McDermott interview: After Owls disaster, what needs to happen next at Leeds?

“Humiliated”, “embarrassed” and “shell-shocked”. Three days on from Leeds United’s heaviest defeat since the days when Don Revie was still a player and rugby league was king in the city, Brian McDermott was yesterday still in no mood to mix his words.

United’s 6-0 hammering by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough was a dark day for the Elland Road club.

Darker by far than similar heavy beatings suffered by Leeds in recent years, whether it be last season’s 6-1 loss at home to Watford, Nottingham Forest inflicting a heaviest ever home loss when triumphing 7-3 in April, 2012, or even the 6-4 defeat of 2010 to a Preston North End side that just a few months later were relegated from the Championship.

Last Saturday was much, much worse with the total collapse of defensive order and shambolic play evoking memories of the 6-1 hammering at Portsmouth in the Premier League that spelt the end of Peter Reid’s reign.

As manager, McDermott felt the pain of defeat every bit as much as the 3,500 fans unfortunate enough to have paid to witness such an awful performance from the Leppings Lane end.

His face betrayed that much at the final whistle. It still did yesterday at Thorp Arch.

“We were all shell-shocked after a performance and a result like that,” said the 52-year-old when asked about Leeds’s worst defeat since losing by an identical margin to Manchester United in September, 1959.

“After the game, we spoke in the dressing room and then we brought all the players in for a meeting on Sunday morning.

“It was an open conversation and anyone could have their say. I also spoke (separately) to the senior players as well.

“The meeting was very productive. The players had their say, I have always been the same way – they can have their say.

“Then I said what I felt, and I said how I saw things in the future – and how things have got to be.”

United’s immediate future is a weekend meeting with Leicester City, the leaders of the Championship. The game is live on Sky TV, just as the visit to Hillsborough was last Saturday lunchtime.

Such a mission – with a national audience tuning in – hardly sounds ideal for a club looking to put behind them not only the defeat to Wednesday but also the previous weekend’s FA Cup exit to League Two Rochdale. McDermott, though, does not agree.

“We have just been humiliated live on TV and now we have a chance to make up for that straight away because we are on live again,” said the Leeds manager. “That is why I see it as a good fixture. It is a great opportunity for us.

“We were shell-shocked (after Saturday) but you can’t be for too long. You have to move ahead.

“You have to get on with your work and what needs to be done, and what the bigger picture is for Leeds United.”

A couple of weeks like McDermott has just endured are enough to test not only the patience of a manager but also, in the eyes of supporters, question his longevity.

The one crumb of comfort to come out of the Hillsborough debacle, therefore, was the post-match reaction from the away seats.

Striker Ross McCormack was the closest to that end of the ground when the final whistle blew so turned to applaud the United supporters. Most returned the gesture.

The Scot’s team-mates were not so lucky, however, with their applause being met with a volley of abuse and a flurry of two fingered salutes. Only when McDermott then arrived on the scene to salute the fans did the atmosphere change and the subdued clapping return. Clearly, the Leeds fans are still behind their manager.

“I have felt focused on what needs to be done,” said McDermott, when asked about the last three days. “There has been a lot of good work done round the training ground since the summer.

“As a result, there was a feel-good factor building – which you can argue is not around at the moment, not after you have lost 6-0.

“But I think you have to look at the bigger picture. Leeds United have had three managers in 20 months. They have had 10 or 11 in 10 or 11 years. You just keep getting the same.

“For me, that is not what this place is about, This place needs stability. This is a great, great club. It needs someone to be here for a period of time to stabilise and take it forward.”

McDermott points to Saturday’s visitors to Elland Road as an example of how a club needs to gradually build over a number of years.

The Leeds chief, who will be without Matt Smith for three games after his appeal against last Saturday’s red card was thrown out by the Football Association, added: “Leicester are top of the league and flying high. They are a club who has been trying to get out of this league for many years. They have a good manager (Nigel Pearson) and have spent good money over a long period to try and get out of this league.

“Now they are seeing the fruits of what they have done over the last three or four years.”

United’s struggles over the past few weeks – they have not won since December 14 – are in stark contrast to the run McDermott’s men were enjoying as autumn gave way to winter.

A run of seven wins from 11 games powered Leeds up to fifth in the table to fuel belief of a concerted promotion push in the second half of the season among the Elland Road support.

Now, of course, the challenge is to banish the memories of Spotland and Hillsborough.

“I understand how the fans felt after the last two games,” he said. “I understand 100 per cent. The players and staff understand it. No one is hurting more than me after a game like that.

“It was totally humiliating to lose like that. But I cannot dwell on it, I just cannot do that. Just as I didn’t dwell on us beating Brighton on the first day in front of 30,000.

“I don’t dwell on any victories or defeats. What you can do after a defeat like Saturday is learn from it and then come out fighting, starting with Leicester.

“Five or six games ago we were fifth in the league and enjoying form as good as anyone in the country.

“Sometimes football can go like this. That is why you can never get too down and you can never get too carried away.

“That goes for now. If you want to, you can get as down as you possibly want, but that is not my character. The only thing we can do now is move on to the next game and get back to basics.

“Places are up for grabs and we all expect a positive reaction.”

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