Latest news with #IllanMeslier
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sunderland face playoffs with teenage stars, left-field Le Bris but investment issues
It is May 2024 and Illan Meslier, the Leeds goalkeeper, is singing the praises of a former Lorient youth coach whose astute mentoring shaped his career. But who is this left-field thinker who dispatched his young goalkeepers to undergo professional boxing training, spend hours performing acrobatics on trampolines and talk intensely to sports psychologists? Régis Le Bris eventually became Lorient's first-team manager in 2022 but, after a promising opening season, the Breton team were relegated from Ligue 1 last spring. No matter; a month on from that chat with Meslier in North Yorkshire, Sunderland named Le Bris as their head coach and, now, the 49-year-old is preparing to lead the club out at Wembley on Saturday. Along the way the self-confessed 'average' Rennes defender turned academically inclined youth coach – he holds a doctorate in human physiology and biomechanics and a psychology diploma – has delighted in trampling on convention. Unusually, a man who began learning English in 2022 arrived on Wearside alone and was happy to work with Sunderland's coaching staff. He lives near his Newcastle counterpart Eddie Howe, and a host of north-east footballers, in an upmarket area of Northumberland but that is about as conventional as Le Bris gets. Part of those doctorate studies involved compiling a dissertation on new ways of using oxygen to revive fatigued and distressed athletes. Whatever happens on Saturday his sometimes unorthodox tactical methodology has breathed new life into Sunderland. Although Le Bris adapts formations, personnel and tactics to the opposition, his philosophy is underpinned by a belief that the game is a form of trigonometry. 'Triangles are the basis of everything we do,' says a coach whose often counterattacking winger-propelled gameplans tend to be heavily dependent on triangular passing interactions between full-backs, wingers and No 8s. As the forward Eliezer Mayenda says: 'It's all about finding the right triangles.' During Le Bris's teenage years in the western Breton village of Pont-l'Abbé, he devoted his spare time to completing an in-depth analysis of Arsène Wenger's tactics as Monaco's manager. As an adult, he spent holidays touring clubs across Spain and England – Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Leeds included – to watch their coaches. 'He's not someone who shouts at you,' the Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor says, 'but he makes you understand things really, really thoroughly.' The winger Patrick Roberts agrees. 'He's efficient,' he says. 'He's brought us new ideas and he's capable of changing our play depending on the opponent. He's modern.' With a median age of 22.4 Sunderland have, on average, fielded the Championship's youngest starting XIs this season. A squad notable for the absence of outfield players over 30 ranks as one of Europe's most youthful and is often heavily reliant on the much-coveted midfield skills of the 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham and 17-year-old Chris Rigg. It is part of a strategy devised by Kristjaan Speakman, Sunderland's sporting director, involving the fusion of promising youngsters from the highly regarded academy with raw, often flawed, young talent acquired relatively cheaply from across Europe. There is no squeamishness about buying to sell. Last season's star winger Jack Clarke joined Ipswich for £15m last summer, and another winger, the 19-year-old Tommy Watson, will sign for Brighton for £10m this summer. Bellingham was bought from Birmingham for £1.5m but could be poised to join Borussia Dortmund for £25m. Clarke's replacement has been the excellent Romaine Mundle, a former Tottenham youth player recruited from Standard Liège for £1m. Le Bris's two main strikers, Isidor, a £5m purchase from Zenit St Petersburg, and Mayenda, £1m from Sochaux, have appreciated considerably in value. Whether this strategy could continue working in the Premier League remains to be seen but Sunderland's owner, the 27-year-old Swiss-French billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, is on a mission to run the club as a sustainable business. It helps that Le Bris, unlike some recently promoted managers (see Russell Martin at Southampton), is not a slave to positional-style, play-it-out-from-the-back football. Sunderland overcame Coventry in the playoff semi-final courtesy of about 25% possession and an ultra-low block so winning ugly poses few problems. Nonetheless, a significant investment in higher-calibre players would appear essential if immediate relegation were to be avoided. The infrastructure – a 49,000-capacity stadium and Premier League-standard training facility – is in place but commercial revenues are about a third of those commanded by Leeds, the Championship winners, and require significant boosting. Potential investors are thought to be waiting in the wings, with Louis-Dreyfus believed to be ready to invite them on to the board should promotion be secured. Enzo Le Fée helped create Sunderland's three goals against Coventry. No matter that the Roma loanee playmaker was largely deployed out of position on the left wing, Le Fée underlined why Le Bris persuaded Speakman to relax club recruitment rules to be reunited with his former Lorient protege in January. Should Sunderland win promotion, a 25-year-old who revels as a No 10 will automatically see his loan morph into a £20m transfer. Much may hinge on whether the recently hamstrung Mundle is fit to start wide on the left at Wembley.
