Rotherham manager Neil
Redfearn has kept his integrity in tact by refusing to respond to Steve Evans'
barbed taunt that he could be one game away from the sack.
Evans launched a stinging
attack on his successor after taking offence at Redfearn's assertion that the
players signed by the Scot in the summer were "sub-standard".
While Redfearn never
name-checked Evans in his comments, which came in the wake of Tuesday's
disappointing defeat at Huddersfield, Evans' retort was strong, saying Redfearn
was "under extreme pressure and wonders what happens if he loses the
next one".
But Redfearn, who vacated the
post Evans now holds at Leeds in May, refused to get drawn into a war of words.
"I don't want to comment
on Steve, he can say what he wants, that's up to him," he said.
"I am more interested in
us. But what I am doing is laying out the bare facts.
"Sometimes it evokes a
response and obviously it has brought a response from Steve.
"But I don't want to
comment on anything he has said. I am commenting on the facts, it might put
people's noses out, but if I am going to turn this around and make it work and
make it right these are the facts.
"I've stated a fact and
he's made a comment."
Despite the strength of Redfearn's words on Tuesday and the frenzy caused by Evans' response, the Millers boss stands by what he said.
"It was the right thing to do.
One thing I have always been in my career as a player, coach and manager is
honest and told the truth," he said.
"Sometimes the truth is difficult for some people to
take, but they are the facts.
"What we have done is raise the performance level from where we were and we have got a good couple of results on the back of it, but that dip for me wasn’t acceptable. And at that time it needed highlighting.
"It happened to me as a
player and it will happen again after me in 20 years' time.
"If you want to
provoke a reaction and you want people to get at it, you've got to get into
them. It's as simple as that.
"They've got to know that their level is not acceptable.
It's how I was a player.
"It's how I am as a coach and a manager. I fight and I
compete and I expect my people to do the same. If they don't, then they know
I'm not happy."
