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Jesse Marsch was ‘doomed to failure’ and ‘on a hiding to nothing’ at Leeds despite a £140m spend, all because the supporters randomly revere Marcelo Bielsa.
Beware the ideas of Marsch
‘SO FAREWELL Jesse Marsch, doomed to failure at Leeds and on a hiding to nothing the minute he opened his mouth at Elland Road,’ is an entertaining opening gambit from The Sun‘s Mark Irwin, who seems to believe that the American was never going to be able to avoid getting sacked within a year.
But why? What made Marsch’s job at Leeds so unalterably impossible? Well obviously he ‘never stood a chance of winning over the good folk of Yorkshire, where they still worship Marcelo Bielsa as one of their own’.
Feels like doing well might have been a start but go on.
‘Dour, monosyllabic and communicating via a series of grunts, what was it that so endeared Bielsa to the Leeds supporters?’
Ah right. So this isn’t about Marsch whatsoever. This is an excuse for Irwin to keep being weird about Bielsa. Righto.
‘Because even though Bielsa Ball was taking their team back to the Championship at a rate of knots, they were still inconsolable when he was replaced by Marsch a year ago.’
Leeds were 16th, two points above the relegation zone when they sacked the man who was taking them ‘back to the Championship at a rate of knots’ last February. And it is surely not too difficult to just ask a Leeds supporter why they might idolise the coach who transformed their playing style, got them promoted and flirted with European qualification with a Championship-level squad and wage budget.
They love Bielsa for a reason. But that does not mean Marsch was ‘doomed to failure’.
‘There is an unacknowledged snobbery in English football which means we can never accept a Yank can teach us anything about the game we gave to the world.’
And there is an unacknowledged knobbery in talking about ‘Yanks’ and ‘the game we gave to the world’.
Irwin adds that ‘we still cling to the belief that only someone from a ‘proper football country’ can be trusted to run our top teams,’ which a) is absolute b*llocks and b) ‘meant that he spent his entire time at Leeds desperately trying not to say the ‘s’ word, because the mere mention of ‘soccer’ would drive the fans apoplectic.’
Or as Marsch himself said at his first Leeds press conference in an attempt to cut such nonsense off at the source: “I have used the word “football” since I was a professional football player.”
Really sounds like he spent 12 months ‘desperately trying not to’ say “soccer”, as if he had some sort of tick.
‘Yet that didn’t prevent him from signing US internationals Brenden Aaronson and Tyler Adams during his first transfer window nor from adding Weston McKennie last week.’
Hahahahaha. Not wanting to say soccer ‘didn’t prevent him from signing’ some American players, one of whom has been excellent, while the other has only just joined from Juventus on loan. What a f**king bizarre point to make.
Even more weird is that Irwin concedes Leeds spent more than £100m in the summer and a further £40m or so in January, with Marsch backed for longer than many other managers this season, but ‘results never improved and with the revolting crowd turning ugly, Marsch’s departure was always going to be just a matter of time.’
But Marsch was ‘doomed to failure’ and ‘on a hiding to nothing’ at Leeds simply because he replaced Bielsa. How come poor performance now means it ‘was always going to be just a matter of time’ before he was sacked?
The subsequent description of defeat to Nottingham Forest as ‘unfortunate’ is brilliant, while Irwin ends by declaring that the next Leeds manager ‘won’t come wrapped in a star-spangled banner’, as if one American manager being awful has put them off coaches from the United States forever.
Once more for those in the back: Leeds sacked Marsch because he was demonstrably sh*t, not because he was irreversibly American, nor because he happened to follow Bielsa. If he was good then none of that stuff would have been brought up because it’s irrelevant. He was ‘doomed to fail’ because he wasn’t very good.
Rocky road
Dominic King, Daily Mail:
‘It was a warm August morning in 2018 when Jurgen Klopp, fresh-faced and full of life, made the analogy. Surveying the size of the task in front of Liverpool, he said they were ‘like Rocky Balboa, not Ivan Drago’ and had to fight with all they had to reach the top.
‘Liverpool’s rivals, primarily Manchester City, did not like the idea Klopp was in charge of some plucky upstarts, but the imagery was colourful and the narrative was set. This group of players was going to run through brick walls and nothing, not even the might of City, would stop them.
‘Like the hero of Klopp’s favourite film, Liverpool became champions.’
They sure did. Not that actual season, like – they led by 10 points at one stage but finished second, which undermines the point a little. But still.
Question, tell me what you think about me
In the same article, King writes that ‘many are assuming, though, that this is just a blip and next season Liverpool will come roaring back. Luis Diaz will be fit again, Darwin Nunez will be acclimatised and – they hope – Jude Bellingham will be rampaging forward from midfield, possibly supported by Matheus Nunes from Wolves’.
At this stage Mediawatch must insist on being introduced to those ‘many’ who reckon Jude Bellingham is rejecting Real Madrid and numerous other clubs to join one that is on course to miss out on European football altogether.
‘But it is dangerous to assume. And the questions nobody seems to be asking are: what if Klopp doesn’t have the answer to halt this slide? What if someone else comes in and lands Bellingham, offering him Champions League football?’
Plenty of sensible people are asking those precise questions.
The ref word
‘World’s sexiest ref strips down to tiny bikini for photo shoot on the beach’ – The Sun website.
What on earth is Mike Dean up to now?
Property of the state
‘Tottenham’s Harry Kane’s secret career away from football earns him £13m’ – The Sun website.
‘Kane’s secret side business that has earned Tottenham star £13m so far’ – Daily Mirror website.
In the least surprising twist ever, both outlets literally reported on this ‘secret’ property portfolio a couple of years ago.
Gullible travels
‘A lawyer who worked on due diligence about Mauriss on behalf of a client, who wished not to be named to protect business relationships, formed the opinion Mauriss had been misleading people for a long time. He summarised his opinions by saying: “At some point, he seems to have worked out that trying to buy football clubs, or getting gullible football journalists to write about him trying to buy football clubs, might help him sell those bonds, or swap them for something that does have more value”‘ – Adam Crafton, The Athletic.
On an unrelated note…
The desperation to dismiss Henry Mauriss is fascinating. Had he come before Saudi bid – which is bogged down in a legal minefield and has been for 11 weeks – it would have sparked excitement, now he’s seen as a bad guy and those reporting his interest labelled frauds #nufc 1/2
— Luke Edwards (@LukeEdwardsTele) June 17, 2020
