Originally Posted by
EalingGreen
The responsibility for Leeds Utd's rise and fall should lie fairly and squarely with Ridsdale and the Board. For it was they who decided on the strategy of signing players for huge transfer fees and wages on long contracts etc,to get them into the Champions League, which would then pay for it all.
So that when they failed to qualify, suddenly they were stuck with a massive squad, on long-term contracts, who were so expensive they couldn't even give them away*.
As for O'Leary, sure he made some poor signings (every manager does), but I really don't think you can blame him for taking advantage of the Board's folly, by signing the very best players he could - every other manager would have done exactly the same. And as it happens, he did actually build a very competitive side, which also played attractive football, popular with the ER crowd.
Consequently, I think he has the makings of a very good manager - knows the game, knows a player, is well organised etc - except he is (fatally) hampered by one major flaw: his personality.
For too many ex-players/colleagues/managers etc (most notably Cascarino) have pointed to this for it just to be rumour. And imo it would explain why, even with his contacts, he's taking so long to get back into the game at a decent level i.e. his name is mud throughout the game.
In fact, I suspect it explains why the success he did have was often based on young players (his "babies", as he used to call them). That is, he could charm/fool/finesse etc them into believing him, but once they got a bit older, wiser and more experienced, they soon saw through him.
* - Literally; apparently when Spurs signed Paul Robinson, Leeds were still paying a portion of his wages long after his move to WHL. Otherwise Robinson might not have accepted a wage cut to move and/or Spurs would not have matched the wages he was on at Leeds. Same with Robbie Fowler and a load of others.
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