Batty digs in his heels

The Guardian

David Batty is so enraged at his treatment by Leeds that he has rejected offers from seven Nationwide League clubs since Monday to take him on loan.
"If David leaving is what the manager and chief executive of Leeds were hoping for, they don't know the first thing about their player," said Hayden Evans, Batty's adviser.

Evans said he was baffled by the manager Eddie Gray's announcement that he would not even consider selecting Batty for the rest of the season, and added: "He trained with the youth players today. If there's a hidden agenda it's extremely hidden. The whole thing just doesn't make any sense because David is one of Leeds's best players. David's had no bust-up with Eddie Gray and, contrary to some reports, he wasn't the dressing-room 'ringleader' when the players were debating whether to accept a wage deferral."

The players agreed a 25% deferral which saw Batty's wages cut to £22,500 a week. If he had gone out on loan, the club taking him would have had to pick up his wages. Now, by staying put, he will cost Leeds £480,000 until his contract runs out in June.

Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said: "The way Eddie Gray has treated David Batty is absolutely disgraceful. For whatever reason he's made David an outcast. Eddie's position has obviously been called into question by the League Managers' Association [because of his lack of mandatory coaching qualifications]. This is a shocking piece of man-management.

"You can't tell a senior player who is fit that he can't play for any team at the club. That would be breach of contract and, as David's union, we would be willing to take it up with the Premier League.

"I could understand David going back to the club and telling them he's no longer willing to accept a deferral of wages. We'd be 100% behind him."

No one at Leeds was available for comment last night but, on Monday, Gray insisted the 35-year-old Batty had been dropped for "football reasons" and had not been "shunned".