Mighty Leeds Weblog

Yorkshire Post 29/10/14 LEFT-BACK Stephen Warnock said Neil Redfearn could count on the full support of Leeds United’s players as Redfearn pushed to seal his appointment as head coach before Saturday’s game at Cardiff City. Warnock welcomed the move to promote Redfearn from his academy job in the wake of Darko Milanic’s sacking, saying the 49-year-old appeared to hold the respect of owner Massimo Cellino and the entire first-team squad. Cellino dismissed Milanic after 32 days in charge on Saturday, ending the Slovenian’s brief reign following a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers and six league matches without a win. United’s president immediately announced that Redfearn would replace Milanic on a permanent basis – the third full-time head coach employed by Leeds this season – but Redfearn is yet to finalise the details of a new contract with the club. He met with Cellino on Monday afternoon and verbally agreed to take the job on, and the former Barnsley midfielder initially tol...

Yorkshire Post 28/10/14 DARKO MILANIC’s claims that he has not officially been sacked by Leeds United have been rejected by the club. The Slovenian was shown the door after just 32 days in charge after Saturday’s defeat to Wolves, just a month into his two-year contract which runs until 2016. Milanic says has been placed on paid ‘gardening’ leave and will get paid for the rest of his contract. He is due to return to the continent this week. Speaking to Slovenian radio, the 46-year-old said: “My contract was not terminated, I’m on paid leave. “During this time, I must be ready all the time to once again take over the team, if requested by the owner. “My contract continues to run and I’m on vacation. I signed for two years and I will not terminate my contract.” While technically speaking at least, Milanic could return to Leeds before the expiry of his contract in 2016, that appears extremely unlikely – with the club adamant he has been formally sacked. Meanwhile, Milanic has hit...

Yorkshire Post 28/10/14 THE chief executive of the League Managers’ Association last night described Leeds United’s managerial upheaval as “unsustainable” and called on club owners to take more care during the recruitment process. Darko Milanic’s departure on Saturday night after just 32 days in the job means the Elland Road club have sacked three managers/head coaches since May. Neil Redfearn, who has been in charge of United three times in an interim role, will take the reins on a permanent basis and supporters will be hoping the popular Academy chief is given time to get things right. Whether the 49-year-old former midfielder will be afforded that precious commodity remains to be seen, however, with Leeds president Massimo Cellino’s reputation in his native Italy as a “manager eater” being underlined by there having been 36 managerial changes during his 22 years at the helm of Serie A side Cagliari. For LMA chief Richard Bevan, such upheaval is not compatible with success in fo...

Yorkshire Evening Post 28/10/14 by Leon Wobschall NEIL REDFEARN has verbally agreed a deal to be the new full-time head coach of Leeds United and says he has received the assurances over his future he was seeking from Massimo Cellino. After three spells in caretaker charge, Redfearn has now been entrusted with a permanent first-team role and will officially sign a contract shortly. If it does not work out, it is thought there is a proviso that Redfearn will revert to his academy post, but it is hoped that his promotion to the head coach position will be lasting. Redfearn said: “I had a meeting with Massimo. Nothing has been put down in concrete and I just wanted to see how he saw it and how he viewed me going forward. “He said: ‘Look, I see you here for the long haul, I want you here with me.’ “I am stepping up taking the first team, but the bottom line is he sees me there for the long haul.’ “The conversation I had with him was whether he sees me as a head coach and that’s it ...