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Sunderland face playoffs with teenage stars, left-field Le Bris but investment issues
It is May 2024 and Illan Meslier, the Leeds goalkeeper, is singing the praises of a former Lorient youth coach whose astute mentoring shaped his career. But who is this left-field thinker who dispatched his young goalkeepers to undergo professional boxing training, spend hours performing acrobatics on trampolines and talk intensely to sports psychologists? Régis Le Bris eventually became Lorient's first-team manager in 2022 but, after a promising opening season, the Breton team were relegated from Ligue 1 last spring. No matter; a month on from that chat with Meslier in North Yorkshire, Sunderland named Le Bris as their head coach and, now, the 49-year-old is preparing to lead the club out at Wembley on Saturday. Along the way the self-confessed 'average' Rennes defender turned academically inclined youth coach – he holds a doctorate in human physiology and biomechanics and a psychology diploma – has delighted in trampling on convention. Unusually, a man who began learning English in 2022 arrived on Wearside alone and was happy to work with Sunderland's coaching staff. He lives near his Newcastle counterpart Eddie Howe, and a host of north-east footballers, in an upmarket area of Northumberland but that is about as conventional as Le Bris gets. Part of those doctorate studies involved compiling a dissertation on new ways of using oxygen to revive fatigued and distressed athletes. Whatever happens on Saturday his sometimes unorthodox tactical methodology has breathed new life into Sunderland. Although Le Bris adapts formations, personnel and tactics to the opposition, his philosophy is underpinned by a belief that the game is a form of trigonometry. 'Triangles are the basis of everything we do,' says a coach whose often counterattacking winger-propelled gameplans tend to be heavily dependent on triangular passing interactions between full-backs, wingers and No 8s. As the forward Eliezer Mayenda says: 'It's all about finding the right triangles.' During Le Bris's teenage years in the western Breton village of Pont-l'Abbé, he devoted his spare time to completing an in-depth analysis of Arsène Wenger's tactics as Monaco's manager. As an adult, he spent holidays touring clubs across Spain and England – Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton and Leeds included – to watch their coaches. 'He's not someone who shouts at you,' the Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor says, 'but he makes you understand things really, really thoroughly.' The winger Patrick Roberts agrees. 'He's efficient,' he says. 'He's brought us new ideas and he's capable of changing our play depending on the opponent. He's modern.' With a median age of 22.4 Sunderland have, on average, fielded the Championship's youngest starting XIs this season. A squad notable for the absence of outfield players over 30 ranks as one of Europe's most youthful and is often heavily reliant on the much-coveted midfield skills of the 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham and 17-year-old Chris Rigg. It is part of a strategy devised by Kristjaan Speakman, Sunderland's sporting director, involving the fusion of promising youngsters from the highly regarded academy with raw, often flawed, young talent acquired relatively cheaply from across Europe. There is no squeamishness about buying to sell. Last season's star winger Jack Clarke joined Ipswich for £15m last summer, and another winger, the 19-year-old Tommy Watson, will sign for Brighton for £10m this summer. Bellingham was bought from Birmingham for £1.5m but could be poised to join Borussia Dortmund for £25m. Clarke's replacement has been the excellent Romaine Mundle, a former Tottenham youth player recruited from Standard Liège for £1m. Le Bris's two main strikers, Isidor, a £5m purchase from Zenit St Petersburg, and Mayenda, £1m from Sochaux, have appreciated considerably in value. Whether this strategy could continue working in the Premier League remains to be seen but Sunderland's owner, the 27-year-old Swiss-French billionaire Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, is on a mission to run the club as a sustainable business. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion It helps that Le Bris, unlike some recently promoted managers (see Russell Martin at Southampton), is not a slave to positional-style, play-it-out-from-the-back football. Sunderland overcame Coventry in the playoff semi-final courtesy of about 25% possession and an ultra-low block so winning ugly poses few problems. Nonetheless, a significant investment in higher-calibre players would appear essential if immediate relegation were to be avoided. The infrastructure – a 49,000-capacity stadium and Premier League-standard training facility – is in place but commercial revenues are about a third of those commanded by Leeds, the Championship winners, and require significant boosting. Potential investors are thought to be waiting in the wings, with Louis-Dreyfus believed to be ready to invite them on to the board should promotion be secured. Enzo Le Fée helped create Sunderland's three goals against Coventry. No matter that the Roma loanee playmaker was largely deployed out of position on the left wing, Le Fée underlined why Le Bris persuaded Speakman to relax club recruitment rules to be reunited with his former Lorient protege in January. Should Sunderland win promotion, a 25-year-old who revels as a No 10 will automatically see his loan morph into a £20m transfer. Much may hinge on whether the recently hamstrung Mundle is fit to start wide on the left at Wembley.
