Report: Jaap Stam in the running to be Leeds boss

So Jaap Stam huh?

Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post posted a story earlier today stating that Jaap Stam is one of four finalists for the vacant manager’s job at Leeds United. For many fans, this will be a tough pill to swallow, as not only is the Dutchman a former Manchester United player, he courted controversy last season by criticizing Leeds fans after a 2-0 win by United at Elland Road.

This isn’t the first rumor about Stam switching jobs, however, with West Ham United allegedly interested when the East London club’s season was going off the rails. Stam had also been mentioned as a candidate for the job at Amsterdam giants Ajax, after the Europa League finalists lost their manager, Peter Bosz, to top Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund.

So would this be a good move for Leeds Untied? On the one hand, Stam did take a fairly average Reading FC team to the playoff finals. While not having a lot of flashy names, Reading played consistent enough football to remain near the top six almost the entire season and even after a bad loss, the team was disciplined enough to move on and get results.

On the other hand, the team was boring. Like bring a cot to the game to catch up on sleep boring. While boring, grind it out football can bring results, it can also fail, as was shown at Wembley, as Reading failed to register many shots on goal and ultimately fell to Huddersfield Town on penalties. Stam also seemed reluctant to play young players on loan. Young West Ham star Reece Oxford joined the team on loan to a lot of fanfare in January, only to be stapled to the bench amid claims of fitness issues.

Stam would be a lightning rod figure with fans as well. The Ex-Manchester United player is not loved by the fans at Elland Road, and many fans would be upset and not accepting of the appointment should new owner Radrizzani nab him for the job. While the Reading boss did get Reading within a few penalty kicks of the Premier League, he doesn’t have a lot of history to success to fall back on if the going gets tough. Reading took a chance on him, and many Reading fans would be calling him a “snake” for leaving after such a successful season.

Take a hard pass on this appointment, please, Mr Radrizzani. This appointment will not be accepted by the fans, and has heartbreak written all over it. Reading was a boring team to watch, and seemed to ride good goaltending and timely scoring to success, which isn’t really sustainable in the long run. Don’t let a flash-in-the-pan season by a former hated foe cloud your judgement.

Also, it seems a bit odd that this name is floated out there at this time, after hearing little to nothing about the manager search up until now. The bookies are going crazy listing various names, and almost no rumors have come out regarding the potential appointment. So while this might be a credible rumor, it is still just a rumor.

But seriously, don’t hire the guy.