Monk accuses Kim of Headbutt

13 February 2014 15:46

Swansea boss Garry Monk has accused Cardiff midfielder Kim Bo-kyung of getting away with punching and headbutting Wayne Routledge as the aftermath of Saturday's South Wales derby continues to boil over.

Cardiff striker Craig Bellamy is currently serving a three-match ban after accepting a charge of violent conduct following a challenge on Jonathan de Guzman that was initially missed by the match officials.

The decision to charge Bellamy came after a three-man panel of former elite referees reviewed the incident and agreed unanimously it was a sending-off offence.

Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was left perplexed, claiming De Guzman over-reacted, further pointing out Angel Rangel went unpunished for a kick on Wilfried Zaha.

The mud-slinging has continued with Monk's accusations regarding Kim, and telling Solskjaer to keep his own house in order first.

"I saw Ole answering a question that my man Jon de Guzman made a meal of it," said Monk.

"When you receive an elbow in the back of the head and you go down normally, I don't see how that's an over-reaction.

"I would have more concerns about the 35th minute corner for them when one of my players, Wayne Routledge, gets headbutted and punched in the face by Kim.

"If anything I would be more concerned about something like that than saying one of my players was play-acting.

"If you look at Wayne, when he gets headbutted and punched in the face, he stays on his feet. He doesn't make a meal of it.

"So I think Ole needs to look at his own players before he starts looking at mine."

Monk's response came in the wake of Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Stoke where Chico Flores netted a deserved second-half equaliser for the Swans after Peter Crouch had opened the scoring in the 17th minute.

With four points from his two matches in charge since taking over from the sacked Michael Laudrup, the 34-year-old Monk has quickly adapted to life as a top-flight manager.

The result keeps Swansea in 10th place, and although still only four points above the relegation zone, Monk is thriving on the challenge.

Monk said: "It's the situation I'm in. You can either sit and hide or attack it head on, and that's the way I've always been.

"The players know that, and all I care about are the players - and the fans obviously - but it's a case of letting the players be themselves and playing to a level where they can perform.

"I just want them to go out each week and put in a performance they can be proud of, and if they do that win, lose or draw, I'll be more than happy."

Monk, meanwhile, has confirmed striker Michu is to return to full training this week as he closes in a return after undergoing ankle surgery in mid-December.

Source: PA