Soccer Central

After 11 months in charge at Elland Road; Leeds manager Gary McAllister has now been sacked by the club. McAlister’s Leeds was beaten by Doncaster Rovers in the League One play-off final last season, narrowly missing out on promotion straight back up to the Championship. After a run of five straight defeats though which has seen Leeds slip to 9th in the league, 5 points off the much coveted play-off places; Gary McAllister has now become the latest football league managerial casualty.

McAllister took over from Dennis Wise in January 2008, and whilst he did do well for the club last season in almost achieving promotion with Leeds United; five straight defeats is simply not good enough when you’re managing a big club like Leeds, and after such a poor run the club really had no choice but to let him go.

There’s a lot of expectation at Leeds United; Leeds was a top four team in the English Premier League not too long ago, and the fans and management alike would love for Leeds to once more become a top tier team as soon as possible.

Third tier football is not what Leeds United Football Club is all about; in 2004 Leeds United was relegated from the Premier League after 14 years in the top flight of English football, in a very short space of time the team has now dropped to the third tier, and it’s now a case of rising back up through the ranks. Returning to the top flight of English football is not going to be easy, it’s what’s wanted by all those involved with Leeds United Football Club however, and when a team aspires to return to the Premier League; five straight defeats in League One is never going to be anywhere close to good enough.

Leeds United is a football team likely to be making many January transfer signings; something needs to be done at the club, and the team really needs to be strengthened next month if Leeds United is to stand a strong chance of achieving promotion this season. The play-offs are definitely still possible for Leeds United, and automatic promotion would certainly be preferable; with 5 points to make up to reach the play-offs though, and 11 to achieve automatic promotion; there’s a lot of work to be done at the club in the coming weeks and months.

So Gary McAllister has been dismissed, and Leeds United will now be looking to appoint a new manager as soon as possible.

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