Robbie Fowler has raved about Leeds United boss Garry Monk.
Former Leeds United striker Robbie Fowler has told The Mirror that the club deserve to be in the Premier League – and he thinks Garry Monk can take them there.
The Whites are in FA Cup action this afternoon, as they travel to South London to take on non-league side Sutton United in the fourth round of the competition, having beaten League Two outfit Cambridge United in the last round.
Leeds will be hoping for a lengthy run in the FA Cup having impressed in the league this season, with manager Monk putting them right in contention for a promotion spot.
Leeds United manager Garry Monk
Monk’s men have won six of their last eight games in the Championship, and sit fourth in the table, seven points inside the play-off places and seven points off the automatic promotion spots.
After years of mid-table obscurity, Leeds are finally looking like a legitimate contender for promotion back to the Premier League, almost 13 years since they were relegated from the top flight.
Manager Monk deserves much of the credit for the turnaround this season, as he arrived in the summer after Leeds had finished in 13th place in the Championship table, a whopping 15 points off the top six. Now, Leeds are looking up rather than down.
Robbie Fowler during his time with Leeds
It was a gamble for both Leeds and Monk when the move came about; Monk is just 37 and has only had one managerial job – with Swansea City – and he was sacked from that role in 2015, whilst Monk was walking into a real hot seat given that co-owner Massimo Cellino had seen off six managers in two years.
Now, ahead of today’s game with Sutton United, former Leeds striker Robbie Fowler – who hit 14 goals in 33 games for the club – has commented on Monk and the club’s fortunes in his column for The Mirror.
Fowler stated that Leeds deserve to be back in the Premier League, and thinks that manager Monk is the ideal man to take them back to the promised land having shown ‘real coaching skill’ and ‘managerial talent’ this season, whilst suggesting that he has proven people wrong after being accused of desperation for taking the job in the first place.
Fowler noted that today’s game is tricky, but Leeds are right in the mix for promotion in the league – and commented on the great irony if Leeds were to replace Swansea City in the Premier League, who sacked Monk just over a year ago.
“I don’t care whether people think other clubs deserve to be in the Premier League, but I KNOW Leeds do – and, in Garry Monk, they have the perfect man to take them there,” said Fowler. “He did well at Swansea, but it could have been the end of the line when he didn’t immediately get another job. Some people said it smacked of desperation to accept a job under Cellino, but it has worked out because now we can see the talent he has.”
“I’m truly happy for him. He has shown real coaching skill in setting Leeds up right, and managerial talent in producing a togetherness within his squad and a belief they can win games. Now, the Leeds fans are talking about Monk and his team – not talking about the owner. And I believe they can go up this season. He deserves his chance and he deserves promotion too. It would be some irony if it was at the expense of Swansea.”
“Leeds have a tricky game at Sutton in the FA Cup today and it will be made even trickier by the focus on promotion because he’ll want to rest some key players. But even if they slip up, I don’t think a single fan would blame Monk – if he went on to deliver promotion to the Premier League. Given what he inherited at Elland Road, that would be some feat,” he added.
Do you think Monk can guide Leeds to promotion this season?
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