Leeds manager Sam Allardyce said the club’s players had not been good enough after Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat to Tottenham sealed Premier League relegation.
Allardyce had been Leeds’ last throw of the dice with four games remaining, but after three defeats and a draw the 68-year-old was unable to mask the club’s systemic failings and save them.
He said: “Most of it comes down to how good are your players? These players have tried very hard while I’ve been here and I can’t fault their effort.
“But as a squad, they haven’t been good enough by the fact that they’re in the bottom three in the Premier League.
“I would have hoped I could have got a little bit more out of them, so I take responsibility for that.
“But it’s a tough old world when things start failing and when they start failing and confidence starts going then it’s very difficult to claw it back and we’ve been unable to do that.”
Leeds’ three-year stay in the top flight is over and Allardyce made it clear poor player recruitment had been the biggest factor in their demise.
“General recruitment is the number one factor for any manager or any coach or any head coach or any club to be successful,” he said.
“Without top-level recruitment, a manager and a coach and the staff are only as good as the players they have available and their ability.
“Actual quality is all about recruitment because better players and more intelligent players make you a better coach, make everybody at the club better, make it a happy club going forward.”
Leeds’ ultra-slim hopes of avoiding the drop on the final day appeared dashed in the only the second minute against Tottenham when Harry Kane fired the visitors into an early lead.
The Elland Road faithful responded with raucous defiance and that quickly turned to anger as they vented their fury at the Leeds board.
Leeds wasted several first-half chances and were duly punished – as they have been all season – when Pedro Porro put Tottenham 2-0 up with a brilliant angled finish two minutes into the second half.
Jack Harrison reduced the deficit, only for Kane to curl home his 30th league goal of the season two minutes later.
Tottenham substitute Lucas Moura then compounded Leeds’ misery when he waltzed through to add a fourth in stoppage time.
Leeds fans chanted ‘sack the board’ and called on chairman Andrea Radrizzani to sell his majority stake in the club to American co-owners 49ers Enterprises.
The financial arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers holds a 44 per cent stake with a deal in place to buy the remaining shares before January 2024.
But that was contingent on Leeds being in the top flight and relegation has muddied the waters.
Allardyce urged the club to quickly resolve their ownership issue, but it remains to be seen who will be in control as they bid to bounce straight back from the Sky Bet Championship.
“I haven’t said I’m staying yet so there’s a lot of discussion that needs (to be had) both ways on what’s going to happen,” Allardyce added.
“Whether that’s me or whoever that might be if it’s not me. I’m not committing myself to say I am or not staying just yet.”
Postecoglou thinks Spurs can end Guardiola's Premier League dominance
Ange Postecoglou relishes the opportunity to challenge Pep Guardiola’s Premier League dominance after he signed a contract extension with Manchester City.
It was announced by City on Thursday that Guardiola will stay at the club until 2027 after agreeing a new two-year deal, taking his time at the Etihad to over a decade.
Under Guardiola (since 2016-17), City have lost more Premier League games (six) and conceded more goals (22) against Spurs than they have against any other opponent in the top-flight.
It is perhaps unsurprising then that, despite the City boss having lifted the Premier League trophy in six of the last seven seasons, Postecoglou was happy his competitor was remaining at the helm.
"I look at it the other way, imagine you knock him off? That would be something, eh?,"Postecoglou began.
"And I'm at the stage of my life where I'd rather have a chance of knocking him off than missing that opportunity. In the right way, obviously.
"I think when greatness is around, you want to be around it. Hopefully it challenges you to be like that as well.”
Postecoglou is preparing to travel to face City in the league on Saturday during Guardiola’s worst run of form of his career.
City have lost each of their last four matches in all competitions. The Citizens last lost more consecutively between March and April 2006 under Stuart Pearce (six – the fifth game of which was also against Tottenham).
It could present the perfect opportunity for the Australian boss to start his ascent on Guardiola’s dominance, though he will have to face demons of his own as his side have won just two of their last 11 Premier League away games (D2 L7).
"I love the fact that there is a massive target out there that can seem insurmountable. It does for me anyway, raises my level, gets me going,” he added.
"I love the challenge of that and I never see that as a bad thing."
New Man Utd boss Amorim: 'I will do my thing, my way'
Ruben Amorim insisted "I will do my thing, my way" at Manchester United rather than concerning himself with where his predecessors went wrong.
The 39-year-old will be on the touchline for his first game as United head coach on Sunday as they face Ipswich Town, taking over from caretaker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Amorim was confirmed as the new head coach at Old Trafford at the start of November after Erik ten Hag was sacked following a poor run of results.
The former Sporting CP boss will not look to the past for answers, however, as he looks to turn the fortunes of United around.
"I will not try to find out the right thing to do or try to find out what was missing with Erik ten Hag, with Jose Mourinho, with Louis van Gaal," Amorim told Sky Sports.
"I will not try that because I think it's a waste of time. They chose me because they saw something and I do something in a clear way.
"I really don't know what the [other managers] missed here but I know I will do my thing, my way and try to find out what is missing in my way of seeing football."
Ten Hag guided United to two trophies but struggled to maintain form across all competitions as they fell to a disappointing eighth-placed finish in the Premier League.
It adds to the persistent struggles of the club since the departure of Alex Ferguson as, despite their illustrious history, United have failed to win a league title since 2013. But Amorim believes he can deliver success.
"We will have really hard moments but, in the end, I truly believe that we are going to succeed," he said.
"The first impression is that it's so big, with a lot of departments. I came from a big club in a small country. Here is a different world.
"You have a lot to do. You are not just a coach. You have to be something more.
"So it's a little bit different, but I think I'm prepared for that. And it's Manchester United. It doesn't matter the last years."
Amorim enjoyed great success at Sporting, winning two league titles.
He took charge of 231 games in all competitions, the most in the club's history, and won 164 of those matches, losing just 33 times, with his 71% win percentage also a club record-high mark. His team scored 510 goals, averaging 2.2 per game.
After a successful four-game stint for interim boss Russ van Nistelrooy, Amorim officially took over at Old Trafford on November 11.
He is, however, understanding that fans may still be wary of the future, given what has come before.
"I know that at this moment our fans are with mixed feelings - 'I want to be excited, but I have been here so I'm a little bit afraid. It's the same story all the time. I can be disappointed,’" said Amorim.
"So what I can say is that I'm really excited. I'm not afraid to show it. But I have a clear idea that this will take time.
"Don't confuse my happiness with naivety. It's not the same thing. I'm really happy.
"I know what to do. But I have an idea that we are going to suffer a little bit before improving in the way that you should improve."
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