Guardian Unlimited Football | Breaking News | INTERVIEW-Gray calls for mental strength in escape bid
Reuters
Friday January 30, 2004 9:11 PM
By Sophie Hardach
LEEDS, England, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Leeds United manager Eddie Gray has called on his players to display greater mental strength to save the debt-ridden club from relegation.
The ailing Yorkshire club are bottom of the premier league, more than 80 million pounds ($144.9 million) in debt, and have just one week to resolve their cash crisis and avoid going into administration.
Gray, however, says the players, who agreed to defer some of their wages on Thursday to help the club, must rise above the financial turmoil, starting with Saturday's must-win home match against Middlesbrough.
"It is a vicious circle but football is like that," he said. "It's like the survival of the fittest, and the strongest mentally," he told Reuters on Friday.
"And that's what we've got to be -- we've got to be the strongest mentally."
Leeds have lost three consecutive league games and defeat against Middlesbrough could leave them eight points from safety.
Former Leeds player Gray is trying to pick up the pieces from an era of over-spending on big-name signings. He says the only way forward now for the club is to develop its own talent.
"The club should take a look at their whole policy as a football club and start again and have a re-think about how they approach things in the future," he said at the club's training ground.
"I would like to see the club start producing its own players."
Gray was instrumental in developing the likes of striker Alan Smith and defender Jonathan Woodgate who has since been sold to Newcastle United as part of the player-cull.
"You see the club in its present state and the club over spent," Gray said. "It's not worth it if you can get great players and then you've got to sell them again."
Leeds signed Rio Ferdinand for 18 million pounds in 2000 as they tried to cement their place as one of Europe's top clubs, but sold him for 30 million pounds to Manchester United in 2002.
Those days of big spending seem over for good and the priority now is for Gray to keep Leeds in the premier league.
"It's going to be difficult, but I think we can still get out of trouble," he said.
Reuters
Friday January 30, 2004 9:11 PM
By Sophie Hardach
LEEDS, England, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Leeds United manager Eddie Gray has called on his players to display greater mental strength to save the debt-ridden club from relegation.
The ailing Yorkshire club are bottom of the premier league, more than 80 million pounds ($144.9 million) in debt, and have just one week to resolve their cash crisis and avoid going into administration.
Gray, however, says the players, who agreed to defer some of their wages on Thursday to help the club, must rise above the financial turmoil, starting with Saturday's must-win home match against Middlesbrough.
"It is a vicious circle but football is like that," he said. "It's like the survival of the fittest, and the strongest mentally," he told Reuters on Friday.
"And that's what we've got to be -- we've got to be the strongest mentally."
Leeds have lost three consecutive league games and defeat against Middlesbrough could leave them eight points from safety.
Former Leeds player Gray is trying to pick up the pieces from an era of over-spending on big-name signings. He says the only way forward now for the club is to develop its own talent.
"The club should take a look at their whole policy as a football club and start again and have a re-think about how they approach things in the future," he said at the club's training ground.
"I would like to see the club start producing its own players."
Gray was instrumental in developing the likes of striker Alan Smith and defender Jonathan Woodgate who has since been sold to Newcastle United as part of the player-cull.
"You see the club in its present state and the club over spent," Gray said. "It's not worth it if you can get great players and then you've got to sell them again."
Leeds signed Rio Ferdinand for 18 million pounds in 2000 as they tried to cement their place as one of Europe's top clubs, but sold him for 30 million pounds to Manchester United in 2002.
Those days of big spending seem over for good and the priority now is for Gray to keep Leeds in the premier league.
"It's going to be difficult, but I think we can still get out of trouble," he said.