Allardyce lashes out at judge for losing assistant Lee to jury duty

New Leeds boss Sam Allardyce accused a court judge of "poor judgement" on Wednesday after his long-time assistant Sammy Lee was blocked from joining him at Elland Road due to jury duty.

Former Liverpool midfielder Lee has worked alongside Allardyce during his short spell as England manager and at Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom.

However, with Allardyce only appointed for the final four Premier League games of the season to try and save Leeds from relegation, Lee has been blocked from joining him.

"The judge has left Sammy unemployed because he's on jury service and wouldn't let them off," Allardyce told reporters.

"I find that to be very poor judgement indeed. It's a real shame because the wee man loves being with me and I love having him with me."

Jury service is an obligation on qualifying UK citizens to serve on a panel of 12 jury members who are tasked with reaching a verdict in a civil or criminal court case.