Axed McDermott expected back as Elland Road farce continues

ROSS McCORMACK insists Leeds United can draw a line under a turbulent and often chaotic weekend if Brian McDermott returns to the club’s training ground today.
Leeds United fans protest against the Italian takeoverLeeds United fans protest against the Italian takeover
Leeds United fans protest against the Italian takeover

The 52-year-old missed the derby win over Huddersfield Town after being sacked on Friday night by prospective new owner Massimo Cellino.

In his absence, United romped to a 5-1 win with McCormack netting a hat-trick and the home fans in a bumper crowd of 31,103 singing the praises of the one-time Reading chief throughout.

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Such was the show of support for the absent manager that GFH Capital – who have agreed a £25m deal in principle to sell a 75 per cent stake to Cellino, the controversial owner of Serie A side Cagliari, through his family’s company, Eleonora Sport Ltd – rushed out a statement during the second half insisting that McDermott was still in charge.

Leeds United fans protest against the Italian takeoverLeeds United fans protest against the Italian takeover
Leeds United fans protest against the Italian takeover

If McDermott, who spent the weekend in discussions with the League Managers’ Association, agrees, he is likely be back at Thorp Arch today – something that captain McCormack insists the United squad are desperate to see happen. The Scot said: “We are led to believe that he will be back on Monday and that is positive news. He has got a good relationship with everyone in the squad – it is not just me, personally.

“Everyone respects him and he is a genuine, honest guy. All the staff at the training ground really like him, too.

“Hopefully, there are no more surprises and we can start to build this great club again.”

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The derby win over Huddersfield came at the end of a chaotic 24 hours at Elland Road.

McDermott’s dismissal by lawyer Chris Farnell, acting on behalf of Cellino, set in motion a chain of events that by the end of Friday night had seen acting chief executive Paul Hunt sacked and managing director David Haigh resign, the latter in protest at McDermott’s treatment. Two sponsors also indicated their intention to walk away.

First-team coach Neil Redfearn was summoned to Elland Road and told he would be working alongside Gianluca Festa, considered Cellino’s manager-in-waiting despite weekend denials to the contrary from the Italian’s camp, in the dugout.

Attempts to sign five Italian players were also made, though amid the chaos and leadership vacuum at the very top of United only one – loanee Andrea Tabanelli – signed before the 11pm deadline.

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At around the same time, fans gathered in the Elland Road car park, chasing Cellino’s mini-cab round and round to prevent the Italian clambering in.

Eventually, the taxi company, Stanningley Cars, had to issue a plea by Twitter for fans to leave their driver alone as he was running out of petrol.

Any hopes that the farcical saga would run out of gas on Saturday morning were dispelled when it became clear that an almighty 
U-turn was under way.

Haigh returned and McDermott was approached about a possible return with the club making it clear that Cellino had over-stepped the mark due to his takeover not having been completed.

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This immediately killed the plan for Festa, who by then had decided to make several changes to the starting XI McDermott had been preparing all week, to take charge of the team.

Hunt was also told he had been given a reprieve but while driving back to Elland Road, he received a second call telling him to return home.

Assistant manager Nigel Gibbs was asked to take charge at 12.15pm on Saturday lunchtime. He immediately reverted to McDermott’s preferred XI.

Gibbs said: “It was a little bit difficult, I have to say, but the team had been prepared by Brian on Friday.

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“That was his team and the shape he had worked on. It is his team, his performance and his victory, without a doubt.”

Even if McDermott is at Thorp Arch today, Cellino’s proposed takeover still seems by far the most likely eventuality at a club who are also still being coveted by a British consortium. Former Hull City chairman Adam Pearson is involved in that group along with Mike Farnan, a one-time marketing chief at Sunderland, and ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ chief executive Gary Verity.

Verity was in the directors’ box at the Huddersfield game and seen talking at length to Haigh ahead of kick-off and in the tunnel after the match.

Cellino, though, is still expected to complete his purchase. When that happens, Eleonora Sport Ltd will have to pass the Football League’s ‘Fit and Proper Persons’ Test’ – something that, due to Cellino’s two previous convictions for fraud, is likely to be far from a rubber-stamping exercise.

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The League have already written to Eleonora to request the necessary information. A spokesman added: “We are unable to comment on the specific details of the process.”

As for Cellino, he made attempts to back-track by insisting he wanted McDermott to stay.

“I want the coach back and have been trying to call him,” Cellino told a national newspaper. “I don’t mind this coach. How can I sack anyone anyway? I need the approval of the Football League before I own the club.

“GFH are still running Leeds United. They did not want Brian as manager but didn’t have the courage to sack him.”

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Cellino, who had pushed unsuccessfully for Festa to be allowed onto the Leeds bench during last Tuesday’s game against Ipswich, also claimed: “Festa has never run a club before. I have never had him coach a team before, so why would I want him to coach a major club like Leeds?”

Despite this denial, Festa was at Elland Road on Saturday and seen taking copious notes as United claimed their first victory in six weeks.

McDermott, meanwhile, was in constant contact with the League Managers’ Association over the weekend. The LMA are believed to view the attempts by Cellino to take charge as “a watershed moment” for the Football League.