Vital Reading season preview
Club: Leeds United
Founded: 1919
Nickname: The Whites
Ground: Elland Road (Capacity: 37,890)
When we face off: Wed 1st October (A), Tues 10th February (H)
Last season finish: 15th – Championship
Manager: Dave Hockaday – After failing to acquire our academy coach Eamonn Dolan to replace Brian McDermott, Cellino turned to the former Forest Green manager to take the reigns, or at least as head coach anyway. This is his second job as a manager/ head coach, after having a four-year spell with conference outfit Forest Green.
Key player: Rodolph Austin – The Jamaican international has the credentials you want for a central midfielder in the Championship – strong, very tough in the tackle and can pick a good pass on the odd occasion. He stepped down as captain in January, which has taken some of the pressure off him and will hope to impose himself on the new campaign.
Season Preview: Cellino has certainly shaken things about at Elland Road since taking over, not least by appointing a very inexperienced head coach – how much involvement will he have in team affairs? Leeds sold their star striker Ross McCormack last month for a very good fee, but will obviously struggle to replace his goals. Leeds’ central midfield pairing of Austin and Murphy has great potential to flourish, but it’s the positions in front and behind them that need strengthening if Leeds want any chance of being in the race for the top six.
