For me, he's leading.
He's lead the group and club magnificently already and now he's leading what he, and other managers, sees as a legitimate fight against ridiculous, disorganised, non-communicated fixture scheduling from multiple organisations. He took the stance in the league Cup, and now he's doing the same here.
Unfortunately, he's unlikely to get much buy in from other managers - not many of them are a) in the same situation or b) in a secure enough position to potentially sacrifice a 5th round spot.
A weird reference, but it reminds me of the West Wing when Bartlett refuses to deal with the republicans and the government is shut down. He knows he's in the right and he's tired of the players being persistently shafted in terms of rest and recovery. He'll take the abuse and hope it actually causes the English authorities to get their shit together, sit down, talk, and plan out a season of football that doesn't ignore the players wellbeing.
The man deserves the support of every one of his club's supporters, in my view.