Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is reported to have contracted glandular fever, which could keep him out of action for up to three months.
The England international missed The Red Devils’ 5-0 win over Wigan on Boxing Day with a flu, but The Daily Mail have stated that Smalling actually has glandular fever.
If this is the case it will add to Sir Alex Ferguson’s injury woes, as he currently has Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher, Ashley Young, Tom Cleverley, Anderson and Jonny Evans on the sidelines.
When quizzed on the seriousness of the condition, former Liverpool and Sunderland physio Mark Leather stated that a typical period of unavailability would be around three months.
“You can get back into shape in two months but it might be another three to four weeks before you’re firing on all cylinders. The first time he would be able to play a full game would be nearer to three months,” the medical staff member stated.
The Premier League champions were also without Phil Jones and Rio Ferdinand for the win over The Latics, but the defensive pair are expected to return for the visit of Blackburn on Saturday.
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Everton boss David Moyes has dismissed suggestions that his side’s season is as good as over and has set his sights on breaking into the top six.The Toffees are one of very few clubs in the Premier League with relatively little left to play for, as they are nine points clear of the relegation places and are the same distance from qualifying for Europe.
But ahead of Saturday’s game against Wolves, Moyes insists he does not feel completely free of all relegation worries and instead wants to catch sixth-placed Liverpool.
“People look at us and say maybe Everton are in a position where it doesn’t matter, but it certainly matters to us because we want to try and get as close to the top as we can,” Moyes said.
“You never know how many points it will take to stay up. I don’t think any manager can come up with a figure on how much they’ll need to stay up.”
“We have to look up and see if we can catch the teams above us. Our main objective isn’t to beat Liverpool.”
“Our main objective is to do the best we can. But the next one is to try and overtake the team who’s next above us. If that happens to be Liverpool than so be it.”
But Moyes is expecting a tough afternoon against Wolves, who are second-from-bottom in the Premier League and are a point off safety.
Moyes added: “It’ll be tough, Wolves are a side needing points. We know it’ll be difficult. The pitch down there will be difficult if my viewing of it is correct.”
“They’ve had some great results, Wolves. I think Mick has done a fantastic job with them.”
“I know they’re in a difficult position and he’ll be desperate for the points. Every year they’re fighting and they’re always close. It’ll be a tough game for us, we know that.”
“Mick’s a good guy, everybody likes his dry sense of humour and his straight-forwardness. He works well with his players. He’s signed some good players.”
“But I think we’ve always been difficult to beat, and over the years we’ve tended to have a decent away record, picked up quite a few points.”
“So we’ve got to do that and finish the season on a high with the games we’ve got left away from home.”
Take a deep breath; Kieron Dyer is fit. Everything is of course relative, but Dyer has been playing a part in West Ham’s pre-season friendlies, occupying six different positions in the process. Avram Grant looks set to play a 4-3-3, with two wider forwards supporting Carlton Cole, and the right-sided berth looks to suit Dyer, but the question remains over whether he will make it there?
Here is what West Ham have got out Dyer since his £6m transfer from Newcastle in 2007. Seven starts, 22 appearances in all, none of which have lasted the full 90 minutes, and no goals, and all for a basic salary of £60,000 per week that can swell to a rumoured £80,000 when factoring in image rights and loyalty fees. Following Dean Ashton’s retirement, West Ham’s new owner David Sullivan suggested that Dyer may want to follow suit. Dyer, who will turn 32 in December, is on his last chance.
Under the (false) impression that West Ham knew what they were getting themselves into when they signed Dyer, I was surprised to discover that he managed 250 games during his time at Newcastle, an average of 31 per season. At Ipswich, he averaged an even healthier 37 games in his three years at his boyhood club. It would seem that Dyer has saved up all the bad injuries for the Hammers fans.
Dyer has been admired by many, even during his spells on the side lines: Kevin Keegan, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren have all selected him for England duty and he even made three appearances at the 2002 World Cup. Ruud Gullit parted with £6m for him when he was still just 20, and he was the only Englishman the he signed during his tenure at St James’ Park. If managers can get games from Dyer, they are usually rewarded.
