Simon Grayson is Leeds until he dies! TSS January 5, 2010 Leeds United 4 Comments After showing his tactical brilliance at Old Trafford the rumours of Simon Grayson leaving for a “bigger” club, such as Burnley have already began. Grayson however is Leeds born and bred and for him there’s simply nowhere else he’d rather manage. For Simon Grayson, clubs don’t come much bigger than Leeds and his only ambition is to see the team he loves back in the league they belong. “My commitment to Leeds United has never been in question, I left Blackpool a year ago to join the football club I supported. “Leeds is a fantastic football club and I am not interested in going anywhere else. “Leeds do not just have an English fan base. It is Europe and worldwide, but we are in League One for a reason. “The only way we get back into the big time is by reaching the Championship and then the Premier League. “Hopefully that will be the case over the next few years. “Maybe one day people will look back at the 2010 team that won at Old Trafford in the FA Cup. “It is that kind of stage players want to perform on and I certainly want to go back there in the next few years managing Leeds in the Premier League.” I have to admit, I almost fell off my chair laughing when I heard Grayson was being linked with Burnley. Had it been a decent club, I’d still not be worried. Simon Grayson’s reaction to Beckford’s goal at Old Trafford showed exactly what this club means to him. I half expected him to do a Jose Mourinho and run down the touchline when the final whistle went, but he kept his composure long enough for the compulsory handshakes. In just over a year, Grayson has totally transformed Leeds United. He’s Revie-esque in his planning of fixtures and knows exactly how to inspire confidence in the players. I knew last season Leeds were capable of winning this divison, we just needed a manager that could make them believe it too and in Simon Grayson, the belief is there. Already Grayson is being compared to Howard Wilkinson and even more astonishingly, Don Revie by our own fans. These two are the greatest managers we’ve ever had. Don Revie’s success speaks for itself and Wilkinson was the last person to win the top flight with Leeds after also taking us from a lower division. His achievements on the pitch however should never over-shadow what he did off the pitch. He was way ahead of his time when it came to developing youth players and the David O’Leary era that followed had a lot to thank him for. So is Simon Grayson as good as the afore mentioned greats? I hope so, but it’s far too early to say. He’s taking Leeds United in the right direction and is unquestionably the best manager we’ve had in a long time. He’ll get us out of League One this year – I’d put my house on it – but he has many big tests to come. Next season in the Championship will be a much tougher task but if he overcomes that and takes us back to the Premier League, he’ll be ranked right alongside Howard Wilkinson – and maybe even Don Revie one day. In Grayson we trust! MOT.