Reid returns today as Coventry City manager for the first time since his brutal axe last year insisting: "Kevin Blackwell can make Leeds great again."
Blackwell was brought from Sheffield United by Reid 14 months ago to be his No 2.
Reid said: "Kevin has been handed the job to pick the club up and put them back up among the elite and there is no doubt he’s the man to do it. With all their financial problems, it could be a long job and the first thing Leeds have to do is stop the slide and consolidate.
"But, given time and a fair crack of the whip, Blackie is the guy who can bring back the good times. Everybody in the game knows what a great coach he is but he also has all the qualities to be a top manager.
"I hired him as my assistant because I looked at the great work he had done at Sheffield United and I also had been told by a lot of people I respect just how highly they rated Kevin and his methods.
"We had a terrific partnership and he was always supportive of me. He’s finding out now that management, unlike working with players as a coach on the training pitch, isn’t always a bed of roses. But I know he enjoyed the Premiership experience and he wants it again.
"Looking back, you can say this job was a poisoned chalice when I took it on but it was still one that no manager could turn down. I’m looking forward to going back. I don’t know what kind of reception I’ll get from the fans, but I do know I’ve still got a few friends there."