Neil Redfearn talks to Millers Player...
Saturday’s Yorkshire showdown between Leeds United and Rotherham United will see Neil Redfearn take up his position in the away dugout at Elland Road for the first time since his departure from the West Yorkshire club.
The Millers boss enjoyed a prolonged spell with the Whites which saw him heavily involved in the club’s academy setup before progressing to manage the first team over two spells.
Redfearn admits that his first Elland Road return as an opposition manager may seem alien, but is hoping to emulate his Leeds success with the Millers.
“It will be (strange) in some respects because I had seven years there culminating in me being the manager last season,” he told www.themillers.co.uk
“It panned out to be a good season in the end, we went through February and March unbeaten and I think we were six points off the Play-offs at one point from being bottom of the league.
“From my point of view it proves it can be done. We had to settle things down and get them going in the right direction which we did which wasn’t easy like I said it was going to be here, but we came out the other side and we’ve got to go through a similar process here at Rotherham.”
The Millers boss has had a fortnight on the training ground to prepare his players for the all-Yorkshire affair at Elland Road and has been pleased with his side’s response ahead of tomorrow’s showdown.
“I have to say that the reaction from the boys this week in training and how they’ve applied themselves has been really good,” Redfearn enthused.
“They want to do well and you can see that. They don’t like being in this position.
“We’re upbeat. There’s a lot of season to play at and we’ve had a real tough run of games and played most of the sides in the top 10 in the last six. Now we want to try and put some points on the board as quick as we can.”
Redfearn also took time to praise the Rotherham United faithful ahead of the short hop to West Yorkshire and is looking to repay them with a win over the Whites on Saturday.
“The supporters have been fantastic since I’ve been here,” he added.
“They’ve turned up home and away and they’ve followed us wherever we’ve been. They’ve got to take a lot of credit for that and it is appreciated by the boys. It’s important that your supporters get behind you and give you that lift but also, we’ve got to give them something to cheer about and we’ll be up for this game on Saturday.”