O'Leary: I'll sack sinners

O'Leary faces a massive task to rebuild Leeds' image

Leeds manager David O'Leary has warned his misbehaving stars to clean up their act or face the sack.

O'Leary revealed he had been "deeply upset" by recent events involving his players' behaviour on and off the pitch.

The Irishman has been subjected to relentless criticism following the Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate court case.

If players can't behave properly, they are a liability and you have to move them on

Leeds boss David O'Leary

Leeds' poor disciplinary record - which has seen a spate of bookings plus the red cards shown to Danny Mills and Alan Smith - has added to the manager's woe.

And in a stark warning, O'Leary has told his high-profile players they risk being transfer-listed unless they curb their ways and help repair the club's battered image.

"If players can't behave properly, they are a liability and you have to move them on," O'Leary told the Mail on Sunday newspaper.

"I have already told them what I mean - believe me, they have got the message.

"Without a doubt, these players are putting their careers at risk if they continue to misbehave.

"You have to ask whether they are listening to what they are told."

The crackdown has been endorsed at boardroom level and was reinforced in a soul-searching session earlier in the week.

Smith's discipline a problem for O'Leary

And O'Leary now wants the focus on his side to be firmly placed on footballing matters as he attempts to boost Leeds' title assault with a win over rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

He added: "What has happened recently has hurt me a great deal.

"I took this job to change the image of the club and make us an admired, attacking side.

"I want us to be competitive but not for us to go over the top. Be competitive but play within the rules.

"But since the trial, it's been a case of anything Leeds do, jump on it."