2014 has proved to be another eventful year for Leeds United, but very few of those events have been worth savouring. The club have taken just 44 points from a possible 138 in the calendar year, and Neil Redfearn’s side produced another lacklustre away performance on Monday night at promotion contenders Derby County.
The 2-0 defeat means the Yorkshire club are looking nervously over their shoulders going into the New Year. A solitary point now separates Leeds and the Championship relegation places. The team’s plight is certainly not part of the club president Massimo Cellino’s masterplan, but failed managerial appointments early in the season, as well as a lack of experienced Championship campaigners in the starting 11, mean that the club need a serious upturn in fortunes in the New Year if they are to avoid being consigned to League One football again for the second time in five years.
Few would argue that Brian McDermott did enough to keep hold of his job at the end of last season. A promising start to his tenure before Christmas was all but destroyed by takeover wrangles at the beginning of 2014, and McDermott cut a forlorn figure at the end of it. But while Cellino decided to terminate his contract in the summer, for good this time after the wild 24 hours witnessed on January transfer deadline day, his appointment of David Hockaday will forever remain a mystery. With no head coach experience in such a ruthless league, and with an owner demanding instant success, Hockaday lasted just the six games before being relieved of his duties after a 2-1 League Cup defeat to Bradford.
The ever-reliable Neil Redfearn took over the reins on a temporary basis, his third time in charge as Leeds United’s caretaker manager in the space of four seasons, and results began to pick up. But Cellino was not willing to risk Redfearn’s important role at the club’s youth academy and opted for an experienced European coach this time. Darko Milanic, who captained Slovenia at Euro 2000 as a player, and experienced most of his managerial success at Maribor, had little time to implement his ideas on the team before being cast aside after only 32 days in charge, just minutes after a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves on the 25 October. He had failed to win any of his six games in charge, managing only three points from a possible 18. And while Redfearn managed 10 points out of a possible 12 during his caretaker stint, he has won only two of his nine league games in permanent charge since.
There have been glimpses this season of the potential within the squad. The 3-1 away win against table toppers Bournemouth in mid-September remains one of only two league defeats Eddie Howe’s team have suffered at Dean Court so far this season. Huddersfield and Blackpool were both beaten comprehensively at home either side of Milanic’s short reign, while the 2-0 victory over Derby at Elland Road in late November showed the team’s credentials, beating a side who will surely be in the promotion picture come May. But that victory is also the last time Leeds picked up three points, and they currently sit 20th in the Championship, having amassed a measly 24 points from their 23 games. In the ill-fated 2006-07 campaign, when they were relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in the club’s history, Leeds had collected 20 points after 23 games. Last season under McDermott they managed only 22 points from the last 23 games. A similar scenario this season will surely see them bow out of the Championship again.
The simple truth is that so far the leadership at the club hasn’t been strong enough. Prior to Redfearn getting the job on a permanent basis, the head coaches picked by Cellino have been disastrous choices. Neither Hockaday nor Milanic had any prior Championship experience. And while imports from Italy such as Mirco Antenucci and Souleymane Doukara have been working hard in leading the attacking line, and homegrown youngsters such as Alex Mowatt and Lewis Cook are doing their best to marshal the midfield, there is a serious lack of players with the required Championship experience to succeed in the division.
A January transfer embargo awaits, but the club itself is confident that loan signings can be made for the remainder of the season. After being present for the 2-0 Boxing Day defeat at Elland Road, the Italian striker Leonardo Pavoletti has been linked with a move. Currently at Sassuolo, Pavoletti might well sign a loan deal in January. The problem is that, out of all the names mentioned as potential signings, none have any previous Championship experience.
Cellino’s appeal against his disqualification as owner will be heard on 15 January and, were he forced to step down, there are question marks over who would be left in charge at a crucial point in the season. Off-field ownership issues proved near disastrous last season, and the club was saved from certain relegation because of McDermott’s team sitting sixth with 35 points at the end of 2013. Points in the bag at the midway point are a luxury Leeds don’t have this time around.
