Calm after Cellino chaos as Leeds prepare for Championship curtain-raiser with Burnley

Massimo Cellino, or "mangiallenatori ", has previously been dubbed the manager eater

WHISPER it quietly but it appears the confusion, chaos and controversy that follows Leeds United has been replaced by a somewhat calming presence at Elland Road.

 

With eccentric Italian owner Massimo Cellino pulling the strings behind the scenes, last season was extraordinary by even the proud Yorkshire club's recent standards.

Cellino simply ratcheted things up to a whole new level.

 

Cellino, known in Italy as a mangiallenatori - a manager eater - after dismissing 36 in 22 years in charge of Cagliari, oversaw the arrivals of four new head coaches that included Darko Milanic's 32-day reign to break the infamous record set by Brian Clough.

The 59-year-old Cellino was suspended by the Football League for failing their fit and proper persons test.

And who can forget the group of six overseas rebels who pulled out from an end-of-season game citing injuries?

 

In Uwe Rosler Leeds appear to have found a manager who can steady the ship

It is 14 years since David O'Leary took the club to the Champions League semi-final

Rumours of a takeover involving Oscar-winning actor and Leeds fan Russell Crowe summed up the script more akin to a Hollywood movie.

But Cellino, by all accounts, is a changed man as he builds bridges he threatened to burn down for good.

He has learned the errors of his way and is no longer the hands-on owner that ensured activity used to grind to a halt whenever he disappeared abroad.

Uwe Rosler, the unflappable German, is the latest cab off the rank to fill the hot-seat.

Adam Pearson, who has Championship experience with Hull, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday, has steadied the ship as executive director so much that Cellino is now happy to move into the background.

 

"Massimo's on holiday at the moment which has been great, we've got a lot done in the last two week," joked Pearson.

"But to be honest, I think a lot of lessons have been learned from last season. He put in place key people who know how to keep the club running.

"We've brought seven players in and moved 16 out. I think we'll have a good season. We are cutting the wage bill down and we look stronger in all areas of the pitch. Uwe has done a great job and we are moving in the right direction."

It is now 14 years since then-boss David O'Leary and his young players lit up Europe as they marched to the Champions League semi-finals.

Those glory days are a distant memory but Leeds remain one of the biggest clubs outside the Premier League.

 

A crowd of 30,000 are expected to be at Saturday's curtain-raiser against Burnley, where discontent and negativity on the terraces has slowly been replaced by rising optimism.

"We need to see improvement," said Rosler. "That's what the chairman told me - improvement with the team and individuals from last year to this year. It's important now that we manage expectations."

Following back-to-back 15th-placed finishes, the play-offs still look beyond Leeds.

But the building blocks are finally being put in place to at least mount a sustainable challenge.

The squad is no longer bloated by Italian players while highly rated youth team products Sam Byrom, Alex Mowatt and Lewis Cook all remain.

But Rosler must still beware that the trigger-happy Cellino has returned to his office and is ready to get back to business.

All the Leeds supporters must be hoping leopards can really change their spots.