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Oliver Jones

Soccer Saturday transcript as Paul Merson says managers should queue up to take over at Leeds United

Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has said managers should be 'queuing around the corner' of Elland Road to try out for the Leeds United job as the club tries to find a replacement for Jesse Marsch.

The American was shown the door on Monday afternoon and the Whites are yet to find a permanent manager to add to the dugout, with Michael Skubala, Chris Armas and Paco Gallardo taking over coaching duties in the meantime.

While the midweek draw against Manchester United highlighted the talent that Leeds have on the pitch, the board don't appear to have convinced any of their targets to come into the club mid-season to try and escape the clutches of the relegation zone.

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Appearing on Soccer Saturday alongside Merson, former England Women's international Sue Smith admitted she wasn't surprised by Marsch's exit earlier this week.

"No, not really. When you listen to Leeds fans, they knew it was the right time and I watched the Nottingham Forest game, they did have opportunities in the first half and it gets to a point where you think, 'How many times can you say that Leeds played well but they haven't picked up the points?'

"When you speak to Leeds fans, they'll say that they haven't seen the progression, Marsch liked to play with quite a narrow base and he had a lot of players who played out wide.

"I think that meant that a lot of the time they struggled to break teams down and I think it was going to be a difficult time for anyone following Bielsa because everyone at Leeds loved him and some probably thought it should've been done sooner.

"The thing that really surprised me was the fact that the board backed him in the window, and now he's gone. It's a bit of strange timing but whoever comes in will get good players with high energy."

Michael Dawson disagreed with Smith however, saying that while he understands the board's decision to give Marsch the boot, their performances recently show he should've been given more time.

"They are [close to having a winning team], and that was one of the things that surprised me with Jesse Marsch. Yes, they've only won two of their last seventeen but the performances have been there!

"Look, I'm not trying to cover up the cracks for Jesse Marsch but I mean, in the first half they were far superior to Nottingham Forest! Another good save there, it's no surprise Keylor Navas got Player of the Match.

"Midweek against Manchester United, after one minute, Gnonto scores that goal so there were fine margins Jeff but you can see why the owners have made the decision.

"They've started looking over their shoulders, I felt bad for him because the players looked like they were playing for him. Results were bad but the performances weren't for Leeds so it was no surprise to me that they went to Man United and played the way they did and were unfortunate not to hold on."

Merson then chimed in, explaining how he couldn't believe the news when he first heard it - and that he's lost for words at how managers are clambering for the job at Elland Road.

"I think it was a shock. Surely, I mean, this is probably Leeds' biggest game of the season against Man United, it was like they thought they'll just write it off.

"I think they've been bang unlucky, you see the results have been 1-0, the odd goal here and there, it's just a little bit of luck, every manager needs luck.

"It wasn't like they were going to places and getting beaten 4-0 and 5-0, they were in every football match, full of energy, I was shocked and I think coaches should be queuing round the corner for this job.

"They've got good players, good team, good fanbase, and I think this is a great job for anybody. The only reason why I can see some managers staying away is because they'll look and think, 'Well the board have just backed him and then sacked him in a New York minute!'

"They were his players, it wasn't like the board have just gone over his head, he's worked with these players so it shocked me, I feel for him. I know the fans might go at me, but I thought he did alright. I think Leeds aren't a top-half team at all and the aim of the game was always staying in the league."

"They panicked," Tim Sherwood added. "They saw Everton pick up points against top-of-the-league Arsenal and saw Wolves beat Liverpool, and all of a sudden, they've panicked and pushed the button.

"We all know what it's like to be with that crowd. They can either be the 12th man for you or if it's going badly, they turn on the manager and I think it's almost inevitable then you get the sack. That's why it's happened.

"I think they've let the fans make the decision for them and it might turn out to be the right one."

Amid all of the names floating around the position, Mauricio Pochettino seems to be one popular with the fans but unlikely to actually come to fruition as Clinton Morrison explained.

"Yeah, maybe. Tottenham won't forget him to be fair, they'll never forget him at Tottenham. I think he's biding his time for the right job, but people are right.

"This is a big football club, Leeds United, they've got a fantastic fanbase, they've got some great players but do I think Pochettino will take it at the moment? No, I don't.

"I think he's waiting for the right job, a big job. That's not being disrespectful to Leeds, but I think he's looking for a team to challenge that top four."

"The only problem with that is they've played the same way for so long, you'd probably have to go in there and play the same way," Merson said. "Tim, what would you do? Go in there and change it or stay with the system in place?"

"No, in management, you've got to play to the strengths of your players, with what you've got," Sherwood replied. "I think what they've got at the moment is high energy, what they don't have is goals.

"I think it's glaringly obvious, Bamford can't keep himself fit and when he is fit, he's not performing, they've lost players in Rodrigo and they need to find goals from other areas of the field and they need to do it quickly."

"They won't stay up without a manager, I've played without a manager before," Merson added. "It's different, it's very different, that's just the way it is. They need to get a manager in, they need to do it quickly.

"The teams that are down the bottom, they can get X-Factor results like the Everton one over Arsenal. For me, I can see Leeds getting those kinds of results. I think if they can get a manager in, they'll stay up but if they don't they'll go down."

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