Leeds United sacked their manager Marcelo Bielsa at the weekend after a shattering home 0-4 home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.
Unfortunately for their supporters, United have fallen dangerously close to the relegation zone with a succession of heavy defeats and I suppose Bielsa’s departure looked inevitable on Saturday night.
It was duly announced on Sunday morning.
And that can’t have gone unnoticed at Headingley, with the Rhinos having lost their first three matches of the season.
How many more matches will they have to lose before Richard Agar comes under severe pressure to keep his job?
It’s interesting to recall that Agar was handed the job in May 2019 after the departure of his predecessor David Furner.
Furner had been in charge for 14 matches and had managed to win five of them. He was sacked by the then director of rugby Kevin Sinfield, who would himself depart for rugby union in 2021.
Agar was a steadying influence at Leeds, bringing some stability back to the club and winning the Challenge Cup against Salford at an empty Wembley Stadium in 2020.
But whatever you have won in the past, it’s the present that counts.
Bielsa had got Leeds United into the Premiership but that counts for nothing when you see how his side has performed recently.
And the same will apply in Agar’s case unless he can inspire his team to victory, ideally against Wakefield Trinity this Thursday night in a game that will be televised by Sky Sports.
Like Leeds, Wakefield have also failed to win a game this season.
But the pressure on Wakefield coach Willie Poching is far less, primarily because Wakefield isn’t a club at which success is taken for granted.
Wakefield’s three defeats have included games against St Helens and Catalans, the two Grand Finalists from last year, and Trinity battled gamely in each case.
And, as for pressure, there is no doubt that Poching will be putting pressure on himself on Thursday night.
It should certainly be a game worth watching.
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