Welcome to Cardiff City Mr Bates and Mr Wise

Last updated : 13 February 2007 By Michael Morris
Cardiff City v Leeds Utd.
Saturday February 17th, ko 3:00pm.


Scott Young turns to celebrate the FA Cup winner in 2002

How the mighty have fallen. Leeds Utd sit 24th from 24 clubs in the Championship with relegation to League 1 a real possibility. They are at their lowest ever league placing.

We all know what happened to David O'Leary's Premiership leaders in January 2002. Scott Young's FA Cup winner at Ninian Park started the decline for Leeds who were led then in the boardroom by Peter Ridsdale.

It's a funny old game. Now Cardiff are the team better placed in the league structure (I won't say the bigger team as we are not bigger than Leeds, no way) and Peter Ridsdale is now our chairman.

When the teams met earlier in the season Peter Ridsdale returned to Elland Rd and there were fireworks. Peter Ridsdale was allegedly thrown out of the boardroom by Ken Bates after celebrating Willo Flood's winner, and then banned from Elland Rd

"I was told I was no longer welcome at Elland Road today or any time in the future," said Ridsdale. "I asked what I had done and Ken said he didn't like my behaviour during the game.

"At that point I shook Ken's hand, wished him all the best for the rest of the season and left."

Bates sees it differently saying Peter Ridsdale was "as ever, out of touch with reality.

"My words, in front of a number of witnesses, were 'You're no longer welcome in the boardroom at Elland Road." Bates continued

"If he was ever banned from Elland Road it would purely be for safety reasons."

So how will Ken Bates be welcomed at Ninian Park this weekend and what will happen should Leeds score?

"I haven't spoken to Ken since the incident but, of course, he is welcome at Ninian Park on Saturday," Ridsdale told the Wales on Sunday.

"We have a tradition at Cardiff of welcoming all opposition directors and officials, and he will be offered the same hospitality as everyone else."

As for whether Bates will be allowed to celebrate should Leeds score, Ridsdale added: "We never put any restrictions on visiting directors, it is up to them how they behave."

Dennis Wise has managed to steer Leeds to the bottom of the table and despite winning on Saturday over Crystal Palace he is in control of a very unsteady ship.

Wise has exploded over the weekend after it was alleged a Leeds player talked about team selection with a Palace player on Friday night. Wise has said that the player involved will never play for the club again.

He said after the 2 - 1 win over Palace.

It was a fantastic result for us, but unfortunately I'm very disappointed.

"One player gave my team to the opposition at my football club and I found that out.

"It disappoints me immensely and I told the players before, and he won't be playing for this football club again.

"I spoke to the players and it hurts a lot and they responded for me and I'm chuffed to bits with them.

"Also, the player in question said a couple of other things and it's not acceptable.

"I found this out at about 1pm. I don't want to go into it anymore, but it's only right to say something about something as disappointing as that."

Crystal Palace boss Peter Taylor said of Wise's outburst

I'm very disappointed about this and I told him so after the game.

"A Leeds player spoke to a Palace player on Friday night, but it was a general conversation, he wasn't leaking the team.

"I had an idea of who would be in the Leeds team at eight o'clock on Friday night, but I had no information about their team shape.

"As it was, a couple of people I thought would be in the Leeds team weren't. Players talk to players. It's part of life and it's not malicious.

"I should think there are 40 similar situations around the country at the weekend.

"I don't know why Dennis has made such a big thing out of it. It has been blown out of all proportion."

Anyway enough of Leeds' troubles. Just remember this Saturday to wind him up as much as possible and lets hope to see City pick up three points from Leeds and in so doing make it a second season in a row we'd have done the double over them. Actually they've not beaten us in their last 8 attempts. A run that stretches back over 20 years.