Marcelo Bielsa.

[Rook]

He's lost a bit of weight hasn't he?

[faaip]

Someone do the sweetshop joke, we haven't heard that for a while

[1964white]

He's lost a bit of weight hasn't he?

Happy to see Marcelo looking slim & fit, he needed to as he was a heart-attack waiting to happen, especially in the pressure job football management brings to the table.

[Kennyb41]

See what a couple of sessions of murderball can do for ya.

Sadly missed, soon to return.

He'll be back ( said in Arnie style)

[eastyorkshirewhite]

If he does join them the team will be playing a friendly against Newcastle at St James Park how many Leeds will be attending.

[Kennyb41]

I hasten to add that a lot here were obviously too blindedly stupid to the obvious and too quick to ask for his removal after some unbelievable football from some trash players for 4 years, which sadly faultered when the 3 key players to his system were out and combined with other factors beyond his control left him pissing against the wind in a force 8 gale.

And as a result we are back in the lap of the gods very similar to the days pre Bert and could potentially become another Watford.

But hey ! s**t happens and some may reap what they deserve, and we're in the safe hands of a clown and a totally unproven manager.

Such is life., and the vast majority will soon be wishing they hadn't opened their gobs.

Howsdat?

[weasel]

Seems Bilbao have the right fans, they know a good thing when they've seen it.

I wonder if Bilbao also had a large section of fans who suddenly thought their team was so much better than they were because Bielsa had made them so much better than they had been previously - and those fans turned on him when the team had a bit of a blip when some players regressed back to how they had been previously......

[danhirons]

I hasten to add that a lot here were obviously too blindedly stupid to the obvious and too quick to ask for his removal after some unbelievable football from some trash players for 4 years, which sadly faultered when the 3 key players to his system were out and combined with other factors beyond his control left him pissing against the wind in a force 8 gale.

And as a result we are back in the lap of the gods very similar to the days pre Bert and could potentially become another Watford.

But hey ! s**t happens and some may reap what they deserve, and we're in the safe hands of a clown and a totally unproven manager.

Such is life., and the vast majority will soon be wishing they hadn't opened their gobs.

Howsdat?

We might have done well next season tbf if bielsa had stayed....in the championship no doubt

[danhirons]

I wonder if Bilbao also had a large section of fans who suddenly thought their team was so much better than they were because Bielsa had made them so much better than they had been previously - and those fans turned on him when the team had a bit of a blip when some players regressed back to how they had been previously......

unlikely:

2009–10 La Liga 8th
2010–11 La Liga 6th
2011–12 La Liga 10th
2012–13 La Liga 12th
2013–14 La Liga 4th
2014–15 La Liga 7th
2015–16 La Liga 5th
2016–17 La Liga 7th

have highlighted the two seasons under Bielsa for you

[Kennyb41]

I wonder if Bilbao also had a large section of fans who suddenly thought their team was so much better than they were because Bielsa had made them so much better than they had been previously - and those fans turned on him when the team had a bit of a blip when some players regressed back to how they had been previously......

There's a moral to the story in there somewhere Weasel.

[Cjay]

I wonder if Bilbao also had a large section of fans who suddenly thought their team was so much better than they were because Bielsa had made them so much better than they had been previously - and those fans turned on him when the team had a bit of a blip when some players regressed back to how they had been previously......

Unlikely.

There was no blip.

Bilbao got better.

Finished 4th with basically the same squad the following season

[weasel]

unlikely:

2009–10 La Liga 8th
2010–11 La Liga 6th
2011–12 La Liga 10th
2012–13 La Liga 12th
2013–14 La Liga 4th
2014–15 La Liga 7th
2015–16 La Liga 5th
2016–17 La Liga 7th

have highlighted the two seasons under Bielsa for you

Well at least that gives hope that someone was able to build on the foundations Bielsa built. Let us hope Rodney Marsch is the man to do it.

[weasel]

Unlikely.

There was no blip.