Guardian 27/10/14 Neil Redfearn is set to become Leeds United’s third manager of the season and says the club’s trigger-happy owner, Massimo Cellino, wants him “for the long haul”. Darko Milanic became Cellino’s latest victim an hour after Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by Wolves – his sixth game and sixth without a win. The Slovenian had been in charge for 32 days. Leeds are now set to replace the 46-year-old with Redfearn, the perennial caretaker who accrued 10 points from 12 in the gap between Milanic’s reign and that of David Hockaday. Speaking to the Yorkshire Evening Post Redfearn said: “I had a meeting with Massimo today. Nothing has been put down in concrete but I wanted to see how he saw it going forward. “I don’t want this to be a short-term thing, that is no good for anybody. He told me that he sees me here for the long haul and that he wanted me here with him and that he does not see this as a short-term thing.” Redfearn watched the Wolves game with Cellino and is set to ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 27/10/14 by Leon Wobschall DARKO MILANIC has claimed that he is on paid leave at Leeds United and has not officially been sacked, despite the club announcing he was no longer in charge. Speaking on Slovenian radio, Milanic has spoken out after exiting Leeds after just six games and 32 days at the club, just a month into a two-year deal. United president Massimo Cellino dispensed with the services of former Sturm Graz and Maribor head coach Milanic shortly after Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers. That took Milanic’s winless stint at United to six games, with the club picking up just three points from a possible 18. Speaking to Radio Slovenija, Milanic claimed: “My contract was not terminated, I’m on paid leave. “During this time I must be ready all the time to once again take over the team, if requested by the owner. “My contract continues to run and I’m on vacation. I signed for two years and I will not terminate my contract. In the sam...

Yorkshire Post 27/10/14 by Leon Wobschall at Elland Road ON the weekend when the clocks went back to signal the end of British Summer Time, Darko Milanic’s footballing clock stopped at Leeds United. The Slovenian’s time ran out after a mere 32 days in West Yorkshire and the latest chapter in United’s increasingly bizarre and dysfunctional campaign is filed. Given events on the pitch this season when Leeds have periodically veered from the sublime – think the last half an hour at Bournemouth, first half against Rotherham and the whole game versus Huddersfield– to the ridiculous, Saturday’s erratic 
offering should not have come as much of a surprise. Granted, the timing of 
Milanic’s sacking, with many home fans barely back inside their front doors on Saturday evening, probably did. But in the cold light of day, upon reflection, it was not exactly a seismic shock. A case of when and not if, many would have ventured, more especially under a hands-on, front-seat driver in president...

Yorkshire Evening Post 27/10/14 by Leon Wobschall STEVE MORISON admits that Leeds United were architects of their own downfall and paid a heavy price for a poor second-half showing against Wolves. Saturday proved a bittersweet afternoon for Morison, who was arguably the hosts’ stand-out player in the first period on his first start for Leeds since May 2013. But in the second half, Wolves turned the tables en route to a 2-1 success, with Leeds having no answers and being palpably unable to stem the tide. Morison felt Leeds were guilty of overplaying at times, and the former Norwich and Millwall frontman again cited poor communication levels between players, due to ongoing difficulties with the language barrier. Morison, who set up Mirco Antenucci’s 18th-minute opener, said: “For some reason, we changed what we were doing in the first half and started doing the complete opposite. In the second half, we seemed to think we were Barcelona and that we could play out from anywhere and we...

Yorkshire Evening Post 27/10/14 by Phil Hay The last Leeds United boss who failed to win any of his first six games was the peerless Don Revie so Darko Milanic shared good company but Saturday was no time for omens or tenuous comparisons. Thirteen years Revie reigned for and when his departure from Elland Road came, it came of his own accord. Sacked on Saturday evening, Milanic survived for 32 days; fewer than Brian Clough and fewer than Jock Stein. Fewer than any other coach in the history of this maddening club. The Slovenian was fired just after 6pm and little over an hour after a 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the final straw in the eyes of an owner who never waits long to break the camel’s back. Milanic seemed safe with 45 minutes gone but a period of concerted retreat and backtracking did for him at full-time. One surrender too many, as ridiculous as that sounds. Milanic had a victory within his grasp at Rotherham 10 days ago but a 1-0 lead at half-time evaporated q...

Sabotage Times 26/10/14 by Paul Sherman Darko days are over, time for Cellino to stick with Redfearn and give him time and support. Darko Milanic lasted 32 days at Leeds United under Massimo Cellino. His CV was littered with trophies, albeit in Slovenia, his reputation as a pragmatist should have rung alarm bells but we fans, desperate for success, clung to the hope that this time the president’s choice, suggested by the trusty Salerno was the right man. He appeared calm, professional and much better looking than his horrific predecessor Hockaday who, with the hapless Junior Lewis, lasted a remarkable 70 days. Before them a marriage made in hell that had no chance of longevity was terminated when Brian McDermott finally left the club not too long after his erroneous sacking and reinstatement in January. All three ex Leeds managers were decent blokes with varying degrees of experience, all three of them were eaten up by the size of the club, the expectation of the fans and most of a...

