Angus Kinnear admits Leeds United boardroom were misaligned at pivotal time on road to relegation

Kinnear has admitted the time to relieve former Leeds boss Marsch may have been prior to the six-week break for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

In his annual interview with The Square Ball, Kinnear has revealed there was misalignment between members of the Whites’ hierarchy prior to the full takeover by 49ers Enterprises this summer.

“In the run-up to Christmas, we were in a difficult position,” the chief executive says. “The trajectory wasn’t moving in the right direction. We had a significant dip and it was probably the Bournemouth and Liverpool games when we thought we were moving in the right direction. Perhaps if we hadn’t had those two results, we might have made the decision earlier."

Marsch had been under pressure in the lead up to back-to-back wins versus the Cherries and Jurgen Klopp’s side, having gone eight games without a victory. Many supporters perceived those results to have saved Marsch’s job, which subsequently led to the American remaining in the role until early February, when he was eventually sacked following defeat to Nottingham Forest.

“Based on where we ended up, it was the wrong decision because we got relegated. That’s what everybody was trying to avoid,” Kinnear adds.

“It was debated a lot at the time. If we had the decision again, knowing what we know now, we’d have absolutely made the change then. Without going into the individuals involved, there wasn’t alignment on the board at that stage.

“You have to look at what type of change you can make, what type of manager can you get in, what are the chances of that manager making it better. You have to take all those things into account. But a change would have been better at that point.”