Former Liverpool and Everton man admits 'heartbreak' at Leeds United move being blocked

The 66-year-old is a vastly experienced coach and has held backroom roles at clubs such as Everton, Southampton and Crystal Palace, as well as Liverpool.

He has acted as an assistant to Sam Allardyce at various clubs and when Leeds turned to ‘Big Sam’ in May 2023, Lee was asked to follow as his number two.

However, in a bizarre turn of events, Lee was denied the chance to join the Whites by jury service.

Speaking on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Lee said: “Sam gets the opportunity to go to Leeds and I’m in my favourite restaurant and Sam tells me to get myself down to Leeds, we’ve got four games left and I say ‘well that’s great but I’ve got to start jury duty the next day’.

“I’d already got my solicitor to put off the service because of my profile in Liverpool, but they said your employment has nothing to do with it and when I went into court the first day they said ‘no one can be exempt from jury service’ and I was picked as sixth in the jury of 12.

“I was sworn in and then the judge was swapped but because I’d been sworn in, there was no chance I could leave. It was so bizarre. I was heartbroken of course.”

Allardyce turned to Karl Robinson, now Salford City’s head coach, with Lee unavailable. He also recruited former Leeds marksman Robbie Keane, who he had got to know during their involvement in charity event Soccer Aid.

Allardyce explained: “I only had four games which was a massive task obviously, so you sit down and think ‘who’s out of work?’ Karl Robinson pops up and I offer him the job, and we’ve got no time and then someone puts Robbie Keane into my head.

“I got to know him really well at Soccer Aid, I think; ‘he’s a massive Leeds fan and the Leeds fans love him’.

“So I ring him up and ask him where he is, and he’s on Ireland duty. I rang him at 8am and he arrived at Leeds at 2pm, his contribution for lifting up a team that was low on confidence, but what a club.”

Allardyce took charge of Leeds for the final four games of the 2022/23 season, with the club embroiled in a fight for their Premier League status.

He was unable to keep the club afloat and left after their return to the second tier was confirmed.

MORE: Sam Allardyce explains how Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers experiences contributed to Leeds United exit