I was as surprised as anybody else to see Dennis Wise leave Elland Road this week because the Leeds job was a fantastic opportunity for him.
He did quite well at Millwall and got them to the FA Cup Final, but his reputation as a manager needed a promotion and after the great run that Leeds have been on this season it would have stood him in good stead to finish the job.
Wise: likes to be hands on
He had a nightmare last year because he was in charge of Leeds for most of the season and took a very strong squad down. People like Richard Cresswell and Robbie Blake have moved on and are now showing that they are very good Championship players, so something was fundamentally wrong last year.
I do not believe the slide they were on was irreversible after their poor start to last season and I know Kevin Blackwell thinks he would have got them to the play-offs if the club had stuck with him.
Dennis Wise has opted for the "executive director" role at Newcastle and I think it's strange that he has decided to do that so early in his career because from what I know of Dennis, he likes to be hands-on.
Dennis Wise
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Wise was ridiculed at the end of last season, but he restored his reputation with his phenomenal efforts this year. They recovered the 15-point deduction within the first month and he then put them in the promotion picture. That was a wonderful achievement.
But he has now opted for the "executive director" role at Newcastle and I think it's strange that he has decided to do that so early in his career because from what I know of Dennis, he likes to be hands-on.
A lot of people are pointing to the fact that he will be earning a lot more money at Newcastle, but he is a wealthy bloke anyway so I'm not sure that is the reason.
Maybe he wants the opportunity to work with Kevin Keegan and he might get the Newcastle manager's job when it comes around in two or three season's time - if Alan Shearer doesn't take it.
Phenomenal run
I'd be surprised if he left because he thought Leeds weren't going to make it this season. Their form dipped a bit after Gus Poyet left but I think that was just a coincidence because their phenomenal run had to come to an end at some stage.
They were riding their luck in a lot of games and were scoring a lot of late goals. Now some of those late goals are being scored against them, as we saw against Luton last weekend.
Things happen in football every week that surprise you and the departure of Wise was certainly one of those things.
So the king is dead, long live the king.
The Leeds fans will be very happy that Gary McAllister has arrived because he is somebody they can identify with. He wore the jersey and wore it with distinction. If there was a poll of ideal managers for Leeds United fans, I'm sure Gary would have been high on that list.
I played with him at Leeds and I know he is a footballing man who loves the club. The opportunity to manage Leeds doesn't come around very often and while the job is not as prestigious as it used to be, you are still in charge of a team that plays in front of 30,000 fans every week.
They may not have had a great team in recent years, but they have always maintained fantastic support. They would be 13th in the Premier League in terms of attendances - and they would be higher if they could get more people in the building!
Anybody who has played for the club will have fallen in love with the atmosphere around the place and it would be very difficult for any former Leeds player to turn down the chance to restore the club to its former glories.
Heart
Gary did alright when he was in charge at Coventry, but now he has a chance to work for the club that is in his heart.
He has only been given a contract until the end of the season and I suspect he wants to wait and see how it goes. If they had knocked on my door and offered me the chance to take over at Leeds I would have said yes, but I would then have thought about the length of the contract.
Gary has been presented with a fantastic opportunity to get promoted straight away because of the position they are in and because of the players they have got. They have seen off all-comers in the first half of the season and we must now wait and see if Gary is up to the task of getting them promoted.
I imagine the short-term contract has been mutually agreed and both Gary and the club will reassess the situation at the end of the season.
If they don't make it then the club and the supporters might not want him to carry on and Gary McAllister might not want to be in League One for too long.
He clearly believes he can get them promoted this season, so I would describe it as a wait-and-see job.
The one thing that is certain though is that the crowd will be delighted to see him return. If they can make more noise than they already do then that can only help Gary and the team. I wish him the best of luck.
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Hi Chris, I'm a Watford fan and I was convinced our poor run of results was just a blip. But the blip seems to be going on for longer than I expected and with the sale of Marlon King and other teams coming into form I'm starting to worry about our promotion hopes. Can you reassure me Chris? Are the Hornets going up? Tom, London
KAMMY SAYS: I went out on a limb in October and said Watford were going to run away with the Championship. Sometimes you look back on things you've said and regret them. I can't always get it right!
But when I saw them against Crystal Palace in October they were the complete team and for the life of me I cannot understand why Gavin Mahon was allowed to leave that club. Maybe Watford fans could email in and tell me because I thought he marshalled the midfield brilliantly and organised everything as club captain. He was never going to score lots of goals, but he provided insurance in front of the back line and gave the likes of Danny Shittu the chance to burst forward. I think his departure was the turning point.
Their challenge is not dead yet, but it's very strange to see them throw away a 13-point lead. They are still fighting, but they have made it much harder for themselves.
What about Stoke Chris? As one of your old clubs as both player and manager I thought you would give us some credit for being fourth in the league and pushing for promotion. Seems we never get a mention in the national media, I think Tony Pulis deserves more credit for the work he is doing down here. Joe Thompson.
KAMMY SAYS: I agree Tony Pulis is doing a great job, but the thing you have to bear in mind with him is that he is very low-key. We've invited him onto Goals On Sunday in the past and he doesn't want to come on and maybe his low-key approach means the club doesn't court the publicity that they deserve.
Players like Ricardo Fuller, Ryan Shawcross and Leon Cort have put in some fantastic display this season and if you tune in to Big League Weekend 1 and Big League Weekend 2 on Sky Sports you will hear the team getting plenty of praise. I agree with you Joe that they could get more credit and they would probably get more if Tony pushed for it. His management style is under-stated and he tends to go a bit un-noticed, but that does not mean he is not doing a wonderful job.
Kammy, do you think Bristol City have what it take to get back-to-back promotions? I for one think it would be good to see a different team in the Premier League other then the normal teams that seem to bounce up and down each season. Regards, Nick, Bristol
KAMMY SAYS: City have had a phenomenal season so far and I have said before that it would be a mega bonus for them to get to the play-offs. But Gary Johnson seems to have other ideas and wants them to finish in the top two! His reputation is going through the roof and you just don't know what is going to happen in that division.
Watford looked like they were going to run away with it, then it looked like West Brom, but things are changing all the time. Cardiff are right back in it now and Mick McCarthy is flavour of the month again at Wolves so you just cannot predict what is going to happen. I still think Bristol City will end up in the play-offs, but then again I put my foot in it when I said Watford would run away with the Championship so I might just keep my trap shut now!
I understand your point that it would be nice to see a new team go up and I'm sure supporters of Premier League sides would like a different ground to go and visit. It certainly would be nice to see Bristol City do it because they haven't been there for a long, long time. But West Brom fans and Watford fans will say their sides have earned their right to be there if they get promoted. It's all about what you earn and you get your rewards on merit in this game.
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