BRUNT SORRY FOR BAGGIES BLAST
But Pards loved it
CHRIS BRUNT has said sorry for his dressingroom outburst at rockbottom West Brom.
The Northern Ireland star vented his fury at team-mates and boss Alan Pardew after the crushing 2-1 home defeat to Huddersfield.
The Baggies boss revealed Brunt has apologised but insists it’s just the kind of spirit he’s looking for in their desperate fight to avoid the drop.
Pardew wants his men to be angry at the position they are in and hopes they can take that into today’s game at Watford.
He said: “Brunty came and saw me and he apologised for his outburst, which was purely frustration about not winning and I understand that.
Quizzed
“I don’t have a problem with it. I have no problem with Chris Brunt or any player here.
“I would be foolish to sideline anyone and I won’t until I think discipline really has been broken.
“And at the moment, apart from the incident in Barcelona, it hasn’t. It’s difficult.
“We’ve made it more difficult obviously because of what went on in Barcelona, which put a spotlight on ourselves in terms of professionalism and everything else.”
West Brom are seven points adrift of safety and their cause wasn’t helped by the headlinehitting ‘taxigate’ affair, which saw four of their players quizzed by Spanish police when a taxi ® went ‘missing’ in the early hours of the morning.
Pardew was more concerned that the Brunt row leaked out, adding: “What goes on in the dressing room should stay in the dressing room.
“Having said that, I’m not sure if our fans will be disappointed in that.
“What do they expect us to do? Not have words, not have conflict in the dressing room after a performance like that?
“So it came out about Brunty but it was not just him, the captain and everybody else, myself and (coach) John Carver, all had opinions on that showing.
“I’d be foolish and not a good manager if I didn’t listen to those comments and look at them in reflection and hopefully come up with some answers.”
He’s urging his men to show that they care about the perilous situation they find themselves in.
Pardew added: “I would like to see a little more controlled fight. It is no good, if you’re a boxer, throwing haymakers every five minutes.”
But despite just one win in his 14 games in charge, Pardew says he’s not concerned with speculation that defeat today could spell the end for him.
“I don’t know because that’s not my decision,” he said.
“If you think I’m going to walk away with the experience I’ve got, from a team that probably isn’t functioning very well, then you’re wrong.”