Yahoo
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Leeds ready to replace Illan Meslier with international goalkeeper
Leeds ready to replace Illan Meslier with international goalkeeper Illan Meslier has had another tough season in the Leeds goal, and because of this, it is not surprise that he could be replaced during the summer transfer window. He has been dropped in recent weeks by head coach Daniel Farke, but he could lose further prominence ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, and a move away has also not been ruled out by the Premier League-bound club. With three matches to go in the Championship season, Leeds are five points clear in the automatic promotion places – and barring a late collapse, they should be moving a return to the top division of English football. And if they do, there will be even more of an insistence to bring in a new goalkeeper that would give an increased chance of avoiding relegation. Advertisement And Leeds officials now appear to have settled on the player that they feel will give them the best chance of this. Leeds plot summer move for Angus Gunn to replace Meslier Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn (Photo by Rex Features) As reported by Football Insider (via GiveMeSport), Leeds are readying a move for Norwich goalkeeper Angus Gunn. The 29-year-old, who has been capped on 15 occasions by Scotland, is out of contract at the end of the season, and at this stage, he has yet to be offered the chance to continue his stay at Carrow Road. Leeds are long-term admirers of Gunn, who has performed relatively well in the Championship this season. And the fact that he could arrive as a free agent would make him an even more attractive signing in the face of expected Premier League promotion, as it would allow more money to be spent on addressing other issues in Farke's squad. It remains to be seen whether Gunn does move to Elland Road in the summer, but if he is not offered a new deal by Norwich, the chances of that happening will certainly increase.
BBC News
01-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Stick or twist? How do Leeds solve Meslier muddle?
The boos rang out around Elland Road at full-time on Saturday as Swansea celebrated their late point at Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier cut a disconsolate figure as he sought to collect his thoughts after another rollercoaster 90 much-criticised Frenchman had saved Josh Tymon's penalty in the first half to preserve Leeds' 1-0 advantage at the break but few in the ground were thinking of that come it was how costly his latest error, dropping a corner under no pressure to allow Harry Darling to make it 1-1, could prove to be for their Premier League promotion hopes and whether the time has come for boss Daniel Farke to make a change in goal for the final seven league is a look at the 25-year-old's season to date, what those close to the team think and who could take his place. One mistake too many? Meslier initially joined Leeds on loan from Lorient in his home country in 2019, aged getting his chance in February the following year he has spent the past five years as their first-choice was a big part of Marcelo Bielsa's side who finished a highly creditable ninth in the Premier League in 2020-21 after making a permanent move to West Yorkshire after helping them to promotion in July Bielsa's successors only Sam Allardyce did not pick him during his brief and unsuccessful spell, as Leeds were relegated back to the game against the Swans marked his 200th league appearance for the despite the penalty save, it proved to be a day to forget rather than celebrate in a season where high-profile mistakes have haunted he inexplicably misread the bounce of the ball to let in a last-minute equaliser at Sunderland in October and then in January he was at fault as Hull City came back from 3-1 down to draw led many fans to suggest it was time for a change but, with the team well-placed, boss Farke stood by his man, saying it would be "crazy" to change his responded to that backing by keeping six successive clean sheets and, although he conceded an unfortunate own goal in the 3-1 win at promotion rivals Sheffield United in February, it looked like his mistakes would just be a footnote to a successful were five points clear at the top at the start of March, and seven ahead of Burnley in Championship side that has been in that position after 34 games has gone on to win automatic one win from five games last month has allowed the Blades to go top and Meslier's latest faux pas has seen what patience remained seemingly run out. 