Wise wants return to old days

Fading photographs of Don Revie's Leeds United team of the 1970s adorn walls all over Elland Road and yesterday Dennis Wise pledged to revive the spirit of that era.

Perhaps inspired by his close proximity to a picture of Norman Hunter steaming into a tackle, the club's new manager set out his manifesto for change. "I've told the players I want them to be a bit like the Leeds of before, who were horrible," declared Wise at his introductory press conference. "I've explained that I want a bit of that nastiness and togetherness."

Wise has wasted no time in getting down to work and he announced that he has stripped Paul Butler of the club captaincy, replacing him with Kevin Nicholls. "Kevin's someone I like," said the manager. "He booted me a couple of times when I played against him and I felt he was the right type of captain." And Butler? "He was okay in the end about losing the captaincy," said Wise. "I asked him if he wanted to stay and he said yes."

Ken Bates, the Leeds chairman and godfather to his new manager's son, received the same affirmative when he asked Wise if he and Gus Poyet, his assistant and former Chelsea midfield team-mate, would relinquish their jobs at Swindon Town in order to breathe new life into Elland Road.

Leeds, who sacked Kevin Blackwell as manager this month, have lost their last five games, are one point off the foot of the Championship and clearly need a saviour. Wise trusts it is his destiny and has already had some reassuring words from an old Wimbledon team-mate who later became a Leeds cult hero. "I spoke to Vinny Jones and Vinny said 'Hopefully, one day you might be a legend like me'," he revealed with a broad smile.

Indeed plenty of grins were shared between the quartet of Chelsea old boys who were addressing the media yesterday. Apart from Bates, the former Stamford Bridge chairman, Wise and Poyet, there was also Gwyn Williams, once an assistant manager at Chelsea, who is now Leeds' technical director.

With Bates and Wise at times referring to each other as "Batesey" and "Wisey" it was all very cosy but the new manager has given serious thought to the effect that accepting the post might have on their longstanding friendship.

"This is business and the personal doesn't come into it," Wise explained. "I've got a great relationship with Ken and there's a lot of trust between us but, even if he sacks me, Ken will still be godfather to my child and we'll still be friends. If I don't do the job right and I get sacked, so be it."

Rather more optimistically, Bates insisted: "Dennis and Gus are winners. They are the right men to lead us back into the Premiership."

More immediately, that trio have to avert a relegation threat while enduring potential abuse from Leeds fans underwhelmed by their manifold connections with Chelsea, a club somewhat unloved in west Yorkshire.

"To be honest, there's been animosity everywhere I've been. I'm used to it, I get it every week. If people say a particular word to me I just give them the thumbs up. Stick makes me laugh."

Amusing and articulate here, the former England midfielder, who took the players in training for the first time yesterday, could have been forgiven for being shocked into silence when he watched Leeds lose 3-1 to Southend United at Elland Road in the League Cup on Tuesday night. "They're a talented bunch," he stressed. "But they're low on confidence and, watching them, you could see something was wrong. We need to give them different ideas." And preferably in time for Southend's visit on Championship duty tomorrow.

Anyone who saw Wise the player redefine the word feisty might anticipate he would segue into a teacup-throwing manager but the man who led Millwall to the 2004 FA Cup final, where they lost 3-0 to Manchester United, and leaves Swindon third in League Two, demurred: "I'm not really a ranter and a raver, I don't really throw things. But I'm very honest and straightforward. I'm to the point and don't pull punches."