And you thought Tony Pulis v James Beattie was bad! Dressing-room bust-ups that stunned the game

07 December 2009 23:14
Reports that James Beattie and Tony Pulis came to blows while arguing over Stoke's Christmas party have left the Premier League stunned, but it's far from the first time that a manger and player have become involved in a bout of dressing-room fisticuffs. Here Sportsmail remembers some of the most shocking brawls in recent memory.[LNB]Ding ding! Round One...[LNB] No great shakes: Roy Keane (left) could not abide Mick McCarthy[LNB]DAVID BECKHAM v SIR ALEX FERGUSON Ferguson was livid following an FA Cup defeat by Arsenal in February 2003. He lashed out and sent a boot flying across the changing room, cutting Beckham just above the left eye. [LNB]'It was just one of those things,' insisted Sir Alex but the midfielder was soon sold to Real Madrid. [LNB]'They're getting ready for the Christmas party.'[LNB]JOEY BARTON v ALAN SHEARER Barton has had a fair few scrapes over the years, his most recent being a slanging match with then Newcastle boss Alan Shearer last season. [LNB]Shearer laid into his midfielder after he was sent off in a crucial game at Liverpool for a horror tackle on Xabi Alonso. But Barton fought back, calling Shearer 'a s*** manager with s*** tactics'. Shearer subsequently suspended Barton. [LNB]GARY BREEN v MICK McCARTHY McCarthy and his skipper had to be pulled apart after the Wolves boss blamed Breen for a late Jason Euell equaliser in a draw with Southampton. [LNB]After talks to defuse the situation, Breen captained the side again the following week, but the feel-good factor did not last, with Breen being released at the end of the 2007-08 season. [LNB]ROY KEANE v MICK McCARTHY Slanging match: Joey Barton and Alan Shearer did not get on during the pair's time at Newcastle[LNB]Breen was not the only one who had a problem with McCarthy. In the build-up to the 2002 World Cup, Ireland skipper Keane slated the training facilities in Saipan - 'like a car park' - and slammed the team's preparations, leading to a furious McCarthy, then the Republic's boss, confronting his captain in front of the whole squad.[LNB] Keane defended his actions then let rip, telling McCarthy: 'Mick, you're a liar... you're a ******* ******. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a ******* ****** and you can stick your World Cup up your ****.[LNB]'The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your ********.' Keane was soon on the plane home. [LNB]NlGEL REO-COKER v MARTIN O'NEILL When O'Neill thought Reo-Coker was overly harsh in criticising a team-mate, sparks flew. The pair were involved in a heated verbal exchange, with some reports alleging that the Villa manager grabbed his midfielder round the throat. [LNB]Reo-Coker was left out of the squad for the weekend's game with Portsmouth but the pair have since made up. [LNB]P.S.At least they did not do it at the Christmas party. [LNB]West Ham's Hayden Foxe once urinated on a bar; Joey Barton put out a cigar on a youth team player's eyelids; three Celtic players spent time in the cells after fighting a nightclub bouncer, and Vinnie Jones organised a dwarf-tossing competition at Chelsea. [LNB] Beattie misses training as Stoke probe striker's bust-up with boss PulisEXCLUSIVE: Beattie and Pulis in shock bust-up over Stoke's Christmas partySTOKE CITY FC

Source: Daily_Mail