Speaking on The Overlap, Gary Neville has been discussing Leeds United’s Jesse Marsch and how the American is viewed within the wider footballing world.
The American has done a pretty decent job at Leeds so far. He helped them stay up last season, and this term they’re sitting in the bottom half – about where you’d expect them to be.
However, despite doing a half-decent job at Leeds, many remain unconvinced by Marsch, and Neville says that the jury has been out on Marsch since day one, simply because he’s an American.
The USA has been the butt of many football-related jokes over the years, and it seems as though attitudes haven’t changed too much in recent years.
The jury is out
Neville spoke about Marsch and how he’s viewed.
“Is there a thing with Jesse Marsch. One of those things because he’s American the jury is out from day one. Is he ever going to be accepted? Not just by Leeds fans. There’s a bit of that mocking vibe around Jesse Marsch. Not from us, but I can feel it,” Neville said.
Uphill task
Sadly, the reality is that Marsch will have a tough time winning people over because of his nationality.
Whether or not there’s much truth in the idea that Americans aren’t knowledgeable about football is up for debate, but this is a stereotype that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
A decade on from the US topping a World Cup group ahead of England, there is still a huge element of snobbery around Americans in football in this country, and Marsch is the latest victim of this typecasting culture.
Unless Marsch can do something truly special at Leeds, he’s not going to be considered a top-class manager anytime soon.
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