Killen opens a can of worms

Last updated : 31 January 2006 By Dave Moore
Chris Killen has opened up a can of worms with the comments he made after leaving Boundary Park to join Scottish Premier League team Hibernians. So much so that the Latics owners are threatening to sue him for libel.

Killen said that "politics" had got in the way of team selection and that's why Manager Ronnie Moore had not been picking him. Simon Corney (pictured) was rightly agrieved and is consulting his legal advisors over the matter. Corney said, "We are seeking advice on this matter and we completely deny interfering with the manager’s job. We have an honest relationship with Ronnie Moore, but we have never told him who should or should not play. Chris Killen’s comments are very unfortunate, and they are also untrue. There are lots of things I would like to say, but the matter is being dealt with by solicitors."

Killen stated to his new employers, "I am glad to be here at Hibs, away from Oldham. A lot of stuff was going on behind the scenes down there. I was speaking to the manager before games and he was telling me he couldn’t play me because people higher up were saying "not this week". There was a lot of politics involved. The club has three owners who made their money in America and were very money orientated. But you could never find out really what the problem was. It was frustrating, but you’ve got to keep your head down and work hard. I had a bit of a fall-out with the manager and he brought in 13 or 14 new players. I felt I wasn’t getting a fair crack of the whip. I was fit and I was doing well, but he put me in the reserves. I played four games and scored nine goals and he still didn’t want to know, so I guessed it was time to move on. They wanted me off the wage bill, but when you’re at a club and your mind is set on doing well for that club, it’s only when you realise you are being pushed out that you start looking elsewhere."

There will surely be more to follow in this story.