Hammers fans share a cocktail of feelings for Dyer: frustration, anger, sympathy, and ultimately, hope. Despite his lack of games for the club there is a sense the fans would like a fit Dyer playing for their club. The question remains whether, after three years effectively out of football, he can perform like he did at his previous clubs. If he can, and he can remain fit, it will be a like a new signing for Grant and his team, and a useful one at that. With just 47 goals in the league last season, the Hammers struggled up front and were too reliant on Carlton Cole. A fit Kieron Dyer could potentially inject an element of pace and creativity.
With the club still stifled by a debt that at one point exceeded £100m, Avram Grant’s first season in charge will not be an easy one. Hopefully Dyer knows that picking up his bulging wages each week for the last three seasons will weigh heavy on the mind of the club’s owners and fans. However, the injuries have not been his own fault, and a double leg break – his first injury after signing for West Ham that kept him out for 17 months – would put anybody’s career to the test. It is important that he is not rushed back into games unnecessarily, and that both he and his coaches can exercise some self-control. If Dyer has any aspirations to continue to play football, then he must work harder this season than he has ever done in his life. Although he wouldn’t have chosen to be injured, he has a debt to pay to West Ham, and they appear ready and willing to accept payment. An in-form Dyer will suit both parties in a big way, but failure to pay up this season, and Dyer could wave a tainted career goodbye.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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Under-fire Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean has been given a pay rise by club owners Venkys, despite the fact that his side sit in the relegation zone.
The Ewood Park club have won only seven points from 12 Premier League games this season, and a section of the club’s fans have been petitioning for the Scottish coach to be replaced.
Despite this, Kean has been awarded a better deal. Although the manager’s contract has not been extended, his annual salary has been increased to a supposed £1.5million.
The favourable terms have been announced by the club, as Kean continues to get the backing of the Indian owners.
“Following recent media speculation Blackburn Rovers FC can confirm a revision to manager Steve Kean’s existing contract has been completed. An agreement made in the summer has now been formalised,” an official statement reads.
“Contrary to some reports there is no change to the length of the contract. The club respects that all contracts are private and confidential and no further comment will be made,” it concluded.
Rovers travel to the Britannia Stadium to take on Stoke on Saturday.
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We are giving you the chance to win a Chelsea shirt signed by Fernando Torres! The £50 million transfer of Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea in January dominated the football news headlines as the transfer window slammed shut and the Spanish striker hasn’t been out of the back pages of the newspapers since.
This is largely because Fernando Torres is still yet to score a goal for Chelsea, but as the saying goes, ‘good things come to those who wait’. Carlo Ancelotti, Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea fans will be hoping that they don’t have to wait too much longer and that Torres could open his Chelsea account in the Champions League Quarter Final against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
You get the feeling that as soon as Fernando Torres scores the floodgates will open and one goal will be followed in quick succession by a few more, a bit like London buses. If that happens sooner rather than later Chelsea will be in with a decent chance of winning the Champions League and could even make a late attack on retaining their Premier League title. When he does score, wouldn’t it be great to be wearing a signed Torres shirt?
We are giving you the chance to win a Chelsea shirt signed by Fernando Torres in our footy competition!
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With which Spanish club did Fernando Torres start his career?
A) Barcelona
B) Real Madrid
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C) Atletico Madrid
Email your answer to [email protected] to be in with a chance of winning this great prize.
The competition closes on Friday 29th April at 12pm so make sure you get your answers in now!
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The imminent arrival of Benfica midfielder Ramires at Chelsea has caused much excitement amongst Chelsea fans. However, there is one player who probably won’t be welcoming the Brazilian to Stamford Bridge with open arms. That player is John Obi Mikel.
During the last few seasons, Mikel has displayed some of the potential that caused Jose Mourinho to shell out £16 million for the midfielder’s services after a long and protracted transfer battle with Manchester United. Injury to Michael Essien suffered during last season’s African Cup of Nations caused Mikel to be thrust into the starting line-up and the Nigerian put in some excellent performances in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield.
