‘Like a family member had died’ - Fan and TV presenter perfectly sums up Leeds United exit

Leeds United fan and TV presenter Emma Jones has opened up on the difficulty of seeing Marcelo Bielsa leave the club - explaining his exit was ‘like a family member had died’.

The Whites enjoyed a successful spell under Bielsa, sealing their long-awaited return to the Premier League. The Argentine was - and still is - a real favourite among Leeds fans, embedding himself into the club and the culture surrounding it.

But his time would come to an end last season after a disappointing start to the campaign, with the Whites replacing Bielsa with current boss Jesse Marsch. It was a painful moment for Leeds fans to say goodbye to Bielsa after so many good times, and that’s something presenter and Leeds fan Jones has echoed in an interview with William Hill.

“I’ll never forget that feeling he gave us – he brought so much joy to the Leeds fans,” she said. “To have filled an entire fanbase with so much joy and elation at a time when we were so deprived of it – if I could bottle that feeling you’d sell it for millions!

“I loved [Marcelo] Bielsa – he was just ‘football, football, football’– he did it his way. He wasn’t someone who was passionate about talking to the media, but I was in awe of the man. You’d see him around different areas in Leeds like in Morrisons in his Leeds trackies just doing his thing! He was this mysterious character, but I loved it.”

Speaking of the memories of promotion, Jones added: “The season when we did get promoted, I think it meant so much because it had been so long. There are Leeds fans out there who have never seen them in the Premier League – that’s crazy! Ultimately, that pain and suffering, it was worth it because we got back there.

“There’s something about Leeds – it’s like they belong in the Premier League. You have to earn that right and I think they have, but they always seemed bigger than the Championship. They always knew where they belonged – even when they got relegated to League One, [the fans] wouldn’t have ever lost hope of getting back up there. That story in itself could be a movie!”