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Leeds United: Redfearn can’t be blamed, but Whites need new boss urgently
NOT HAPPY: Leeds United Supporters Trust organised a protest march of supporters from Leeds City Square to Elland Road ahead of last weeks home defeat by Brighton as part of a campaign for change at the club.
Wolverhampton Wanderers parted company with former manager Mick McCarthy around 11am on Monday. On Tuesday afternoon they let it be known that a shortlist was in place and interviews would begin within 48 hours.
There is nothing impressive about the timeline involved. Wolves are doing what needs to be done with the urgency expected of a club whose season is perilously balanced.
But note the contrast with Leeds United and the fortnight of procrastination that has followed Simon Grayson’s sacking. These past two weeks are a riddle like no other among many at Elland Road.
It is not difficult to spot the glaring contradiction between United’s inactivity and the explanation given for Grayson’s dismissal on February 1. The decision, said chief executive Shaun Harvey, was to salvage what chance remained of qualifying for the Championship’s play-offs.
Three games later that chance is a fantasy. Most of us have experienced enough competitive football to know the improbable when we see it.
It was the risk United took and the consequence they must have considered when control of their squad passed to Neil Redfearn, for one game at Bristol City initially and then three more subsequently.
It was Redfearn’s chance to rise from the position of academy coach to that of first-team manager but the priority was United’s season, not the progression of a respected and likeable coach. Neither have been helped by his exposure to a job which killed the experienced Grayson with multiple cuts.
Leeds will say this was a matter of patience; a matter of making the right appointment rather than repenting at leisure. But they stand accused of dealing recklessly with what remains of this season by allowing it to drift at the very moment when clear direction was needed.
That their prospects in the Championship were already meagre is neither here nor there, less still a reason to write the remainder of the term off. Try justifying a benign finish to those supporters who paid up front and upwards of £500 a head for season tickets.
As ever with Leeds, you join the dots and find yourself staring at a tangled web. Why was no definite plan of action in place when Grayson had been under pressure and waiting for his P45 since the last day of 2011?
His future became the elephant in the room as long ago as November and was freely discussed from the start of January onwards, a classic case of when, not if. The logic in “dispensing” with his services as the January transfer window closed, rather than cutting him loose at the turn of the year, seems as nonsensical as it did two weeks ago.
It is not typical of Leeds to sit on their hands in these circumstances. Gary McAllister was named as Dennis Wise’s replacement within 24 hours of Wise uprooting, and Grayson wriggled his way out of a contract at Blackpool three days after McAllister’s last game as boss.
On both occasions the motivation for quick appointments was the need to keep each season alive; to reach for the play-offs in the games that remained. This time around, nothing. No forthright action and no clarity over whether a definite shortlist is even in place.
No certainty either that those names on it are not now hedging their bets with a position at Molineux suddenly available.
All of the above makes you wonder if Redfearn’s opportunity was long in the making, a chance which Leeds always intended to give him if and when Grayson was sacked.
It is not an exaggeration to say that he was highly regarded at Elland Road, and long before Grayson’s dismissal. That much was shown by Redfearn surviving the cull among United’s academy staff towards the end of 2010.
But this job, in these circumstances, was too much to ask of him, an unfair responsibility for someone who can consider himself blameless for the situation Leeds are in.
His substitution of Ross McCormack in Tuesday’s defeat at Coventry City was a poor decision, but this year has been a catalogue of poor decisions, and few of them his.
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The last man who attempted to learn on the job, John Carver, was similarly required to clutch at straws left behind – and to no avail.
There is nothing more essential at Elland Road than strong and dominant leadership.
This is, in some respects, the perfect storm for a caretaker, as it would be now for an incoming manager: a squad bereft of confidence and form, a disillusioned fanbase whose dejection and militancy is understandably growing, and a Championship position which offers nothing in the way of breathing space.
All things considered, play-off qualification demanded a miracle of Redfearn and the man is no Messiah, just an honest, hard-working coach. At the speed with which the Championship is moving, Leeds might require another 28 points to make sixth place their own. The implications of this situation are grave.