Mikel’s game is built around the accuracy of his short passing and his ability to break up play. While these attributes may seem inconsequential, they formed the base of many of successful attacks during Chelsea’s record breaking goalscoring season.
Last season served as something of a breakthrough for Mikel as he managed to eliminate most of the errors that have been hampering the progress of his game. He has cut out the lapses of concentration that caused him to needlessly give the ball away and has improved his disciplinary record, only receiving four bookings throughout the whole of Chelsea’s league campaign.
However, despite Mikel’s undoubted improvements, there is still more to come from the 23 year old and this season has to be the time for him to prove it. Mikel’s reputation has stemmed from his performances as a defensive midfielder but in order for him to challenge for a place in the starting line-up this season, he has to evolve into a more rounded midfield player.
This sentiment is echoed by Chelsea legend Kerry Dixon who has stated in no uncertain terms that Mikel must add more facets to his game or else risk being sold.
“We do not just want the ordinary player that will put in the normal shift. He has to be able to dictate and make splitting passes and also score goals… I believe that this is the season he has to fulfil all the promise that (Jose) Mourinho saw or else he should be let go at the end of the 2010/2011 season.”
Mikel need only look across at his midfield partner to see the type of player he could become. Michael Essien arrived at Chelsea primarily as a defensive midfielder but has since grown to become arguably the most complete midfield player in the Premier League.
To achieve this goal, Mikel needs to draw on his experiences of playing as a playmaker with the Nigerian national team and add it to his club game. Mikel has shown creativity and greater attacking verve in his role with the Super Eagles but has so far failed to incorporate these experiences into his role at Chelsea.
Mikel’s main problem seems to be that he is playing within himself. He has all the tools to be a fantastic player for the club but has maybe found the weight of expectation following his controversial move too much to handle. For Mikel to fulfil his potential, he has to shake off the shackles that have been limiting his game and display the potential that Mourinho saw in him, or else this season could prove to be Mikel’s last at Stamford Bridge.
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With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
Everton welcome Wolves to Goodison Park this Saturday desperate to end a run of three consecutive defeats and pull themselves way from the Premier League relegation zone.
David Moyes’ side have suffered a dreadful start to the season with a run of three wins from their opening 10 games seeing them slide down the table to 17th. 10 points from a possible 30 represents a poor return for the Toffee’s and it seems that their challenge for a European place is in jeopardy. Goals have been a serious problem with Louis Saha the only experienced striker at the club after the sales of Jermaine Beckford and Yakubu in the summer. Tim Cahill has been deployed up front for much of the season so far but he has yet to find the net in 2011 which will be worrying Moyes and his back room staff. Saha’s finishing isn’t as sharp as it used to be with the Frenchman missing a hatful of chances against Newcastle last time out. The Merseysiders have recovered well from the loss of Mikel Arteta with on-loan Royston Drenthe and Leon Osman turning in some virtuoso displays in midfield alongside the ever improving Jack Rodwell. Despite those positives their home form needs to improve dramatically after one win in five at Goodison Park with their only victory coming against Wigan in September. In fact they’ve won only once more since then with their last seven games incurring six defeats and Moyes will need to get his side scoring if they are to pull away from the relegation zone.
Wolves on the other hand enjoyed their first win in eight games before the international break seeing off bottom of the table Wigan at Molineux to move up to 13th. They hadn’t enjoyed a victory since beating Fulham at the end of August and a run of six defeats from eight games saw confidence plummet in the Midland’s. However the performance and result will have provided a much needed lift for Mick McCarthy’s men ahead of their trip to Merseyside. Whilst the international break may have come at the wrong time as Wanderer’s try to build some momentum ahead of a tough festive period they will be boosted by the fact they managed to end their torrid run of form. The performances of Jamie O’Hara over the last month or so have been encouraging with his partnership with Kevin Doyle in the attacking third looking deadly against the Latics. The Irishman hasn’t found the net as regularly as has done in previous seasons but his unselfish running and link up play with O’Hara have softened the blow of losing Steven Fletcher to injury. The Scotland striker has been plauged by groin and calf problems but still managed to score three in five starts and is the clubs top scorer. His potential inclusion this weekend will be huge for McCarthy’s side as they seek back-t0-back wins for the first time since they won the opening two games of the season.
