Redfearn quits after two games

Neil Redfearn has resigned as the manager of Liverpool’s women’s team just days after saying he preferred coaching women players to men.

Redfearn was headhunted by the club after a six-month spell at Doncaster Belles, but has quit after just one game in the Super League.

Liverpool lost both of their competitive fixtures this season, including a 5-0 rout by Arsenal last weekend, but Redfearn’s sudden departure raises questions about what has been going on behind the scenes. The former Leeds and Rotherham manager started working on Merseyside only three months ago and had spoken about how much he was enjoying the job.

However, in private there is thought to have been tension regarding the way the women’s operation was being run, as well as over the quality of players recruited in the summer.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph this month, Redfearn said: “What I’ve found, and it’s something I really like, is just how keen the players are to learn. For a coach, that is a brilliant environment to work in. It does make my job easier; it makes it more enjoyable.

“When Liverpool approached me in the summer, what that club stands for and represents, I couldn’t say no.”

Redfearn will be replaced on a caretaker basis by former England goalkeeper Chris Kirkland. He will be assisted by Vicky Jepson, who was appointed as a firstteam coach in August.