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‘He’s a joke’ – Leeds Utd star condemned amid claim startling comments contributed to Jesse Marsch sack

Leeds Utd striker Patrick Bamford

One observer has claimed Patrick Bamford knew exactly what he was doing after Jesse Marsch was sacked less than 24 hours after his startling comments.

Marsch was relived of his duties as Leeds Utd manager on Monday. The American departed with a win percentage of just 29.73 percent and left the Whites 17th in the table and looking over their shoulder.

Marsch did steer Leeds to safety after succeeding Marcelo Bielsa last season. However, he’s overseen just two league victories since August and his side were staring relegation in the face if a change wasn’t made.

Who’ll succeed Marsch in the dugout isn’t yet clear. Carlos Corberan is the bookies’ favourite at present, while Mauricio Pochettino and Bielsa are also believed to be in the running. Andoni Iraola of Rayo Vallecano is another in the frame.

In any case, the dust hasn’t yet settled on Marsch’s dismissal, with pundit Chris Sutton taking a dim view of Patricl Bamford who he seemingly believes played a minor role in Marsch getting sacked.

Following the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday, Bamford surprisingly took aim at his manager’s tactics post-match.

Bamford goes public with tactical criticism

The 29-year-old bemoaned the fact Forest’s centre-halves “just had me to concentrate on”.

He then added: “We needed more runners running past me to drag [Forest’s centre-backs] out of position and create a bit more space.

“The whole game was literally two-v-one, which made it difficult, and unfortunately I couldn’t find the answers to solve that.”

A player criticising their manager’s tactics in public is an extremely rare occurrence.

According to former Chelsea striker Chris Sutton, Bamford will have been fully aware his comments will have ramped up the pressure on Marsch who was already the subject of intense sack speculation.

Indeed, if the club’s hierarchy were on the fence about axing the American, the public suggestion the players were losing faith too could’ve helped make their mind up.

Sutton branded Bamford a “joke” for not keeping his criticisms in-house. He also claimed it was Bamford’s own way of taking the spotlight off himself after another poor performance.

Bamford knew “the implications that it will have” – Sutton

“Keep it in the confines of the dressing room if that’s the way you feel,’ Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.

“He’s unburdening himself of any responsibility. I don’t like that. He’s not daft – he knows the implications that it will have.

“It will be taken as a criticism of the manager and his tactics. He’s a joke for bringing that into the public domain.

“[Bamford] doesn’t strike me as somebody who wouldn’t understand where comments like this would lead.

“He’s criticising the manager, the tactics. Things like this snowball. It’s great he’s honest – but it’s only going to cause trouble.”

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