Brighton & Hove Albion manager Russell Slade has moved to set the record straight about his departure from Yeovil Town FC - refuting claims of gross misconduct made by his former employers. In a statement released through the League Managers Association he said, "I want to put the record straight following Yeovil Town's seriously inaccurate statement about me, released on their website last night. Firstly, I want to confirm that at no stage have I ever committed any misconduct at Yeovil Town or indeed at any time in my career.
"Throughout Yeovil's inquiry into this matter, which has been ongoing since November 2008, I have been assured by the League Managers Association's legal team that I have no case to answer and am innocent of any misconduct.
"Having left Yeovil Town on 15th February, I attended an internal hearing with the club on 27 February 2009, during which they backed down and offered me a confidential compensation package with an agreed departure by mutual consent.
"I was pleased to reach an amicable resolution of the matter on that day and we all shook hands on the agreement. The agreement was also then confirmed in writing.
"I want to stress that I had no job to go to when the deal was done. I left Yeovil on 15th February and accepted the job of manager at Brighton & Hove Albion on 5th March, having met with Brighton chairman Dick Knight for the first time a few days previously.
"After accepting the job with Brighton, and following Yeovil's recent results, Yeovil Town have now tried to completely renege on our agreement. Even worse, they issued an inaccurate and seriously, I am advised, defamatory statement, and I am therefore obliged to set the record straight.
"Due to Yeovil's unfortunate actions, the matter is now with the LMA's lawyers, Russell Jones & Walker, and I am sure that full details will be made known in due course."