Leeds call time on Batty

Caretaker manager Eddie Gray has said that midfield player David Batty has played his last game for Leeds United AFC.

Crowd favourite
The former English international is under contract with the struggling Yorkshire club until the end of the season, but Gray has told the 35-year-old that he is not part of his plans. "I've made the decision that I won't play David for the rest of the season, purely from a footballing point of view," Gray said. Batty is a crowd favourite at Elland Road, having made more than 350 appearances for the club since joining as a trainee in 1987.

Championship medals
He helped Leeds to the league title in 1991/92 before moving to Blackburn Rovers FC where he picked up another championship medal in 1994/95. After a spell with Newcastle United FC he returned to Leeds in 1998 for €6.6m to become former manager David O'Leary's first signing. He last played in the 1-0 defeat by Newcastle on 7 January.

Duberry blow
Another player out of the first-team reckoning at Elland Road, for the short term at least, is Michael Duberry. The central defender missed Saturday's 2-0 loss at Aston Villa FC with a rib injury which Gray says could rule him out "for a few weeks".

Fighting administration
From a team in crisis in England to one in a parlous position in Scotland, where Dunfermline Athletic FC have asked their players to take a wage cut as they try to avoid becoming the latest Scottish Premier League club to go into administration. Dunfermline chairman John Yorkston met the players yesterday to discuss the club's financial problems. Media reports suggest the club have frozen all bonuses while asking players to take a 30 to 50 per cent cut in their wages. Livingston FC, Motherwell FC and Dundee FC have already gone into administration this season.

Thiam out
In Germany, VfL Wolfsburg have lost Pablo Thiam for an unspecified period of time as he recovers from ligament damage in his right knee. The 30-year-old midfield player suffered the injury in Saturday's 4-2 defeat by BV Borussia Dortmund. Thiam, who is Guinean, has missed just one of Wolfsburg's 19 Bundesliga matches this season.

Skripnik suffers
The German leaders SV Werder Bremen have also lost a midfield player to injury, although Viktor Skripnik has not played a game this season. The Ukrainian has had a number of niggling injuries this term and saw his latest attempt at a comeback dashed by a muscle tear in training.

Duo staying
VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach have extended Ivo Ulich's contract until 2006. The Czech international's current deal was due to expire this summer. Ulich has been ever-present this season, scoring twice. Enrico Gaede, 22, has also committed himself to the club until 2006 after successfully stepping up to the first team this season.