Wolves' Carl Ikeme breaks hand in dressing room row
Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme could miss the rest of the season after punching a tactics board and breaking his hand in a dressing room row with Dean Saunders.
The 26-year-old lashed out following an argument with boss Saunders after conceding a calamity own goal in Saturday's 2-1 win against Bristol City at Molineux.
The Wolves manager today confirmed the dressing-room incident and admitted he had earlier said Ikeme sustained the injury on the pitch, to try to protect the player.
The injury, suffered at half-time and forced his substitution, could mean Ikeme misses the rest of Wolves' battle against relegation from the Championship.
The half-time row came after a howler in which Ikeme allowed a backpass from David Davis to squirm through him for an own goal. Saunders is believed to have criticised Ikeme at half-time and the keeper then punched the board.
He said this afternoon: "He didn't mean to break his hand but it's created a problem for us because he isn't going to be available. I'm really disappointed with it and so is he."
Saunders defended his earlier decision to say Ikeme injured his hand during the game by insisting he was protecting the player.
"After the game I didn't know Carl had broken his hand and I tried to keep everything in the dressing room and tried to protect Carl. What's said in that dressing room doesn't normally get out there but now he's broken his hand and all the supporters want to know so there's a responsibility to let them know why he's not available to play," he said.
Wolves legend Steve Bull today said: "I can understand the frustrations and anger that he would have felt about everything. But he was being silly because his hands are the tools of his trade and it's now cost him."
Ikeme's injury means Dutch goalkeeper Dorus De Vries, is likely to play the rest of the season with Wolves also set to recall Aaron McCarey from his loan at Walsall.
