transfer fees in the process. So they identified Thomas C...

Leeds United have sacked Jesse Marsch just shy of a year since his appointment as Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement. YEP chief reporter Graham Smyth takes a look at why. By Graham Smyth Jesse Marsch's sacking by Leeds United had everything and nothing to do with Marcelo Bielsa. It was put to the American during a dinner with the media in Spain that being the one who followed the one who followed a legend was preferable to directly succeeding one. He politely disagreed. On that evening Marsch was excellent company. Gregarious, curious, generous with his attention and his thoughts, not dominating the conversation but playing a full part. When Bielsa, inevitably, cropped up then Marsch maintained a respectful silence. Had that been his approach from the off, when the microphones were on, then he might have enjoyed a somewhat easier ride at Leeds than he did. It was obvious, relatively quickly, that as he shot from the hip about over training, injuries and stress, he had wildly unde...

Leeds United are already well underway with the process to replace Jesse Marsch, who was sacked today less than a year into his tenure. By Graham Smyth The American’s exit was confirmed by the club just before 3pm, following a result, performance and fan reaction at the City Ground that left the board deeply concerned. The manner of the 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest and the anger directed at Marsch from the away end at full-time brought matters in the boardroom to a head. Fans have twice previously called for his removal this season and the board stuck by him, backing him with a further £70m of January spending to add to the £90m that was invested in the squad during the summer. The third time supporter dissent raised its head, with the club sitting above the drop zone only on the merit of goal difference, the ownership decided it was time to act. Marsch has been followed out the door at Elland Road by assistants Cameron Toshack and Rene Maric, along with fitness coach Pierre Bar...

The American had been in the role for just 12 months after succeeding Marcelo Bielsa in February Mark Walker Leeds have sacked Jesse Marsch following a poor run of results which have left them in a Premier League relegation battle. The 49-year-old American had been in the role for just 12 months after succeeding Marcelo Bielsa in February. Here are five reasons why it failed to work out for the former New York Red Bulls, Salzburg and Leipzig boss. Missed opportunity Marcelo Bielsa’s final season in the top flight was blighted by his side’s chronic failure to convert chances and last summer Leeds passed up the chance to resolve the problem. Whites fans had hoped the board would spend big on a proven striker after Patrick Bamford’s injury woes, but they opted instead to pin their faith on Rodrigo and the club’s emerging talent. Rodrigo finally came to the party with 12 goals but is currently sidelined for two months, while despite addressing the issue in January with the club...

By George Overhill There is internal tension at Leeds United with the top brass not on the same page over the sacking of Jesse Marsch, according to the Daily Mail. The American has been relieved of his duties at Elland Road, after the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday (5 February) left the club 17th and level on points with Everton below. There has apparently been disagreements behind the scenes on both the future of the manager and the January transfer window’s recruitment policy. Sporting director Victor Orta in particular was backing the manager, as the Daily Mail report from shortly before the confirmation of the move stated: “The club’s ownership are losing faith in the American, with senior figures at Elland Road minded to make a change. “There are members of the club’s top brass who believe Marsch should stay on, namely sporting director Victor Orta.” It adds: “Sources have also indicated there was some internal tension over the club’s recruitment strategy du...

Leeds are winless since October in the Premier League and the search now begins for a new manager Karl Matchett Jesse Marsch has been sacked as manager by Leeds United after just under a year in charge. The American took over at the end of February last season following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure, but has been unable to find a way to eke consistent results out of his squad and exits with the club 17th in the Premier League table. A defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend appears to have been the final straw, with Leeds only outside the relegation zone on goal difference following a run of seven games without a win in the top flight and only two victories since August. Despite Marsch helping the club survive their relegation battle last season, Leeds have won just twice in 11 in all competitions, with both those triumphs coming against lower league clubs in the FA Cup. However, the 49-year-old has frequently alluded to performances being better than results and points are...

Leeds United have sacked Jesse Marsch after less than a year in charge. By Stuart Rayner The American was appointed on February 28, 2022 with a brief to save the Whites from relegation. He did that, but the club have not progressed since, and he has paid the price with his club. The news seeped out shortly before it was confirmed by the club at 2.51pm on Monday. Leeds are 17th in the Premier League with 18 points from their first 20 matches. After the same number of games last season they were 15th, with 20 points. Their only wins since November 5 have come against lower-division opposition in the FA Cup, and they have just two league victories since a stunning 3-0 win at home to Chelsea. Leeds backed Marsch heavily on and off the field since chosing him to replace Marcelo Bielsa last season. The club has spent an estimated £130m on signings since including players like Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Tyler Adams and Max Wober who he had worked with at other clubs. ...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch suffered another damaging blow with a 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, where he heard more chants for his removal. By Graham Smyth The Whites were dominant in the first half but could not find the net, while a defensive error from a set-piece helped the Reds take the lead through Brennan Johnson’s fine strike. Half-time changes by Forest boss Steve Cooper changed the pattern of the game, depriving Leeds of space in which to create and shutting Marsch’s men out almost completely, despite dominance in possession and territory. And the full-time whistle saw a visibly drained Marsch approach the away end, only to be faced with further expressions of anger and frustration. Here’s the YEP take on a game that gave the Elland Road board plenty of food for thought. Good day Willy Gnonto Imagine, for a second, that Leeds did not make the decision to pull the trigger on the Gnonto deal on deadline day last summer. Imagine if the hastily-arranged transf...

