It killed me’: Leeds United captain Liam Cooper opens up on relegation and dressing room rant

Liam Cooper, the captain of Leeds United, feels that his team “weren’t good enough” in the previous campaign and that watching his beloved team get relegated from the Premier League hurt him “killed.”

The season ended with a poor 4-1 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur, which seemed appropriate for the struggling Whites, who, according to the Elland Road supporters, had been terribly mismanaged by those in the boardroom.

The people who received the most flak were Victor Orta, the director of football, and Andrea Radrizzani, the club’s chairman at the time. Even though they hired the renowned head coach Marcelo Bielsa, who helped Leeds win back their long-desired top flight status in the 2019–20 season, they were also accountable for his dismissal and the subsequent hiring of Jesse Marsch.

With the arrival of the American, West Yorkshire saw a period of unrest as Bielsa’s distinctive, possession-based style of football was replaced by an apparent lack of structure or philosophy on the field.

As the season progressed, Marsch was fired by Leeds, and in a matter of months, Michael Skubala, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce took his place. The team appeared to be out of control both on and off the field.

And on the last day of the previous Premier League season, a devoted fan base felt they had been let down on all fronts, and there was a general sense of anger when the Whites’ poor form finally saw them confirmed as relegated at Elland Road.

Leeds captain Cooper talks about being demoted from the Premier League.

This was a sentiment echoed by Cooper, who felt disappointed and angry at some of his teammates for not doing enough, which led to his now-famous dressing room tirade after Tottenham, in which he essentially told those who weren’t ready to fight for the club to leave.

This was both personal and professional for the Scottish international, who was a fan of Leeds himself.

Cooper, the captain of Leeds, discusses getting demoted from the Premier League.

Cooper shared this sentiment, feeling let down and enraged at some of his teammates for not going above and beyond. This led to his now-famous dressing room tirade following Tottenham, in which he effectively told those who weren’t prepared to fight for the club to leave.

For the Scottish international, who was a Leeds supporter himself, this was both personal and business-related.

Cooper’s time at Leeds United is coming to an end, and there’s no denying that an instant return to the top flight would be the ideal way to send him off.

And there’s a good chance that Cooper’s last wish will come true because of Daniel Farke, the team’s tactically astute manager, and the talent on the field.