The Laughing Bluebird
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This from today's Western Mail:
Jackett Ready To Show Ace Knight Liberty Exit
Oct 16 2006
Ian Hunt, Western Mail
KENNY JACKETT is prepared to let Leon Knight leave Swansea City if it ensures the dressing room is united behind the club's bid to secure Championship football.
The Western Mail has learned Jackett and his Liberty Stadium bosses would prefer to sacrifice their seven-goal leading scorer rather than see team spirit sink to a level that might destroy the club's chances of promotion.
As such, Knight's Swansea future hangs in the balance this morning as the club wait to discover his response to being axed from the squad for Saturday's crucial League One triumph at Chesterfield.
Publicly, Jackett has insisted there are no problems with Knight's attitude and that the former Chelsea trainee was dropped from the trip to Saltergate for football reasons only.
However, we have learned from highly-placed sources at the club that Jackett actually left Knight behind in South Wales because his behaviour in recent weeks has contributed to an erosion in team spirit that threatened to derail the club's promotion push.
We understand it is Knight's general attitude - rather than any particular breach of discipline - that convinced Jackett it would be best to leave him in Swansea.
It is also understood that Knight would have had the axe from the side sooner - for the scoreless draw against Tranmere 10 days ago - had Lee Trundle not still been feeling his way back from injury at the time.
It is understood Knight is not the only player whose attitude has concerned Jackett. We have learned that one or two other players have contributed to a lack of complete harmony within the dressing room in recent weeks.
Coincidentally or not, Jackett showed his ruthless side last week when he said defender Steven Watt was free to leave the Liberty after making just two starts following his January move from Chelsea.
Now Knight - who arrived in South Wales a few days before Watt in a £125,000 switch from Brighton - could also be pointed towards the exit door if his attitude does not improve sufficiently in Jackett's eyes.
The 24-year-old has played a key role this season, hitting seven goals in 11 appearances to take his overall tally at the club to a hugely impressive 19 goals in 25 league and cup starts.
But Jackett, under huge pressure to deliver promotion after last season's play-off final disappointment, will not let anything get in the way of Swansea achieving success - even if that means sacrificing such an explosive talent as Knight.
Swansea have not yet discussed putting the Londoner on the transfer list, but that could happen this week if Knight - either in person or via his agent - tells the club he wants to leave.
The other option is he adopts a conciliatory stance with Jackett, knuckles down and promises to be on his best behaviour.
Knight was not happy when he was told on Friday morning that he was being left out of the team for the Chesterfield clash, but his reaction to being omitted was not the reason he was left behind. Keen to engineer a stronger team spirit for the long trip north, it was always Jackett's plan that Knight would not travel.
"I felt I hadn't really got things right this season and I just decided to pick a different 16. That was my decision - nothing more or nothing less," was Jackett's official explanation for jettisoning Knight.
"I didn't drop Leon for disciplinary reasons. It wasn't anything to do with his off-the-field actions. It was purely a football decision.
"Leon wasn't very happy with the decision, which, as a player, is his prerogative.
"Will he get back in the side? It depends how he reacts. If there's any doubt about Leon's future at the club, the ball's in his court in that respect.
"People will have their opinions, but my opinion was that I'd go for a 16 that didn't include Leon. What you have to do is assess what a player's attitude would be on the bench as well. Sometimes it's best to leave them right out of it. Maybe it's brave to leave your top scorer out, but I actually felt this might have been an occasion for us to play 4-5-1.
"I've got a lot of midfield options now, people who can break from midfield and score. As it was, I went with Lee Trundle and Rory Fallon up front and it worked quite well."
The decision to omit Knight - the hat-trick hero when Jackett's side glided into the play-offs with a 4-0 rout of the Spireites back in May - might have looked more foolish than brave had Swansea slipped up at Saltergate.
As it was, Jackett's controversial decision was vindicated as Trundle more than made up for Knight's absence with a timely return to the limelight.
