Kevin Nicholls has launched a stinging attack on Leeds "bullies" Dennis Wise and Ken Bates and declared: "I was glad to get out of there." Preston North End's new midfield enforcer slammed the former Chelsea pair for making his stay at Leeds United a nightmare.
And he branded them both "not very nice men to work for." "It was probably the worst eight months of my life," revealed the 28-year-old Londoner as he prepared to relaunch his career with North End in Saturday's opener against Norwich. "Hopefully I can repay the gaffer (Paul Simpson) for coming and rescuing me." Nicholls was stripped of the Leeds captaincy after a bust-up with manager Wise in February. He never kicked another ball in the final 11 matches as the fallen giants spectacularly tumbled out of the Championship and into League One. The ex-Wigan and Luton hardman admitted he was saddened to witness the once-great club's fall from grace. But he fired a bitter parting shot by saying: "I'm glad to get out of there and play for a manager that cares about his players. "Last season wasn't just the worst season of my career, it was the worst time of my life. "It wasn't a nice time either for those I care about dearly, my wife, my family, my two kids. "The (Leeds) fans have only heard one side of the story, so they have a downer on me anyway. "But at the end of the day he (Wise) was not a particularly nice man - him or the chairman - to work for. "Both came across as bullies and I don't want to work for people like that. "To be honest I wouldn't give them the time of day. Dennis Wise doesn't interest me and Ken Bates doesn't either. "It's sad because when I moved to Leeds it was the biggest club I had ever played for. It was the biggest move of my career. And then being made captain was just superb. "But things just weren't right. "Still, it's in the past. I'm a Preston player now and I would rather think about playing for Preston. "This is a new start - a new chapter for Kevin Nicholls." Nicholls made just 15 appearances for Leeds after his £750,000 move from Kenilworth Road last summer. His relationship with Wise started off well with the ex-England international handing him the armband after he took charge in October. But things soon cooled to the point where Nicholls pleaded to be allowed to return to Luton on loan for the last two months of the season as his former employers fought desperately to avoid the drop. Both clubs subsequently went down, with Nicholls one of a long line of players including David Healy, Richard Cresswell, Neil Sullivan and Robbie Blake all departing from Elland Road during the summer. Others like Sean Gregan and Matthew Kilgallon had left during the season as things disintegrated. "I have to be careful what I say," he added. "He (Wise) is not a nice man. I don't think he could handle conflict or someone with an opinion. "You look at the players that have left and they were all characters and outspoken. "We are not always going to be right, but we were all doing the same thing and that was trying to keep the club in the Championship." _______________________________________________ the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and the list administrators accept no liability for the personal views and opinions of contributors. Leedslist mailing list [email protected] http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist Join The Leeds United Supporters Trust at www.lufctrust.org
