Bates: Wise staying

[Mighty T.A.L.]

Leeds United chairman Ken Bates remains confident Dennis Wise is the man to revive the fallen giants' fortunes.

Wise was brought in earlier this season following a dreadful start by Leeds, but was unable to bring about a climb out of the drop zone.

The Whites were all but relegated from the Championship on Saturday after being pegged back late on at home to Ipswich.

Speculation regarding Wise's and the club's future remains rife, although Bates is backing the former Swindon boss to get things right at Elland Road.

Bates is already beginning to plan for life in League One and is hoping the club's disappointed fans can continue their excellent support next term.

"Dennis has done a much better job than many people realise," he told the Yorkshire Post. "We were in a much worse position when Dennis came in than people know about.

"Some of the difficulties he inherited cannot be made public, but there were real problems in the dressing room. The playing side was in complete disarray.

"On Monday, we will start the first day of the 2007-08 promotion season. We can now have a complete clean out and start again. It is time to look forward.

"We have contingency plans and next week the season ticket forms go out. We will find out then who our fans are."

Source: Skysports