Liam Cooper on responsibility for Jesse Marsch sacking, Whites must and Man United fans' message

Marsh was dismissed from his position as Whites head coach following last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, a game which Cooper labelled “the story of our season” following a host of missed chances and then concession of a poor goal. The defeat left Leeds fourth-bottom, only outside of the division’s drop zone on goal difference and Marsch was sacked the following day.

Leeds are now continuing their hunt for a new head coach and under-21s boss Michael Skubala is heading up a caretaker management trio in the meantime as the Whites seek to appoint a new boss. Skubala and his caretaker team took charge of Wednesday night’s Premier League clash against Manchester United at Old Trafford in which Leeds took a point from a 2-2 draw.

The two sides meet again this afternoon in a 2pm kick-off at Elland Road, ahead of which Cooper has fronted up to the fact that United’s players have to take some blame for Marsch’s sacking. The skipper has also admitted that Leeds had to improve in the second half of the campaign but is hopeful his side can take all three points from today’s Roses derby against the Red Devils.

"The club decided to relieve Jesse Marsch of his duties following the defeat (to Forest) and we as players have to take some responsibility,” wrote Cooper in Sunday’s matchday programme notes. "The results haven’t been good enough and we have to improve. I don’t think our commitment can ever be questioned, though. We are all fighting and striving to ensure we do better during the second half of the season.”

Sending a message to his club’s fans about today’s Roses derby, Cooper said: “We all know what today’s game means to our fans. The result on Wednesday gave everyone renewed confidence and here at Elland Road today, with the unbelievable atmosphere you will create, we know if we can play at our best, we have the capability to get three points.”