Harry Redknapp defended his Queens Park Rangers side but singled out his star player Adel Taarabt for some stinging criticism, claiming he cannot “protect people who are about three stone overweight”.
A furious Redknapp thumped an advertising board in anger when quizzed on forward Taarabt's injury status after QPR's gut-wrenching 3-2 home defeat to Liverpool.
“No, he’s not fit: he’s not fit to play football, unfortunately,” said Redknapp of the Moroccan, who has only featured three times this season because of persistent ankle problems. “He played in a reserve team game the other day, and I could have run about more than he did. So no, I can’t pick him.
“I pick people that want to try, and deserve to be at a good football club like QPR, and want to work, and come in every day and want to work, and train, and show a good attitude, and that’s what I got today from the players.
“I can’t keep protecting people who don’t want to run about and train, who are about three stone overweight. What am I supposed to keep saying, keep getting your 60, 70 grand a week but don’t train? The others are as good as gold.”
Redknapp also shrugged off speculation of a change at the Loftus Road helm, claiming he has turned the club’s fortunes around after a disorganised summer.
“I think you have to understand that two weeks before the season started, I had 12 players,” he said. “Now I’m not making excuses, I had 12 players at this football club, outfield players. I hear other names mentioned, but they couldn’t do any better than what I can do, that’s for sure.”
Charlie Adam says second-half dominance lifts Stoke past Swansea
Charlie Adam was delighted as Stoke returned to winning ways in the English Premier League with a 2-1 comeback victory over Swansea at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.
With just over 10 minutes of the first half to go, Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross conceded a penalty by bringing down Wilfried Bony and the Ivory Coast striker made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Asmir Begovic into the bottom right corner.
Their lead did not last long as nine minutes later Stoke were awarded a penalty, which Adam fired home with a left-footed shot to make it 1-1 at the break.
Deep into the second half Jonathan Walters nodded a powerful header home from substitute Oussama Assaidi’s cross to put Stoke ahead for the first time.
“I think it was [well deserved],” Adam said. “Once we got to grips with it we dominated the second part of the game and Walters came on and won it for us.”