CITY GET HARD NOSED

Last updated : 27 September 2002 By Editor

From MEN:

‘JOE Royle has failed in a secret out-of-court move to settle his £750,000 golden handshake lawsuit against Manchester City.

The ex-Blues boss who, it can be revealed, is having his legal costs partly funded by the Professional Footballers' Association, was willing to accept a cut-price pay-off deal of around £500,000.

But City's board, which reported a £13million loss at the weekend, remains adamant they won't hand over any more than £150,000 to Royle who they sacked in May last year after the club's relegation from the Premiership.

The legal wrangle, which was due to go before the High Court earlier this month, centres on just exactly when, by law, City were relegated.

Royle was sacked two days after the last match of the 2000-20001 season and the Blues' board maintain that, as he was then effectively a Division One manager, he was only entitled to half of £300,000 - the amount stipulated on Royle's contract for working in the first division.

However, Royle and his PFA legal team believe he is entitled to a golden handshake of £750,000 - his annual wage which would have been the settlement on his contract had he been sacked while still a Premiership boss.’

City chairman David Bernstein said: "I am surprised that the PFA should back such a frivolous case. It was apparent to everyone inside football that after the last match of the 2000-2001 season City had been relegated and therefore no longer in the Premier League. Unfortunately Joe's lawyers are trying to claim otherwise. We will continue to defend this vigorously."’