The players are still singing Neil Redfearn’s praises, but if he is to land the job on a permanent basis he needs a big improvement on the performance in the Brighton game when we face Coventry City tonight.
Despite Saturday’s defeat Redfearn still believes that “we have a great chance of getting in the play-offs, we just need to be more consistent”. But if we are to make the play-offs we need to start picking up results fairly soon, and I haven’t seen any great improvement in our play since he took temporary charge. In the latter days of Grayson’s reign the squad seemed to be lacking in confidence after the departure of several key players, and this just seems to have carried on.
At least in public the players are keen to give Redfearn their backing, and on the official site Fabian Delph suggested he should get the manager’s job permanently. “He preaches football, he doesn’t want us to boot the ball. He wants the game to be played the way it should be played, and he’s been brilliant. All the boys are enjoying working with him. Results will dictate it, but his methods and knowledge are brilliant. I think he’s the right man for the job.”
We have no new injury concerns for tonight’s game and Redfearn told the Yorkshire Post: “There are one or two battered and bruised (from the weekend), but we’ve no pulls or strains”. There have been no indications of the team selection, but I’m hoping that the boss will try something a little more adventurous. On Saturday we struggled to break Brighton down, so I’d like to see him start with Andros Townsend or Robbie Rogers to give us a bit more width.
Otherwise, tonight’s game could degenerate into a dour battle between two out of form teams. And Redfearn has recognised that in their current predicament Coventry are certainly going to make us work hard. “They’re fighting for their lives, but we’ve got to make sure we scrap that bit extra. And when we’ve got the ball we’ll have use that because we’ve got good players who can hurt people”.
If you thought things were getting a little bit grim at Elland Road recently, spare a thought for the fans of Coventry, where the owners have been selling their best players over the last 12 months and seem to have no absolutely no strategy in place as to how to take the club forward. I know that sounds horribly familiar, but at least we’re not rooted to the foot of the table and eight points adrift of safety.
And if anyone needs a bit of tender loving care on this special day, it has to be Sky Blues boss Andy Thorn, who sounded a bit down when he spoke to the Coventry Evening Telegraph. “You’ve got to have belief in yourself, belief in your players; you have to stick at it. Anyone can throw in the towel but I’ve never done that in my life so I’m not going to start now. I get frustrated at times because I’m desperate to do well for this club. It’s obvious there have been obstacles but we can’t blame that, we’ve got to get on with it. It hurts at times but I’ve told the boys we’re the only ones who can pull us out of this”.
As if Thorn didn’t have enough to contend with already, he has several injury problems to deal with tonight. Experienced defender Richard Wood and captain Sammy Clingan are both extremely doubtful after both picked up injuries in Saturday’s game at Reading. Defenders Nathan Cameron and Chris Hussey are also out, along with forward Cody McDonald, with while Hermann Hreidarsson and Conor Thomas are also doubts.
At some stage Leeds will have to pick up points against eleven men, even though that hasn’t happened since December 10th. I’ll stick my neck out and predict a Leeds win.