Gary McAllister is the new manager of Leeds United! Fans the world over rejoice. I sit back with an apprehensive expression on my face and think, "but he's never actually accomplished anything as a manager, has he?" Regardless, he's contracted until the end of this season, with a remit to win promotion to the Championship. Think he can do it?
I can't believe I missed this when it was published, but the Times has an article entitled "The Soul of Leeds United in 50 Moments" that is just brilliant. The highlights:
#43: Billy Bremner punching Kevin Keegan. Let's be honest: who wouldn't want to?
#38: The Smiley Badge of the 1970s (on the left). Probably the best team logo, ever.
#33: Playing with detachable commemorative sock tags in the 1970s, which has to be one of most deranged ideas in football history.
#26: The best goal in the history of football, as scored by Eddie Gray in 1970. I'll post a video when I finish writing my "team history tuesday" piece on him - and it is, believe me, the best goal ever. Or at least of the 1970s.
#18: Marching on Together. How many teams have an anthem written by the guy who wrote "It's not Unusual" for Tom Jones?
The whole list is great, and well worth a read.
Sheffield United are apparently strongly opposed to Gary Speed's rumoured move to Leeds. McAllister seems to want him as his assistant manager, despite Speed having no managerial experience. The 39-year-old is about to start a player-coach contract at Sheffield, but is best known for playing alongside McAllister in the midfield of the title-winning 1991 team. I was already worried that McAllister doesn't really know what he's doing; now he's planning to appoint an assistant who certainly doesn't know what he's doing. Count me officially concerned. Still, I had a poster of Gary McAllister on my wall when I was seven, so I can't be too skeptical about him.
And those are your lunchtime links. I'll be back later with a match report from last night's defeat at Southend United.