Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale will allow David O'Leary to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but insists that the Irishman can achieve true greatness by staying at Elland Road. "David has got more freedom to act here than probably any other League manager, but if he feels that moving to a club that has won just about everything for the last seven years is something he wants to do, then so be it. That might be seen as a way to be remembered as a great manager, but if he wins trophies at this club I know that he'll go down in history: anybody who goes to Old Trafford will just be following in the master's footsteps," said Ridsdale.
"All I can do is create the best environment in which David can operate, and I believe we have. We've got a very good professional relationship. I don't think we disagree on our strategy or direction. The only reason David won't be manager of Leeds will be if he walks out, because he and I are in this together, and I've told him that. He's the best young manager in the country and we're totally committed," said Ridsdale, who insists there is no pressure on O'Leary to win trophies just yet.
"We've set our stall out to get the best team possible for David and one that plays attractive football, and we'll hope to take up where we left off: we've only lost two League matches in 2001 and had an amazing away record. If we carry on like that there's a good chance we'll have a successful season, and you might ask what that is. Silverware? It would be nice, but our objective is a Champions League place," he said.
"We've had two seasons beyond our dreams: getting to the UEFA Cup semi-finals and finishing third in the Premiership, then reaching the Champions League semis and just missing out on third again. But this is only year three of a five-year plan, and the Champions League means so much financially these days. Anything beyond is icing on the cake," he said.
"David and I believe that by year five we should have a team capable of bringing some silverware here. If after year five, it hasn't happened, we'll sit down and ask what more we have to do. However long it takes, we will not stop. It took Alex Ferguson seven years before he managed his first championship. We don't want knee-jerk reactions: you can't be impatient when you've already travelled light years," said Ridsdale.
Filed by Greg McKevitt