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/10/14 by Phil Hay Darko Milanic had his family with him at Elland Road yesterday – the first time any of them had ventured to Leeds – and they were in the vicinity when word of his sacking spread. It was left to Nicola Salerno, Leeds United’s sporting director, to deliver the news on behalf of Massimo Cellino and it was clear in that instant why Milanic came to England without his nearest and dearest in tow. Here one day, gone the next; a club where the survival rate of head coaches is at epidemic proportions. Football is a ruthless game and those who work in it know the risks but regardless of Milanic’s compatibility with Leeds, Cellino’s treatment of him has been horribly harsh. Milanic gave up a job at Sturm Graz to come here – bought his way out of a contract, no less – and he was hacked down in no time, on the one afternoon when his family chose to attend a game. They might never forget their experience of the hours they spent at Elland Road. Few oth...

Sports Mole 26/10/14 Sian Cowper Former Leeds United midfielder Johnny Giles has said that owner Massimo Cellino should "get out" of the club. The Italian sacked manager Darko Milanic after just 32 days in charge following yesterday's 2-1 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers, making him the second manager to be sacked at Elland Road this season, and the third since Cellino took charge in April. Giles, who won two league titles during his 12-year spell at the club from 1963 to 1975, told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think the best thing he could do is get out of the club and make way for a new owner who could work in the best interests of the fans." Milanic had replaced Dave Hockaday, who was dismissed in August after a 70-day stint at the club, while Brian McDermott left the club over the summer. Academy boss Neil Redfearn is expected to take permanent charge of the first team from Monday.

leedsunited.com 25/10/14 Leeds United can confirm that Darko Milanic has parted company with the club. The Slovenian, who arrived from Austrian side Sturm Graz at the end of September, picked up three points from a possible 18 during his six-game stay at Elland Road. Milanic oversaw three draws and three defeats, with the 2-1 loss at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers proving to be his final game at the helm. Club president Massimo Cellino said: "I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results." Neil Redfearn will now take charge of first-team training on Monday morning.

Yorkshire Post 25/10/14 NEIL REDFEARN has been promoted to become Leeds United’s permanent head coach with immediate effect following the dramatic sacking of Darko Milanic. The Slovenian was fired shortly after today’s 2-1 home loss to Wolves, the sixth and final game of his tenure, which failed to yield a victory. It ended his reign in charge at 32 days, with his predecessor David Hockaday lasting 70 days. Redfearn, who has taken charge of United on a caretaker basis on three previous occasions, took ten points out of 12 from his four games at the helm in a temporary capacity following Hockaday’s axing. Redfearn presided over Leeds’ last win back on September 20, a 3-0 derby victory over Huddersfield. On the decision to sack former Sturm Graz head coach Milanic, Cellino said: “I have given the order to fire him. “I made a mistake with this guy. He is negative, he has a losing mentality. He has three points from six games, that is relegation (form). “Neil Redfearn will take tra...

Telegraph 25/10/14 Darko Milanic's six-game reign - the same as predecessor David Hockaday - ends after Saturday's 2-1 loss to Wolves at Elland Road By Luke Edwards Massimo Cellino, Leeds United’s notoriously trigger-happy Italian owner, has sacked manager Darko Milanic only 32 days and six matches after appointing him. Cellino dismissed the hapless Slovenian with an apology to the club’s fans. “I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results,” Cellino said. Neil Redfearn, the academy coach who became caretaker manager earlier this season when Cellino sacked Dave Hockaday - also after six matches - will succeed Milanic, becoming Leeds' third permanent appointment of the season. Milanic bought out his contract with Austrian club Sturm Graz last month in order to join Leeds but failed to oversee a single victory during his brief period at Elland Road. In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Milanic said...

Mail 25/10/14 By 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...

