Planet Swans ArchivesA year to the day since his Swans debut Leon Knight has once again protested that he did nothing wrong and that he would still play for the club if he was given the opportunity.
It was twelve months ago that Knight capped his debut with a hat-trick inside the first half hour against Franchise FC and nobody could have envisaged then that just nine months later he would be out of favour, on the transfer list, and not even training with the first team squad.
We have been told it was for “football reasons” and that “he didn’t work hard enough” but it is doubtful that the full reason will ever be known quite why Knight fell so considerably from favour.
Speaking in today’s Western Mail, Knight said If Swansea asked me to swim to England and back, I would do it.
“I’m not going to give them any excuse to sack me or dock me a few weeks’ wages.
“If I was weak, I’d be saddened by the way I was being treated. But I’m not weak. And I’m not going to let Kenny Jackett break me.”
Endless rumours have surfaced about why Knight may have been let go from plain old bust ups with team mates to much much worse but Knight says he has heard them all and says that none of them are true “I hear everything – probably more than journalists – and I go onto the internet because I want to know what people are saying and thinking.
“And most of what’s being said is absolutely ridiculous.
“It’s just bored people who feel they’ve got to add fuel to the fire.
“If I’d done any of the things people are saying I’ve done, I’m an honest enough person to tell you the truth.
“People say, ‘Oh, he fell out with Mark McGhee at Brighton, as well,’ but that was a different situation.
“At Brighton I was in the wrong and McGhee was in the wrong as well.
“But this time I haven’t done anything wrong. I did what Kenny asked me to do and bought a house just round the corner from the training ground.
“I performed to the best of my ability for the team and I only missed training twice, which was through illness.
“I truthfully still have no idea why the manager wants me out.
“All he ever told me – and these are his words – was that because I score goals, I’ve got more power to influence other people to play like me, which he believes is a lazy style of playing.
“So am I basically being punished for scoring goals?
“To be honest, I’m past caring. The situation might have been sad to start with, but now it’s just getting stupid.”
The Swans are still looking to shift Knight from the club before the transfer window closes – partly to free up the wages that he is still collecting from them. There is hope that they can recoup the money that they paid just twelve months back to secure his services and Knight is optimistic that he will be gone
“I can’t mention any clubs, but I believe I’ll get somewhere before the end of the month.
“At the moment I’m just trying to keep myself as fit as possible.”
And if that rings true then maybe we can finally put the saga behind us and move on.
