Darko Milanic sacked by Leeds United after just 32 DAYS in charge at Elland Road with Neil Redfearn set to take over top job
Mail 25/10/14By WAYNE GARDINER, PRESS ASSOCIATION
Leeds' managerial circus returned on Saturday evening as trigger-happy owner Massimo Cellino parted company with Darko Milanic after six games in charge.
Milanic's six-game reign - the same as predecessor David Hockaday - ended almost immediately after the 2-1 loss to Wolves at Elland Road.
Neil Redfearn - who bridged the gap between Hockaday and Milanic with 10 points from 12 as caretaker - will take over as new head coach.
Cellino asked director of football Nicola Salerno to deliver the news to Milanic shortly after he had defended his position in his post-match press conference.
'I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results,' Cellino said after ending Milanic's reign after just 32 days.
That is a statistic to make Brian Clough's 'damned' 44 days look long-serving, but Cellino has never been a man to hang around. In his 20-year spell with Italian side Cagliari he earned the nickname 'the manager eater' after removing 36 managers. Since arriving at Leeds in January he has sacked Brian McDermott twice, Hockaday and now Milanic.
The Italian said he had got the right man after recruiting Milanic - a winner of nine trophies with Slovenian side Maribor - from Sturm Graz on September 23.
However, a failure to win any of his six games in charge and a perceived negative attitude has cost the 46-year-old who travelled to England on a one-way ticket without his family.
Redfearn is now to be given the job on a permanent basis, with the majority of Leeds fans baffled as to why the 49-year-old academy coach did not get given the nod after his successful caretaker stint.
He watched the Wolves loss with Cellino and sections of the crowd sang his name as Leeds went behind to Leon Clarke's 85th-minute winner.
