EX BOSS LAID THE WAY FOR BIELSA
NEIL REDFEARN is too modest to say it, but the role he played in Leeds United’s renaissance should not be underestimated by the fans who now bask in the glory of Marcelo Bielsa.
Keeping the club he supported as a boy in the Championship six years ago, when the not-so-super Whites were a basket case under the ownership of Massimo Cellino, is something the 56-year-old Yorkshireman is proud of.
It all ended in acrimony – at least on the part of the erratic Cellino.
But Redfearn, who had spent eight years working in the Elland Road academy, left behind a giant that was still sleeping rather than comatose.
He also bequeathed a player in Kalvin Phillips who has become the talisman of Leeds’ spectacular rise.
“I hope it doesn’t sound conceited when I say that if Leeds had got relegated in 2015 then they wouldn’t have attracted Bielsa,”said Redfearn (below), now manager of Sheffield United’s women’s team.
“When Marcelo came in, not only were Leeds still just one promotion away from the Premier League, they also had a base of young players who were valuable assets.
“There’s no doubt that Bielsa has given Leeds United a real identity again. He has taken the club back to where they belong – but I do take a lot of satisfaction from my time there, both my work in the academy and the work with the first team.
“We were fourth bottom when I was given the manager’s job, but we managed to finish 15th.
“That doesn’t sound like much.
But the reality was that Leeds were going to get relegated and the future would have been bleak.”
A glance at Redfearn’s team sheet for Phillips’ debut against Wolves in April 2015 tells a story.
A three-man defence and a midfield that included Phillips and academy graduates Sam Byram, Alex Mowatt and Charlie Taylor.
Jamie Shackleton, 21, is another player thriving under Bielsa who came through under Redfearn’s guidance. But it is Phillips who has become a beacon of hope for the club.
Redfearn said: “It took me about five seconds to see that not only was Kalvin a great passer of the ball, he also had a real physical presence.
“The great thing about Bielsa going to Leeds was that it gave Kalvin the chance to work with a world-class coach who would see other ways to develop his game.”