Leeds United managerial merry-go-round an unhealthy reality

Steve Evans is set to become the new Leeds boss. Credit: PA

By Will Unwin

Leeds United were synonymous with success and a ruthless nature ingrained within the club, aiding their repeated triumphs but that is quickly fading away.

Saturday saw them lose at home to high-flying Brighton and it was the end for head coach Uwe Rosler who was sacked by chairman Massimo Cellino on Monday morning.

Rosler became Cellino's fifth victim in 17 months, being given his marching orders after just five months of managing a team littered with average players, many sourced by the owner himself.

Money was given to the German, who plumped on New Zealand international striker Chris Wood, hoping he would be the man to score the goals to fire them in the direction of the top six.

Only Wood and Mirco Antenucci have netted more than once this season as the problems for Rosler quickly mounted but a molehill at Elland Road naturally becomes a mountain in Cellino’s mind and taking 11 points from as many games is seemingly not good enough for a club who have spent the last four seasons enjoying Championship mediocrity.

The team have found the back of the net just ten times in the league so far and conceded 15 as Rosler searched for a formula to take Leeds forward, but history will say he was judged off the back of just 12 games at Elland Road.

Defeat to Brighton in the last minute was Leeds’ third successive loss in the league and that level of short-term failure is not appreciated Cellino.

Brian McDermott was the first sacking. Credit: PA

It means Rosler now joins a list of Brian McDermott, Dave Hockaday, Darko Milanic and Neil Redfearn, men who have all had their time at Elland Road cut short by Cellino in the last 18 months. Now wonder Cellino is referred to as the 'manager eater'.

After the departure of Milanic, Cellino apologised for appointing him; when Hockaday departed the Italian once again stated he'd made a mistake in keeping the head coach on for so long; Redfearn, Cellino's longest-serving Leeds boss, was described as 'weak' by the Italian when his days were numbered.

When Brian Clough had just 44 days in charge at Leeds it became a book and a film, now it’s just a continuous part of the daily soap opera.

Under his stewardship Cagliari have maintained their Serie A status but have rarely promised to do more, as stability has suffered due to his incessant sackings and his personal involvement in first-team activity, sacking 41 managers at the club in 23 years.

In Yorkshire Cellino has already parted ways with five managers and earned himself a five-month ban from the Football League due to convictions in Italy, as the off-field activities reflect the achievements on it.

Uwe Rosler had 12 games in charge. Credit: PA

Cellino is an eccentric - he has retired the squad number 17 due to his own superstitions with regards to the digits and soon he could have 17 failed managers on his list.

After all this consistent failure Cellino’s answer is to bring in Steve Evans who left Rotherham earlier this season as they underwhelmed in the Championship.

Evans has repeatedly caused controversy in the past with his antics and in 2006 pleaded guilty to tax evasion from his days as Boston United boss, a role he was suspended from after getting a two-year ban by the Football Association.

Dave Hockaday, left, was surprisingly given the job. Credit: PA

The arrival of Evans is just the latest, inevitably short, chapter. The two Leeds protagonists are combustible figures, which could either lead to a big bang style creation of a new universe in Yorkshire or something more akin to putting .

Leeds travel to another club struggling to find their place in the football pyramid following relegation from the Premier League on Wednesday night, with Fulham aiming to avoid copying the habits of their Yorkshire rivals.

Cellino apologises to fans when he makes the wrong appointments, but the loyal faithful deserve more than a regular acceptance of failure.

Short-termism has blighted football in Britain for years now as managers aren't allowed to get their feet under the table before being pushed out the door for not reaching their superiors' heights, but Leeds are now taking this to a new level and it's not healthy for the club and certainly not for the fans, and if Steve Evans is the answer then Cellino will need to re-write his own rule book.