Everton – 17th
Last Five
Lost 2-1 v Newcastle (A), Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (H), Lost 2-1 v Chelsea (H), Won 3-1 v Fulham (A), Lost 3-1 v Chelsea (A)
Potential Starting X11
24. T. Howard 2. T. Hibbert 5. J. Heitinga 15. S. Distin [C] 3. L. Baines 23. S. Coleman 26. J. Rodwell 25. M. Fellaini 11. R. Drenthe* 21. L. Osman 8. L. Saha
Injury News
Everton have concerns over captain Phil Jagielka after he suffered a toe injury whilst on England duty. He missed both friendlies against Spain and Sweden and it looks likely he’ll be absent for the visit of Wolves this weekend.
Key Player
Royston Drenthe – After a brief settling in period on Merseyside the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder has shone for the Toffee’s and didn’t deserve to be on the losing side last time at Newcastle. His pace and trickery down the right flank caused problems all afternoon for the Magpies and supporters will be hoping his endeavours won’t be in vain this on Saturday.
Match Fact
Everton suffered only one Premier League defeat at the hands of Wolves drawing three and winning the other two and are unbeaten in the last four meetings since a 2-1 loss back in 2004.
Wolves – 13th
Last Five
Won 3-1 v Wigan (H), Lost 3-1 v Manchester City (A), Lost 5-2 v Manchester City (A), Drew 2-2 v Swansea (H), Lost 2-0 v West Brom (A)
Potential Starting X11
1. W. Hennessey 5. R. Stearman 14. R. Johnson [C] 16. C. Berra 11. S. Ward 12. S. Hunt 8. K. Henry 4. D. Edwards 17. M. Jarvis 26. J. O’Hara* 29. K. Doyle
Injury News
Mick McCarthy could have defender Kevin Foley back after his recovery from an ankle injury but Ronald Zubar is still out with a groin strain. Apart from that Wolves have a clean bill of health.
Key Player
Jamie O’Hara – Since being given the free role behind Doyle up front the former Tottenham playmaker has hit three goals in four games and looks back to his creative best. His intelligence on the ball and ability to pick a telling pass is something no other Wolves play possesses and his important on the field continues to grow each and every week.
Match Fact
Wolves haven’t lost on their last two visits to Goodison Park with both games ending in draws although they haven’t won in the blue half of Merseyside since a 3-2 victory back in 1979.
Last Time at Goodison Park
Premier League, 21st August 2010
Everton 1-1 Wolves
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Cahill, 43
Ebanks-Blake, 74
Attendance: 37,767
Referee: Lee Mason
PREDICTION
Everton are suffering a real crisis of confidence at the moment and don’t look like a team who can go out and win a game. Their performance against Newcastle two weeks ago was encouraging but not enough and with their strikers faltering at every opportunity it could be another long afternoon on Merseyside. Wolves on the other hand will head to Goodison buoyed by their win over Wigan and will be desperate to make it consecutive wins for the first time since August and beat the Toffee’s on their own patch for the first time in 32 years.
Score: 1-1
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Many of us moan about the standard of football reporting in this country, and the standard especially of the tabloid press. And no one has moaned about it more than me. Nothing encapsulates the shoddy professionalism of some of those in “fleet street” though than a story that was broken by Alan Nixon at The Mirror on the 6th March.
Alan reported on a new player on Harry Redknapp’s radar. The astonishing thing was the level of detail in the report – how he preferred to come to the Premier League, how he is known as the “new Messi”, how his family were furious over contract deals, and so on. There was only one problem. All this was for a person that doesn’t seem to exist.
Sam Kelly on the In Bed With Maradona site wrote about it last week.
The first I heard about Juan José Vea Murguia was when I got asked about him on Twitter a few days ago. ‘Do you know anything about this kid at River, or will we get to see him at the South American Under 17s?’ was the question, more or less. I was confused. A quick Google search made me even more so. Even journalists in England seemed to know about this hot young talent. He’d been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, and one rumour site I found even went as far as to say that his work permit for the EU had been granted. Given that I’m not only living in Buenos Aires, but also a supporter of the club whose youth ranks he’s in, how could I have missed him?
