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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Gray hopes Leeds fans back Wise | Gray hopes Leeds fans back Wise |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Former Leeds United boss Eddie Gray has urged the club's fans to back potential new manager Dennis Wise, rather than berating him before his arrival. | Former Leeds United boss Eddie Gray has urged the club's fans to back potential new manager Dennis Wise, rather than berating him before his arrival. |
| Swindon boss Wise and assistant Gus Poyet are in talks about the vacancy at Leeds and are set to attend the Carling Cup tie with Southend on Tuesday. | Swindon boss Wise and assistant Gus Poyet are in talks about the vacancy at Leeds and are set to attend the Carling Cup tie with Southend on Tuesday. |
| "The fans want a bit of success - regardless of who it is," Gray told BBC Five Live Sport. | "The fans want a bit of success - regardless of who it is," Gray told BBC Five Live Sport. |
| "I think they will just be happy to see the team start winning again." | "I think they will just be happy to see the team start winning again." |
| Gray has had two spells as manager at Elland Road - from 1982 until 1985, and more recently between November 2003 and May 2004. | Gray has had two spells as manager at Elland Road - from 1982 until 1985, and more recently between November 2003 and May 2004. |
| And he hopes that, if appointed, former England midfielder Wise can bring back better times to the Yorkshire club, who have slipped to second from bottom in the Championship table | |
| "Dennis is a colourful character, a bit like the chairman Ken Bates - he's no shrinking violet," added Gray. | "Dennis is a colourful character, a bit like the chairman Ken Bates - he's no shrinking violet," added Gray. |
| "He played for Chelsea and there is a bit of history between Chelsea and Leeds but if he comes here now, the supporters will look at it differently. | "He played for Chelsea and there is a bit of history between Chelsea and Leeds but if he comes here now, the supporters will look at it differently. |
| "He will do the job his way and hopefully he will succeed if he comes in." | "He will do the job his way and hopefully he will succeed if he comes in." |
| Meanwhile, former Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale has been defending his record at Elland Road. | |
| Ridsdale, who became chairman of Cardiff on Monday, oversaw a spell at Elland Road during which Leeds borrowed heavily to fund its ambitions of European football. | |
| He stepped down in 2003 after star players Rio Ferdinand and Jonathan Woodgate were sold to ease the club's spiralling debts. | |
| "The debt was the same for three years and no one said anything because we were winning on the football field," Ridsdale told BBC Five Live. | |
| "The minute we stopped winning it was all my fault. But we were a plc with a plc board and we actually had a manager who was spending the money. | |
| "As chairman, you accept you're the one that has to step down but there were many others involved." | |
| He added: "In life you only learn from mistakes - and I never denied I made mistakes. | |
| "What I'm doing now is learning from those and hopefully Cardiff will be beneficiary. Fans can be reassured I won't make the same mistakes again." |