Leeds manager Dennis Wise has questioned the motives of the majority of Football League chairmen who voted to uphold the club's 15-point penalty for breaching rules on insolvency.

The 40-year-old Londoner and assistant Gus Poyet did little to hide their despair after 75per cent of the 71 rival Football League clubs voted in favour of the governing body's unprecedented sanction.

But Wise vowed Leeds will come out fighting when they launch their first season in Coca-Cola League One at Tranmere tomorrow.

Wise said: ''It's laughable. Not only have they taken my arms and legs off, now they've cut my bollocks off as well.

''It's just not funny at all. We'd like to know deep down the real reasons.

''If you look at the teams in our division I'm sure they probably wouldn't have voted for us if I'm being totally honest.

''I'm disappointed with the whole thing. Minus 15 points. We have to get 106 points to win the league, 92 points to get in the play-offs and 70 points to stay up. Lovely. Thank you very much.

''It's so disappointing, but these players, these fans are going to stick together and be strong and try to achieve it.

''It's going to be very difficult. A lot of people want to see us fall flat on our faces and they've helped make the situation as well.

''So we've got to fight against it, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and get on with it.''

Wise conceded neither he nor chairman Ken Bates were popular among fans, but warned the pair were going nowhere and urged supporters once again to unite behind the club.

He said: ''They don't like Batesy and they don't particularly like me, but at the end of the day they've got us, we're part of this club and we're part of them.

''And how many people would take on this? But we will take it on and we love it. We love the challenge and we need them behind us.

''It's difficult because of your background and where you come from. They find it very difficult I think to accept that.

''But this is part and parcel of what football is all about sometimes and it takes a bit of time for them to get used to you and I've got to give them that time and so has Ken Bates. He's turned other things around and so have I and in time we can do it again.''

Wise chose his words carefully when asked how he felt towards the other Football League chairman who had voted against Leeds' appeal.

He added: ''I can't really say. I don't think grudge is the right word. Fair is the word and I think a lot of them will go home and deep down inside will know they haven't been fair.

''Some will have done it for their own reasons and probably not the right reasons.

''Everyone wants to get a head start, so 23 teams in our league have got a very good head start on us."