McDermott interview

[NottinghamWhite]

Posted Today, 01:47 AM
Money may still be tight at Elland Road but Brian McDermott has breezed into the club like a breath of fresh air and he can scent the potential. Richard Sutcliffe reports.

THIS was almost the shortest interview in the history of this newspaper’s pre-season supplements.
When Brian McDermott, on leaving the training field at Thorp Arch, was asked by the Yorkshire Post if he could spare a few minutes of his time, he was initially very receptive.
The problem came, however, when this correspondent started to explain how all dozen of the county’s managers were being interviewed and that he was number 11 on the list.
Now, what this was supposed to impart was that McDermott was the penultimate manager to be spoken to in the region. Unfortunately, as the Leeds chief turned on his heels and walked off while shouting over his shoulder “So, you think I’m only the 11th best manager in Yorkshire” it seemed that a very different meaning had been conveyed and things had gone badly awry.
As the 52-year-old headed into reception seemingly in a huff, I’ll admit the question “How the hell am I going to fill a 1,700-word double-page spread without any quotes?” hung heavy in the mind.
Thankfully, just as McDermott reached the main doors into United’s training headquarters, he turned round.
Most importantly, he had a huge grin on his face. I’d been had, with the Leeds chief displaying the sense of humour that has helped bring the smiles back to Thorp Arch.
What was perhaps most impressive was that McDermott was able to enjoy a laugh during what continues to be a trying summer that has seen the hoped-for influx of signings fail to materialise.
Three new faces have been added in the form of Noel Hunt, Matt Smith and Luke Murphy. But the Elland Road squad still smacks of one lacking the depth and quality to launch a concerted promotion challenge.
McDermott wants to see more additions but he is also keen to harness the positive atmosphere among the United squad that has been evident throughout pre-season.
“The place smells of potential,” says McDermott, as the Yorkshire Post’s heartbeat slows to a less dangerous rate in the Thorp Arch sunshine.
“You only have to look at the numbers that followed us during pre-season. We filled the away ends at Walsall and Stevenage, while in Slovenia I was amazed by how many fans travelled.
“The second place we visited in Slovenia (Domzale) was in the middle of nowhere. So, when I saw how many of our fans were waiting as the team bus turned up I thought ‘How the hell did they find this place?’
“Leeds fans are absolutely everywhere. On the way home (after the Stevenage game), I ended up in a random service station with (coach) Neil Redfearn. There were loads of fans even in there.”
On the 10-day trip to Slovenia, McDermott famously responded to a small group of fans chanting “It’s your round, Brian” by handing over a 50 euro note.
In terms of PR, it proved a canny investment as, thanks to the power of social media, news of the gesture spread quickly among supporters who had stayed at home in England.
McDermott was, though, just trying to extend the inclusive nature of a club he took charge of in April.
“It wasn’t a strategy or anything like that to try and get the fans on side,” he says. “It is just how I am. I like to think I am someone who is very open and approachable, which is why I spoke to plenty of fans out in Slovenia.
“Already, I feel to have an affinity with these people because they deserve so much. They give so much, turning up in places you wouldn’t believe.
“All of them are just so desperate to see Leeds United be successful. That is what I mean when I say this place smells of potential.
“We want to build this club. We don’t want to talk about one year and what we can do in that time. We need to think about what we can do from day to day in terms of making things better.
“It will take time, we know that. We all have our expectations and we want to do well. But I think it is really important we do it the right way.
“Football can be about doing things yesterday, at times. I don’t know how long it will take to build things. Sometimes, it can be short. All I know is that if we live in the moment now then we have got a chance.”
McDermott’s appointment on April 12 came at a time when United were in danger of sleepwalking into relegation trouble.
Neil Warnock had left at the start of the month and with Leeds not having won any of their previous seven games, the Elland Road side looked vulnerable. Back-to-back wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley, however, banished any such fears and there was a sense of optimism returning to a group of supporters weary of yet another wasted season in the quest for a Premier League return.
A slow start to United’s planned summer recruitment was then blown away by the £1m capture of Murphy from Crewe Alexandra, the July 1 transfer being the first time the club had paid a seven-figure transfer fee since 2006.
Hunt, whom McDermott had been so desperate to sign he even rang the striker on honeymoon, joined 24 hours later and, for the first time in a couple of years, there was a definite feelgood factor surrounding the club. Talk of another couple of additions before the end of the week abounded.
Such a boast proved, however, to be wide of the mark with McDermott admitting after the final game of pre-season against Shelbourne on Monday night that he could not guarantee a fourth addition ahead of the season’s opener against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.
Clearly, money remains tight at Elland Road. The appointment of Paul Hunt as acting chief executive last week is designed to help in that respect, as it will free up managing director David Haigh to join chairman Salah Nooruddin in chasing investment.
The hope for supporters is that these attempts come to fruition in the near future, as Leeds are in danger of allowing the positivity generated by a £1m signing to ebb away even before a ball is kicked. Asked if that was a risk, McDermott replied: “For me, we can’t let anything ebb away.
“We can’t harp back to the past, we can’t think if we had this player, that player. The past is the past.
“We have to work with the players we have got and we need to stay together. If we get another two or three signings, great. But if we don’t then we go with what we have got. As long as we are all going in the same direction, we will be fine.”
United’s credentials will be severely tested in the opening few weeks of the new campaign as a trip to Leicester follows the opening day clash with Brighton, both teams having reached the play-offs last term.
Then comes a Yorkshire derby with Wednesday, followed by a trip to potential promotion dark horses Ipswich Town before United face Queens Park Rangers, Bolton Wanderers and Reading.
McDermott said: “It is always hard to get out of any league. I don’t care if it is the Championship, League One, whatever. To get promotion is a big achievement.
“Last season, we finished seven points off the play-offs and seven points off relegation.
“That’s why I have been stressing to the players the need to be careful about not getting carried away if we do lose a couple of games at any stage. You just have to stay in there.
“There can be no massive over-reactions. Keep going and you never know where you might end up.”
Such a level-headed approach undoubtedly played a part in the clear highlight of McDermott’s CV as a manager, Reading’s Championship title winning success of 2011-12.
In early November of that season, the Royals were sitting 16th with 18 points from the opening 15 games but still managed to finish the campaign as champions.
McDermott recalls: “We lost four on the trot early but then we got some momentum, signed Jason Roberts in the January and won 16 out of 18 games.
“We had a group of people all going in the same direction, which was vital as it wasn’t plain sailing all the time.
“I want that here and I want the fans to enjoy coming along. We had special times at Reading and the team that got up deserve a lot of credit for what they achieved. But this is a different time for me at a different club and I am looking forward to the challenge.

[Morphoolu]

Fair enough - MOT.

[+15]

Enjoyed that with me cup 'o tea.

[Independent Republic]

The man exudes confidence and clarity of thought which bodes well for the future - even if we haven't a bob to spend.

[Wilfred Martin]

For the first time since our promotion from Division 1, I feel really happy to be a Leeds United supporter again, because so much of the negativity that has surrounded the club has simply dissolved away.
I do hope though, that when Brian McDermott appears from the tunnel on Saturday, besides receiving a tumultuous reception, over 30,000 Leeds supporters sing in unison "Brian, Brian It's your round!" I bet that he would grin from ear to ear upon hearing that.