Leeds United board and Michael Skubala avoid added complication of pure theatre

On Monday Southampton offered up the prospect of the American returning to work in the Premier League just in time to talk about and compete against the Whites at Elland Road. Talks began, went well and were serious enough that Leeds began to expect their former boss to be appointed. The Whites were not due any compensation but as is sometimes the case with recently sacked managers and fresh opportunities, it's possible that they may have saved some money on the pay out he was due.

By Wednesday afternoon the prospect of a Marsch-Leeds reunion three days shy of his Elland Road appointment anniversary had been taken away, talks stalling and reportedly crashing over contract length disagreements. If that is indeed it and his chance at St Mary’s has gone, then with it went the possibility of Marsch answering questions about the way his time at Leeds came to an end and, as is his way, talking more freely than the Whites might have liked.

Beyond the potential for shots being fired, there was the showdown inside LS11 to consider, how he and the Elland Road crowd would respond to one another, how his attempts to communicate with the officials as an opposition manager would go down with Leeds fans and how he might react to goals scored by his team. Marsch would have found, as Kalvin Phillips did upon his return with Manchester City, that when Leeds fans gather in large numbers they are as inventive as they are loud, necessitating a thick skin.

A post-match press conference that once again put him in front of a Leeds-centric media room was a fascinating prospect, when the way these things generally go following a sacking is a measured statement released through the League Managers Association. The heat of the moment is not a factor, ordinarily, and Elland Road would have been white hot with Marsch back in town to try and worsen the club's relegation fears. Alas, for journalists and neutrals alike, the quotes and headlines will remain unsaid and unwritten.

For Leeds United and Michael Skubala, it's an added complication dodged at a time when everything needs to be kept as calm and simple as humanly possible. There is enough for the caretaker to deal with without being asked to consider and respond to anything said by the man he has temporarily replaced. There should be enough sting in a relegation clash without throwing a returning, recently-sacked manager into the mix, with the narratives that would bring. A man who played a big part in the careers of Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and Max Wober would be cast as the enemy, even if they saw a contest against him as they have his sacking - just football.

Words like revenge would be tossed around, whether or not they played any part whatsoever in Marsch's motivation because deep down in this oh-so-manly sport, everyone loves the drama and hysteria. Battle of the caretakers, pitting Skubala against Rubén Sellés, is not nearly as sexy.

But more seriously, for a Leeds board fighting what has too often of late been a losing battle to keep the fans on their side, the conclusions that could have been drawn were Marsch to get one over on their side so soon after being discarded or even, perish the thought, go on to relegate them, will be enough to mean his failure to come to terms with the Saints has been met with a sigh of relief. As so many Leeds fans have said in the past 48 hours, it would be very Leeds for their sacked boss to come back and haunt them.

On this occasion, though, the club that at times in its history has more closely resembled a soap opera, appears to have avoided a compelling episode that would have sent the faint of heart behind the sofa to watch through fingers. It would have been fun, it would have been unmissable but it would have been complicated.