Outgoing Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce has slammed his players for "professional suicide" after the Elland Road club were relegated to the Championship.
Leeds failed to maintain their Premier League status after suffering a dire 4-1 defeat at home to Tottenham on Sunday, as they followed Leicester and Southampton down into the second tier for next season. Harry Kane scored twice in a practically meaningless win for Spurs and Allardyce was fuming over "huge errors" which allowed the England captain to strike.
"It's professional suicide," the Leeds manager bemoaned post-match, with his short-term contract set to expire in the coming days. "We prepare for games, but when you do things like we did with the huge errors, people like Harry Kane will take full advantage. We messed up again. Without stopping the goals going in we couldn't pick the points up.
"We wanted to go out with a sense of pride - but I just didn't see that. It's all about the basics. It's very sad this club is getting relegated, having worked so hard for so long to get back into the Premier League."
Allardyce was then quizzed on his own future, having only taken charge of Leeds' final four games in ab ill-fated bid to avoid relegation. "The rebuild has to be carefully planned. I don't know about myself," 68-year-old confessed. "What is the strategy going to be like both on and off the field? If things are going in the right direction, then we'll see."
When speaking to the BBC, Allardyce doubled down on his assessment of the Leeds squad and the rebuild which is required. "There is a lot to be done, even for the Championship," he declared. "Goals to be scored and goalscorers to score them. That is an area. The squad is a little on the young side, lacks experience.
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"That could be not as big a problem in the Championship, as those lads could make a big impact. Size of the squad is another factor over 46 games. Which way does the club want to go? It is a huge disappointment to me not to have gotten more results from the players. I can't blame them for not trying. They gave everything they have but you can't make those errors at this level.
"I'm disappointed for the fans. They are very entitled to show their disapproval. They filled the stadium to support and the lads should have given them more to get behind them."
Allardyce will go down as the club's third and final permanent manager of a wretched campaign, with first boss Jesse Marsch sacked in February. Javi Gracia replaced him but lasted just 13 games, setting Allardyce up for a limp return to Premier League management.
