After the ‘sacking’…erm ‘suspension’ due to an…erm….’internal matter’ of assistant coach Steve Thompson , Leeds United manager…sorry, ‘head coach’ Neil Redfearn fronted a decidedly uneasy press conference where, of course, the focus wouldn’t have been Saturday’s game against Blackburn Rovers. Obviously the questions would all be focused on the matter regarding Thompson and whatever hitherto indiscretions that he has made that Leeds United are not going to comment on as it is a matter internal to the club. On a day when fan initiative Leeds Fans LLP were launching plan for a buy-in to the club backed by ‘fan power’; it seems that machinations within the club were pulling the curtains of darkness and closing out the transparency that fans were clamouring for. Seasoned Leeds United watchers, long-suffering fans like myself, are used to ‘cloak-and-daggers’ tactics interspersed with equal measure of ‘smoke-and-mirrors’ distractions, but even this is turn of events is surprising.

Current rumours doing the rounds, and I stress these are only rumours, are that Thompson was suspended in a row over player selection. It is being whispered, even up to national press level, that it was to do with Mirco Antenucci. Allegedly, and I stress the word allegedly, it is being mentioned that should Antenucci have scored another goal then this would trigger a £2m contract, something that certain members of the Leeds hierarchy were keen to avoid.

The Antenucci stories are right. He gets another year on his contract if he scores 12 goals. Redfearn under pressure not to use him. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) April 2, 2015

Apparently, orders were issued, allegedly Thompson refused to follow them and Nicola Salerno suspended him from the club, with Leeds United unlikely now to take up the chance of extending his services with the club. It also appears that the termination letter handed to Steve Thompson contained numerous spelling errors but, until this letter resurfaces, again this is just plain conjecture.

When questioned, NEil Redfearn was none the wiser saying, “Steve’s been suspended. For what, I don’t know. I don’t understand it.” It’s a rum state of affairs when the man tasked with the day-to-day running of the club at team/pitchside level has no input whatsoever of the reasoning behind the disciplining of his No.2, a man he has known since their playing days together at Bolton Wanderers. Understandably Neil Redfeard is upset at the turn of events today, admitting as such at the press conference, and this has left him contemplating his own position and tenure at the club that he has worked so hard to turn around of late after a disastrous start to the season that saw two changes in management before the Christmas break. When pressed and questioned on this matter, Redfearn was brutally frank and bluntly honest in his reply stating, “I have to have a good, hard think now…. It’s disappointing. It’s under mining.”

And it is, undermining that is. On a personal level it undermines the power of him as a ‘head coach’ with footballing decisions being made at seemingly the boardroom level. It undermines the hard work put in to turn around a sinking season and to address those neutrals who saw the appointment of Mssrs Cellino and Salerno as akin to putting lions in charge of a fragile circus. Most of all, what is more worrying, is that it undermines us, the fans, who begin to see the madness that was Leeds United creeping back in to devour whatever normality had been rebuilt.

Suddenly the future at my beloved Elland Road doesn’t look that rosy.

All quotes taken ad verbatim from Adam Pope’s Twitter feed.