It has been another summer of change for Leeds United with new owner and club president Massimo Cellino beginning a major overhaul of a team that has underachieved over the past three seasons.

First priority for the Italian was a round of cost cutting in a bid to reduce the £1m a month losses being made at Elland Road, resulting in a number of staff redundancies and operational changes, including the summer closure of Leeds’ Thorp Arch Training Ground.

Amidst all the changes, perhaps the least unexpected was the departure of manager Brian McDermott, whose 18-month stint in charge drew to a close after months of uncertainty with a 1-1 draw against Derby County on the last day of the season.

Cellino had indicated that he wanted to alter the management structure at the club and set about the task of appointing a head coach at Leeds, someone whose sole remit was to train the squad and pick the team and tactics on match days, leaving Cellino himself to negotiate transfer fees and contracts and deal with any off-field commercial distractions.


A number of candidates’ names were circulated, but the surprise appointment of former Forest Green Rovers manager David Hockaday shocked all in the game and underwhelmed a large majority of Leeds supporters.

Nevertheless, Hockaday has set about his task of turning the fortunes of the fallen Yorkshire giants around and has stated his confidence in succeeding where his predecessors have failed. 

The former Southampton, Leicester and Watford coach has worked at every level of the game and is determined that his Leeds’ team will be the fittest in the Championship.

Known for his drill-sergeant-like approach to coaching, he has been putting his players through their paces during a two-week pre-season camp in Italy.

The club have also changed their transfer policy after 10 years of predominantly signing journeymen or young Premier League fringe players on loan.
 


So far, Cellino and his former Cagliari director of football, Nicola Salerno, have brought a number of players they know from Italy to the club, including goalkeeper Marco Silvestri, Swiss right-back Gaetano Berardi, midfielder Tommaso Bianchi and French forward Souleymane Doukara. They have also identified a number of other targets from Europe to help strengthen a squad depleted by contracts expiring and the sale of talismanic striker and club captain Ross McCormack to Fulham for a fee of £11m.

Usually, previous sales of star players have been meet with hostility from Leeds fans, but the departure of McCormack was greeted largely with apathy, with some even lauding Cellino for getting such a high fee for the Scotland International.

Cellino has also upped his charm offensive, which started before his successful takeover of the club, by telling fans he has cleared millions of pounds of outstanding debt left by former owners GFH Capital and will also use the fee received from McCormack’s sale to finance the repurchase of club’s Elland Road stadium, with November being touted as a likely completion date.
 

Much like Cellino, Hockaday has also been keen to win the hearts and minds of fans, promising that his players will, as well as being the fittest in the league, also play attacking football and give their all for a club whose fans demand total commitment to the shirt.

Since relegation from the Premier League, Leeds have had many false dawns and promises that the good times will return but, while there is an air of optimism amongst the club’s beleaguered fans, many associated with the Yorkshire giants will reserve judgment until May 2015.