Venables reveals reason for Batty axe

Reports from the club's annual general meeting on Friday indicated that chairman Peter Ridsdale believed that Batty's knees were no longer strong enough for the rigours of The Premiership.

However, after watching videos of the 33-year-old, Venables has decided not to give the fans' favourite a chance in the team due to the current ability of the veteran midfielder.

"I asked for videos of Batty from last season and studied them," explained Venables to the News of the World. "After watching those videos I had to agree with my staff.

"In my opinion David could no longer operate effectively in the Premier League.

"Quite frankly I thought David`s best days had gone and I told him that. It was not a nice thing to have to do but it had to be done and I thought he accepted the point.

"There's no plot. It simply boils down to my decision as manager of this football club."