Gus Poyet has claimed he still meets Leeds United fans that want him to come back to the club after his previous spell as assistant manager.
Speaking to Football League World on Saturday (3 February), the Uruguayan said he had a “good, close relationship” with the Whites fans alongside former boss Dennis Wise after they took over the club in a “very difficult, unique situation” in October 2006.
He added that the pair oversaw some “incredible moments” at Elland Road during the club’s first season in League One before he decided to join Tottenham in November 2007 as a first team coach.
“It was not really a nice welcome,” said Poyet. “There was a feeling of ‘Who are these two?’. But then, especially after all the craziness of administration and everything that happened in the first six, seven months, I think that everybody understood what sort of people we were.
“I still meet Leeds United fans who ask me and want me to go back because it was a good, close relationship in a very, very difficult, unique situation. We were into administration, into League One and we started the season with -15 points.
“I hope it is the last time in my life where I win the first five league games and have 0 points. We went six or seven in a row. We started taking thousands and thousands away from home in League One. Impossible! There were wins in that run that were spectacular. Away at Nottingham Forest. There were moments that were incredible.”
Unlikely
The days when Poyet was at Leeds are times that the fans won’t look back on very fondly after it was one of the darkest periods in the club’s history.
While that wasn’t necessarily his or Wise’s fault, they will be remembered for being in charge when the club were relegated from the Championship to League One.
After the Uruguayan left Elland Road in November 2007, Wise was sacked just a couple of months later following a run of poor results.
It’s extremely unlikely that Poyet will ever return to the club given that the supporters probably wouldn’t want to be reminded of those times.
They are now hoping there will be brighter days ahead as Daniel Farke has his side well-placed to make a push for automatic promotion to secure an immediate return back to the Premier League this season.
