Bielsa can end Leeds nightmare

ARE the dark clouds that have hung heavily over Elland Road for far too long about to lift?

After a multitude of false dawns since losing their Premier League status in 2004, Leeds United fans are daring to dream again of a top-flight return.

Former Argentina, Chile, Athletic Bilbao and Marseille coach Marcelo Bielsa is the man with the huge task of reviving a chaotic club mired by past boardroom chaos and infamous as a managerial graveyard.

The highly-respected Bielsa (above) has quickly taken Leeds to the Championship summit and stoked the fires of optimism.

But while the canny folk of West Yorkshire may have grounds for optimism, they are also wise to be cautious.

A year ago Thomas Christiansen also began life at Leeds impressively and had them perched in pole position by September.

But Leeds’s form spectacularly collapsed and the Dane was sacked in February. His replacement, Paul Heckingbottom, suffered the same fate four months later.

Italian owner Andrea Radrizzani (above) has shown ambition and foresight but has proved just as trigger-happy as his many predecessors since decline hit following the high of a 2001 Champions League semi-final.

But the capture of Bielsa may yet prove an unlikely solution to the managerial instability that has undermined the club.

Pep Guardiola rates Bielsa one of the most astute coaches in the game, while his many many managerial protégés include Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs.

Radrizzani and Bielsa are, however, birds of a feather in many respects: Controversial, impulsive and volatile.

It’s vital both men learn to build a relationship that both works and endures. Given their recent CVS, that’s hardly a given.

But for the sake of Leeds’s incredibly loyal fan base, they have to forge a partnership. Radrizzani simply must ensure this partnership succeeds.

Even when Leeds sunk to their nadir in the third tier, gates never fell below 20,000.

Last term they averaged 31,521. Their last home game drew 35,417.

There is now a genuine chance that, given time and support, their new Argentinian coach will prove the real deal...

...and finally end a long-running nightmare.