Inside Futbol 25/10/14 Leeds United manager Darko Milanic has accepted responsibility for his side's 2-1 defeat at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers today, but insisted his team do not yet have enough experience to maintain their level of performance throughout a match. Milanic, who is still waiting for his first win as Leeds boss after six games in charge, saw his side take the lead through Mirco Antenucci in the 18th minute. However, Leeds' performance dipped in the second half as Wolves applied pressure and the visitors equalised when James Henry took advantage of a Giuseppe Bellusci mistake in the 66th minute. With both sides aiming to find a winner there were chances at either end, but Wolves came up trumps when substitute Leon Clark side-footed the ball home with just five minutes left. Milanic made all his substitutions, bringing on Luke Murphy for Alex Mowatt, Casper Sloth for Adryan and Brian Montenegro for Tommaso Bianchi. "It's not a great feeling after ...

Yorkshire Evening Post 25/10/14 by Phil Hay Darko Milanic’s wait for a first win as Leeds United head coach goes on after his side allowed a 1-0 lead to slip at at Elland Road. The Slovenian appeared to be on course for his maiden victory with Wolverhampton Wanderers trailing to a goal from Mirco Antenucci at half-time but James Henry’s finish and a late strike from Leon Clarke earned the visitors three points. Antenucci struck on 18 minutes to give United control of a game they dominated early on and Wolves were rarely allowed to look like a side who started the day in the Championship’s play-off positions. But Milanic watched Leeds come under increasing pressure in the second half and goalkeeper Marco Silvestri was unable to stop Henry’s fierce volley in the 67th minute. He was beaten again by Clarke five minutes from time as a spate of attacks finally told. Steve Morison was named in United’s starting line-up for the first time in 17 months and he was involved in the first me...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/10/14 by Phil Hay Massimo Cellino’s trial over a second tax evasion charge has been delayed again after the judge in the case abstained from hearing it. According to Italian media, Dr Sandra Lepore has stepped aside and will allow a replacement to hear Cellino’s trial having previously convicted Leeds United’s owner of a separate tax offence. Italian prosecutors accuse Cellino of avoiding around £75,000 in import duty owed on a private yacht, Lucky 23. Lepore was due to rule on that allegation but has already overseen the case of Nelie, a different boat which Cellino was found guilty of failing to pay tax on during a hearing in Cagliari in March. The 58-year-old received a fine of around £400,000 and the conviction was initially used by the Football League to bar him from buying a majority stake in Leeds. Cellino overturned that decision on appeal and completed his takeover of United in April but the Nelie case continues to threaten the his ownership at...

Yorkshire Post 22/10/14 LEEDS UNITED showed great resilience to add to Norwich City’s frustrations by ensuring the high-fliers have now gone five home games without a win. The Canaries were unable to build on a headed goal just before the hour mark from captain Russell Martin. Leeds were back on level terms inside four minutes thanks to a well taken effort from Souleymane Doukara and the visitors then put up the barricades to ensure they went home with a hard-earned point. Both sides went into the game with an indifferent run of results behind them and it showed in the early stages, with goalmouth action in short supply. But the Canaries gradually began to get a foothold in the game and almost took the lead after 14 minutes when Cameron Jerome just failed to get the required touch on an excellent cross from Josh Murphy, who was making his first league start. From then on Norwich totally dominated the half, with Leeds struggling to get past the halfway line. Their only break came...

Yorkshire Evening Post 22/10/14 by Phil Hay Massimo Cellino rallied behind Giuseppe Bellusci as the Football Association launched an investigation into allegations of racial abuse made against the Italian centre-back. Leeds United’s owner said he would support Bellusci against claims that the 25-year-old racially abused Cameron Jerome during Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Norwich City. Bellusci will face a minimum five-game ban if he is charged and found guilty by the FA’s disciplinary commission but United’s £1.6m summer signing is denying making racist comments and has been promised the full backing of his club. “Bellusci swears to me he said nothing racist,” Cellino said. “I believe him and and I’ll support him. “Bellusci is no racist. I spoke with him and he said ‘you must be joking, I said nothing like this to him (Jerome).’ He is surprised by this. He is shocked.” The YEP understands that FA officials are planning to interview Bellusci at Elland Road tomorrow and Cellino said: “I...

