Toon men slam Chavski divers
Wednesday March 22 2006
Alan Shearer hit out at Shaun Wright-Phillips and accused the
Chelsea winger of diving as Newcastle crashed out of the FA
Cup.
Wright-Phillips appeared to overreact to a challenge by Robbie
Elliott which earned the Toon defender a second yellow card.
It soured Shearer's final game in the FA Cup as Chelsea won the
quarter final 1-0 and booked a place in the last four.
Shearer said: "It was a blatant dive. There was absolutely no
contact and I thought that at the time.
"I have seen it again on a replay and it was definitely the
case."
The Newcastle skipper was booked for arguing with the decision in
the last minute of normal time.
Newcastle's caretaker manager Glenn Roeder was also angry with
Wright-Phillips and suggested the player's father Ian Wright would
also not be happy.
Roeder said: "My view is crystal clear. Wright-Phillips took the
ball past Robbie Elliott, who immediately turned his body sideways
to let him go.
"He is an experienced defender - but Wright-Phillips knows he has
beaten him and he's on the ground.
"He made no attempt to run past him at all.
"I am disappointed with the young man - and I don't think his dad
will be too pleased either.
"What disappoints me most is the contrast between two incidents in
the game.
"Kieron Dyer was 'scissored' in the corner but he gets up
straightaway and he is not looking for a foul or a booking.
"Then we have the sending-off incident. They are at two ends on the
spectrum of fair play.
"I am sure the other manager will have his opinion - but that is
mine."
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho refused to speak after the game.
Roeder added: "For me you should just play the game of
football.
"If you are fouled, go down. If you are not fouled, don't."
The incident overshadowed Shearer's exit from the FA Cup. It was
his last chance to win a trophy in the colours of his home town
club because he will retire at the end of the season.
Roeder said: "Alan set his heart on getting into the last four but
conceding an early goal to the Premiership champions disappointed
us.
"For Alan to lose the game 1-0 and not even have an opportunity to
take them back for a replay at St James' Park has to be a
disappointment.
"But he won't want any sympathy. Alan is not a sympathy man, just
look at his career and look at his life.
"He will shake himself down, pick himself up and work hard towards
his retirement before he comes back into the game in football
management.
"I don't know whether that will be in one year's time or six or
seven years but Alan can still win the FA Cup one day. Why
not?
"When he comes back into management, I am sure it will only be at
this club and this club has the capability to win it even though
the last time they did it I was not born."
John Terry scored the only goal of the game after five minutes and
the Chelsea skipper was thrilled to record a win after defeat in
the Premiership at Fulham on Sunday.
Terry said: "It was important to get a good early start and we did
that straight from the kick-off.
"We turned them around and squeezed them and that set the tone for
the whole game.
"It's not about revenge for last year. The most important thing is
that we are in the hat for the draw on Friday and we are pleased to
bounce back after a very disappointing result at the
weekend."
