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Jesse Marsch backing emerges amid Leeds United style claims

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Josh Warrington has urged Leeds United to give Jesse Marsch time to succeed at Elland Road, insisting he wants to watch his entertaining brand of football.

Leeds’ season has been up and down in the Premier League, from highs of beating to Chelsea and Liverpool, to lows of four defeats on the spin.

That run of four defeats ended up with both Leicester City and Fulham beating Leeds, leaving Marsch under serious pressure and fans calling for his head.

Warrington, who is quoted in the Yorkshire Post, noted the slightly toxic atmosphere at Elland Road right now, but insisted that Marsch is someone he wants to see the club give some time to.

“There is a little bit of a divide between the fans, if I am being honest. A couple of times this season we have seen the fans turn against the board – it has not been that toxic for a good four or five years.

“Since Bielsa arrived, the club has been quite united. There have been one or two times this season the ‘sack the board’ chants have been heard. For me, you need to stick with him [Marsch].“

A factor behind Leeds’ world champion boxer’s thinking is the style of football Marsch offers. Leeds’ last two fixtures have been a 4-3 win over Bournemouth and a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool, perfectly epitomising what this squad are.

“We are playing entertaining football and we have had a few good results over the last few weeks. Yeah, we lost to Tottenham but I feel we should have come away with something from there.

“All of sudden we have bounced up the table and we are not in the relegation zone and everything has just calmed down a little bit. You have got to stay positive and stick with Jesse.

“I am not all about changing managers very quick. Who are we going to get in, Sean Dyche? No disrespect but I want to watch entertaining football. When you are sat at a freezing Elland Road on a Tuesday night you want to watch something decent.”

Should Marsch have been sacked?

Marsch in

Marsch in

Marsch out

Marsch out

Marsch’s style and tactics will draw criticism. Leeds are wide open and they struggle to stop attacks punishing them in wide areas, yet they are scoring goals and their games are exciting to watch, as Warrington says.

In fairness, for 10 or 11 sides in the Premier League, there’s probably not a way of playing that guarantees results. Is sitting 10-men behind the ball, wasting time and playing for a draw a good tactic? Everton and Wolves’ positions in the table would say not.

So, you can understand what Warrington is saying. You want to see Leeds playing front-foot attacking football in a bid to pick up enough points to keep their heads above water.

Quiz: Are these 15 facts about Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch true or false?

1 of 15

Jesse Marsch started his senior playing career with Chicago Fire.

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Leeds United Season Ticket Holder at Elland Road for over 20 seasons. Currently nestled in N12, but occasionally offering views from the press box. We’ve been through it all together? You bet.