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

The 70-year-old was parachuted into the Elland Road hotseat in May 2023, tasked with keeping the club afloat in the Premier League.

He only had four games to save Leeds from the drop and was unable to oversee a single win as Whites boss.

His departure was confirmed following the conclusion of the campaign and the veteran has not yet returned to the dugout.

Ownership changed hands at Elland Road after his exit and on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce has claimed he feared the new regime would oust him if he had stayed on.

He said: “Why didn’t I stay? Well, I wasn’t staying at that time because I was thinking about once the club changed hands, was I going to be left with a case of the new owners coming in and getting rid of me?

“I’d had that happen at Newcastle, and I’d had that happen at Blackburn Rovers, and I really didn’t want that to happen again.

“I don’t know if they would’ve stayed with me or they wouldn’t, but I thought new owners, clean break. But, a fantastic club.”

Jesse March had been in charge for the bulk of the 2022/23 campaign and was followed by Javi Gracia.

The Spaniard had a brief tenure in West Yorkshire, with Leeds opting to roll the dice and change managers with four games of the season to go.

Allardyce said: “It should have been 12 or 14 games. They brought in the Spanish manager [Javi Gracia], and eventually turned round to me with four games to go, and they did get rid of that director of football [Victor Orta].

“I always think with more games to go, I would have kept their Premier League status, but I can’t thank enough the help and support I got in those four games, not only the staff but also the fans. They tried, they were behind us, and I was so disappointed, especially after the Tottenham game.

“We’d seen such an upturn, even though it was a loss at Man City, 2-1, and then we really threw it away for Newcastle at home, and West Ham had an opportunity and got in front, but that Tottenham game was a real disappointment in the end.”

Allardyce was succeeded by Daniel Farke in the summer of 2023 and the German currently has the Whites on course to seal a return to the top flight.

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