Who? Has April 1st come twice this year? Dave Hockaday is on the brink of becoming Leeds Unitedâs new head coach with owner Massimo Cellino expected to hand him the job on Wednesday. Sources close to Cellino said Hockadayâs appointment was likely to materialise in the next 24 hours after Reading priced Eamonn Dolan out of the vacancy at Elland Road. Dolan - Readingâs academy manager - emerged as Cellinoâs first choice for the post and looked set to secure it a week ago but Cellino returned his focus to Hockaday after refusing to meet Readingâs demand for around £500,000 in compensation. The Berkshire club are in the process of a takeover by Thai businessman Samrit Bunditkitsada, a buy-out which should see Dolan offered an improved contract on top of a deal which already runs for another three years. Reading were unreceptive to Unitedâs interest and Cellinoâs reluctance to pay a fee for the Irishman once again left Hockaday in prime position to assume the job of first-team boss. Fifty-six-year-old Hockaday has been out of work since his four-year reign at Forest Green Rovers ended last October. His record shows spells as a coach with Leicester City and Southampton and he worked as assistant manager at Watford, operating under Aidy Boothroyd in the year that Watford beat Leeds in the Championship play-off final. Cellino is still to officially sanction Hockadayâs arrival but if Hockaday does secure the head coachâs job at Elland Road, he is likely to add Junior Lewis to Unitedâs coaching staff. The employment of Lewis, who coaches non-league Hendon and had a long playing career in the Football League, is believed to have been discussed by Cellino and Hockaday during talks between the pair. Leeds have been looking for a head coach since parting company with Brian McDermott on May 30 and the club are under pressure to fill the vacancy with pre-season training a week away. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/spor...ised-to-sign-as-leeds-manager-today-1-6679379
Crazy. Forest green are my closest club, I go now and again but it's a bit pricey for conference football. I never saw anything in his teams that would suggest he'd be a good manager at a higher level. Would be a very strange appointment for such a big club...
People will say its the wrong managerial level for Hockaday, but he's been out of work for six months and has no choice but to take this step down.
They're massive though, don't forget. Saw this yesterday but thought it was a spoof, guess not Reminds a lot of us under T&C, Flavio hiring his puppets. Almost feel for the fans, almost.
Four years at Forest Green Rovers. 2009 -2013. The first year they were only saved from relegation because Salisbury went into administration and were demoted. The second year they managed 4th from bottom. His final two years they managed 10th out of 24 teams. Hardly inspiring, is it. It's going to be fun if he does what Hughes and Redknapp did and brings in players he knows and has worked with before! Massimo's Massive might have a problem this year.
Hockaday as manger. Who? Exactly. His only job was at forest green rovers where he was sacked for losing 7 on the trot. Their owner seems to be doing a tango by appointing crap managers so they will be cheap to sack.
