"Don't hassle The Hock! Blame me!"-Cellino
Massimo Cellino did a massive u-turn last night and put-off sacking beleaguered Head Coach Dave Hockaday, for now at least.
Hockaday was scheduled to be sacked following another poor-performance, a 4-1 drubbing at Watford which left Leeds 21st in the Championship with just one win out of four matches.
Cellino, not noted for his compassion having dispensed of 30 coaches in 22 years whilst owner of Calgiari, has had a massive change of heart and Hockaday will carry on his role as Head Coach for now, Cellino however admits he does not know if the former Forest Green Rovers boss is a "good coach or not"!
Cellino laid the blame squarely on his own shoulders, stating that Hockaday hasn't got a complete squad yet something he takes the blame for. Hockaday bemoaned the lack of Championship experience in the ranks and a clear indicator of the clubs' current transfer policy came with the £600,000 capture of Danish international Casper Sloth - yet another overseas player with no experience of the English game.
I just cannot see how this policy of a director of football and president buying the players for an other to train them works? If Cellino changed his mind 30 times in barely two decades then this clearly is a flawed policy!
Hockaday and his assistant Junior Lewis must now try and rally his troops for the tricky midweek League Cup tie at 2012's beaten finalists Bradford City.
Obviously the outcome of Wednesday nights tie at whatever ridiculous name Valley Parade goes under these days is significant for Hockaday's long-term job prospects, however like with Brian McDermott who Cellino sensationally sacked just hours after agreeing to buy Leeds back in January only to reinstate and sack again, I'm afraid the Hock's days are very much numbered and if we do go out of the cup on Wednesday I'll be amazed if he's in the dug-out for Saturdays visit of fellow stragglers Bolton Wanderers,
What to read next:
Leeds fighting spirit wins through as we beat Swansea to go topLeeds were twice behind in this incredible game at Swansea City, and then seemed to have victory snatched away right at the death. But each time we fought back and our sheer determination finally secured the victory that we needed to finish the weekend on top of the Championship.
Swansea AwaydazeOur visit to Swansea City is on Sunday with a 3pm kick-off, and once again we’re being televised live on Sky Sports, which will be handy for those of us who can’t get to South Wales on a Sunday.
Farke complains bitterly about Firpo suspensionWe had a surprise yesterday morning, as we found out that that Junior Firpo had been given a three match suspension as a result of an incident in the match at Millwall. Our manager has complained about the short notice when he was preparing his team to face QPR, and about the FA’s process itself.
Leeds labour to victory over stubborn QPRWe made hard work of winning this game, but we finally put the match beyond Queens Park Rangers with a second goal deep into injury time, sending the visitors to the bottom of the table.
Farke happy with the performance despite defeatDaniel Farke has claimed that his team were excellent last night, but many others disagree, after we failed to get past an organised defence yet again, and Millwall were able to hang on to all three points.
Millwall AwaydazeOn Wednesday night we can once again look forward to another fun-packed visit to Millwall on Sunday with kick off at 7.45. You’ll find the New Den in a really pleasant part of South-East London, but if you’re not heading this way, there is always the option of watching the game live on Sky Sports plus.
Leeds coast to comprehensive win over PlymouthThe goalscoring was confined to an eight minute period towards the end of the first half, but Leeds were so dominant throughout the entire 90 minutes that Plymouth Argyle didn’t manage a single shot on goal.
Bristol City AwaydazeIt will be an early start if you’re making a day trip to Bristol City on Saturday, as kick-off is at 12.30pm, thanks to our very good friends at Sky Sports. You’ll find Ashton Gate about 2 miles to the south-west of the city centre.
Leeds bring in Guilavogui as experienced backupThe club have made a move to bolster the squad by signing 34-year-old Josuha Guilavogui, who can operate in a number of defensive positions. Subject to obtaining a work permit, he will now be with us until the end of the current season.