Leeds United manager Daniel Farke expects his job security to be the subject of rumours after every single Premier League defeat.
Last season the German guided Leeds to a Championship title, promotion to the Premier League and a record of 30 wins, 13 draws and just six defeats in all competitions. In the league the Whites lost just four times. And yet Farke's approval ratings fluctuated at times - most notably after a run of three consecutive draws in March and April. The atmosphere around the club and in the media led him to declare in a post-game press conference at Luton that he was 100 per cent certain they would win promotion. What followed was perfection. Six straight wins with 16 goals scored and just two conceded as they ended the campaign on 100 points, pipping Burnley on goal difference.
Even as they celebrated promotion and then the title at Plymouth Argyle on the final day, Leeds were the subject of reports in the national media. The suggestion was that 49ers Enterprises chief Paraag Marathe, who embraced Farke on the pitch after the team received the league trophy, was considering sacking the manager and replacing him.
One day later Marathe went on record to confirm that Farke was indeed his man to lead the club into the Premier League, where after a solid start they have gone three games without victory. Having lost to fellow newly-promoted side Burnley last weekend, Farke and Leeds host struggling West Ham United at Elland Road on Friday night. It has the feel of a big game and in the eyes of many it's a must-win fixture. Naturally, Farke was asked this week about the pressure he is under in a division where already this season managers have lost their jobs.
"How do you want to be a Leeds United manager if you're not calm and relaxed?" he quipped. "The average regime of a manager here - I'm here whatever, two and a half years - normally you just last here two and a half months because it's such an emotional club. If you can't handle the heat don't enter the kitchen. I'm totally relaxed and totally confident because I know what we are doing. On Premier League level there will always be pressure and for an emotional club like Leeds United even more."
Given what was written while he was guiding the club to a title, Farke has come to expect speculation over his Elland Road future as par for the course. But he says the feeling internally at Leeds is what helps him to keep it all in perspective.
"For the first two years after each and every draw there are sacking rumours about the manager," he said. "This is how it works. Last season after each and every draw there were sack rumours, not after a loss, but after a draw. We've played the best season in the history of this club, 100 points, best goal difference ever, broke all the records, plus 65 goal difference, nearly 100 goals. And still after more or less each and every draw I was in danger. Even after winning the title there were some rumours. And I guarantee it will be as long as I stay as Leeds United manager, after each and every loss there will be these rumours. I know the truth, we know the truth internally, we know exactly what we're doing. We're heading 100 per cent in the right direction, we're doing many, many things right."
While the manager expects pressure to be heaped on him in his role, he wants to protect his players from it. If he's being talked about then he considers it preferential to the squad coming under such scrutiny. This week he spoke about their start to the season and how they have been unlucky, having restricted teams to very few good chances and yet had a small number of mistakes punished in a big way. Clinical finishing helped Tottenham to a 2-1 win at Elland Road and Burnley created very little and yet scored twice, benefitting from lapses in concentration, to beat the Whites last weekend. There is a lot about the way Leeds are performing that Farke likes so he's confident in the work they're doing and believes they 'belong' in the top flight.
"We have to make sure the players - it's a heavy shirt to play for Leeds United and they're young human beings, not as settled as I am in this role, I've developed into this role, at other clubs where you have to handle this pressure on each and every game day," he said. I can deal with it. I have to make sure for our players it's not over the line and they're not so much in the spotlight. When there is a bit more focus on the manager, it's great because the players can concentrate on what they're doing.
"For me it's business as normal that each and every day you have pressure here for Leeds United. I'm totally calm, totally relaxed and focused on what we have to do. I know my boys are doing many things in a really good way."
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