For one, Leeds will find profitable attendances hard to come by if March and April are loaded with dead rubbers. They will also have a hard task tempting back the 30 per cent of season tickets who, as of last week, have not renewed.
But the biggest toll of a poor year is most likely to be taken on the squad at Elland Road.
The worst-case scenario is this: Robert Snodgrass asks to leave the club, as a player with his ability and record of service is entitled to do. McCormack and Adam Clayton reach the same contractual position which brought about the sales of Max Gradel and Jonathan Howson. Aidan White is out of contract, with no new deal in sight, and so are four other players.
And the four loanees in United’s squad – Darren O’Dea, Fabian Delph, Andros Townsend and Adam Smith – make their excuses and head for the hills.
Some of those names divide opinion but it has the makings of an exodus or a clearout by default. Gaps to plug will be plentiful and the size of next season’s transfer budget remains to be seen. If the threat of lower crowds and reduced season-ticket renewals is as real as it seems, the wage bill could find itself directly in the firing line.
The hundreds of supporters who marched from Leeds City Square through Holbeck and onto Elland Road last weekend fear the future. They are deeply worried. This is not about Ken Bates, say the Leeds United Supporters Trust, but only Bates can say what happens next.
Sat in Monaco, only he can explain why Leeds are on the drift in a season when, in his words, the club “need to get promoted. Not financially but for the fans’ sake”. Brick by brick, step by step, defeat by defeat, on, on, on. Or something like that.
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Comments
There are 149 comments to this article
Page 1 of 10
jjlaca
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 09:52 PMKingBilly wrote: "nobody is going to invest while ken is at the club. Look what happened to Mathew Harding." To which Koppite replied "Matt Harding was killed in a helicopter crash coming home from a midweek match..Are you suggesting Pappa had anything to do with that crash" ---- Don't be ridculous Koppite, of course KingBilly is talking about how Bates took advantage of Harding financially. Anyone who knows anything about Bates knows that is what happened there.
original koppite
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 09:08 PM147kingbilly....Matt Harding was killed in a helicopter crash coming home from a midweek match..Are you suggesting Pappa had anything to do with that crash, if you are you are the biggest muppet on these pages if you aren't what are you trying to say and if you're having trouble putting it into words you could consult our resident oracles bramley whites, Dog, Stevie dee or Pompey Steve, you won't get any sense out of them but they're always good for a laugh.
kingbilly
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 06:33 PMnobody is going to invest while ken is at the club. Look what happened to Mathew Harding. AEG are looking at taken over spurs for 450 million. can you imagine what Leeds united thorpe arch and elland road would be worth in the premier league. Question what happens to Kens assets when he passes away. One thing we need to do is get behind the team at elland road, we need the 3 points tomorrow . Singing bates out doesnt do anyone any good when the team are playing.
Aberboy
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 03:38 PMExcellent article, at last. I'm afraid there may be some more hard times ahead before the good times come back to ER, don't expect things to improve until Bates' has gone and how long that will take is largely up to him or his maker. One thing's definite, we'll still be here after he's gone. MOT!
KRU251
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:55 PMI am not trying to deter anyone from posting on here, I think its a valuable site for Leeds fans. However I think for those of us who are in accordance with LUST's aims could i suggest that we make a contribution to thier message board. Air you're views and get behind them, Those who don't agree with LUST: I respect you as Leeds fans & no offence is intended.
daveedbatley
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 01:38 PMAbout time Phil..... good to see the YEP FINALLY finding a voice and starting to stand up to KB. I live in Lancashire - and though I dont agree with the Blackburn fans treatment of Steve Kean - their local paper was very vocal in its views almost immediately with fronr page headlines. I think the YEP needs to do some proper investigation into the LUFC regime .
fullerton
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 12:23 PMPortsmouth have gone into administration again.
fullerton
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 12:08 PMMorning all, haven't seen Interm posting recently, hope he's well? Picking up on Count's posting 138#. I have taken the following figures straight from the company accounts as at 30 June 2010 (Leeds United Footbal Club Ltd - company number 06233875) Fixed assets £4,401k Intangible assets - player registrations £1,428k Intangible assets - goodwill £5,647k Intangible assets - trademarks £10k Current assets £8,429k Creditors £12,775k Net Assets (including intangibles) £7,140k Current assets include cash at bank and in hand of £3,670k. Creditors include £6.848k re prepayment of tickets and sponsorship. The accounts to 30 June 2011 are due to be received at Companies Houses by 31 March, will they be filed on time this year?
