David Hockaday was sensationally sacked as Leeds United Head Coach on Thursday (August 28) after just 70 days in the job.
President Massimo Cellino had admitted that he was close to relieving Hockaday of his duties after the club’s 4-1 loss at Watford last weekend, yet the midweek cup defeat to League 1 side Bradford City proved to be the final straw as four defeats in the first six games of the season was deemed simply not good enough.
Hockaday’s assistant Junior Lewis has also had his contract terminated and academy coach Neil Redfearn will take temporary charge of the team until a permanent appointment is made. Italian Rolando Maran – last in charge at Catania – is the early favourite for the job; however names such as Steve Clarke and ex-Brighton boss Óscar García are also within the mix.
The current goings on at Leeds United are somewhat of a fiasco and since axing Hockaday, Cellino has even come out to say that he would gladly welcome the 56-year-old back for a second tenure once the current mess is sorted out.
Leeds are certainly a club in transition after 16 players left the club and 12 players have come in this summer. However, Hockaday’s fate was ultimately inevitable – it was more a case of when rather than if. While the results were poor, at least two of the defeats were arguably a result of reckless behaviour by Giuseppe Bellusci and Luke Murphy who have accumulated two of United’s four red cards since the start of the season.
It could be argued that Hockaday should have been given more time to shape his squad, but the truth is that a man whose only previous managerial experience was at Conference side Forest Green Rovers should never have been given the Leeds job. Cellino knows that his next appointment is crucial – crucial to keep the fans onside, and ultimately crucial to keep the Whites fighting at the right end of the Championship table.
Redfearn assumes a caretaker role at the club for the third time in two years, and the former Barnsley midfielder led the side to a 1-0 victory against Bolton today (August 30). With the international break following this weekend’s games, a quick appointment would be favourable so that the new coach has a full week to work with the players. However, things are rarely straightforward at Elland Road and only time will tell what shape the club’s fortunes are in.
Peter White
Image: Sporting Life