Yorkshire Evening Post 21/10/14 by Phil Hay From Darko Milanic’s point of view, a small shift forward is better than another step back and worse results than a draw atCarrow Road will chequer his record as Leeds United head coach. It was cold and attritional at Norwich City and the autumn weather was not much better but Milanic took a point away with him – his third from five games – as all around him continued to ask when the dam in front of him would finally burst. Leeds have not won since the day of his appointment, though Norwich themselves have done so only once and are lodged in the Championship’s play-off positions regardless. Milanic needs a victory to come, for his own sanity as much as anything, but it will help his cause in the meantime to persevere in the absence of many more defeats. Norwich looked more likely than Leeds to prise three points from the game, a contest as memorable as the slow drag of the A47 to Norwich, but the match was scrappy and hard work all roun...

Mail 21/10/14 By DEREK DAVIS FOR THE DAILY MAIL Norwich City's 1-1 draw with Leeds United was overshadowed by an alleged racist remark by Guiseppe Bellusci at Cameron Jerome. Russell Martin looked as if his header was going to hand City their first home win in five and strengthen their position in the top six. But Leeds grabbed an unlikely equaliser through Souleymane Doukara to ease the pressure on manager Darko Milanic. The game took a nasty turn midway through the first half when Bellusci and Jerome scuffled on the edge of the 18-yard box with the ball well out of the way and Leeds keeper Marco Silvestri got in between them. Referee Mark Clattenburg then took Jerome to the bench and spoke to Neil Adams and the fourth official, before also having a word with Italian Bellusci. No further action was taken at the time but moments later Jerome was booked for a heavy challenge on the Leeds defender. Norwich boss Neil Adams said: 'Cameron has alleged a racist remark was mad...

Here is the City 20/10/14 John Verrall Leeds head coach Darko Milanic has praised Adryan after his debut performance. Leeds United manager Darko Milanic believes that Adryan looked very dangerous when he made his debut against Rotherham United on Friday night. Adryan came off the bench for the last half-hour of the match and he showed all his quality, despite a brief cameo. The Brazilian was not able to stop Leeds slipping to a 2-1 defeat to their Yorkshire rivals, but he did show a lot of promise on the pitch and Milanic also felt the 20-year-old was a threat. "Adryan was very dangerous," he said to the club's official site. "He made good movement in between the lines. He played very well for 30 minutes and did a good job.” Adryan had three shots during his substitute appearance, but it was his build-up play which really caught the eye. With twists and turns aplenty, the playmaker looked Leeds' brightest player in the second-half and he surely will be ne...

leedsunited.com 20/10/14 United head coach Darko Milanič has spoken of his disappointment after losing out to Rotherham on Friday night. United came away from the New York Stadium with a 2-1 defeat and the head coach says his team tried but in the end it wasn’t enough. “I am not happy but the team is also not happy with this situation,” said the head coach. “We fought on Friday and tried to play football but it wasn’t enough. “At the beginning we did very well. We had the game under control and we had good possession. Our opponents were not dangerous, we were. “We scored our goal and in the last few minutes of the first half they put crosses into our box and used long throws well and they put us under pressure. “In the second half they started really well and put us under a lot of pressure. There was a lot of challenges in our box. This is a good style of football for them.” After leading at half time Rotherham came out and dominated proceedings in the second 45 minutes. “We ...

Here is the City 19/10/14 Tim Poole The Leeds owner is said to have made the call directly himself. Leeds United fans can't be blamed for their frustration that Adryan did not start against Rotherham United on Friday. The Brazilian showed plenty of promise when he came on in the second half and some Leeds fans feel his inclusion from the start could have made a huge difference during the 2-1 defeat. After all, supporters of the Yorkshire side had been waiting eagerly for some weeks to see the 20-year-old make his Leeds debut. He was, even, in the starting line-up to face Rotherham. That was until a late change took him out of the equation and back to the substitutes' bench. According to the Daily Mirror, however, that was not the decision of boss Darko Milanic. No, the national newspaper report that owner Massimo Cellino himself was directly responsible for the call. A 'club insider' is said to have confirmed that the Italian instructed for the Brazilian not to...

