WISE REVEALS LEEDS TEAM WAS LEAKED
Posted 10/02/07 17:44
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Leeds manager Dennis Wise revealed a mystery player "will never
play for this club again" after his starting line-up had been
leaked to Crystal Palace ahead of the kick-off at Elland
Road.
Wise's relegation strugglers kept a toe-hold in the Coca-Cola
Championship with a 2-1 win, but a much-improved Leeds display was
overshadowed by the manager's furious post-match outburst.
"It was a fantastic result for us, but unfortunately I'm very
disappointed," Wise said.
"One player gave my team to the opposition at my football club and
I found that out.
"It disappoints me immensely and I told the players before, and he
won't be playing for this football club again."
"It's as simple as that because I can't have that. "This what you
sometimes have to deal with. That player's not going to play for
this football club.
"I spoke to the players and it hurts a lot and they responded for
me and I'm chuffed to bits with them.
"Also, the player in question said a couple of other things and
it's not acceptable.
"I found this out today, about 1pm. I don't want to go into it
anymore, but it's only right to say something about something as
disappointing as that."
Crystal Palace manager Peter Taylor refused to discuss Wise's
revelations. "I don't want to comment on that. Dennis should stick
to his own situation," he said.
Taylor added his side, who went down to their first defeat in nine
league matches, would now be looking to embark on another unbeaten
run and that the play-offs remained a target.
Goals in each half from Leeds defender Matt Heath and striker
Robbie Blake set Wise's side on their way to a crucial win, but
they remain bottom of the table following Southend's crushing win
over QPR on Friday night.
A towering late header from Palace centre-half Leon Cort ensured a
nervy final eight minutes for the home side, but the Yorkshiremen
held on for a deserved three points.
"We've got to start another run. I said before the game that we
need to get another 30 points to have a chance of getting into
sixth place and that's still the target," Taylor added.
The Palace boss conceded he was "baffled" only four minutes of time
were added on.
"I cannot work that out. I know we might not score in the extra
time, but four minutes.
"There's six substitutions, a couple of goals, there's peole going
down left, right and centre having treatment, so for four minutes I
just cannot work that out."
Before the recent win at Hull, Wise declared his side needed to win
eight of their remaining matches to escape relegation to the third
tier of English football for the first time in their history.
Leeds lost 2-1 at Norwich last week but have bounced back again to
stay on track in their bid to reach the 50-point mark.
Wise added: "We need to win a certain amount of games and if we win
them, we're safe.
"That's all we have to do. We have to concentrate on us and not
others and it was an important win for us today."