'No credit in the bank' and 'indefensible' The team at BBC Radio Leeds' Leeds United podcast Don't Go To Bed Just Yet were unanimous that it is time for Meslier to come out of the starting Chiefs bassist and Leeds season ticket holder Simon Rix: "It's just disappointing because, on this podcast at least, I think we all kind of want him to do well and backed him even when he's had bad moments and we feel like he's been a decent goalkeeper."You could make a highlights reel that looks amazing from Saturday's game because there's the penalty save and the save just before their first goal is a great save because he's unsighted. "He looked to be having a great game and then the next thing he does is drop it on a Swansea player's foot. It's just bizarre. I can only think it is concentration."I think he's just got no credit in the bank now. He doesn't have the crowd on his side."BBC Radio Leeds' Leeds reporter Adam Pope: "I think it's inexplicable. He was under no pressure. You can't defend it anymore."Maybe Farke sits down with (captain) Ethan Ampadu and asks him if the lads still trust Illan or if they want a change? The way it's going this could ruin Leeds' chances of automatic promotion."Former Leeds player Aidy White on BBC Radio Leeds: "It's one too many now. You can be forgiven for maybe one or two but the amount of games it has happened now… a huge decision has got to be made with seven games left."I think you've got to drop him now. Farke came out and supported him last time but how long can you keep trusting him for?" What do the stats say? Unfortunately for Meslier and his supporters the statistics do not make for brilliant reading in his to Opta, of the 27 goalkeepers to have played at least 10 games in the Championship this season he ranks 19th for goals own goals, he has conceded 24 goals from 23.9 expected goals on comparison, Burnley keeper James Trafford has conceded a measly 11 goals from an expected goals on target of 22.6, while Sheffield United shot-stopper Michael Cooper has allowed 26 goals from also comes out badly in terms of errors leading to Sheffield Wednesday's James Beadle, with four, has more than Meslier and Swansea counterpart Lawrence Vigouroux, who both have Owls dropped Beadle for Saturday's trip to Cardiff City. Farke in an 'impossible position' - Analysis Fan writer Adonis StorrIllan Meslier has flattered to deceive during his time in Yorkshire. But despite threatening a redemption story by keeping out a penalty against Swansea and making a couple of vital saves, he was back to being the pantomime villain by the the Frenchman's undeniable potential is surpassed by his tendency to err. Spilling a simple catch from a corner and failing to save a speculative shot from a narrow angle, the Leeds goalkeeper fluffed his lines again when it mattered is not solely responsible for Leeds' remarkable loss of form. The whole team seems to be lacking energy. But the goalkeeper's performances are affecting his team-mates. None more so than a clearly frustrated Joe October I asked "can Leeds afford to keep waiting for him to improve?" In January I wrote "it feels like it is time to try someone else".Daniel Farke has seven, maybe 10, games left to get Leeds promoted, but Meslier's mistakes have left him in an impossible position. Dial in Darlow? If Leeds are to make a change between the sticks then it is likely to be veteran Karl Darlow who is given the 34-year-old has made just two league appearances since joining from Newcastle in the summer of 2023, once as a sub after Meslier was sent off at Preston on 26 December that year and then in the 1-0 reverse at West Brom three days later when the number one was most number twos, Darlow has seen some action this season as he is first choice for Wales, where he plays alongside club team-mates Rodon, Ampadu and Dan James, so he would not be coming in cold if he were to be given a chance at relegation-threatened Luton on also has experience of winning promotion from this division, having made 34 appearances as the Magpies won the Championship title in refused to blame Meslier for Saturday's result and you feel that whatever decision he makes now, all eyes will be on whoever is between the posts for Leeds at Kenilworth Road this weekend.
