Anfield fury at Flanagan
Club disgusted by assault on girlfriend
LIVERPOOL yesterday condemned defender Jon Flanagan after he was sentenced to a 12-month community order for assaulting his girlfriend. Flanagan appeared at Liverpool magistrates’ court having earlier pleaded guilty to the attack in the city centre in the early hours of December 22. Liverpool said Flanagan, 25, had ‘severely let down’ the club and his Anfield future is now in doubt.
JON FLANAGAN’S Liverpool career is under serious threat after he was sentenced to a 12- month community order for assaulting his girlfriend.
The 25-year- old avoided jail but must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 40 hours of unpaid work after he attacked Rachel Wall in the early hours of December 22. He threw his partner into a wall then kicked her while she was on the ground, after he had been drinking.
Flanagan, who was on the cusp of England’s squad for the World Cup in 2014, appeared before Liverpool Magistrates’ Court yesterday, having pleaded guilty to the offence at a hearing on January 2.
His previous good character and the remorse he has shown since the incident were considered by District Judge Wendy Lloyd, who described the case as ‘an unpleasant episode’.
Liverpool had refused to comment about Flanagan while the judicial process was being followed but they made clear their disgust over what had happened and issued a strongly worded statement to confirm that all options will be considered during an internal investigation.
A club spokesperson said: ‘We condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the player’s actions during the events that took place resulting in this criminal conviction.
‘It leaves his own reputation damaged and, through association, he has severely let down the club he had previously represented with distinction. We have expressed to him our disappointment and anger that he has failed to live up to the values of Liverpool Football Club, in this specific instance.
‘The club has allowed the legal formalities to reach a conclusion before deciding on or implementing any internal disciplinary action. That internal process will now begin. The club has no further comment to make at this time.’
The tone of the statement underlines how far they believe Flanagan has fallen out of line and his increasingly rare story — graduating from the terraces to play for his boyhood club — is faced with an unhappy ending. He is understood to be devastated about the serious mistake he has made.
Flanagan, who has five months remaining on his current deal, had accepted it was going to be difficult to win a new contract and that he needed to make a fresh start. He had made only one appearance this season, at t Leicester in the Carabao Cup on September 19.
It is all a far cry from when he emerged as a fearless 18-yearold and was man of the match when making his debut for then manager Kenny Dalglish in a 3-0 win over Manchester City in April 2011.
Three years later Flanagan had a key role in the team that came within two points of winning the title.
He has been training and playing with the Under 23s for much of the time since, though he has been a regular at Anfield on match days and has been at the stadium for recent games against Swansea, Leicester, Everton and Manchester City.