Fab Blast Blasted
Tuesday, 9th Mar 2004 11:41

Norwich manager Nigel Worthington and defender Craig Fleming have hit out at Town full-back Fabian Wilnis after the Dutchman described the Canaries as potentially the worst side ever to be promoted to the Premiership.

Wilnis felt Town were unlucky to be beaten on Sunday and said after the game: "I know what it takes to be in the Premiership. They will not stay up. If they did go up they would need about 15 new players.

"The way Norwich played in the first half, then if they did go up they would come straight down by Christmas, with a record lowest points total.

"We were all over them, we were taking the Mick out of them in the first half. I could not believe we were not at least two up by half-time. But that is typical, when you are top of the league everything goes your way."

Clearly stung by the attack, Worthington and Fleming have both hit back at the ex-De Graafschap man, Fleming claiming Wilnis was unprofessional to make the statement: “I've read his comments and I don't like them at all.

“As far as I'm concerned they are a sleight on his fellow professionals. I'm not taking them personally, but I should imagine a few of the lads will.

“It smacks of bitterness to me. They've lost the game and he has decided to have a go.”

Worthington said he used an earlier comment from Wilnis as part of his team talk: “The same player made a statement in a magazine prior to the game which I used to motivate my players.

“I didn't do it until half-time but it worked eventually.

“The comments after Sunday's game sounded to me like sour grapes from a player who could have done the interview about 25 minutes beforehand because he was taken off. That's how well he was playing.

“There is no need for that sort of thing because it's a professional game and we all have good days and bad days. I think there is an etiquette in the game and for a player to open his mouth like that is out of order.

“But that is something we are not in control of. The main thing is that we have taken six points off Ipswich and that has helped us to our ambition of getting promoted.”

However, the Norwich boss conceded the Dutchman had a point when it comes to additions to his squad in the summer: "We will be the same as every other team who goes into the Premiership, it will be hard going. But the first thing is to get there. If that happens we will then sought out how we will stay there.

“We will need to sign a few players to add to the current squad. But the players that we have got, and the hard work and team spirit, also counts for a lot."

Photo: Action Images

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