And it was Beautiful: Marcelo Bielsa and the Rebirth of Leeds United

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The one thing I will say is there wasn't much in here that I wasn't already aware of, but that is a minor point and I'd rather it that way around than things included which are not verified, which I know Phil Hay would never do anyway. Anyone who loves football at it's most exciting and entertaining will want to read how this was achieved. I love learning about the ins and outs of football clubs and obviously Bielsa's Leeds is the most interesting of all.

His parting gift was to embrace the crowds of adoring fans who turned up to say thank you as he left the club’s training ground for the final time. Phil Hay grew up in Penicuik in Scotland and left to study journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1998.Hay also shares personal comments from players within the Leeds squad which helps to show the levels of access to the club he has. FEATURING FRESH PERSONAL INSIGHT FROM MARCELO BIELSA When Marcelo Bielsa was appointed head coach of Leeds United in the summer of 2018, the club had just finished 13th in the Championship - their 15th consecutive season outside the top flight - and were defined as much by their excesses and disasters off the pitch as their lack of success on it. An excellent book that details the rise of Leeds United under Marcelo Bielsa, as well as giving an in-depth look at the owner Radrizzini and his right-hand man, Victor Orta (Director of Football). It's about emotional connections, and how Bielsa's ideas moved Leeds United from a team going nowhere to a team that had re-engaged a whole community and started what might be a path to success. THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER The behind-the-scenes story of the Marcelo Bielsa revolution at Leeds United and their first season back in the Premier League after sixteen years of hurt.

With his unique tactical approach, strict diet and body fat controls and a gruelling training schedule – including his infamous ‘murderball’ sessions – Bielsa has shaped a gang of Championship misfits and journeymen into a team that plays breathtakingly relentless attacking football and is more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the game’s established heavyweights. By weaving in stories of crises from the club’s purgatory in the English Football League, he presents a comprehensive and compelling portrait of an enigmatic manager whose values are the antithesis of everything that has previously gone wrong at Leeds during the dark days of Ken Bates, Massimo Cellino and GFH. Phil pulls back the curtain on the hallmarks that now define the Marcelo Bielsa era, from his gruelling training schedule—including his infamous 'murderball' sessions—to innovative tactical methods that elevated Championship regulars into Premier League stars. As an overseas Leeds United supporter, I learned at lot about the goings- on at the club in the last 3 years, things that it would probably have been hard to learn without living in Leeds. If Bielsa is half the manager this book portrays him to be it won't be long before Leeds regret their decision and long to have him back.Biography: Phil Hay grew up in Penicuik in Scotland and left to study journalism at the University of Sheffield in 1998.

In guiding Leeds back to the promised land of the Premier League, he has transformed the club into a vastly more dynamic, entertaining and professional outfit, fully endearing himself to the Leeds faithful and capturing the imaginations of football fans around the world.Written with alternate chapters, some focusing on Leeds United's first season back in the Premier League, the others focusing on the many ups and downs experienced by the club and its long suffering fans over the preceding years, it makes for a very interesting read and a must for any football fan. I found the jumping around time-lines a little confusing at first and there were a few sentences that came across as a bit clunky and needed re-reading to fully understand. Sometimes the football results in high goals for and against which was entertaining to football fans but drew criticism from pundits. Wonderfully woven together, touches all the interesting parts of how Bielsa is, how he coaches, how he affects players and teams, how he prepares, how things came together in that magic promotion season, that mad first year back, and what went wrong. Finally got around to finishing this just as Leeds have been relegated from Premier league and pretty much dismantled what Bielsa had built.

Overall, though, a fascinating look at one of the best periods in the history of LUFC and the man who engineered it. I bought this just before he left the club, but it didn’t matter, I was just as keen to hear about this unusual and private man who was happy to give up lots of his own time to fans that he met on the street or in the supermarket or wherever. Radrizzani, Orta and Kinnear (the men who run Leeds United) come out of this book very well and are clearly far superior to the previous custodians of the club.And if you didn't know about previous owner Massimo Cellino, you'd think his sections were fictitious (they really aren't! The behind-the-scenes story of the Marcelo Bielsa revolution at Leeds United and their first season back in the Premier League after sixteen years of hurt. As a Leeds United fan I had been looking forward to reading 'And it was Beautiful' since I heard about it.