Tweet
<SPAN class=norm12>
Southampton 1 Stoke 0
RICARDO FULLER took a lesson from the Jose Mourinho school of diplomacy and accused his old Southampton pals of trying to injure him.
Stoke striker Fuller was unhappy with his former team-mates’ tough tackling and claims he was a marked man on his return to St Mary’s.
The Jamaican international also accused ref Lee Probert of not doing enough to protect him, even though most of the 20,531 crowd would struggle to remember a foul on him.
Sulky Fuller, who quit Saints to join Stoke in a £500,000 deal on transfer deadline day, said: “There were at least five occasions where a Southampton player went in on me from behind.
“I do not like tackles like that and there is no place for them in the game. They could have caused me serious injury.
“This is the first time I have been back here and the Southampton players know I always give 100 per cent in every game. It was pre-planned.
“I got frustrated in the end and got a silly yellow card for dissent.
“It was difficult for me not to get angry because they kept doing it.
“The referee should have done more to protect me and he could have sent off two of their players.”
Whistle-happy Probert dished out 10 bookings — three for Saints and seven for Fuller and his Stoke team-mates.
Saints’ Mario Licka lit up a dire game with a stunning winner on 54 minutes, cutting in from the left before fizzing a shot past Stoke keeper Steve Simonsen.
Licka has played in France, Italy and back home in the Czech Republic despite being just 24. But he admitted: “It has always been a dream of mine to play in England — I just took the long way round.
“The rest of the players have made me very welcome and I am loving it at Southampton. It was great to score my first goal and hopefully there are a few more to come.”</SPAN>
Southampton 1 Stoke 0
RICARDO FULLER took a lesson from the Jose Mourinho school of diplomacy and accused his old Southampton pals of trying to injure him.
Stoke striker Fuller was unhappy with his former team-mates’ tough tackling and claims he was a marked man on his return to St Mary’s.
The Jamaican international also accused ref Lee Probert of not doing enough to protect him, even though most of the 20,531 crowd would struggle to remember a foul on him.
Sulky Fuller, who quit Saints to join Stoke in a £500,000 deal on transfer deadline day, said: “There were at least five occasions where a Southampton player went in on me from behind.
“I do not like tackles like that and there is no place for them in the game. They could have caused me serious injury.
“This is the first time I have been back here and the Southampton players know I always give 100 per cent in every game. It was pre-planned.
“I got frustrated in the end and got a silly yellow card for dissent.
“It was difficult for me not to get angry because they kept doing it.
“The referee should have done more to protect me and he could have sent off two of their players.”
Whistle-happy Probert dished out 10 bookings — three for Saints and seven for Fuller and his Stoke team-mates.
Saints’ Mario Licka lit up a dire game with a stunning winner on 54 minutes, cutting in from the left before fizzing a shot past Stoke keeper Steve Simonsen.
Licka has played in France, Italy and back home in the Czech Republic despite being just 24. But he admitted: “It has always been a dream of mine to play in England — I just took the long way round.
“The rest of the players have made me very welcome and I am loving it at Southampton. It was great to score my first goal and hopefully there are a few more to come.”</SPAN>
Comment