Alex Rae attacks Clarets

Last updated : 26 December 2002 By Tony Scholes
In an article that describes last season’s home encounter as a blood stained win for the Molineux outfit Rae says, “The last time we played up there I ended up getting a couple of stitches under my eye and Gunnar Halle had to have his mouth stitched so we know what they’re about.

“It’s quite a tight ground and their crowd are usually wound up as well so it will be pretty frantic.”

What Rae chooses to forget is the fact that Halle’s injury was accidental and would have been seen as such had he not decided to take over and demand that incompetent referee Barry Knight send off Alan Moore. The video evidence of the incident gives no indication whatsoever that Moore did anything intentional.

Needless to say the offensive Rae, a player who constantly nags at referees, chose to forget that and somehow nine months later comes up with an injury to himself previously not mentioned.

He then goes on to talk about the game at Molineux in August and particularly the foul on him by Paul Cook that saw the Clarets’ former Wolves midfielder sent off. Described as an x-rated tackle Rae added, “It was just one of those things. He was wound up about it because we had gone 1-0 up. I don’t think he meant the tackle, it’s unlike him to do anything like that.”

It wasn’t a good challenge by Cooky but it was more mistimed than x-rated. But needless to say Rae stayed down as if he had been shot until referee Winter waved the red card. Then, and what a surprise, Rae got up and carried on as if nothing had happened.

“I’m expected Burnley to be physical – a real battle.”

The former Millwall and Sunderland midfielder has battled back from personal problems and for that deserves some admiration. It is difficult though to offer any when he behaves like this. He needs to start taking a long hard look at his own contributions to recent games between the two clubs before he opens his big mouth.

Hopefully Messias will prove to be a stronger referee than either Knight or Winter have been.