Something didn’t seem right, so I decided to delve a little deeper. And I really don’t mean delving very deep. I switched my search to Google Argentina, and all became clear. One of the most prominent results was from Olé, the country’s only sports daily, who in mocking tones were reporting that the Daily Mirror, who they somewhat amusingly (or perhaps worryingly) called ‘one of the most prominent newspapers in the United Kingdom’ had come up with a transfer story about a player who appeared not to exist – Read the full article at ‘In Bed With Maradona’ by clicking here
But despite the British media making up transfer stories and now seemingly inventing players too, they have nothing on the Spanish newspapers, that are often nothing more than mouthpieces for a particular club.
Sid Lowe recently wrote on the subject. He commented:
“There are four main daily sports newspapers, all of which claim varying degrees of objectivity. None of which should claim any at all. El Mundo Deportivo and Sport are openly pro-Barcelona. Marca and AS, while projecting an image of national papers, are increasingly pro-Madrid. They support their teams and campaign on behalf of them. They are fanatical and manipulative. They like to see themselves as an arm of their clubs — part of the fabric. They have become propaganda outlets, not newspapers. And, they think, being that way works. In that, sadly, they are right. One editor claims that every Madrid win is an extra 10,000 in sales; one editor of a Catalan radio station, pandering to the most fanatical Barcelona agenda, publicly applauds the recent decision to cheer Madrid’s opponents as an “ingenious” way of getting closer to the supporters. Never mind getting closer to the truth.
They have created, or tapped into, a kind of footballing fundamentalism. Many supporters are so used to a virulent, agenda-driven media, one that sucks up to their side and seeks to sink their rivals, that those who are remotely critical of Madrid or Barcelona are now dismissed as anti-Madrid or anti-Barcelona. You’re obviously a Madridista or obviously a culé, a Barcelona fan. You’re not allowed to be neutral. You’re not allowed to not care one way or the other. “
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Don’t ask Alex Ferguson about Marca either – he has been involved in an ongoing feud with the paper, quite feasibly alleging that the paper is “a vehicle to unsettle players” on behalf of Real Madrid, a reference to the alleged tapping-up of Christiano Ronaldo. And it was another recent incident that shows the length papers will go to to project a certain stance and opinion that Sid Lowe commented on.
David Villa gave Barcelona a 1-0 lead against Athletic Bilbao the other weekend, but he shouldn’t have. Or so said AS. Alves, who made the telling pass to Villa, was miles offside. Definitive “proof” came in AS the following morning — a photographic reproduction of the move, showing Alves a good few yards ahead of the last defender. There was just one problem. AS had gone and deleted a player from its picture. Athletic Bilbao’s Koikili had mysteriously vanished, seemingly airbrushed from the face of the earth. By doing so, Alves looked far more offside than he actually was. The newspaper were forced to apologise, blaming it on a computer glitch, but the whole affair goes to show just how far the newspapers will go to besmirch the “other” team. And the ridiculous thing in all this was that Alves was offside anyway.
This was extreme, but nothing that new – lines have been placed curved on still images to try and show players to be offside when they weren’t. Individuals have had smear campaigns against them by editors who disliked them, such as Pellegrini at Real, or particular players that weren’t purchased by the current president. This is how quality player slike Sneijder end up slipping away for appreciation elsewhere. Of course the British tabloids are perfectly capable of this, as seen by the Sun’s continual hatchet job on Capello, highlighted this week by their pathetic overreaction and fake disgust at his rumoured change to the captaincy of our national team (as if anyone cares). And where we talk about flat-track bullies to try and lessen the achievements of high scoring forwards who we don’t want to admit are good, in Spain the papers talk of Benzema’s “ghost goals” against lesser teams, suggesting they don’t really count. Then there’s the photoshopping that our own newspapers are prone to, a favourite being putting shirts on players that the newspaper would like Real/Barca to sign, as if it had somehow already happened.
