Yorkshire Evening Post 26/10/07
Poyet: 'I haven't spoken to anyone'
By Phil Hay
Gus Poyet has spoken out as Tottenham Hotspur were today preparing to move for the Leeds United assistant manager.
The Uruguayan is Spurs' first choice to fill the role of assistant manager at White Hart Lane following the sacking of boss Martin Jol and first-team coach Chris Hughton.
The former Uruguay international, who played for Tottenham between 2001 and 2004, is quoted on BBC Sport saying: "Everybody is calling me and sending me texts about it but I don't know anything. I haven't spoken to anyone.
"I don't know if something has gone on between the clubs. I don't have a clue." Jol and Hughton were dismissed last night and Tottenham were today working to secure Sevilla coach Juande Ramos and United's Poyet as their replacement management team.
United were still waiting for an official approach this morning but club chief executive Shaun Harvey said: "Despite the widespread speculation, Leeds United can confirm that we have neither received an approach from Tottenham for Poyet, nor a request from him to be released from his contract with Leeds.
"Any approach from Tottenham for our assistant manager would not be welcome."
Tottenham have been placed under the immediate command of Clive Allen, their development coach, but Spurs' interest in Ramos is well known. The 53-year-old is under contract at Sevilla until the end of the season, but it is understood that he could step into his new position with Tottenham as early as next week.
Leeds, however, seem determined to fight any attempt to lure Poyet from Elland Road.
He and boss Dennis Wise were installed as United's management team in October of last year, and they completed 12 months in the job on Wednesday. Chairman Ken Bates threw his weight behind the pair after Leeds were relegated from the Championship in April, and United have started this season with 10 victories and two draws from 12 games, quickly freeing the club from their 15-point penalty.
Poyet and Wise have operated as a close partnership during their time with Leeds, and speaking yesterday, Wise told the YEP: "We're good friends and we understand each other very well. We're on the same wavelength."

Yorkshire Evening Post 26/10/07
How Dennis Wise turned tide at Elland Road
By Phil Hay
EXCLUSIVEJoe Allon is the joker in Dennis Wise's pack, and the lightest heart in a football club where darkness has been prevalent.
Recruited by Wise in March, Allon's role in the coaching staff at Leeds United has never been conclusively explained to the outside world. He is, it seems, all things to all men – capable of imparting professional advice, but adept at raising smiles in the dressing room.
It matters to Wise that the eyes and ears surrounding his squad belong to people he can trust implicitly. He also gravitates towards straight-talkers, men who call a spade by its name. Ken Bates lives by that mentality, and so too does Allon. Asked this week to define Wise's first year as United's manager, the retired striker said: "Last year you were Osama Bin Laden. Now you're Elvis."
The analogy is not wholly accurate. Wise was never as disliked as Bin Laden, and he cannot now claim to be as popular as the King. But Allon is right to argue that Wise has travelled from pole-to-pole during 12 months with Leeds. A man who United's supporters were once compelled to hate is dangerously close to being taken into the club's bosom, against their expectations and his.
Wise does not concern himself with popularity contests, primarily because he rarely has any chance of winning them. He knew when he took the job at Leeds 12 months ago that he would be welcomed to Elland Road by few open arms and many clenched fists, some directed at him and others at his chairman.
Why, then, did Wise walk out of the tranquility of Swindon and into what became football's equivalent of civil war? And why, when the heat at Elland Road became intolerable, was he so reluctant to walk away? To understand his reasons is to understand Wise, and the nature of his life in football. He may not be addicted to conflict, but he is not far off it either. Without the smell of battle to thrive on, you suspect his routine would seem a little empty.
"I was probably in a better position at Swindon," Wise says. "I was 45 minutes from my house, and it was all quite simple – I seemed to have a job there for as long as it wanted it, I got a percentage of the gate and all sorts of other things. When we got offered the job here, they offered us new contracts. They wanted us to stay even more.
"But Batesy gave me a call and asked if I would want to come to Leeds. I said of course. There were two reasons – firstly because it's a massive football club but also because of my relationship with Ken Bates. We're very close and it wasn't looking too fantastic for him.
"I knew the financial side of the club wasn't great and I knew the dressing room wasn't great. Why did I do it? Because I'll have a go. I don't shirk. I'm thick-skinned and I've taken abuse all my life, except from the people I've played for.
