While Uwe Rösler was in negotiations to become Leeds United’s new head coach on Tuesday afternoon, it seems no one had bothered to call Neil Redfearn – who occupied that position – to break the news.
The following day Rösler became Massimo Cellino’s fourth managerial appointment at Leeds and one can only hope that the former Manchester City forward is taking the job with his eyes open. The German worked under Matthew Benham at Brentford and Dave Whelan at Wigan, but he has seen nothing yet.
By now no one should be surprised when Cellino fires and hires. It is a well-known penchant that goes back to his days with Cagliari. While president of the Rossoblu he went through 36 coaches in 22 years, and Rösler is his fifth at Leeds already.
At least Dave Hockaday and Darko Milanic, however, did not have to suffer the ignominy saved for Redfearn, someone without whom Leeds could have returned to League One last season. Brian McDermott was sacked then reappointed in the spring of 2014, but Redfearn’s treatment leaves an even sourer taste in the mouth.
A Leeds man through and through – from Dewsbury and a lifelong supporter – Redfearn has not broken his silence in recent weeks while his character and ability as a coach have been the subject of abject barbs. He has left all the talking to one person, even when his position dangled by a thread.
Cellino held a remarkable press conference last week at Elland Road that extended well over an hour and included a cigarette break. The first question was about Redfearn, but the Italian dismissed it and asked if such matters could wait. Adam Pearson, the new executive director sitting alongside him, looked as if he wanted a hole to jump in.
Cellino proceeded to question Redfearn’s relationship with the Leeds fans, ending by gesturing with his chest and claiming that it takes more than passion to run a successful football club. Jealous? Who knows, but some of his degrading comments in the aftermath deserve examination from the authorities.
Cellino talked of cowardice if he decided to let Redfearn stay on because of supporter pressure, yet it is believed that he did not phone Redfearn to inform him about Rösler’s arrival. The owner had complained that Redfearn had not attended a party to mark Cellino’s return from a Football League ban. Cellino talked of cowardice, yet he was not present on Wednesday for Rösler’s unveiling.
The Italian claimed last week that Redfearn had “challenged him” by saluting the Leeds supporters. For most owners, a positive rapport between manager and fans would be a good thing, a sign that things are going well. Not, it seems, for Cellino.
Redfearn’s contract expires in June but it remains to be seen if he stays at a club where he has been for six years. He has the option to return to his role as head of the academy, but that seems unlikely given recent events.
Pearson said that he would “welcome back” Redfearn at Thorp Arch and Rösler, who has certainly shown signs that he has managerial potential, added: “Neil Redfearn left a good base for me to build on.” Redfearn’s young team pulled clear of the Championship relegation zone this season and, for once, the chaos that has engulfed the club subsided.
It did not last long. Redfearn’s assistant, Steve Thompson, was suspended by the club in April, during Cellino’s ban as owner. The reasons for the suspension of Thompson, a close ally of the manager, have never been explained by the club. It remains a mystery who made the decision.
The League Managers Association has been dealing with Thompson’s case but the incident warrants scrutiny from the Football League. Cellino has proved a headache for the league ever since he arrived on the scene, and was able to purchase Leeds only following a technicality ruling by an independent QC, Tim Kerr, after it tried to block his buyout.
His evasion of import duty on a yacht in Sardinia – a first-grade conviction that he is appealing against – was eventually deemed a dishonest offence and Cellino therefore failed the League’s owners and directors test and was banned until the end of the 2014-15 campaign. There are similar cases to come in Italy, in which Cellino denies wrongdoing, but that could cause further complications.
For Redfearn, though, the damage has already been done. In March, he told the Guardian: “I first met him [Cellino] properly when I was invited down to Elland Road just before pre-season started. He looked stressed and I just said to him: ‘Do you need some help?’”
So much for a hand in return.
