Sam Allardyce has likened the situation he walked into at Leeds United’s training ground to ‘a prison’. Leeds were staring down the barrel of relegation when Allardyce was handed the Elland Road reins at the start of May, following the dismissal of Javi Gracia.
The club had gone five games without a win, conceding 18 goals in the process and with four tricky fixtures remaining, Allardyce knew he would have his work cut out if he was to save the Whites. However, the head coach claims he felt the need to immediately lighten the workload and the mood at Thorp Arch following his arrival after being informed that the squad had gone three and a half weeks without a day off.
Allardyce tried to take the stress out of the situation with downtime being accompanied by ex-player visits and even a change of scenery, with Leeds training at Elland Road for the final week of the season in the hope of finally getting over the line.. Ultimately, the damage was already done and Leeds were relegated on the final day of the season as they lost 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.
