Boss bites back in cheating debate

18 February 2009 16:56
In the post-match press conference, Abbott refused to criticise Saddlers winger Sofiene Zaaboub for earning the visitors a hotly-disputed penalty, claiming: "I would want my players to fall into people and go down and get us a penalty.[LNB]"If you dive and get a penalty, fine. If you dive and get a booking, I'll pat you on the back as well. Paul Thirlwell said the lad put the ball past him, brushed into him and went down. I think that's clever."[LNB]Former Cumbrians hero Jeff Thorpe referred to Abbott's outburst as "bewilderingly sad" in local paper the News and Star, but Abbott insists he was simply backing the referee.[LNB]"I certainly did not do that in the press conference," he added in the News and Star. "What I did say is that people are clever in gaining penalties and by saying that, I was sticking up for the referee.[LNB]"Jeff Thorpe wasn't in that press conference, otherwise he would have known that I did not use the word 'dive' or 'cheat'."[LNB][LNB]

Source: Team_Talk