Venables backs off threat to quit Leeds

Leeds boss Terry Venables backed away from his threat to quit after the club sold England defender Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle.

Venables made it clear the decision to sell Woodgate after he had been assured he would stay had left him deeply frustrated and angry and said he had not definitely made up his mind to remain in charge beyond Saturday's match at Everton.

"I don't want to make a knee-jerk reaction," Venables told a Friday press conference at Elland Road. "The one thing in hand is the game (at Everton) tomorrow and that is what is in my mind."

But the former England boss indicated that he was leaning towards staying, stressing that to leave would mean letting down the players left at Leeds, the supporters and everyone connected to the club.

"The more I think about it the more I think it would be irresponsible to do anything other than stay," Venables said.

Leeds chairman Peter Ridsdale, who has born the brunt of the Leeds fans anger over the nine-million-pound (15 million dollar) sale of Woodgate, also said he would be staying on after arguing that Leeds had no option but to accept the offer in the interests of the club's future financial stability.

Looking visibly strained and with his trademark cheerfulness conspicuously absent, Venables made it clear he felt he had been misled by the Leeds board after receiving assurances from Ridsdale that the sale of Robbie Fowler to Manchester City would be sufficient to meet the heavily-indebted club's immediate need for cash.

"I don't want to inflame the situation, its already very raw," Venables said. "But, as I have stated already, I was assured if Fowler went that Woodgate would stay."

Since Venables took over last summer, Leeds have allowed six international stars leave the club. Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Keane, Fowler and Woodgate have been sold while Olivier Dacourt and Lee Bowyer have left on loans.

He described suggestions that he knew how dire the club's financial position was when he took the job as "nonsense."

But Venables' options are limited. At 60, the former England manager knows that if he walks away from this job he is unlikely to get another shot at managing a top club.