Leeds will sack bad boys - O'Leary

LONDON (Reuters) - Leeds United players face the sack if they misbehave on or off the pitch, manager David O'Leary has said.

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

"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."

Leeds, who face premier league title rivals Arsenal at Elland Road on Sunday, have the second worst disciplinary record in the league having picked up four red cards and 47 yellows this season.

Defender Danny Mills was the latest Leeds player to be dismissed last weekend, when he was sent off for kicking out at Newcastle's Craig Bellamy.

Striker Alan Smith must endure a five-match ban over the next few weeks, while Lee Bowyer faces a Football Association hearing on February 5 to answer charges of elbowing an opponent and abusing a referee.

In high-profile legal proceedings last year, Bowyer was cleared of grievous bodily harm and affray following an attack on a student in Leeds city centre but team mate Jonathan Woodgate was found guilty of affray.

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