Sunday, 19th October, 2014
Neil Redfearn believes Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino only had the club's best interests at heart with his suggestion the coach could join boss Darko Milanic in the dugout for first team matches.
Redfearn filled in as caretaker boss at Elland Road before Milanic was appointed permanent manager, leading the Whites to three wins and one draw in his four games in charge.
It was quickly suggested that Redfearn would join Milanic on the bench to offer his expertise, especially as the Slovenian has never managed in the Championship before.
But that never materialised, despite it being thought to be a Cellino suggestion.
And Redfearn has explained an adult chat with Milanic was enough for the pair to decide he would be best continuing his duties with the academy.
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"Without a doubt [myself and Milanic have worked it out]", he told the BBC.
"And to be fair I think Massimo is only trying to do what's best for the club and what he thinks is best for the group of coaches. I think he's just genuinely trying to make it work."
Redfearn believes it is best he can devote his full focus to the academy, pointing to last season when he stepped up to aid boss Brian McDermott and his assistant Nigel Gibbs, and seeing his other duties suffer as a result.
"Sometimes it's good to sit down as adults and work it out, and that's how it works. The academy is really important to the football club and I don't want to dilute my message to the academy, which happened a little bit last year, I stepped up a little bit with Brian and Nigel.
"The way I can really affect what happens on the field is on the training ground, where I work with players. It's important that when there is a group that's not involved with the first team that they get the benefit of that."
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