'Rushed box-ticking exercise left more questions than answers'

Last week Leeds United’s chief executive Angus Kinnear and chairman Paraag Marathe gave a ‘behind closed doors’ question-and-answer session with Leeds United Supporters Trust members.

What should have been a real opportunity to engage with fans in an honest way, felt like a rushed, box-ticking exercise, full of practised PR responses that left more questions than answers.

It is in the public interest for the competence of football club’s custodians to be scrutinised. However, in refusing to speak to journalists, Kinnear has made that scrutiny impossible.

Communication is key to any relationship but the connection Leeds fans have felt to the people behind the scenes at their club has weakened since the dismissal of Marcelo Bielsa.

As much as tactics, Bielsa’s epic news conferences felt more like lectures on the need to put fans first in modern football. Daniel Farke could never be expected to compete with the Argentinian, but Bielsa leaving caused a communication void.

It is difficult to disentangle Kinnear from the mistakes of the previous Andrea Radrizani regime. His Square Ball interview, coupled with previous communication gaffes – like comparing an independent football regulator to the regime that oversaw the largest famine in human history – have not helped his standing.

Meanwhile, Marathe’s communication style seems similar to the one Jesse Marsch employed when he was Leeds manager. Impossibly positive and slick corporate language that talks around subjects in platitudes. It grated on many Leeds fans when employed by Marsch and I have not seen evidence of it working for Marathe.

Leeds fans have been badly burnt in the past: Peter Risdale, Ken Bates, GFH Financial Group and Massimo Cellino - among others - have left the fanbase more distrustful than most. 49ers Enterprises and Red Bull have a lot of work to do to assuage fan fears at Leeds.

Find more from Adonis Storr at The Roaring Peacock