"Everyone I've played against hated me so I knew it would be difficult here at first. I didn't know whether the supporters would change, or how long it would take. I really wasn't sure. But I wasn't too fussed about it either.
"In pre-season, a guy who was sitting with his boy said to me: 'you're not wanted here. Go.' I suppose that seems hard to take but I'm used to it.
"I once had a situation when I was playing for Millwall and I had 5,000 West Ham fans singing 'he's five-foot-four and his wife's a whore'. I laughed. Why? Because people get carried away. They read the papers, they want to slaughter you and that's what happens in football. It doesn't bother me.
"The supporters' first thought when I came to Leeds will have been 'what is he doing here?' I needed a chance, and in the first six months I never had it. I got battered all over the place – by the papers, by the fans.
"There was a lot of arguing with players here, a lot of snide remarks and nasty things going.
"But I knew it was going to get better. You might not believe me, but I knew it couldn't get any worse. That was it. I realised that I'd dealt with it all, mentally and physically. I never cracked."
The problems in Wise's dressing room last season were an open secret. Their exact nature is more of a riddle.Wise alludes to awkward issues, but is never specific. Two of his first decisions after his arrival last October saw Paul Butler and Sean Gregan shown to the door at Thorp Arch, and the squad responsible for reaching the Championship play-off final was methodically – deliberately – dismantled.
Age was one reason. Attitude appears to have been another. United's manager does not use the word undermined, but it is clear that at times last season he believed that he was. His fight to gain the confidence of the club's supporters was raging only as intensely as the private struggle for control behind United's dressing room door. Between that and the hanging hand of administration, the outcome of the season was obvious long before Leeds threw their dice for the final time and were relegated from the Championship on April 28.
"The players here had got their own way for such a long time, or that's how I felt," Wise says. "It seemed that they were dictating what happened."There were a lot of strong personalities and they thought my days were numbered – they basically said 'let's do him'. They didn't think I'd be here a year later. But I was always going to be here.
"They did what they liked, and I had to deal with that atmosphere. It's easier for a manager to have a go at a youngster, but it's not so easy for a manager to have a go at a big-head and to put him in his place. You have to have a strong personality and to be strong mentally.
"Maybe they thought 'sod him, he'll be gone', but I knew differently. It was no good me going in the cupboard and hiding, and I wasn't going to walk away just because it was a bad time. No chance, and not in a million years.
"I listened to people who abused me like that man with his boy did in pre-season, but I got on with it. Batesy always said that this was going to be a long job, not a short one."
Ah yes. Ken Bates. The only figure at Elland Road who can provoke more discussion than his manager, but a man to whom Wise is fiercely loyal.
Their relationship was professional before it became personal, but Wise's friendship with Bates is now as important to him as the opportunity of employment.
The two stood shoulder-to-shoulder through a summer which threatened to run them both out of Elland Road, and it is difficult to imagine an acrimonious parting of ways in the future. Wise worries more about the pressure on his chairman than he does about himself. Bates equally would hope that he never reaches the stage where Wise's position becomes untenable.
The pair are not quite a permanent package, but a successful Wise is likely remain at Elland Road for as long as Bates does. Were his chairman to walk, however, Wise would probably follow. It was certainly true that Wise's fate rested solely on Bates' ability to fight his way through administration, and to ignore calls for him to respond to relegation by instigating a change of manager.
"If someone else had taken over the club in the summer, I knew I was gone," admits Wise. "The perfect situation for them would have been to get rid of me.
"They'd have thought 'the crowd hates him, everyone hates him'. And they'd have been the cult hero because people would say 'thank God you got rid of that idiot'.
"I knew what was coming to me if anyone else took over. I'd have gone away on holiday and taken it easy. But the other thing I knew was that I had a fighter behind me, and that's Batesy.
"A lot of people have given him a lot of stick but there were reasons (for United's problems) and people never see all the reasons – they never see what's inside the circle, only the outside.
"Some of them don't like him but it's nice to see that they haven't sung about him for a long time. He doesn't deserve that because he's trying to do a job. I don't know – maybe there realising about him as well now.
"I'm very loyal to him, and I can talk to him in the right way. No-one else calls him Batesy. When I first did that I was 21-year-old and a young man – a cocky young man.
