Former Leeds United assistant Karl Robinson opens up on his time at Elland Road

Speaking to the 'I Had Trials Once' podcast and YouTube show, the ex-United assistant felt that the club were "bankers" for relegation before the arrival of the duo - with time working against them in their quest to secure a fourth successive season of top-flight football at Elland Road.

When asked whether an earlier arrival would have secured a fourth successive top flight season for Leeds, Robinson said: "Yes, 100 per cent. Sam and I were gutted about relegation. We all felt that we could still do something.

"After the Manchester City game when we only got beaten 2-1, that gave us a little bit of impetus, especially after they got beat by five to Liverpool and 5-1 against Crystal Palace – there were some big scorelines before we got there.

"We had games against Manchester City, who are the best club team in the world, and then Newcastle, who are probably at the best stage ever in their history.

"Then we had West Ham, who were about to go into a European Cup final, and our last game of the season was against Tottenham – for as much as people criticise them, if Harry Kane and Heung-min Son turn up, they could beat any team in the Premier League on their day.

"The second half of the West Ham game, we were all over the place – the nervous energy that footballers carry and what it does to a human is so hard to quantify, especially in football. The simplest of chances become the most difficult opportunities, you snatch at things and you do things too soon.

"You’re trying to help the manager and help your teammates, and you’re desperate to do well, and that can be just as big of a problem as not caring – those two ends of the spectrum are equally as difficult to manage."

Robinson also revealed how, when doing punditry for Sky Sports in one of Leeds' fixtures, he asserted the club were "bankers" for relegation, only to be working in their dressing room a matter of days later.

"I was doing Sky coverage for Leicester against Leeds, and I said, ‘how is that goalkeeper playing? He’s having a nightmare!’", the former Oxford and MK Dons chief continued.

"I then got asked who I thought were getting relegated, and I said, ‘Leeds are bankers, they’re gone, they can’t defend, they can’t do this, they can’t do that,’ and six days later I got the call!

"I did a talk for one of the supporter's clubs, and I noted that we were good for the first half of every game, but we couldn’t sustain a level of performance that could overcome the challenges the Premier League creates.

"It’s so fast and furious – you can’t make a mistake, and if you do, teams will capitalise on it. The margins are so tight."

Robinson also addressed Allardyce's infamous assertation that there was 'nobody ahead' of him in football terms, 'not Pep, not Klopp, not Arteta' and says it was a deliberate ploy by the 68-year-old to take the pressure off United's players.

He said: "The Pep Guardiola thing was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.

"We were having lunch and he turns to me and says, ‘I need to do something here – I need to create a bit of a smokescreen, the players look nervous, they don’t look like they can deal with the pressure.’

"I told him to make something up and throw something out there, and he said, ‘I f*****g will!’

"Later, I was in his office having a coffee, and he storms in with a massive smile on his face, and says, ‘I’ve only said I’m better than Pep and Klopp [to the media], haven’t I?’ The press officer then walks in and he says, ‘let’s see how many bites you get on that one!’ Obviously the next day it was everywhere - it was front page and back page of the papers – and he says to the players, ‘right, there’s no pressure on you now, it’s all on me’."He was trying to take all the pressure off the players and put it on him. We then played against Manchester City and you could tell Pep knew what Sam was doing, he just looked at him and smiled and nodded his head. You could tell they both respected each other."

Karl Robinson was speaking to the 'I Had Trials Once' podcast and YouTube show