Sam Allardyce denies claims Blackburn Rovers play dirty
Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce has refuted suggestions by Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy that his side play dirty football.
Murphy had suggested earlier this month that The Riversiders, along with fellow English Premier League sides Stoke City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, were a team that set out to stop opponents playing.
However, Allardyce has rejected those claims and told reporters on Thursday (14 October) that, though his side play a physical brand of football when it is necessary, Blackburn were not a dirty team. "We are not like that and certainly me, this football
club or the players have nothing to do with the suggestions that were made by Danny. We are physical when we need to be but we don't play dirty and never have."
'Murphy should apologise for remarks'
Allardyce has also called on Murphy to apologise for his comments, saying that: "If he's man enough that's what he should do."
The former Newcastle United manager insisted that official statistics proved that Blackburn do not set out to intentionally injure players. So far this season, Blackburn have received 11 yellow cards and have not have a player sent off — they are currently
fourth in the disciplinary standings among EPL clubs.
Allardyce said that: "I think this is the best disciplinary here for five years. I've reduced the bookings ratio to about one and a half a game from just over two under previous managers and our sending off ratio is very, very good indeed.
"In fact the whole of this calendar year we have only had one player sent off in the Premier League which was Chris Samba at Stoke and all those that were there knew he shouldn't have been sent off in that game. So we're not going out to try to injury players
and we take great exception to anybody that suggests that."
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