AN angry and disappointed Jer-maine Wright has revealed the real reason why he left Ipswich Town - and insists it was not about money.Wright was booed and booked on his first visit back to Portman Road after choosing to join Leeds in the summer.

By Derek Davis

AN angry and disappointed Jer-maine Wright has revealed the real reason why he left Ipswich Town - and insists it was not about money.

Wright was booed and booked on his first visit back to Portman Road after choosing to join Leeds in the summer.

But the 29-year-old claims his decision to go was not motivated just by cash but because of the way contract negotiations were handled by Ipswich Town.

He exclusively told the EADT: “I'm not going to lie and say money doesn't come into it but that was not the reason I left.

“It would have been nice to have an opportunity to talk to the club, but I was told there is your offer and that is it. Respond in 30 days.

“After being here five years and being a good servant to the club I feel it could have been handled better.

“The bottom line was there were no negotiations and I felt I deserved better than that so that was it.

“I have not said anything up until now, but I was upset by what was said.”

A section of Town fans barracked last season's players' Player of the Year which Wright believes were stirred up by Royle.

Wright gave a press conference on Thursday in Yorkshire where his comments were widely used but he kept his counsel on why he left Portman Road.

He subsequently saw remarks made by Joe Royle in his Thursday press conference in Ipswich and felt they gave an unfair reflection, and waited until after the game before speaking out.

He said: “I was a bit disappointed with what Joe Royle said in the press. I don't want to get into a slanging match but he has made out that I left on a money only basis and that was not the case.

“He chose his moment to say it and I'm a bit disappointed with him for doing that. I know he is clever at that but he knows different and I know different about what happened.

“I was out with Johnny Mac (John McGreal) recently and he told me Joe had said the same thing about him and it wasn't true.”

Wright felt the take-it-or-leave-it approach and the time it took Town to offer deals was unfair and a factor why John McGreal and Chris Makin left as well. He added: “If it was just down to money we would have tried to negotiate but it wasn't.

“We were offered contracts and that was that. We were made offers after the play-off game with West Ham at the end of the season.

“Before that there was a lot of uncertainty. We heard in the press that we were going to be offered contracts but we didn't know the terms or anything.

“I have a family and we didn't know if we were going to be moving or what was happening.

“There was a little bit of interest from the Premiership, not as much as publicised, and then Leeds came in. As soon as I heard Leeds wanted me, I wanted to go there.”

Wright was also jeered when he was booked for a late challenge on Fabian Wilnis, which he later apologised for.

He said: “I have nothing against Fabian at all. I was a bit hot-headed. Although I knew I had nothing to prove things were going on in my head and we were a goal down and I was determined to try and make my mark.

We have had a drink in the bar now and we are fine.”

Wright remains impressed with his former team-mates but felt the game could have finished all-square.

He said: “Ipswich have surprised me at how well they have done, but the thing I have learnt from this division is the teams that are doing well are those that have been together for a while.

“Wigan are doing well and they have come through together. Jason De Vos and Kevin Horlock have both been good signings.

“Teams are only as good as their forwards and ours have not been scoring so far. Our team are not gelling as well but we are getting better.

“Make no bones about it, we were the better team first half and Ipswich were better in the second half.

“Once we went a goal down we struggled because we could not play so much on the counter and it became harder for us.”

A rattled Wright was replaced after 74 minutes with Julian Joachim going on for Leeds.

derek.davis@eadt.co.uk