Leeds United fans chanted for Jesse Marsch’s removal after yet another day of Premier League frustration, this time at Nottingham Forest. YEP chief football writer Graham Smyth gives his verdict. By Graham Smyth Luke Ayling's ashen, crestfallen face told the story of Leeds United's last visit to the City Ground. That 2-0 defeat felt damaging, given the increasingly panicky mood around Marcelo Bielsa's promotion chasers at the time and Ayling's post-match demeanour did little to dispel the notion that the side were feeling it too. Ultimately it was but a bump in the road on the way to the promised land. Three days shy of that game's third anniversary it was Jesse Marsch's face that told you everything you need to know about Leeds right now. Another game from which positives but not points could be plucked was meandering to its conclusion when the head coach, hands on hips, swung a half-hearted kick at an empty bottle. His side, so dominant in a first ha...

MANAGING STRESS Written by: Moxcowhite • Daniel Chapman Clarity. Clarity and stress. They’re two of the words that will haunt us, Jesse Marsch’s ghosts, long after he’s gone. Like Paul Heckingbottom left us ‘Wi’ t’ball, wi’out t’ball’. (Until Marsch gave body to those ethereal breaths and brought them back to life.) Anyway, I’m not sure how you go about forcing clarity onto another person, and neither it seems is Marsch. But if it’s not clear to the Leeds United board that things are just not working out with Marsch in charge of the football team, then perhaps a thought experiment might help them: imagine the feeling of stress released when he’s no longer the problem here. There. Andrea, Angus, Victor, Paraag and Peter too, just picture the day when he’s gone and I bet you fifty pence each that just the thought of it will lift your shoulders, smooth your brows, lighten your moods. There is one clear way to remove the stress from Leeds United and, after eleven months of trying the...

Every word Jesse Marsch said during his post-match press conference as Leeds United are defeated by Nottingham Forest at the City Ground Joe Donnohue Another defeat, talk about the game for us please. Second half, fair to say you ran out of ideas? Jesse Marsch: “Yeah. I would say we had a really good start to the match, created some chances and a really good first half where we limit them almost entirely and then go in nil-one. And then yeah, I think we with our desire to try to get back in the match we lost a little bit of our discipline. And then we didn't have the effect that we wanted to have in the second half and the guys off the bench I don't think we're able to bring enough into the match but you know, I want to just say that I take full responsibility. I have to find a way to turn good performances more into winning, because that's exactly where we are and where we've been for a little while. And that's the last step for the potential of what we n...

Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch says he accepts the frustration of supporters after Nottingham Forest inflicted another damaging result on his side. By Graham Smyth The head coach once again faced chants for his removal and questions over his future following the 1-0 loss at the City Ground, as the Whites extended their winless streak to seven Premier League outings. Leeds currently sit directly above the relegation zone, ahead of 18th-placed Everton only on goal difference, albeit with a game in hand. Three points separate Marsch’s side and Southampton, who prop up the table. “It's my responsibility, and I understand their frustration and I accept it, and I have to find a way to turn a lot of the good things that are happening into results, or we find ourselves in a stressful situation,” he said, after watching his side dominate long spells of the game without scoring. "I understand the frustration and doubts. Internally we have belief here. We do. The players are all ...

Leeds United were better than Nottingham Forest in lots of aspects of Sunday's game at the City Ground. By Stuart Rayner It was irrelevant. Because the usual combination of poor defending and bad finishing – allied, it must be said, to some very good goalkeeping from Keylor Navas – meant Forest scored a goal and their visitors did not. So Leeds remain level on points with Everton, the team the other side of the dotted line who they face the weekend after next. The "tactical clarity" coach Jesse Marsch so often talks about only counts for something when you make it count for something, and Leeds are not doing that at the moment. In fact, they have rarely done it since August. If the Whites, in their tie-died yellow away shirts on Sunday, were all over the shop, as they were this time last year, that would be one thing. You could sack the manager and move on. But Marsch's team is giving enough encouragement to a board which clearly believes in him whilst r...

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United side are going for gold at Nottingham Forest today, backed by a viewing of a USA success story at the 2008 Olympic Games. Lee Sobot American head coach Marsch will take in his 25th game in charge of Leeds in this afternoon's clash at The City Ground as the Whites boss approaches his one year anniversary at Elland Road. Marsch was appointed at the end of last February in replacing Marcelo Bielsa after the Argentine was sacked with Leeds hovering dangerously above the drop zone. Nearly one year on, Leeds are only outside of the bottom three on goal difference but with two games in hand and Marsch says he is confident of forthcoming progress as he uses a variety of methods in an attempt to get the best out of his squad. In the build-up to today's clash at Forest, Marsch had his men watch The Redeem Team this week, a documentary which tells the story of the US men's basketball team's successful pursuit of gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics...

The Spanish forward picked up an injury that'll rule him out for six to eight weeks of the campaign Jesse Marsch says he wanted to see Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo play together in Leeds United's FA Cup win at Accrington Stanley. However, it was a decision that had mixed consequences as the Whites made it through to the next round of the competition. It was an easy enough hurdle for Marsch and his men against League One opposition, but Rodrigo picked up a knock that's set to rule him out for six to eight weeks. The Spaniard, who has been the standout performer for the Whites this season, has had an operation on the injury but will miss a large part of the campaign. The 31-year-old has been a key component in Marsch's tactical set-up this season and the game at Accrington gave the Leeds head coach an opportunity to see Bamford, Rodrigo and new boy Georgino Rutter line-up for the first time this season. Rodrigo came off the bench in the 69th minute to replace Luis ...