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Leeds United: My advice to Neil is just enjoy it - Ritchie
KEEP SMILING: Andy Ritchies advice to Neil Redfearn is to enjoy his time in the spotlight at Elland Road.
The risk of entrusting a football club to a caretaker manager was laid bare by the demise of John Carver at Leeds United in 2006. The likeable Geordie famously succumbed to what might have been the right job at the wrong time.
The previous year, Andy Ritchie demonstrated the potential of temporary appointments by trying his hand at Barnsley and earning a position previously held by Paul Hart. In his first full term as manager, Barnsley won promotion through the play-offs and regained their place in the Championship after four seasons away.
It is Ritchie, rather than Carver, who Neil Redfearn will attempt to emulate as he embarks on a spell in charge of Leeds which could stretch much further than he anticipated.
A week ago, Redfearn was expected to do nothing more than keep the seat warm while United worked to find a more proven replacement for Simon Grayson. But he will take Leeds into tomorrow’s game against Brighton knowing the position of manager could be his full-time before the end of the month. The sound of chairman Ken Bates urging the academy coach to “prove he’s the man for the job” was reminiscent of comments made when Carver succeeded Kevin Blackwell.
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Ritchie witnessed a similar situation at Oakwell, where Hart was sacked in March of 2005 after failing to deliver on the investment made in Barnsley’s squad. Ritchie, his assistant, became caretaker boss without any promise of more to come. “To be honest, that was never discussed,” he said. “I was told to get on with the job, nothing more.”
Barnsley finished the League One season with two defeats from 11 games and Ritchie won the manager of the month award at the first time of asking.
He was named as permanent boss within days of the campaign’s conclusion, with Barnsley saying he had “earned the utmost respect of the playing staff”. Their faith was repaid by victory over Swansea City in the play-off final 12 months later.
“Without blowing my own trumpet, I gave myself a chance,” Ritchie said. “It wasn’t a case of Barnsley appointing me as caretaker and saying ‘if you do well the job’s yours’. I don’t think that was even discussed. When Paul left they asked me to step in and left it at that.
“I didn’t give much thought to what might happen down the line and that probably meant I was able to relax.
“It’s different for Neil because he’s basically been told that if he does well, the job’s his. That creates pressure. But if there’s one piece of advice I’d give him then it’s to enjoy himself – treat the job seriously but enjoy it at the same time. You can drive yourself mad by thinking too much about the ‘what ifs’.”
Redfearn’s first game as caretaker ended in a 3-0 win over Bristol City last weekend, and United chairman Ken Bates removed some of the doubt clouding the club’s plans by announcing that the 46-year-old would remain in charge for tomorrow’s clash with Brighton and subsequent league games against Coventry City and Doncaster Rovers.
Redfearn could still be asked to step aside if Leeds find an acceptable and employable option among the many applications received since Grayson’s sacking – Neil Warnock is presently discussing a settlement with his previous club, Queens Park Rangers, and will not be available until those negotiations conclude – but Bates gave Redfearn all the encouragement he needed, saying: “Neil’s in the seat and he has an opportunity to prove he’s the man for the job. He does that by winning games.”
In the hours after Grayson’s dismissal, United chief executive Shaun Harvey said that the move was taken to find a coach who “will be able to get more out of the existing squad of players”.
United’s remit appeared to be a manager with prior experience of winning promotion from the Championship, something which Redfearn’s brief managerial resume does not include.
Ritchie and Redfearn were briefly part of the same playing squad at Oldham Athletic more than 20 years ago, and Ritchie said: “I know him well and I’d love him to get the job full-time. From a personal point of view, I really hope he does.
“But to play devil’s advocate, I read the statement about Simon’s sacking and took it to mean that Leeds were looking for someone totally new – someone with a track record of getting a team into the play-offs.
“To me, promoting from within seems to contradict or conflict with that but maybe they’ve looked at the way Neil’s worked in the past week and seen something they like.
“I’d be delighted if he gets the nod but it’s not what I was expecting and I don’t imagine the supporters were either.”
Bates made a point of describing the next three games as “winnable”, and the same applies to United’s visit to Portsmouth on February 25. With Leeds ninth in the Championship and two points off the play-offs – level with tomorrow’s opponents Brighton – the fortnight ahead is liable to dictate whether this season has much mileage left in it.
Redfearn made the ideal start at Ashton Gate and has since received the backing of a number of players.
His decision to use defender Andy O’Brien as one of his assistants in Bristol, less than a week after the centre-back returned to training following treatment for depression, was part of a drive to harness the support of the club’s senior professionals, several of whom were known to have grown disillusioned towards the end of Grayson’s tenure.
“It’s a strange situation when you go from being a coach or, as I was, an assistant to being the manager of the club,” Ritchie says.
“Assistants have a different relationship with players. You’re closer to them and more able to joke or put an arm round them. Managers are a bit more detached.
“At Barnsley I decided I’d carry on in the same way. I couldn’t go from being close with the players to being a totally different character overnight. They wouldn’t have liked that.
“The lads at Leeds are obviously warming to Neil’s personality and he needs to be himself. But it’s all going to come down to results – or you’d think so anyway. The whole point of sacking Simon was to bring in someone who’d do better than him.”
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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Wind direction: East
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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mccarthy
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 12:32 PMReading between the lines of Andy's article it seems he feels we should get in experience as soon as. Yes the players like having the easy option of Redfearn, and like the supporters have never said they dont like him, but just not in such a massive roll. Sadley it appears on paper we have a reasonable chanc of getting nine points, Fabulous but what about the bigger picture in a months time, i hope not but i can see another Carver situation, Is it any coincidence that MASTER BATES, looked at the fixtures prior to the season start and decided this was the weeks he would stay in his luxury den. its more important for him to stay, and save tax,than get his backside to ER, AND GET US A GOOD MANAGER IN. Did Sunderland, QPR,FULHAM,BIRMINGHAM, SOUTHAMPTON. And the likes fart about, nothey acted fast. its all too pathetic for words.
OzTyke
Friday, February 10, 2012 at 11:12 AMRedfearn HAS to be the man because apparently Shaun Harvey is away on holidays and Ken Bates remains in Monaco. The very last people to be considered are - yet again - the customers
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