If Sheff U as a club had anything about them this should have been in the papers today

Sheffield United inflicted the first of potentially several punishments on Chris Morgan last night when they suspended their own defender for his brutal assault on Barnsley’s Iain Hume.

Club directors met the manager, Kevin Blackwell, yesterday afternoon to formulate their response to the incident that left the Canadian striker requiring surgery on a fractured skull at the Manchester Royal Infirmary following Saturday’s game at Oakwell. Morgan will now miss this Saturday’s game with Reading as a result of a one match ban, although it is doubtful whether he was in a suitable state of mind to play anyhow, and faces further disciplinary action pending the results of an internal investigation.

Under existing rules Morgan would have escaped a ban from the Football Association, having collected a booking from referee Andy D’Urso for his elbowing, but the English game's governing body has now charged the 31-year-old with serious foul play. He has until 12 December to respond. South Yorkshire Police have also commenced an investigation and a legal threat could arrive from Hume too if he decides to pursue a civil action against the United centre-back.

It was against this sombre background that a contrite Blackwell condemned the player unreservedly yesterday and revealed that United and Morgan would accept whatever punishment comes their way. The United manager had originally dismissed the controversy on Saturday night but, with the benefit of the video replay, said he could no longer defend the "indefensible" from a player with previous for mindless acts of thuggery.

Blackwell admitted: "When I saw it live I didn't realise the ferocity of it, but the more you see it the worse it gets. It was indefensible. Chris came to see me on Monday morning and he was ashen-faced. He is distraught and he is disgusted with himself. He knows he hasn't gone a leg to stand on and he is not blase about what happened. He is prepared for any punishment that comes his way, but he knows this has to be a wakeup call for him.

"Whatever the FA say and do we will adhere to. We are here to help them govern the game and we will back any decision they make. I feel sorry for Andy. He will be hung out to dry for this, but I had a better view than he did and I didn't see an elbow. If there is any good to come out of it, it is that the player realises it was totally unacceptable. It's not football."

The United manager has telephoned his Barnsley counterpart, Simon Davey with his apologies, while Morgan is believed to have written to Hume, who is still in hospital, to express his remorse.

Neither manager, however, believes the police should intervene in the matter. &quot;I don't want to see the police getting involved. It is football's problem and the game should deal with it,&quot; Davey said. &quot;Let's hope that the FA can take the most appropriate action possible.&quot; Blackwell added: &quot;Do we have police on the sidelines waiting to come on every time they see something they think is an arrestable offence?&quot;</p>

 

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Isn't this the Ben Thatcher/Stuart Pearce article?

 

yes suitably edited nt