Many Leeds United supporters may have forgotten Darko Milanic’s 32-day spell in charge of the club in 2014.
The Whites had a very bad season the previous year after being demoted from the Premier League, but they are prepared to fight for an early return to the top division this coming season.
After defeating Plymouth Argyle 2-1 on Saturday, Daniel Farke’s team won three straight games. They are now eight points behind leaders Leicester City and second-place Ipswich Town going into the international break.
| Championship Table (As it stands November 13th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City | 16 | 19 | 39 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town | 16 | 15 | 39 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 16 | 11 | 31 |
| 4 | Southampton | 16 | 1 | 30 |
| 5 | Preston North End | 16 | -1 | 28 |
| 6 | Sunderland | 16 | 10 | 26 |
| 7 | West Brom | 16 | 9 | 26 |
| 8 | Hull City | 16 | 3 | 26 |
Under Farke’s leadership, Leeds are once again on the rise, although there have been some difficult periods at Elland Road over the years, most notably when Massimo Cellino owned the team.
Even before Cellino’s official takeover ended in January 2014, the historic deadline day drama involving Brian McDermott and Ross McCormack set the tone for his reign and caused instability at the club.
After Cellino had initially attempted to sack him in January, McDermott was eventually dismissed in May 2014 and replaced by Dave Hockaday, who will be remembered as one of the most bizarre managerial appointments in EFL history having previously managed then non-league side Forest Green Rovers.
Cellino had made up his mind to sack Hockaday in August 2014 after just five games in charge before having a change of heart, but that reprieve did not last long, and Hockaday left the club five days later.
Although Leeds fans will probably never forget Hockaday, it would not be shocking if they had forgotten Darko Milanic, who took his place.
Darko Milanic’s time at Leeds United
Milanic took over as Leeds manager in September 2014, having held managerial positions at Primorje, Gorica, Maribor, and Sturm Graz in the past.
Not hardly a glowing recommendation, Cellino called Milanic a “very cool guy” and acknowledged that he had no idea why he had selected him.
“He just got here. About fifteen days have passed since we last saw him, Cellino told the BBC.
“I’m not sure why I choose him. Watermelons are similar to coaches. When you open them, you discover more about them.”
“His particularly qualities? He’s good looking, what can I tell you?”
As it turned out, Cellino was not particularly fond of his latest coach, and after drawing three and losing three of his six games in charge, Milanic was sacked in October 2014 after just 32 days in the job.
Milanic’s subsequent successful tenure at Maribor raised doubts about whether the 55-year-old could have succeeded in West Yorkshire if he had been given more opportunities. Milanic led the team to two titles and the Champions League group stages.
Following the brief tenures of Hockaday and Milanic, which each lasted just six games, Elland Road saw a stretch of rather stable circumstances. Neil Redfearn led the team to a 15th-place finish in the 2014–15 season before being fired.
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