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Michael Skubala interview: ‘I didn't realise how big Leeds was – when I left, I definitely knew'
If Illan Meslier had been more aware of where his near post was, you wonder how different the fates of Leeds United and Michael Skubala might have been. Everton, 18th, were hosting Leeds, 17th, in a Premier League relegation 'six-pointer' on February 18, 2023. Skubala was in the away dugout, managing his third game as Leeds' interim head coach having stepped up from his usual role in charge of their under-21 side. Advertisement Midway through the second half, home captain Seamus Coleman made a run from deep, beat Robin Koch to Alex Iwobi's lofted pass and hit it first time, three yards from the byline. Leeds goalkeeper Meslier had left a four-yard gap between himself and that near post. The ball sailed past him into the net as he stood still, rooted to the spot and dumbfounded. Everton won the match 1-0 and Leeds ended the day 19th in the table, two points and two places from safety. Chairman Andrea Radrizzani felt he had to act. Javi Gracia was drafted in before the next match and Skubala dropped back down into his coaching staff. ©aptain ©lutch. — Everton (@Everton) February 18, 2023 Everton were the better team that day, but if that goal had not gone in and Leeds had got a point at Goodison Park, the building blocks were there for Skubala. He had already overseen two encouraging performances (an away draw and a home loss) against Manchester United in the preceding fortnight. Skubala was keen to see the job out until the end of the season and he thinks taking something away from that trip to Everton would have secured him that post. 'By not getting a result there, it puts pressure on other people in the building and more panic,' Skubala says. 'That's what happens in a relegation battle. People think it's just the team. It's not, because (of the) millions you lose, (the) clubs you lose. It's a big deal, isn't it? 'It would have been a really big decision to stick with me. It was a really big decision not to stick with me. It's a really big decision to change because of all the finances and what's involved in football at that level if you get relegated. 'You know now (because of Leeds' failure to rebound from the Championship at the first time of asking last season) if you come out of the Premier League, it's not as easy to get back up.' Skubala is speaking to The Athletic at Lincoln City's plush £1.3million ($1.7m) training ground. This has been Skubala's workplace for the past 16 months, where he has been leading the League One side. The money for the development was generated by the now third-division club's run to the FA Cup quarter-final in 2016-17 as a fifth-tier, non-League outfit. It was spent on facilities rather than signings. The ownership's wider perspective appealed to Skubala when he took the head coach job in November 2023. Advertisement His run as Leeds' interim head coach and the exposure it provided saw job offers land in his inbox. Nothing suited him until he met the people running Lincoln. He says he moved to Sincil Bank (currently known as the LNER Stadium thanks to a sponsorship deal) because of the leadership of chairman Clive Nates, chief executive Liam Scully and director of football Jez George. The recruitment process was reassuringly rigorous. It was enough to prise him away from the under-21 head coach position at Thorp Arch. That itself was a role Skubala had waited for when he came to Leeds in July 2022. He was working with England's under-18s and had been looking for an under-21 position in the top flight. 'Some of them didn't feel right, and I wasn't sure, but I knew the rich history of Leeds,' he says. 'You only have to go into the club (to see) the feel of the club and the size of a club. If you're going to work in a club, it doesn't have to be the best club. You feel the responsibility for youth development. You only have to look at that board (of academy graduates) and think you want to bring players through. You want to be part of that history.' Archie Gray and Mateo Joseph are two of the standout names from that first year Skubala had with Leeds' youngsters. He recalls playing Gray at right-back, to some odd looks, in a Premier League 2 game at Aston Villa in that first August. A year later, Daniel Farke made the same switch with the same player in the club's first team. Joseph is still with Leeds and remains one of the academy kids Skubala admired most during their time together: 'It'd be great to see him, one day, even push through and be a starter, even get to the Premier League. I know he wants to do that. I wouldn't bet against him.' Skubala's time with Gray, Joseph and the under-21s was curtailed by first-team business. After a run of two wins in 17 matches, head coach Jesse Marsch was sacked on February 6, 2023. While the club looked for a permanent replacement, Skubala was made interim boss. Advertisement 'Jesse went, and they needed someone to steady the ship, support, (and) try to drive it,' he says. 'They knew what I'd done with the under-21s. They knew the coaching, knew that would be no problem. I had connections with the players. 'The senior pros were fantastic at the time. I still speak to Coops (Liam Cooper) over messages. Luke Ayling and Pat (Bamford), all those senior players are top players and good people. What they did in their career and getting the club there (to the Premier League), it can't be underestimated how hard they worked for that badge. 