Patrick Bamford makes Marcelo Bielsa declaration with Leeds United demise reason and incredible farewell story
Whites no 9 Patric Bamford has been discussing former boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford has made a strong Marcelo Bielsa declaration and revealed an incredible farewell story about his former boss.
Bamford and Leeds are heading back for the Premier League after a two-year absence, bouncing back at the second attempt following relegation from the country’s top flight in May 2023.
Argentine boss Bielsa had been responsible for finally taking the Whites back to the country’s top flight after a 16-year absence in the summer of 2020 as Championship champions.
As Bamford fired in 17 goals, Bielsa then led Leeds to a superb ninth-placed finish in their first season back but the following year proved a struggle en route to the Argentine being sacked.
Bamford, though, has declared Bielsa as “by a mile” the best manager he has had and believes injuries were a huge part of his ultimate Leeds demise.
Speaking on Fozcast - The Ben Foster Podcast - Bamford was asked if he considered Bielsa a legend.
"Yeah, best I've had,” declared Bamford. “By a mile as well. And that's no disrespect to any of the other managers because I have had some really good ones."
Pressed on what went wrong for Bielsa, Bamford reasoned: “I feel like the biggest thing in that second season was that the spine of our team was injured.
"Coops got injured for quite a while, Kalvin got injured and I got injured which were three through the middle of the team which I think doesn't help
."That was part of it and the part of it was that we were a bit of a surprise factor in the first year.
"A lot of teams then knew what we did and knew how to combat it and as players that meant we needed to be at 100 per cent of what he wanted to do every time and we just weren't in that second year."
“He'll never have to pay for anything in Leeds again”...
Recalling an incredible farewell story, Bamford continued: “He had earnt so much respect from all the fans, Leeds fans absolutely adore him.
"I have seen pictures where people have named bars in their back garden after him and just random things like that.
"He could come back to Leeds and he'll never have to pay for anything in Leeds again pretty much for the rest of his life.
"But he was that kind of guy that couldn't stop working. Loved football was probably an understatement, was obsessed with football.
"I remember, he came in and said goodbye and he said he never does this. Wherever he has left before, he has never come back in and spoke to the players.
"But he came in the next day and he had a meeting with us and it was sad because he got emotional but he didn't want to see any of the players after, he just walked out, shook hands and had a hug.
"Then I went the day after and I was praying that he hadn't flown already and I went to his house.
"I knocked on the door and I went to say thank you obviously for everything he has done.
"He was in there with two of his analysts, one of the women who looks after all the kind of news stuff and he was watching football, analysing it.
"I was just like fair play, he took ten minutes to sit and talk to me but I interrupted him working and I was like wow, you have literally just left the club two days ago. Legend."