A succinct message to Steve Evans, late of Peterborough United
Sometimes, revenge is just so ridiculously sweet, it could honestly give you diabetes. Today is one of those days when the karmic wheel turned and stopped in just the right place for Leeds United – and on the worst possible outcome for their one-time coach Steve Evans.
Having failed to be the success at Leeds that he’d confidently expected, Steve was perhaps predictably less than enthusiastic when asked to comment on the prospects of success for the latest occupant of the hot seat from which he’d been so unceremoniously turfed out a few managers ago. The upshot was that poor Steve – although unable to deny that Marcelo Bielsa has a well-deserved global reputation as a genius – felt impelled to accentuate the negative. Would Bielsa be able to get a result when the going got tough and winter had us in its icy grip, he wondered out loud. Would he, to quote the classic example, be able to succeed on a cold day in Rotherham? How Steve must have congratulated himself on that conundrum, dreamed up as we all basked in late summer sunshine. He couldn’t have been any more pointed if he’d mentioned that these foreigners don’t like it up ’em.
Marvel, then, at the delicious irony of today’s events in Leeds United land. It was a cold day – not a Tuesday, as Steve had specified, but still, cold. And Leeds United were due at Rotherham where, glory be, in arduous circumstances against a fighting foe, they did indeed get a result, the 2-1 from behind win putting them three points clear at the Championship summit. So far, so good – but, taken in isolation, not Karma.
So let’s look at the other side of this deliciously fateful equation. What was Steve doing today? Well, the former Leeds coach was in charge of a struggling Peterborough United, at home in League One to Charlton Athletic, coached, with yet another succulent morsel of irony, by Leeds legend Lee Bowyer. The result was a 0-0 draw and evidently the last straw for the Posh powers that be. So, on the very same day that Bielsa did what Steve gleefully doubted he could, Evans was sacked, gone, unemployed. Sadly, he just couldn’t do it on a cold day at London Road, and he paid the ultimate price, with that little extra surcharge of karmic humiliation.
It’s a hard life, Steve, but forgive us if we have zero sympathy to spare. If you’d been just a little less smug in predicting failure for Bielsa, there might have been some compassion around LS11 when your own chickens chose the very same day Leeds won at Rotherham to come home to roost. Perhaps you should have been more circumspect, but that’s not really your style, is it. So I’m afraid it’s a case of, in the late, great Windsor Davies‘ immortal words: “Oh dear, how sad, never mind”.
Leeds go marching on, then, and their future looks bright, though nobody should expect United fans to be as smug as poor Steve Evans was. Maybe he’ll think twice in future? And maybe he’ll be in work again soon enough – though it’s highly doubtful if that would be at a high enough level for him to have to worry about getting a result on a cold day at Rotherham United.
Life, Leeds United, the Universe & Everything 
Haha, nice one! Poor Steve. ‘Thumbs up’ emoji! However, let’s not have too many more white knuckle games like today’s
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‘Fingers crossed’ emoji!
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I agree with you, in England, there are loud mouth coaches, who play old fashioned set ups. Then you get the more successful foreign head coaches that pay more attention to set ups and are better coaches such as Bielsa and the two coaches at Man City and Spurs.. Southgate has to some extent adopted foreign methods, sweeper keepers and defenders who are comfortable on the ball and he has achieved some measure of success in the World Cup.
It will take some time for Southgate to achieve a full measure of success. The league clubs have to get more of the English players to play like coaches such as Biesla wants. Steve Evans is a dinosaur. If English football wants success it would be better learning from the Spanish clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona and the better Italian clubs.
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Evans above Rob! Great post, great win and hopefully our little blip is over just as our walking wounded start to come back into contention and give Bielsa more options. MOT
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Didn’t mind him while he was with us, we had worse, at least he showed passion. What he did to Mansfield though was shocking, for this alone I’m glad karma came to call.
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I’m sure Leeds need a dressing room cleaner.
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Lee Bowyer…….legend? Seems a touch over generous……
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Not in my eyes
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Massive win today Rob. Fireworks next Saterday, Can’t wait.
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Yup, could be explosive!
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Didn’t Steve the gob shite evans try to make a claim that he did most of the ground work and bielsa is reaping the rewards of his (Evans) hard work anyway who cares another gd win next weekend should be tasty it’s nice to be looking forward to games again like the gd old days
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I wish there was a ‘Three cheers for the plucky loser!’ emoji.
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First world problems 😆
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I must admit i quite liked the old loudmouth when he was our manager but he just ain’t good enough, hence the boot! Good article Rob.
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Thanks Michael. I felt the same while he was at Elland Road, but that bitter dismissal of Bielsa was a bit much, so I thought I’d have a go.
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This rollercoaster just never lets up. The deflation when that belter went in and the gut feeling about the outcome. The second half was such a transformation. Bielsa is a genius when it comes to motivation and I like many others would love to see what he could do with a big budget in the premiere. Every one of us has got to give 100% for these guys, it’s getting closer and closer but it’s a feeling I have not experienced for along time and it’s great. Starting Saturday we have the opportunity to really light the fire under this league. MOT
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