Jackett Ready To Show Ace Knight Liberty Exit
Oct 16 2006
Ian Hunt, Western Mail
KENNY JACKETT is prepared to let Leon Knight leave Swansea City if it ensures the dressing room is united behind the club's bid to secure Championship football.
The Western Mail has learned Jackett and his Liberty Stadium bosses would prefer to sacrifice their seven-goal leading scorer rather than see team spirit sink to a level that might destroy the club's chances of promotion.
As such, Knight's Swansea future hangs in the balance this morning as the club wait to discover his response to being axed from the squad for Saturday's crucial League One triumph at Chesterfield.
Publicly, Jackett has insisted there are no problems with Knight's attitude and that the former Chelsea trainee was dropped from the trip to Saltergate for football reasons only.
However, we have learned from highly-placed sources at the club that Jackett actually left Knight behind in South Wales because his behaviour in recent weeks has contributed to an erosion in team spirit that threatened to derail the club's promotion push.
We understand it is Knight's general attitude - rather than any particular breach of discipline - that convinced Jackett it would be best to leave him in Swansea.
It is also understood that Knight would have had the axe from the side sooner - for the scoreless draw against Tranmere 10 days ago - had Lee Trundle not still been feeling his way back from injury at the time.
It is understood Knight is not the only player whose attitude has concerned Jackett. We have learned that one or two other players have contributed to a lack of complete harmony within the dressing room in recent weeks.
Coincidentally or not, Jackett showed his ruthless side last week when he said defender Steven Watt was free to leave the Liberty after making just two starts following his January move from Chelsea.
Now Knight - who arrived in South Wales a few days before Watt in a £125,000 switch from Brighton - could also be pointed towards the exit door if his attitude does not improve sufficiently in Jackett's eyes.
The 24-year-old has played a key role this season, hitting seven goals in 11 appearances to take his overall tally at the club to a hugely impressive 19 goals in 25 league and cup starts.
But Jackett, under huge pressure to deliver promotion after last season's play-off final disappointment, will not let anything get in the way of Swansea achieving success - even if that means sacrificing such an explosive talent as Knight.
Swansea have not yet discussed putting the Londoner on the transfer list, but that could happen this week if Knight - either in person or via his agent - tells the club he wants to leave.
The other option is he adopts a conciliatory stance with Jackett, knuckles down and promises to be on his best behaviour.
Knight was not happy when he was told on Friday morning that he was being left out of the team for the Chesterfield clash, but his reaction to being omitted was not the reason he was left behind. Keen to engineer a stronger team spirit for the long trip north, it was always Jackett's plan that Knight would not travel.
"I felt I hadn't really got things right this season and I just decided to pick a different 16. That was my decision - nothing more or nothing less," was Jackett's official explanation for jettisoning Knight.
"I didn't drop Leon for disciplinary reasons. It wasn't anything to do with his off-the-field actions. It was purely a football decision.
"Leon wasn't very happy with the decision, which, as a player, is his prerogative.
"Will he get back in the side? It depends how he reacts. If there's any doubt about Leon's future at the club, the ball's in his court in that respect.
"People will have their opinions, but my opinion was that I'd go for a 16 that didn't include Leon. What you have to do is assess what a player's attitude would be on the bench as well. Sometimes it's best to leave them right out of it. Maybe it's brave to leave your top scorer out, but I actually felt this might have been an occasion for us to play 4-5-1.
"I've got a lot of midfield options now, people who can break from midfield and score. As it was, I went with Lee Trundle and Rory Fallon up front and it worked quite well."
The decision to omit Knight - the hat-trick hero when Jackett's side glided into the play-offs with a 4-0 rout of the Spireites back in May - might have looked more foolish than brave had Swansea slipped up at Saltergate.
As it was, Jackett's controversial decision was vindicated as Trundle more than made up for Knight's absence with a timely return to the limelight.
