Javi Gracia got sacked by Leeds in phone call... on his birthday

The Spaniard was only in charge for a matter of weeks before getting the boot by the clubs hierarchy.

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The Whites are in a dire situation, sitting 17th in the Premier League and out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone and they have turned to Sam Allardyce.

With four matches left, the former England manager has been parachuted in to save their season but the odds are looking bleak.

And speaking to The Athletic, Gracia has admitted he holds no grudge against the Leeds hierarchy, despite making it an unhappy birthday.

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"It was my birthday, May 1. It was a phone call," the Spaniard said.

"It was a call to explain the situation. It was all handled correctly by the club. I have to accept the decision from the club's owner and that's it."

It echoes Simon Jordan's own dismissal of Trevor Francis in 2003 at Crystal Palace.

talkSPORT's very own Jordan also sacked a manager on his birthday when he told Francis he was no longer the Crystal Palace boss in April 2003.

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The former Palace chairman once remarked: "He just sat there quietly and said 'But it's my birthday'."

As for Leeds, they suffered a horrendous April themselves after losing five of the seven league matches on offer, conceding 23 goals - a Premier League record for a calendar month.

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And with tough fixtures coming up against Manchester City, Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle, the Elland Road bigwigs did not have confidence in Gracia to turn it around.

"When we arrived, we were 19th in the table," Gracia added.

"In my first training session, we had 11 players injured and we trained with 10 healthy outfield senior players. This was not easy.

"It was only because of the will of the players and exceptional hard work by the medical team, everyone pulling in the same direction.

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"Then we went and beat Southampton. Bit by bit, we got some players back and the team grew. But the inflexion point was against Palace."

As well as Gracia, Victor Orta also lost his job as sporting director with Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani apologising to the fans for the disastrous results recently.

The Spaniard had nothing but praise for the outgoing sporting director, though.

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Gracia added: "I can honestly say my time at Leeds has been an enriching experience, and the human qualities of Victor Orta have been an authentic pleasure to be around.

"It was one of the places in my career where they have made me feel good and comfortable in myself."

Whether Allardyce can keep the Whites up remains to be seen but Gracia admitted he will be watching and cheering on from his native Spain.

He said: "I will be with my children, who will have their Leeds jerseys on and chanting 'Up the Whites'."