Back to Manuel Pellegrini, who is a pleasant man who avoids controversy at all costs. Or “politically correct,” as Marca called him, in yet another in a long line of disparaging remarks aimed at the former Madrid manager in a year-long personal vendetta from the paper’s director, Eduardo Inda. Not everyone accepts this bias. Many Madrid fans have set up opposition to Inda’s bias and campaigns, with the obligatory Facebook page of course. And the campaign against Pellegrini was one that appeared to backfire. So vicious was the vitriol from Marca, so keen were they to ignore facts, twist stories and just plain lie, that Pellegrini actually garnered extra support as a result.
But everyone in Spain seems to have a preference regarding Madrid or Barcelona – they dominate the sporting landscape, and even supporters of other teams still have a leaning towards one of the two. And yet the likes of Marca portray themselves as national newspapers, whilst concentrating almost solely on one thing only. But like any newspaper, they are there to sell copies, and to make money, and they know how to do it.
But when these papers look to set their agenda, to twist the stories to suit their needs, there is only one place to go. As Sid Lowe explained:
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“Bias is reflected in all aspects of football, but perhaps mostly clearly when it comes to referees. In Spain, a country where fouls are blown more readily and cards come out quicker than anywhere else in Europe, being a referee is a nightmare. Some believe every single contact is a foul. Most appear never to have actually read the rules at all. Diving is just another highly polished skill. And every decision is pawed over by “experts,” tapes rewound and replayed over and over again. Every decision is “obvious.” And serious, match defining. It doesn’t matter if a team wins 10-0; if there is a questionable penalty, that will be front-page news the next day. Writers at papers on both sides of the divide are told to look for controversy when they report on their rivals’ matches…. – Continue reading Sid Lowe’s full article at Sports Illustrated by clicking here
And that’s then thing with agendas – they are easy to follow when you cherry-pick statistics and ignore all the evidence that doesn’t support your argument. We’ve all done it when defending/attacking a team or player, but the Spanish newspapers take this many steps further down the road to oblivion. As someone once commented on a football message board, with the kind of ‘friendship’ Marca provides, who needs enemies?
Sven-Goran Eriksson has emerged as the favourite to succeed Roy Hodgson as Fulham's boss after Martin Jol turned down the opportunity to take over the managerial reins at Craven Cottage.
However, the former England manager's agent, Athole Still, has revealed that the Cottagers have not contacted his client.
When asked if Eriksson was interested in the Fulham job, Still told Radio Five Live:"It's a very attractive club, not just for Sven-Goran Eriksson.
"(However, there has been) no contact whatsoever. We've known for several weeks that Sven was one of the managers under consideration for the job.
"(But there has been) no interview, no discussion whatsoever.
"Of course he has unfinished business there (the Premier League). He was in my view outrageously sacked from his position (at Manchester City).
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"He did a first-class job with them – it was a personal non-compatability with Dr Shinawatra which caused him to be sacked. He should still be there."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wigan defender Antolin Alcaraz will likely be the subject of review from the FA, after the South American appeared to spit at Richard Stearman in the Latics 3-1 defeat to Wolves on Sunday.
Television footage clearly shows the Paraguay international spitting at the Wolves man, in another blow for the game in the United Kingdom.
Referee Lee Probert missed the incident in the dying minutes of the Molineux club’s victory, and the centre back is expected to receive a three match ban according to The Guardian.
Wolves captain Stearman confirmed that the act did happen, but was reluctant to discuss it in detail.
“Yes, but I’m not going to speak about it. A couple of the lads have spoken on it and said it was out of order and it needs to be stamped out. I’ll let other people talk about it and let other people deal with it,” he stated.
“I won’t push for anything [like an official review], it’s one of those things. It’s not nice.”
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy agreed with Stearman that spitting is not acceptable, but admits he has not yet seen the footage.
“I haven’t seen that [incident] but spitting is taboo. I only ever had it once and it’s fair to say he [the perpetrator] didn’t come too close to me for a long time after that.
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“That’s unacceptable behaviour and I think anyone in here [the press room] would react accordingly. If that’s what’s happened, he shouldn’t be doing it,” he concluded.