Bilbao got better.

Finished 4th with basically the same squad the following season

Hopefully a positive for us if we can do the same (albeit unlikely to be 4th).

Two ways to look at it. The Bielsa knockers will point to the league positions before and after and claim Bielsa was a failure, depsite getting the side to the 2 cup finals. The Bielsa fans will point to the finals and also wonder if the beleif he gave the players, the structures put in place etc were the reasons for the 'success' after he left with the new manager the main beneficiary (like Heckingbottam doing well at Barnsley as they were doing brilliantly prior to his arrival but it slowly went wrong as his influence grew.

Are the fans seem happy that he may be going back? That would be a big indicator as to how he is viewed in terms of a success or not.

[Cjay]

Hopefully a positive for us if we can do the same (albeit unlikely to be 4th).

Two ways to look at it. The Bielsa knockers will point to the league positions before and after and claim Bielsa was a failure, depsite getting the side to the 2 cup finals. The Bielsa fans will point to the finals and also wonder if the beleif he gave the players, the structures put in place etc were the reasons for the 'success' after he left with the new manager the main beneficiary (like Heckingbottam doing well at Barnsley as they were doing brilliantly prior to his arrival but it slowly went wrong as his influence grew.

Are the fans seem happy that he may be going back? That would be a big indicator as to how he is viewed in terms of a success or not.

I don't know tbh, I don't speak Spanish and I am to lazy to use Google translate.

There is a cult like thing around Bielsa at all of his clubs.

Some absolute ardent followers and believers, happened at Marseille and Bilbao and of course Newells.

And yes Leeds to.

He is that sort of figure.

But then he has his critics as we know, a very divisive figure.

Were they lacking belief when he arrived? Hard to say I mean Bielsa"s 10th placed finish and points total in his first and best season was actually lower than the previous 2 seasons.

49 points for MB to 58 the previous season and 54 before that and Bilbao had been runners up in the Copa Del Rey and Supercopa just 2 years before Bielsa arrived so its not like they weren't having success recently with Bielsa arriving in 2011.

It's hard to know what his Bilbao legacy was.

The European final was the first in a number of years but the league finishes were nothing special and had indeed been bettered recently previously to his arrival and after.

And the Copa Del Rey final had been done 2 years prior as well.

So yeah I don't know how the Bilbao fans feel.

He will have his fans because of the style I am sure but will he be considered a returning hero? I wouldn't think so.

Or maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder?

[Cjay]

The improvement Bilbao experienced after he left was why I thought Ernesto Valverde was the obvious appointment for us.

A man who had shown he could take what Bielsa had done and improve it.

[weasel]

I don't know what the Bilbao fans think either butI would presume that the majority of them are in favour if a presidential candidate is using the hiring of Bielsa as a way to get voted in.

[Rook]

I'll definitely be following Bilbao's results if Marcelo gets appointed.

I really hope he gets this job. I wonder if he'd try to sign any Leeds players?

[Kennyb41]

1 possibly 2

[weasel]

I'll definitely be following Bilbao's results if Marcelo gets appointed.

I really hope he gets this job. I wonder if he'd try to sign any Leeds players?

Extremely doubtful -

The club is known for its cantera policy of bringing young Basque players through the ranks, as well as recruiting players from other Basque clubs. Athletic's official policy is to sign players native to or trained in football in the greater Basque Country, which includes Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Álava and Navarre (in Spain), as well as Labourd, Soule and Lower Navarre (in France).[3] Since 1912, Athletic has played exclusively with players meeting its own criteria to be deemed Basque. This can be seen as a unique case in European football;[4] it has gained Athletic both admirers and critics. The club has been praised for promoting home grown players and club loyalty. The rule does not apply to coaching staff, with several examples of non-Basques both from Spain and abroad having coached the first team.

Don't think any of our players are of Basque origin.

[hector]

Don't think any of our players are of Basque origin.

I know a bloke who can get a false passport for Tyler Roberts...