Why should Steve Evans be given more time as manager of Leeds United?

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At the beginning of the season, Leeds United started with Uwe Rosler as the manager in what seemed like an optimistic season for the Yorkshire outfit. As with a lot of managers though, what started well did not end in the same way. Rosler was sacked in mid-October after only amassing a couple of wins in his first 12 games. Rosler had bought in several of his own players such as Stuart Dallas, Chris Wood and Lee Erwin which put him under pressure from the start to secure results and a step forward for Leeds United. Unfortunately, Rosler was working for an owner who has a habit of firing under-performing managers quickly and was sacked mid-October. Cellino had previously fired five managers in under two years during his short Leeds United tenure. Step forward a few days after Rosler was sacked and Steve Evans became a shock Leeds United manager for which nobody had anticipated or expected after his sacking from Rotherham late September.

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Many of the Leeds United supporters were shocked by his appointment, with fans expressing their doubts about a manager who had recently been sacked by local rivals Rotherham. It seems the fans had every right not to have faith in Evans; and with Cellino’s current record of hiring low-cost, low-maintenance managers and then firing them within a short time after under-performing, this was reasonable.

Evans though, was determined to win over the Elland Road faithful and in his first 15 games in charge managed to steady the ship into the new year with good wins at Wolves, Cardiff, Huddersfield and high flying Hull. Evans’ first 15 matches saw a record of six wins, six draws and only a trio of losses compared to those of Rosler at two wins, six draws and four losses after 12 games. This run of games saw the Leeds fans start to believe he was a worthy manager. This was an important part of Leeds pulling away from the relegation places and up into the mid part of the table sat just six points from the play-off positions.

Unfortunately for Steve Evans, the tide was about to change and a bad run of form was ready to hit Leeds United over the coming months. Evans was under pressure from fans after a dismal display live on Sky Sports against Brighton which saw them go down 4-0. The fans raged at the players and manager, calling it a passionless display and disrespectful to the travelling fans. Not only this, Cellino himself was seen leaving the Amex stadium at half time and later telling Evans not to speak or do interviews with Sky Sports. Many thought this was the end of his managerial career at Leeds United but the next day saw Cellino speak with Sky Sports news giving his backing to under fire manager Evans and many fans saw this as the kiss of death. The next game saw Leeds and Evans fight back to win 2-1 at struggling Bolton and in the process easing the pressure on both himself and the relegation battle.

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You could link Evans and Leeds United’s recent run of poor form to certain players being injured such as Chris Wood, Gaetano Berardi and youngster Alex Mowatt. All three were an integral part of the Evans team that led them to six wins and six draws, and losing three big players would hurt the best of teams in such situations. During his time at Leeds, Evans also made a few canny deals that helped to bring Bridcutt on loan in November who brought experience into a youthful team and also saw Diagouraga arrive in the January transfer window from Brentford. Evans now has Mowatt and Berardi back from injury with Chris Wood looking ready to start against Cardiff City. This could be the boost Evans needs to Leeds United’s current lack of goal scoring prowess.

He has been criticised by some sections of the fan base for his lack of tactical knowledge and a defensive style of play recently, but is this down to pressure of not losing or just confidence in general. When Evans first came in, Leeds played a good flowing game without having goal-scoring issues but now it seems the opposite is true. Is this down to Steve Evans implanting his tactics onto the team or are there other factors at play here?

It seems though that owner Massimo Cellino held off from full investment in the January transfer window which has not helped Evans in his bid to become permanent manager of Leeds. Evans is currently on a rolling contract until the end of the season. As Cellino stated, once Leeds are mathematically safe he would be offered a new one-year extension. Whether or not Cellino trusts Evans to take Leeds forward and give him full investment power next season is yet to be seen but I feel it will all come down to how Leeds United finish this season.

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Either way, it seems like Leeds United’s manager is following suit with its owner; it is splitting the fans as to whether he should be given another season in charge or whether he should be sacked at the end of his contract. Evans has done one thing and that is steady the ship somewhat under difficult circumstances; but without putting his own players in place, it is difficult to understand whether he has the capabilities to take Leeds forward. A good end to the season though, should see him given a chance to take full reigns on players in and out of the squad and potentially proving to fans he has what it takes.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Jenny Hogg