Sporting Life 26/10/06
WISE WANTS LEEDS TO GET NASTY
By Mark Walker, PA Sport
New Leeds manager Dennis Wise wasted no time in stamping his authority on the ailing Yorkshire club and told sceptical fans he was now one of them - whether they liked it or not.
The former Chelsea midfielder, a player the Leeds fans used to love to hate, insisted he can get the club back to the Barclays Premiership and said he was ready to start wielding the axe in pursuit of success.
The no-nonsense 39-year-old revealed at a press conference where he and assistant Gus Poyet were introduced to the media that his first task was to strip Paul Butler of the team captaincy and hand the role to Kevin Nicholls.
Wise stated it was clearly evident from the Carling Cup defeat to Southend in midweek that the dressing room was not harmonious.
But he was pleasantly surprised by the welcome he received from fans at Elland Road and insisted he had already put what had gone on in the past firmly behind him.
"I was expecting a couple of things to be launched at my head," Wise joked when asked about the crowd's reaction on Tuesday.
"But no, it was very nice of them to give me a clap and a cheer.
"No matter about the past. I'm here to try to do a job and achieve something for Leeds United Football Club and I'll give them as much as I can give them.
"I'm not very tall, but I'll give them everything I've got."
Wise, who guided Millwall to the FA Cup final in 2004 and steered Swindon to third place in the Coca-Cola League Two table when he answered Leeds chairman Ken Bates' SOS, said the players were in desperate need of a boost.
"They do need confidence, that's important and they need to be together, they need to be in it together - that's the most important part," said Wise.
"Having watched the last game they're not quite together as a bunch and are not organised.
"Looking at the (Southend) game you could see that some things were wrong and they need to change and we're here with different ideas and to do things we think are right and will get us out of trouble."
When asked if the players were in for a shock, Wise was interrupted by Bates who said: "I think they have had that already."
Wise added: "The players understand what they are getting and that is a bit of honesty.
"I don't pull my punches and I'm not afraid to tell them what's what and what they need to do.
"The important part is that you know what you want and I know what I want, and I have got to put that across to the players.
"They know that now I have made a couple of decisions early doors with regard the captaincy.
"It was important for me to make a younger up-and-coming player the captain. He (Nicholls) was captain at Luton and has a bit of bite about him and that's what I want."
The former member of the infamous Wimbledon Crazy Gang said he was ready to instil the side with bite and a winning mentality.
"I want them to be a bit like the Leeds of old - horrible," Wise added. "I want a bit of nastiness and togetherness.
"I have explained that to them. The fans get behind them, they are fantastic fans and the other night when we had lost 3-1 they were still singing.
"I said 'Come on lads, these fans are trying to help you and you just need to give a bit more'."
Assistant Poyet, a former Uruguayan international and Wise's former midfield partner at Chelsea, claimed it was a dream come true for the pair to be in charge of a big club.
He was in no doubt Wise would soon be immensely popular.
Poyet said: "If you think that five or six months ago I was at home in Uruguay, I then get a phone call from Dennis to come back and we go to Swindon and four months later we are here at this big club - we are dreaming.
"But it's very easy for me to understand Dennis. I know what he wants. We're quite happy to be together.
"We are very honest in the way we treat players and we know what we want.
"It's one thing knowing Dennis as a player, but when you know him personally it's a different matter and I'm sure the supporters here, they will love him."
WISE WANTS LEEDS TO GET NASTY
By Mark Walker, PA Sport
New Leeds manager Dennis Wise wasted no time in stamping his authority on the ailing Yorkshire club and told sceptical fans he was now one of them - whether they liked it or not.
The former Chelsea midfielder, a player the Leeds fans used to love to hate, insisted he can get the club back to the Barclays Premiership and said he was ready to start wielding the axe in pursuit of success.
The no-nonsense 39-year-old revealed at a press conference where he and assistant Gus Poyet were introduced to the media that his first task was to strip Paul Butler of the team captaincy and hand the role to Kevin Nicholls.
Wise stated it was clearly evident from the Carling Cup defeat to Southend in midweek that the dressing room was not harmonious.
But he was pleasantly surprised by the welcome he received from fans at Elland Road and insisted he had already put what had gone on in the past firmly behind him.
"I was expecting a couple of things to be launched at my head," Wise joked when asked about the crowd's reaction on Tuesday.
"But no, it was very nice of them to give me a clap and a cheer.
"No matter about the past. I'm here to try to do a job and achieve something for Leeds United Football Club and I'll give them as much as I can give them.
"I'm not very tall, but I'll give them everything I've got."
Wise, who guided Millwall to the FA Cup final in 2004 and steered Swindon to third place in the Coca-Cola League Two table when he answered Leeds chairman Ken Bates' SOS, said the players were in desperate need of a boost.
"They do need confidence, that's important and they need to be together, they need to be in it together - that's the most important part," said Wise.
"Having watched the last game they're not quite together as a bunch and are not organised.
"Looking at the (Southend) game you could see that some things were wrong and they need to change and we're here with different ideas and to do things we think are right and will get us out of trouble."
When asked if the players were in for a shock, Wise was interrupted by Bates who said: "I think they have had that already."
Wise added: "The players understand what they are getting and that is a bit of honesty.
"I don't pull my punches and I'm not afraid to tell them what's what and what they need to do.
"The important part is that you know what you want and I know what I want, and I have got to put that across to the players.
"They know that now I have made a couple of decisions early doors with regard the captaincy.
"It was important for me to make a younger up-and-coming player the captain. He (Nicholls) was captain at Luton and has a bit of bite about him and that's what I want."
The former member of the infamous Wimbledon Crazy Gang said he was ready to instil the side with bite and a winning mentality.
"I want them to be a bit like the Leeds of old - horrible," Wise added. "I want a bit of nastiness and togetherness.
"I have explained that to them. The fans get behind them, they are fantastic fans and the other night when we had lost 3-1 they were still singing.
"I said 'Come on lads, these fans are trying to help you and you just need to give a bit more'."
Assistant Poyet, a former Uruguayan international and Wise's former midfield partner at Chelsea, claimed it was a dream come true for the pair to be in charge of a big club.
He was in no doubt Wise would soon be immensely popular.
Poyet said: "If you think that five or six months ago I was at home in Uruguay, I then get a phone call from Dennis to come back and we go to Swindon and four months later we are here at this big club - we are dreaming.
"But it's very easy for me to understand Dennis. I know what he wants. We're quite happy to be together.
"We are very honest in the way we treat players and we know what we want.
"It's one thing knowing Dennis as a player, but when you know him personally it's a different matter and I'm sure the supporters here, they will love him."