Former Leeds United coach Rene Maric has issued his farewell statement after parting ways with the club this week.
Leeds are on their way to take on Manchester United this evening, but will be doing so with no permanent manager in the away dugout.
This comes after the club decided to sack Jesse Marsch after 11 months in charge, following a disappointing run of form, and 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest most recently in the Premier League.
The general reaction of the fanbase to Marsch’s departure was that of relief, with Leeds needing a change in order to void the threat of relegation.
Leaving with the American were three of his backroom staff, Rene Maric, Cameron Toshack, and Paco Gallardo.
On social media last night, Maric shared a statement on Twitter for the fans about his exit, bidding the club farewell and wishing the fans all the best:
“Dear Leeds United fans, sadly my time at this historic club has come to an end. The Elland Road experience was unique and I can’t stress how privileged I felt in the dugout. The staff and people at the club carry this energy with them every day to work & it’s what made working with them so special.
“I’m sorry that I couldn’t contribute more & further as it wasn’t possible to instill some of the different ideas the club envisioned for that great group of highly talented players that surely will be successful in the future. There is no doubt in my eyes. Hopefully the results will come already this week.
“Thanks to Andrea Radrizzani, Victor & Angus for the long support even under the pressure of the results & some performances. Even if it’s not MOT anymore, it’s still ALAW and I will be at Elland Road between the fans to support this amazing club.”
The second paragraph has caused some discussion, with Maric deleting his original post in order to re-word the phrase “some of the different ideas the club envisioned” – previously, it said “I envisioned”.
Who should replace Marsch long-term?
Arne Slot
Andoni Iraola
Marcelo Gallardo
Other?
It might be clutching to suggest that there was a disagreement between Maric and Marsch over how the team should be setup, but there clearly was at board level.
We needed a change in approach because this team (and not many overall) is not setup to play narrow football.
It was never going to be a sustainable approach for Leeds in the Premier League, and perhaps this is what Maric is suggesting.