Once Leeds United’s supporters had left Elland Road last night, Mateusz Klich had waved goodbye the last time in a while and Junior Firpo was in the ice bath with Luis Sinisterra and Patrick Bamford, Jesse Marsch still had work to attend to. The media remained hungry for its latest slice of the head coach’s thoughts in their press conference.
Marsch came into the room flanked, as usual, by media and press relations manager Jordan Owens, but there was a rarely-seen third face following in their wake. Chief executive Angus Kinnear approached Marsch and gave him a pointed embrace, congratulating him on the win, in front of the assembled media.
Kinnear has never done that. It may well be because he normally reaches Marsch before the head coach arrives for his press conference, or the Elland Road supremo was making a very public point.
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There is no doubting the pressure Marsch has been under, virtually since he took the Whites job last year. There have been brief periods of respite. For example, there was optimism after the heroics in Brentford last season before a strong August this term lay the groundwork for what many hoped would be a prosperous rise up the league table.
Since that Chelsea demolition, the questions have only mounted for Marsch, regardless of how much backing he has had from Kinnear and the rest of the United board internally. Everyone knew how important beating Cardiff City was, if not for FA Cup progression, then ending this winless spell and setting the right tone for Sunday.
Marsch has repeatedly talked up the support and unity he is seeing inside the club. Kinnear, who could have waited to see the head coach privately, made a point of making that support very public.
It not only sets the tone with the media, but it’s empowering for Marsch to feel that backing in such a public way. Too often a football club’s hierarchy can be distant, quiet and conspicuous by their absence.
Kinnear’s departure from the norm will do wonders for Marsch.
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