Fleetwood boss doesn't regret brief Leeds reign

Fleetwood boss Uwe Rosler insists he has no regrets or remorse over his 12-game reign with tonight's EFL Cup opponents Leeds.
Uwe RoslerUwe Rosler
Uwe Rosler

Rosler says he was shocked when owner Massimo Cellino dismissed him last October, with Leeds 18th in the Championship table after winning only twice.

The former Wigan and Brentford boss says he is solely focused on building a new era at Fleetwood, but ahead of tonight’s first-round reunion he spoke openly about his five months at Elland Road.

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Rosler said: “I never saw it (the sacking) coming, especially after being given the targets for the season by the owner.

“I don’t think you can measure me at all on 11 games. I felt we delivered on what we got hired (to do).

“We got hired to keep the team in the division. We were never in the bottom four and we made some good Championship signings – players for the short-term, medium-term and long-term future of the club. We recommended players who unfortunately just arrived after we left.

“The players were very co-operative and open to the ideas we put forward.

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“The situation was not easy when we took over but we unified the squad. We had a decent start and played a lot of teams in the top half.

“Just after we left they played all of the teams from the lower part of the table, but unfortunately we did not get the time to use that advantage.

“I never have any regrets about taking a club like Leeds United. “When you are an ambitious coach or manager and you get offered that job and don’t take it, I think in the later stages of your life you will have regrets.

“Unfortunately I could not see it out or be part of the future. It was a long time ago now. I moved on and the club moved on, and I have no problems with that.

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“Today we compete against a top club and it is fantastic for our players. They have a great chance to measure themselves against a Championship team with Premier League quality.”

Rosler’s opposite number Garry Monk is keen to get his first win under his belt after fans reacted angrily to Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at QPR.

He said: “I want to get the first win on the board, but I want to win every game. That’s my mentality and it’s how we have to be as a club.

“You have to be clever in using the whole squad and making sure the freshness is there but we have to win games. We’re as disappointed as the fans were with the QPR game.

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“There was no-one in that changing room afterwards who was happy at all with what we did.

“But you have to understand that it’s a long journey that we’re on and we’re at the very start of it. Of course we would have loved a better performance and result but one game won’t define our season.”