THE awkward pause said it all...but, thankfully, Kevin Davies regained a measure of diplomacy before summing up what it was like to work with former Reebok bad boy El-Hadji Diouf, who returns hoping to add further torment at his old stomping ground tonight.

As one of only two surviving members of the squad Diouf left behind in the summer of 2008 – the other being Adam Bogdan – the skipper admits he has mixed memories of the Senegal international’s four years at the club.

On one hand, you had the man who scored the Whites’ first ever European goal, against Lokomotiv Plovdiv, or one whose skills and pace were absolutely vital to the success enjoyed by Sam Allardyce in his golden years in charge.

And yet, on the other, Diouf’s off-the-field antics often proved an unwanted distraction from his talents. Loveable though the rogue often seemed, that darker side of his character surfaced at exactly the wrong time as Gary Megson’s team battled valiantly to avoid the drop before his departure.

So how was it playing alongside the former Liverpool man?

“Interesting,” smiled Davies, before regaining his poise. “He’s a colourful character and played well for us overall.

“Towards the end, when we were fighting relegation, it turned a little bit sour for us.

“He wasn’t quite doing things right off the pitch and we addressed it. But I’ve watched him recently and he’s still doing the business and we know at this level he’ll be a threat.”

Wanderers’ frightening inconsistency makes them a difficult prospect to assess, but Leeds come to town fresh from dumping Everton out of the Capital One Cup and a Diouf-inspired 3-2 victory at Bristol City.

Having found a new lease of life under Neil Warnock, of all people, Davies believes his former team-mate will have to be closely monitored, not least because of his ability to “win” free-kicks around the penalty area.

“We know all about him,” Davies said. “Back then we had him and Stelios playing for us.

“Some call it cheating, some call it cuteness, but we’ll watch the videos and whoever is playing will know they have to stay on their feet and not dive in.”

“I think he’s lost a yard of pace anyway,” he added.

Diouf still lives in the town, and as Davies noted it is difficult not to spot him in the streets, but for him to pop up at Elland Road under a manager who once described him as a “sewer rat” does take some getting used to.

“Surprised to see him? Well yes, under Warnock, after the old ‘rat’ shout,” the striker agreed.

“Things are said in the heat of the moment, aren’t they. But he’s been a good signing so far.

“Watching them the other night the fans have taken to him.

“We know he’s good on the ball and will get you free-kicks.

“We’ll look forward to seeing him. It’s a big game against a big club.”

Whether a dust up under the lights with Warnock’s team is what Wanderers need at the moment is a matter of opinion. But in a season where the grand plan appears to be unravelling by the second, Davies just desperately wants to get back on track.

“It’s been the story of our season, getting the momentum going and then taking a step back,” he said. “We didn’t get to our best against Crystal Palace but just getting a point would have kept the run going.

“You can talk about the two penalties but we can’t blame referees. You have to be judged on your own game.”

Just summing up the problem at present is difficult enough, even within the squad. At one end, clean sheets have become an endangered species, while at the other, chances have been wasted with alarming regularity.

“Everyone in there – players and staff – are completely frustrated because it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is,” Davies said. “The only thing we can be sure of is that we’ve got to do better and raise the standards.

“If we think we can just turn up and win games, obviously we can’t.”