Town boss Paul Lambert has confirmed that Norwich goalkeeping-coach Ed Wooten challenged him to a fight during the melee which took place between the benches just before half-time during Sunday’s East Anglian derby at Carrow Road. The Blues manager was also unhappy with the way one of the home club’s stewards shoved him away from the flashpoint, which was triggered by a Jon Nolan foul on Canaries full-back Max Aarons.
Sky Sports reported this morning that the Blues are set to make an official complaint to the FA regarding the behaviour of the steward.
"That got me angry,” Lambert said when asked about the steward’s push. "I don’t know why he had to get involved. Why did he have to get involved? There was no thing there, there was no reason for him to be involved.
"I heard some things on their side and that’s why I responded. I didn’t need a steward to try and usher me out of the road.
"I’ve never seen anything like that before. At Portman Road do we have stewards in the middle between the two benches? I’ve not seen any. Did they have any at Stoke? Did they have any at Wolves? I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Lambert also confirmed that Norwich goalkeeping-coach Wooton challenged him to a fight, with their head of performance Chris Domogalla having been erroneously been sent to the stands along with the Blues boss by referee Peter Bankes.
Source:BBC
"That’s it, yes” he said when quizzed on whether that was what happened. "I tell you what, next time I’ll say, ‘No, you win’. Don’t do it in front of 25,000, do it inside. Then we’ll see.
"I’m not going to stand and take it. No chance. I didn’t even know who the guy was. I don’t even know the guy’s name. I don’t know who he was, whether he was the goalkeeping-coach. Try and stick to what you’re good at. There’s a good idea.
"I don’t know if he played the game or anything. I’m not standing back for that, that’s for sure. Get him to give me a call then, see what happens.”
Wooten, 35, played for the likes of Redbridge, Tiptree United, Halstead Town, Harwich and Parkeston and FC Clacton during his career, while he has also coached at Grays Athletic and Colchester's academy.
Asked to confirm that the club will be making the reported complaint to the FA, Lambert said: "I’ve just come in for training so I’ll have to find out what’s going on. I think the club’s got every right to review and look at things and then say what they’re going to say.
"I’ll say my bit on it, what I thought happened in it. I don’t want the club to be stamped on, that’s for sure.”
Earlier in his press conference, he was asked whether there had been any fallout from the incident and joked: "I got sent flowers and chocolates from Norwich!”
In terms of action against him for the red card, he says he’ll learn more later in the week.
"I’m waiting for the report, I’ve got until Friday for it to come through,” he added. "I’ll have a look at that and see what the version is that everybody saw.
"I know what went on in there and I’ve seen it and there were things said in there. As I said before, there were other things going on in there and that’s why I’m not standing for it, I’ll not let anybody try and anything with the football club or try and bring it down or anything like that.
"And they can talk about having class after the game. They never had class not shaking [Town assistant manager] Stuart Taylor’s hand after the game.
"That goes under the radar but I’m not having anybody belittling this football club, that’s for sure.”
Does he believe it would he harsh if he were to be handed a touchline ban? "In my own eyes, yes. But I’m pretty sure they’ll look at it and they’ll see the different stuff stewards getting involved and all that. When did we have a steward at our dugout? I never see anybody. I've never seen anything like that.
"I’ve been involved in the Premier League, I’ve been at the highest level as a player and at the highest level as a manager, never been involved in anything like that.”