Leeds United 1-4 Tottenham: “I am no less than Mikel Arteta, Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.” With those words, Sam Allardyce made a high-profile entrance to Leeds United early this month, but the seasoned manager has failed to fulfill his mission. The Whites were relegated to the Championship on Sunday.
Allardyce makes harsh judgment about relegated Leeds: “That says it all”
Of course Allardyce knew that Leeds was in for a hell of a job. With Manchester City away, Newcastle United home, West Ham United away and Tottenham Hotspur home, the program did not lie. The point against the Magpies provided a glimmer of hope, but Leeds did not manage to keep their heads above water. After three years in the Premier League, the club is descending to the Championship.
That says everything about Leeds this season,” Allardyce said. “We have conceded more goals than any other club. We scored enough ourselves. But if you can’t prevent goals, you can’t get points either. I wanted to see pride today, but unfortunately I didn’t see that.”
Allardyce continued, “You can tell the players what you want. But most goals come from losing the ball in your own half. Because of your own mistakes. We came back into the game, scored a really good goal, but within two minutes they scored again. There are enough professionals around here to say, “Let’s not concede another goal”. That didn’t happen. It’s all about the basics. It’s a pretty simple game.”
The long wait
The last time Leeds were relegated from the Premier League, in the 2003/04 season, it took 16 years to get back to the top tier. In between, The Whites even played three seasons in League One. The supporters hope that the club will return to the Premier League sooner this time. In a statement on its own site, Leeds says it is doing everything it can.
“We know that things have not gone well and we need to show improvement, but you can be sure that we have worked hard behind the scenes to ensure that the past does not repeat itself. Our focus now is on how to return directly to the Premier League.”
