Beattie in the wrong

There are contrasting reports as to what exactly went on in the Stoke dressing room following their defeat at Arsenal on Saturday.

Altercation

It is clear that manager Tony Pulis and striker James Beattie had some sort of altercation that led to the two men having to be pulled apart.

On Monday Tony Pulis apologised to the whole squad for his behaviour but it is believed that despite reports that Beattie had apologised to Pulis, this has not actually happened. Beattie didn’t train with the rest of the squad but did spend a few minutes at the training ground.

Apologise

It seems that Beattie doesn’t feel that he has anything to apologise for. The popular Stoke striker has only found the net twice this season but he remains a favourite with the fans after helping the side to a mid-table finish last season and a reasonable start this time around. The thirty-one year old has eighteen months left on his contract, but may well have played his last game for the club before moving on in January.

The alleged bust-up apparently came about after Pulis told his players that they were all to report for training on Monday. Beattie was organising the players’ Christmas party which was taking place in London on Saturday night and Sunday and he believed that the Monday had been authorised as a day off.

Trust

It is alleged that Beattie said something about not being able to trust the manager and Pulis reacted angrily. The player and manager then had to be separated.

It sounds like a stupid row between two angry and disappointed men after a defeat about something silly that could have been sorted out easily by talking about it. In other words, it sounds like the sort of row that goes on in losing changing rooms every week around the country and probably the world.

Moan

The significant thing in this case is that the row involved the manager. No players should get themselves into a confrontational situation with the manager. You might not like his decision about something but you accept it and then, like the rest of us, moan about it and him when he has gone!

That applies to all levels of football but when players are being paid many thousands of pounds every week to be footballers I don’t think they should react too angrily to being told that they were required for training on Monday.

Poorly

Whilst Tony Pulis may well have reacted badly and behaved poorly in this incident, and I don’t know that he did, it seems to me that it is James Beattie who is in the wrong. He should not show a lack of respect to his manager and he certainly should not get involved in a physical confrontation.

Beattie needs to remember that he is in a hugely privileged position and he could have had a good night out in London on Saturday and a full and good day on Sunday and still made training on Monday. That wouldn’t have been too much to ask.

The Stoke fans deserve better, Tony Pulis has worked miracles at the club and James Beattie hasn’t. If I was a Stoke fan I know who I would be supporting.