Leeds United great reveals dispute with manager 12 months before Everton switch as 'not enough' admission made

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A former Leeds United player has opened up on a dispute with Terry Venables during his time at Elland Road

Ex-Leeds United goalkeeper Nigel Martyn has revealed a dispute with former Whites manager Terry Venables was behind his move to Premier League rivals Everton in 2003.

Martyn spent seven years at Leeds and played 265 times for the club before leaving for Goodison Park. He was part of the Whites side that reached the semi-finals of the 2000-01 Champions League, playing 10 times in the competition. As well as playing for Everton, where he retired, he made over 200 appearances for Crystal Palace before joining Leeds.

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He left the Whites in the summer of 2003 but a disagreement with Venables in 2002 had signalled the end of his playing days with Leeds. Martyn played all 38 Premier League games for the Whites during the 2001-02 campaign and was part of the England squad that travelled to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. However, Martyn was not afforded the same time off after the tournament compared to his international teammates who were also playing in the Premier League at the time.

Appearing on the Undr The Cosh podcast, Martyn said: “It wasn't great. My situation was I'd played every game that season for Leeds, got lucky enough to get picked in the World Cup squad, got to Japan and [South] Korea, got to the quarter-finals. [I] came back after that tournament, had 12 days off and had to report for pre-season training. It's not long enough. The Arsenal players, the Man U players, get one month from the day you're knocked out. See you in a month.

“Terry was the manager but Terry wasn't in at the club at the time. Eddie Gray was taking training. I've come in, training with Steve Sutton [goalkeeping coach], Robbo [Paul Robinson], had a couple of days training. Eddie said 'we're going on a trip to Australia, China and Thailand'. I'd literally just come from there - I need a break. I said to Ed 'can I not go on that trip? I've just come from that part of the world, I'm knackered, I want to get home, I want to have a bit of time with my family, and for getting the best out of me, for you, it's best if you leave me here'. He said 'I don't think the new manager's going to like that'.”

Venables reacts to Martyn’s request

Venables, as predicted by Gray, was not happy with Martyn’s desire for more rest. The former Leeds goalkeeper continued: “The next day, at training, it was wet, I was covered in mud, me and Robbo were working hard with Steve Sutton, pre-season, going through it again. Eddie comes jogging over - 'get yourself in, the manager's ringing you in 15 minutes'.

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“He said 'what's this, you're not coming on the trip?'. I said 'you've been England manager, I've played every game last season, not missed a session, training, gone straight to a World Cup, I'm knackered. I need a break. If you want me at your best, just let me do that’. [He said] 'I can't have a senior player dipping out of this. If you don't come on this trip, you're never going to play for Leeds United again', and put the phone down.”

Speaking back in 2002, Venables publicly said Paul Robinson would get the chance to impress in Martyn’s absence. Martyn would not play for Leeds again as he lost his number one spot to Robinson, who played all 38 Premier League games as the Whites finished 15th in the table. After a year on the sidelines, the former Palace keeper made the move to Everton where he played until 2006 before retiring. He was part of the Toffees side that finished fourth in the Premier League in the 2004-05 campaign as Everton reached the Champions League qualifiers.

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