IRONMANHUNTER
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 11:00 AMSummed up in 1 by the Count of Monte Fisto!!!!!! If we all agree on this game plan irrelevant of the league we play in, at least we know we are making headway. Of course season ticket holders will keep going but we can not buy anythin in or out of ground that goes in his pocket. All general ticket buyers, go to away games or dont come for a while. Hell see the drop in revenue and lets sit back and listen to Mr Chairmans misery with lickle Ben his own umpa lumpa on Wednesday's
Bluesman
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:58 AMIf Bates wants LUST to come up with ideas to solve the crisis he should listen to them and create a proper investment plans that doesn't involve fixed assetts. Get Leeds back in the premiers league where they belong. Coming up with a solution is simple. Invest in a good manager and a decent squad or GO! And take all your entourage with you!! Leeds fans are the biggest investors in the club and do not have a say in the future. Instead they have to listen to the tyranic outbursts of someone who does not give a damn.
laundryman
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 10:41 AMHow about this for a scenario? 1. You run down contracts so that players must be sold. 2. You use the money that this brings in to do up the ground. 3. You already own the ground but rent it from yourself for tax efficiency purposes. 4. You sell the club for a huge profit when the time suits you. Simples!!
Counte Of Monte Fisto
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 09:28 AMThis might sound strange but perhaps the sacking of Grayson was the defining point in this battle. With Grayson in charge most comments on here were either pro or anti SG. In my car there are 5 who go to games & thats even how it was for us spending more time dissecting if our demise was because of Graysons failures or lack of funding. Now with SG out of the picture all of the focus is on the real problem Bates. Many people ask what happens if Bates goes, well lets look at some facts about our clubs value - 1. We don't own ER 2 - We don't own TA 3 - The best players are running down their contracts so best case our squads worth what £5m? So what value is there in the club in terms of tangible assets - Minimal. The only value in the club is its name and more importantly its fan base (US). Therein lays the problem the sum of the clubs assets are probably worth less than the income Bates receives from us each year. Would you sell a house for £100 if it provided you with £200 of income per year. There are 2 ways out of this, go up when the PL income make us attractive to a buyer, I would support this stance but its clear were closer to going down than up so it wont happen soon. Alternatively reduce his income to the level where he is losing money running the club. As he gets close to that level he will bail out for sure. If that means admin again -10 & starting in L1 so what! Even in that scenario we will have a good team quicker than we will with Bates & we have few assets to lose we certainly won't lose our biggest asset that way US. As it stands our support drains away with each week, we are barely mentioned in the national media nowadays such is our declining profile
snip
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 08:47 AMA top post Phil.At last the YEP is waking up to the growing discontent from the masses.How about exposing all his lies next Phil his latest one being the player he refused SG first a defender on 600k a year then a midfielder on 1.5m over 3 yrs then this week he was a loan playing midfielder, or could Dementia be setting in.
Liam123
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 07:13 AMoriginal koppite - you also don't go to games, as you have told us before. So no wonder you are not bothered how ken bates spends the £, none of it is yours anyway.
Liam123
Friday, February 17, 2012 at 07:12 AMoriginal koppite - you are dumb to suggest that ken bates is spending his money on the club, he is merely spending income generated by the fans, and not enough of it 30%. Now those same fans are not happy with how their money is being spent and are voting with their feet. It is simple business practice, keep your customers happy or lose your customers. No customers, no business, end of story. The facts are 30% spend on the main product, yet you are the only person I can see who will still argue this fact isn't true. I wonder what your argument will be next season, when the budget is lowered and we still have to compete in this league, and replace players such as snodgrass, white, Clayton, say £8m to pay all staff wages, and go out and buy 5 players to replace all those that have gone this season and will go in the summer. Accrington Stanley would struggle, no doubt we will be playing them in a couple of years though.
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