'I know when Bill (Ayling's nickname) and Liam left recently, it hurt. Klichy (Mateusz Klich) and people did so much stuff for that club, at that point, to try to get it back in the Premier League. It's tough. It's really tough.' Skubala made a good impression. He had two days to prepare a demoralised group for a trip to Old Trafford. Wilfried Gnonto scored inside 60 seconds and Leeds were two goals up not long after half-time. It was the resurgence the fans needed to see, even if the hosts did peg them back to 2-2 by full-time. That was followed, unusually, by the reverse fixture at Elland Road four days later (the game in Manchester had been postponed from the weekend the previous September when all matches were called off following the Queen's death). Skubala thinks his side were on top for 60 minutes of that game before late strikes by Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho delivered an away win. He may have been fighting fires, but the interim coach wanted to make the right impression. 'I made sure of little things,' he says. 'I spoke to the comms team and said, 'Look, this is a massive game for Leeds United fans. I have to respect the game. What can I say right and what can I say wrong?'. I made sure not to call them 'United'. I had to call them Manchester United. Little things. I wanted to have the respect of the fans by not getting things wrong.' While Skubala was overseeing those games with Manchester United and Everton, director of football Victor Orta was pursuing Andoni Iraola and Arne Slot on the continent as a full-time replacement for Marsch. The latter looked closer to signing than the former, but neither joined in the end. Orta was short of both time and suitable candidates. The Everton loss forced Radrizzani's hand, and Gracia is where they ended up. Advertisement Gracia delivered 10 points from his first six games. Leeds were up to 13th in the table, still only two points above the drop zone, but with four teams between them and danger. Then came a watershed moment. Leeds hosted Crystal Palace, who had won one of their previous 13 matches. Gracia's side converted one of seven shots on target in the first half. Marc Guehi then profited from sloppy set-piece defending to level on the stroke of half-time. Nothing in that opening period signalled the Londoners would then score four unanswered goals in the second half. Left shellshocked by the experience, Leeds took one point from the next 12 on offer with an aggregate deficit of 13 goals to four. As several players have said since, Skubala does not recall any half-time issues. Ultimately, he feels the chasm between the philosophies of Marsch and Gracia was too great a leap to make successfully midway through a season. 'Players are like kids sometimes, with fresh ideas, fresh voices, fresh this, fresh that,' he says. 'That wasn't from me, but it was like, 'New manager in, I've got to sit up and take notice a little bit more'. 'You saw that, but like most clubs, when they have a bounce, they then level out. You see that in any league, in any club. That's where this club's (Lincoln) great — more long-term thinking, rather than just a short-term boost. 'For me, it was just a complete swing of how we were built playing to how the new style was. You go from more of a Red Bull style, aggressive (Marcelo) Bielsa style, to a positional style. The two identities and what the players had been doing over a certain amount of time didn't meet enough.' Leeds sacked Gracia too, with four games to go. Sam Allardyce followed — as did relegation. Skubala learned plenty from Marsch, Gracia and Allardyce, even if it did end up as a doomed campaign. With Farke's arrival that summer, Skubala returned, happily, to his under-21 brief. Advertisement He saw first-hand just how challenging that summer of transition was. Skubala noted the more minor changes the new manager instigated, such as an interior overhaul of the training ground's reception. It was all, as far as Skubala saw, an effort to shake off the stench of relegation. 'It was a tough summer to manage,' he says. 'I learnt a lot seeing how he managed that, being strong with players on the way in, which was good. You can see now that he has good relationships with the lads. 'Some of them, I look back and think, at the time, there was a bit of toing and froing with agents, but he's built relationships. How he uses his staff. He's got some experienced staff he trusts. They're a brilliant staff. There's lots of little things that make a big impact.' Skubala packed a lot into his 16 months in West Yorkshire. One of the key lessons he took to Lincoln from his time with Leeds was the difference football clubs can make to a supporter's daily life. 'I look at it as a brilliant chapter,' he says. 'I loved it: loved the fans, loved the club, loved the staff, loved the stadium staff. I'm one of those people that, quietly, tries to build relationships with people and respects them, whether they're a cleaner or whether they're the head coach. I value everybody's input into the club. I say that to the players here: 'Sign a shirt, because it makes a big difference'. 'The biggest thing you learn about being around Leeds (the club) is how it makes the biggest difference to people's lives. We sometimes can underestimate that because we work in it. But, actually, there are so many people that just live for the Saturday or live for the Tuesday or live for Mateo (Joseph) to say 'Hello'. It could change their lives. 'Underneath it all, that's the bit I'll probably learn with Leeds. I loved to walk anywhere in the country and someone would come and chat to me. When I went to Leeds, I knew it was a big club, but I didn't realise how big it was with the fanbase. When I left, I definitely knew.'
