If it wasn't for those Meddling Bahrainians

they refused to fund a move for ashley barnes because he 'had a lower rating on football manager than luke varney'

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A written analysis outlining “technical assessment, performance of players and forward planning for discussion with the board” after each of United’s fixtures.

The memo was drawn up by Alrayes in the days after Leeds lost 6-0 at Sheffield Wednesday on January 11, the club’s heaviest league defeat for more than 50 years.

The scathing document said Leeds had been “humiliated live on television against a local rival” and talked of the “dissatisfaction” felt by GFH and United’s board “on the way the team has been managed and the surprising results in the past seven games”.

Alrayes said the club’s form “cannot be excused” and called for “immediate improvement” in a veiled threat to McDermott’s job as manager. Alrayes – a senior official at GFH, the Bahraini investment bank which has owned Leeds since December 2012, and a board member at Elland Road until last September – is thought to have pushed for McDermott’s sacking during a phone call to Leeds managing director David Haigh midway through the game at Hillsborough.

That game followed a bitter dispute over the proposed move of striker Ashley Barnes from Brighton & Hove Albion to Leeds, a transfer which GFH refused to finance.

The following week, McDermott was served with a letter in which Alrayes said that “whilst we continue to support you further if positives results and performance of the team is turnaround (sic), we expect you to take the points raised in this memo seriously.”

The memo included a paragraph saying: “For each game now onward, you will be required to submit a report on strategy to be undertaken, list of players and squad formation a (minimum) of 24 hours prior to the game for group CEO and chairman’s approval.”

The insistence that McDermott send teamsheets and tactics to Bahrain ahead of United’s league fixtures and the demand for detailed post-match reports was implemented for only a short period of time, but McDermott is known to have dealt with a catalogue of interference from GFH.

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