"He was signing me (at Chelsea), and Andy Townsend walked in looking immaculate. I walked in in a tracksuit. He said to me 'is this it for £1.6million?' I said 'yes, but I've got a bit heart so you'll be okay'. He started laughing.
"The situation at Wimbledon was that Sam Hammam owed me some money. I never asked for a transfer to Chelsea so I should have got a signing-on fee.
"Sam pulled me outside and said he couldn't pay me the money. He said I had to put in a transfer request or they'd call the deal off.
"Me being the young naive man I was, I thought 'bloody hell' and signed the agreement. My agent went mad but I wanted to go.
"Ken asked what had happened and we explained it. He rung up Colin Hutchison (Chelsea's then chief executive) and told him to add the money to my contract because if I wanted to come to the place so badly, I deserved to get what I was owed.
"That was very nice, and very loyal. Because I called him Batesy that day – and because it was a natural thing for me to do – he lets me call him it now. No-one else does. He tells people off if they do. I can do it but they can't. We're very close."
The strength of their relationship is shown by the fact that the last 12 months haven't damaged it.
When Bates invited Wise and Gustavo Poyet over to Monaco last October to inform them that he saw them as United's future, the picture he painted was incomplete. There can have been no discussion about administration or transfer embargoes, and only a fleeting mention of relegation. Friendships are broken by much less.
But Wise would not have left Elland Road with genuine pride or any motivation had circumstances led to his dismissal in the summer. He might, he admits, have taken a year off. Yet here he is, and here are Leeds – dominating League One and beginning to ask how far their manager can take them. Wise is wondering the same."I needed to do this for my own purpose, and my own challenge," Wise says. "The first six months were a nightmare but this was about fighting something.
"This could be my last job. It really could. I'm being totally honest. I don't know if it will be but I'm enjoying myself at the moment.
"I've enjoyed it from the start in a funny way – a strange and warped kind of way. I enjoyed the battle with people, and I enjoyed the slaughtering because it makes you stronger, and you see if you can stand up to it.
"I knew I would take dogs' abuse. But if you can stand up to it then you can stand up to a lot of things. I needed to find that out."
It is not the attitude that many of his peers would have adopted. But then Elland Road has never been a refuge for coaches short of courage. The job of managing Leeds United is safest in the hands of those who stare danger in the eyes. It is like the Russian proverb says: if you're afraid of wolves, stay out of the forest.


Yorkshire Evening Post 26/10/07
Poyet in line for Spurs role
Leeds United assistant manager Gus Poyet has been linked with a return to Spurs following the departure of Martin Jol.
Juande Ramos has emerged as the leading contender to take over from Jol following the Dutchman's departure as Tottenham manager yesterday.
Former Spurs midfielder Poyet has been widely tipped to join as assistant.
Spurs announced after the UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe that Jol and assistant boss Chris Hughton were sacked following the club's dismal start to the season, although news had filtered through to fans during the match.
Jol waved to fans and there were songs criticising chairman Daniel Levy, who famously was among the Spurs officials who met Sevilla coach Ramos at the start of the season.
Ramos spoke of an offer from Spurs then vowed to stay in Spain for the rest of the season, but bookmakers have stopped taking bets on him succeeding Jol. They will have big shoes to fill after Jol managed fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League during his only full seasons at White Hart Lane. They were within touching distance of the Champions League two seasons ago but were hit by a mystery virus on the final day of the season.Heavy investment in the squad this summer - and retaining the services of Dimitar Berbatov - saw expectation rise in the boardroom.
The aim was the top four but Jol could only manage one win with more than a quarter of the season already gone.
Levy said: "For me, Martin and Chris' departure is regrettable. Our greatest wish was to see results turn in our favour and for there to be no need for change.
"They have been professional, popular and respected members of the coaching staff and there will always be a warm welcome for them both at the Lane."
Jol added:"I can understand the position of the club in light of the results. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Tottenham Hotspur is a special club and I want to thank the terrific staff and players."
For me the fans were always amazing with their support so I would also like to say thank you - I shall never forget them."
Development coach Clive Allen and youth team boss Alex Inglethorpe will take charge of the first team for the time being.
Two defeats in the opening week of the season put pressure on Jol - then the meeting with Ramos at the Alfonso XIII hotel emerged.