Sky Sports 18/10/14 Partick Thistle new boy Freddy Frans has revealed the chaos that surrounded his proposed move to Leeds United, prior to sealing a move to the Scottish Premiership. The Belgian centre-back was released by Lierse in his homeland in the summer after a change of ownership, and looked set to secure a switch to Elland Road. Then-Leeds boss David Hockaday was interested in the move, and invited Frans to have talks with new Whites owner Massimo Cellino, and that is when things took a rather strange turn. “I thought I had seen everything when I left Belgium – but then I arrived at Leeds," Frans told the Daily Record. "My agent spoke to the owner and he said if Hockaday liked me I’d sign. I played two games and he said he wanted to sign me. “I had to give him details about my star signs and all this stuff. He doesn’t like the number 17 or the colour purple among other things. “We heard a few strange stories, like the one about Paddy Kenny not getting a deal b...

Yorkshire Post 18/10/14 by Leon Wobschall at New York Stadium THE sun was out, metaphorically speaking at least last night, but for Rotherham United and not Darko Milanic. Ahead of the game, the Whites’ Slovenian head coach, without a win in his three games in charge, stated that his first victory would be akin to seeing the sun again. Truth is, the nights are drawing in. Rotherham’s home clashes with Leeds tend to be dramatic and this was no exception with Steve Evans’s side producing a powerhouse second-half display which floored Leeds. This after Leeds dominated much of the first half in which Mirco Antenucci fired them ahead on the half hour. Alex Revell’s first goal of the season and first since his magnificent Wembley equaliser in the League Two play-off final against Leyton Orient plus a maiden Millers strike from record signing Jonson-Clarke Harris – just under two minutes after coming on and with his first telling touch – earned another joyous victory for the Millers. W...

Yorkshire Evening Post 18/10/14 by Phil Hay Darko Milanic admitted to a feeling of frustration after his run without a win as Leeds United head coach increased to four games during a 2-1 defeat at Rotherham United. The Slovenian said he was “not happy with the situation” and aware of the pressure on him to deliver a victory after Rotherham overturned Mirco Antenucci’s first-half goal last night. Antenucci opened the scoring at the New York Stadium with a 30th-minute strike, his third goal of the Championship season, and Leeds led at the interval after a slick performance in the first half. But Rotherham dominated the early part of the second half and replied with strikes from Alex Revell and substitute Jonson Clarke-Harris, leaving Milanic to look to Tuesday’s game at Championship leaders Norwich City for his first win as boss. The 46-year-old has been in charge of Leeds for a month – appointed on a two-year contract last month after quitting his job at Sturm Graz – but his first...

Yorkshire Evening Post 18/10/14 Neil Redfearn to York City was finished before it began. York thought about him but never interviewed him and Redfearn didn’t want the job. At no stage was Massimo Cellino in his ear, reminding Redfearn that the proverbial grass is greener and plusher round here, my friend. It may come to that in due course and if Leeds United’s academy boss ever decides that the world is bigger than Thorp Arch, the club cannot say they were caught on the hop. He likes his job – adores it, really – but Redfearn wants to manage. In the end most coaches catch that bug. His next move depends on time, place and luck. Well-regarded or not, Redfearn is in a busy, changeable market. York weren’t his bag and he, seemingly, wasn’t theirs. He was touted as Barnsley’s next manager last month with his stock rising and Danny Wilson trudging through mud but Wilson has taken Barnsley in hand again. Prospects are not the same as promises. Jobs on offer one day vanish the next and n...

Yorkshire Evening Post 17/10/14 The noise all week emanated from Rotherham and when the night came it belonged to them. This was Rotherham’s occasion, the fixture Steve Evans craved, and two goals in the second half left him grinning at the end of a match which slipped through the hands of Darko Milanic. They cast Leeds United as noisy neighbours in parts of Yorkshire but the club did not live up to that reputation before last night’s derby. It was Evans who dominated the agenda, talking endlessly of stature, history, his respect for Leeds. For the best part of an hour, the enormity of it all seemed too much for his players. Leeds and Milanic kept their counsel, as Milanic likes to do, and a Mirco Antenucci goal on 30 minutes proved that silence has its virtues. A sharp goal in the midst of a sharp performance drew the steam from Evans temporarily, giving Milanic the scent of a precious first win. The Slovenian barely flinched as Antenucci’s shot flew in but he was pacing anxiousl...