Post by Taxigirl on Nov 12, 2003 10:36:05 GMT
Newcastle United defender Jonathan Woodgate says his heart goes out to former club Leeds, and says he is "devastated" by their current plight.
The Whites sold the England international for £9 million in January to help ease their crippling debts as well as several other big names, but the sales seem to have done little after the West Yorkshire outfit announced last month record losses for a British club.
Woodgate established himself as a top level defender at Elland Road and says he is still emotionally attached to the club who currently prop up the rest of The Premiership and have just sacked Peter Reid.
Woodgate offered Leeds fans some encouragement though by backing the club’s decision to appoint coach Eddie Gray as caretaker manager, and said he will command the respect of the dressing room from day one.
"I'm absolutely devastated at the position Leeds are in at the moment," opined Woodgate.
"I love Leeds through and through. I was there from the age of 13 to 23. I wish them all the luck in the world and I'm just praying to god that they don't go down because I would be absolutely distraught.
"But I think Eddie Gray (the caretaker manager) will do a terrific job.
"He brought me through the youth team. We won the FA Youth Cup under him, the reserve league under him; he brought me into the first team. He's like a mentor to me.
"Eddie's first class and a lovely bloke as well. I reckon he would keep them up without a doubt. He's a brilliant man, a fantastic manager and will have the player's respect from day one."
Woodgate recently played a reserve match for Newcastle for the first time since undergoing a double hernia operation in September and the stopper says he hopes to put his injury-plagued year behind him.
"I've had a bit of a nightmare with injuries this year but hopefully they're all behind me now and they won't prevent me from playing football, which is what I enjoy and love," said the 23-year-old.
In other news, Gray has immediately endeared himself to Australian striker Mark Viduka by handing back the fine predecessor Reid imposed on him just before his sacking.
The ex-Celtic star was fined two weeks wages for what Reid called "a training ground incident", and was missing from the 6-1 trouncing at Portsmouth which proved to be Reid's last match in charge.
But Gray, anxious to iron out difficulties with one of Leeds' few remaining match-winners, said: "I'll be taking no action against Mark.
"That situation developed last week when I was not there. It's a clean slate as far as I'm concerned.
"I'll be having a chat with him to tell him what I think and what I expect from him."
Gray acknowledges the importance of a player who at his best can provide the goals needed so badly to arrest their decline.
"What I expect is for Mark to deliver more goals again for this club," he said.
"That's what he is good at, and it is what we need in our current situation.
"I'll be making it clear to Mark that I want him back playing at his best again for Leeds United."