Leeds can still turn corner, insists Redfearn

NEW head coach Neil Redfearn gave Leeds United’s squad a vote of confidence and insisted they were better than their results after a 3-1 loss at Cardiff City extended the club’s winless run to seven games.
Neil Redfearn.Neil Redfearn.
Neil Redfearn.

Redfearn’s reign as first-team boss began with a frustrating defeat on Saturday, dropping United towards the bottom end of the Championship and leading him to admit that his players were in a “bit of flux”.

The 49-year-old became Leeds’ third permanent head coach this season when he signed a 12-month rolling contract an hour before the game at the Cardiff City Stadium.

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Redfearn, who has replaced Darko Milanic in the job, made a telling impact as caretaker earlier in the season, taking three wins and a draw from four league matches, but Leeds have claimed only three points since then and are 19th in the table.

“The players are better than the results at the moment,” Redfearn said. “That’s not to say this team won’t get beaten because they’re in a bit of flux but the team’s young and there are a lot of new signings in it. They will get better.

“It’s a two steps forward, one step back situation. We’re capable of beating anyone on our day but sides are capable of beating us too.

“We’ve just got to make sure that we start getting results and make sure we get a lot stronger over the season.

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“There’s two home games coming up now which is good. It was always going to be a tough ask to go to Cardiff and get something.”

Leeds have not won away at Cardiff since 1984 and second-half goals from Bruno Manga, Federico Macheda and Kenwyne Jones extended that record on Saturday.

United now host Charlton tomorrow night with Blackpool – the Championship’s bottom side and a club who already look destined for relegation – set to visit Elland Road on Saturday.

“We’ve got to pick ourselves up,” said Redfearn, who is working on the appointment of an assistant boss. “Even if we’d won at Cardiff, I’d still be looking to beat Charlton and Blackpool. It’s the same principles and the same philosophy.

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“It’s going to be tough this season but we’ve got to get on with it. The squad will develop and it’s going to get better.”

Redfearn is in the process of finalising the appointment of an assistant boss, with Huddersfield Town number two Steve Thompson – a former team-mate of Redfearn’s at Bolton Wanderers – believed to be a contender for the job.