‘Miracle’ - Leeds United fans react to appointment of ex-Watford boss Javi Gracia

Leeds United have finally appointed a new manager after more than a fortnight of searching.

The Whites have looked high and low for a replacement for Jesse Marsch, but there were met with obstacles aplenty along the way, with a number of their early targets deciding to stay with their current clubs until at least the end of the season. Plan B was to put Under 21s boss Michael Skubala in charge for the Everton and Southampton games and perhaps the rest of the season. But a 1-0 defeat at Goodison that saw no shots on target from Leeds was met with an angry reaction and anti-board chanting from away fans. The situation forced Leeds to widen their search, leading them to former Watford boss Javi Gracia.

The Spaniard has now agreed to become the next manager at Elland Road on a ‘flexible contract’, taking over from Jesse Marsch. Gracia most recently had stints with Al-Sadd and Valencia, but before that, he joined Watford mid-season before leading them to Premier League safety. In his first full season in charge, Gracia took the Hornets to only their second ever FA Cup final, while also securing safety for the second consecutive campaign.

He was ultimately sacked after a poor start to his third season in charge, though Watford have developed quite the reputation for moving on from managers quickly. Gracia now links up with Leeds, and a tall task awaits him, with Leeds now in the relegation zone and needing to turn things around quickly to secure safety.

With the announcement now official, Leeds fans have been reacting to the news. Here is what some have had to say on Twitter.

@Star_Whites - “Welcome Javi, wish you the best of luck and success and you will have all the support in the world to get the team moving the right way. Our trip to leeds for the brighton game cannot come soon enough. ps it would be nice to see some wins too!!!”

BenAlaw_1 - “Will 100% back him because he’s our new manager. But this is an appointment made in a rush and out of desperation, fear it’s too late.”

_Sean_Duffy - “Very much a ‘preparing for the Championship’ appointment. We’re in big trouble.”

Samh_15 - “Sadly too late for me. I hope he can take us back up next season.”

McCarruthers - “When we look back at the end of the season. I will forever be analysing the 3 games we had no manager that could have been the difference between promotion and relegation. If he keeps us up, this will be nothing short of a miracle with our rest of season fixtures.”

_nelster_ - “A sensible appointment.”

Fenweller - “Excellent. Good luck Javi. Here’s to a new manager bounce.”

Sy_robo - “Welcome aboard Javi. As fans we all need to give him our backing and get us up this league.”