Leeds: Alex McLeish hails board for bringing in Jesse Marsch

Pundit Alex McLeish has hailed the Leeds board for bringing in Jesse Marsch, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Positive start

Marcelo Bielsa left Elland Road at the end of February following a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham which left the Whites just two points above the relegation zone.

However, after ten points from a possible 12 in recent weeks thanks to wins over Norwich, Wolves and Watford, Marsch has now guided the club to a much stronger position.

Leeds sit nine points clear of the bottom three with six games remaining and the squad are thought to be happier under the American.

The Latest: McLeish’s comments

McLeish, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI regarding the club’s decision to bring in Marsch.

He said ‘the world was gobsmacked’ after Bielsa’s departure but labelled the Leeds board as ‘phenomenal’ after hearing positive things on Marsch from the Whites squad.

“The world was gobsmacked because of the respect people have for Bielsa.

“Leeds have acted the way a lot of teams have acted when the results have not been great. But they didn’t do it after five games or so. They waited, they gave time, they gave the manager a really great opportunity.

“They deserve amazing credit. Their board has been phenomenal in the way that they’ve handled the whole thing.

“Jesse Marsch, I’ve seen him and I’ve met him before. I did a course with the national team at Hampden and Jesse was doing one of his licences.

“You’ve got to give him a lot of credit for coming in transforming the team. I’ve heard the players talking, they are very positive. Well done. It’s terrific to see a young coach come in and do that.”

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The Verdict: Gamble paid off?

Sacking Bielsa was a huge risk by Andrea Radrizzani, the 49ers, Victor Orta and Angus Kinnear, however, it looks as if the gamble is starting to pay off.

Marsch deserves huge credit for the way he has turned things around at Thorp Arch, but he’ll know the job isn’t done yet with a tricky run-in to navigate over the coming weeks.

You’d expect he’ll be looking closely at how, Burnley, Watford and Norwich get on this weekend, with Leeds possibly needing a few more points to all but guarantee a third season in the Premier League.

In other news: ‘Big’ – Journalist excited by who Orta and Marsch may now ‘bring’ to Leeds this summer.