Congenial was almost a dirty word for Jesse Marsch as he described manager relations in the Premier League last month. Leeds United’s head coach wants some needle on the touchline, he wants to wield the dark arts and he wants to influence referees.
It was only in the recent build-up to the Crystal Palace trip the old battles Marsch had with Patrick Vieira in the US were recirculated. Vieira, then the New York City FC boss, had accused his counterpart of influencing the man in the middle with his pre-match moaning about decisions in favour of star players.
On Saturday, Marsch was booked by Paul Tierney, though it looked to initially Cameron Toshack who was beckoned forward for a warning from the referee. Marsch was enthusiastically clapping as Tierney approached the technical area, though it’s unclear if that was for his players or the official.
