Wednesday 24 September 2014 15:34, UK
New Leeds United head coach Darko Milanic insists he is not unduly concerned about chairman Massimo Cellino's track record of firing managers.
Milanic was appointed as successor to David Hockaday at the Sky Bet Championship club on Tuesday, after the Englishman’s reign lasted just six games.
But former Slovenia captain Milanic is not fearful of the sack, despite Cellino’s record of sacking 36 managers over 22 years during his tenure as owner of Cagliari.
"My job or our job is at risk every Saturday so every game I have to do my best," said Milanic, at an Elland Road press conference on Wednesday.
"I know this is a very big club and a traditional club with great supporters and they have very good quality in the team.
"In the future, they want to again go in the Premier League. For me as a trainer, I'm proud to be here.
"I have to improve the team. We have to improve in a lot of segments and I will try and do my best.
"I'm very motivated and excited about my new job at Leeds United."
Milanic said he would focus on the task of winning his first game rather than Leeds' ambition of returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2004.
"For me I am concentrating on the extremely important first game and then the next game. I don't look to 2016 - I live now in this moment," he said,
"I like that the fans come in the stadium and have fun with us but you have to have order on the pitch and be aggressive and play like a team.
"I want to make some changes technically - I saw that here are many talented guys and I will push them to play."
Milanic, who becomes Leeds' first non-British or Irish boss, appeared to suggest Cellino could be involved in team selection.
‘’We normally work together and this is the thing from the sporting director and the owner," he said.
"I’m here to coach, I have to give my ideas on the pitch.''
Milanic guided Sturm Graz to a fifth-place league finish last season and left the Austrian Bundesliga side at the weekend in order to take the reins at Elland Road.
The 46-year-old, who previously coached Slovenian side Maribor for five years, revealed it was an easy decision to leave Austria in order to take charge of a club of Leeds’ size.
"Because of Leeds - this big, big club - it was not a difficult decision for me," he said. "I did a good job there in Austria. I was also a player in Austria for eight years and I have a lot of good friends there and my family is still there.
"But on the other side, professionally it was not a difficult decision."
Caretaker boss Neil Redfearn was expected to immediately return to his role of Academy manager and head of coaching but Milanic suggested he wants the former Barnsley midfielder to join him in the dugout.
Leeds sporting director Nicola Salerno added: ‘’We needed an international coach, not only an English or Italian coach because we have an international team. We have Italian, French, English players and I think Milanic is the best for us in this moment.''