Jol appeared a "dead man walking" from then. He was not helped by Berbatov appearing moody, and the Bulgaria striker appeared to undermine his boss when he looked reluctant to warm up as a substitute against Newcastle on Monday.
Jermain Defoe was also upset after finding himself out of the matchday squad on occasions or used as an impact substitute, while Darren Bent has not settled in following his £16.5million move from Charlton.
Their defensive problems surfaced against Getafe after Defoe had opened the scoring in the 19th minute.
The Spaniards equalised immediately when Esteban Granero's free-kick from around the 40-yard mark bounced in, with Ruben de la Red claiming the slightest of touches.
Braulio Nobrega back-heeled the winner with 20 minutes remaining.
Getafe boss Michael Laudrup has been under pressure himself and felt for his counterpart.
"Football is a hard world," he said. "One year you are fantastic, the next you are the opposite.
"Given what he has done last year I don't think he will have a problem finding a new job."

Leedsunited.com 2510/07
WISE MAN FOR THE JOB
Dennis Wise has been at Elland Road for 12 months but he admitted today that he found himself in a nightmare situation during the first six months after he accepted the role of Leeds United manager.
"A lot of things weren't right at this club when I came here and I knew it was going to be a big challenge for me but I have never been one to shirk a challenge," he said.
If the first six months of his first year at Elland Road were turbulent the second six have, however, been quite amazing with his side attracting bumper crowds to Elland Road after an outstanding start to the season and still unbeaten after 12 games.
"Last year was just a nightmare in every aspect really - on the field and off it," Dennis recalled. "There were so many things really but we learnt a lot from that situation and it was important for us to learn from it.
"I experienced a lot of different things that I would otherwise probably not have been involved in. In the time I have been manager here, the first six months opened my eyes to a lot of things and it has made me a better person - and probably a better manager as well because of what I have seen.
"A lot of things happened last year and I don't want to harp on about them too much because those days have gone but I do believe I am better for having experienced it and I am sure it will benefit me and the football club.
The United boss said that last season gave him a better understanding of the club. "When you first walk into a place you feel uncomfortable and you know you need to remove that feeling. That is what it was like when I came to the club - it was very uncomfortable."
Dennis said that people didn't know him and he didn't know them. "People judge you on what they have heard about you, not on what you are about really. Those who get used to you get on well with you the ones that don't unfortunately don't see eye-to-eye with you."
He said the first time he really felt comfortable at the club was at the start of pre-season training this year. "The group we had last season wasn't a good group. But we dealt with the situation, which was difficult, and we got through it.
"The easy option would have been just to say 'to heck with this, I don't fancy it. Why would I want to be here next year? But we do it because we have a job to do - to change things around.
Although Dennis regards pre-season this term as being a turning point, he readily agreed that a lively half time team talk at Tranmere on the opening day of the League campaign was a significant time.
"I did have a few words with the lads and got upset a bit that day but they needed it and the situation changed. Sometimes it is needed sometimes it isn't but there hasn't been too much of that," he added.
At his very first United press conference the manager said he wanted Leeds to have aggression, spirit, determination, togetherness and be a little more like the Leeds side of old. Has he got that now? "Yes I have," he said. "Sometimes we have gone a little bit overboard with the discipline - the mouth more than anything.
"Maybe we can tone that down a bit because that only gets us into trouble a little more. We don't want silly bookings," he said.
It is safe to say that when he was appointed manager at Leeds his was not a universally popular appointment with a lot of fans.
So why did he take the job?
"Because Leeds are a massive club and because of my relationship with Ken Bates. I know him very well and I'm very close to him and I knew that it wasn't looking too fantastic for him. The financial side of it wasn't great either and I knew the dressing room wasn't great," he added.
When he took up the reins Wise had to put up with verbal abuse from some fans and even at the start of the current season he was told my one man sitting with his boy: 'You're not wanted here'.
"II have taken criticism and verbal abuse all my career but it doesn't bother me. I'm thick skinned and I thrive on a challenge. I knew it would be difficult for me at first here. I got battered by newspapers and some of the fans but I just got on with trying to change things," he said.
"But the fans have been fantastic this season because things are going OK and now I think they realise what Gus and me or all about. When things don't go OK we will need them just as much. But full credit to the fans for this season, they have been great."
Where would Dennis like to be at the end of October next year? "In the same situation as now but in a league higher," he replied.

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