Leeds appoint McDermott
Brian McDermott has been handed an instant return to management after being given the vacant Leeds job on a three-year contract this afternoon.
The 52-year-old‘s appointment comes just 32 days after he was sacked by Reading - the side he guided to the Championship title a year ago.
McDermott arrives at Elland Road less than two weeks after the departure of Neil Warnock, who walked away after failing to mount a promotion campaign.
Former Arsenal midfielder McDermott inherits a side 17th in the Championship and one which has been dragged into a relegation battle.
Last Saturday‘s 1-0 defeat at Charlton under caretaker Neil Redfearn was their fourth in a row, rendering tomorrow‘s home game with Sheffield Wednesday a crucial one to their hopes of avoiding any late-season drama.
“We are delighted to have appointed Brian as our manager,” said Leeds director David Haigh in a statement.
“He is a man with a proven track record of success and shares our vision of the best way to return long terms and sustainable success to this great football club.
“Obviously the immediate aim is a return as soon as possible to the Premiership. Brian’s success in taking Reading to the Premiership last year was a key factor in our decision to hire him.”
McDermott, who takes assistant Nigel Gibbs with him to Yorkshire, was a relatively late starter as a manager, taking over at Reading midway through the 2009/10 season.
Prior to that he had been in charge of non-league sides Woking and Slough, before becoming Reading‘s chief scout in 2000.
While in the post he helped discover the likes of Kevin Doyle and Shane Long and, when Brendan Rodgers left the club in December 2009, McDermott stepped up to the top job.
In his first full season in charge he took Reading to the play-off final where they were beaten by Rodgers‘ Swansea, but they responded by winning the title a year later.
Life in the Premier League was harder and, despite winning the manager of the month award in January, McDermott was sacked in March with an overall win ratio of 46%.
McDermott is the first managerial appointment made by Leeds owners GFH Capital, who bought the club from Ken Bates in December.
Board members Haigh and Salem Patel flew in from Dubai today to secure McDermott‘s signature, although their futures at the club remain under a cloud as talk of a second takeover inside a year refuses to go away.
