Matt Murray speaks up for Wolves No 1 Carl Ikeme
Matt Murray today spoke up for stricken Wolves goalkeeper Carl Ikeme after his furious half-time bust-up with boss Dean Saunders.
It was confirmed by Saunders yesterday that Ikeme had suffered a broken hand after he smashed a tactics board in the Wolves dressing room on Saturday in an angry response to the row.
Retired keeper Murray, who remains a mentor for 26-year-old Ikeme, said his former junior partner is "absolutely gutted" to now miss the final chapter of a difficult campaign in which he had been one of the team's most consistent figures.
But the rare blunder which gifted Bristol City the lead in Saturday's survival showdown has been aggravated by the self-inflicted injury which will leave Ikeme on the sidelines for the last eight games.
Murray said: "People often level the charge at players that they don't care but this kind of episode shows just how passionate they are about what they do.
"I've spoken to Carl now and he is gutted at how things have turned out. Gutted to be missing the rest of the season.
"He was so upset about his part in the goal. You wouldn't want that to happen to you if the team was winning 6-0 never mind in such a massive game.
"He also wants the fans to know that while he was angry, he was not stupid enough to hit the wall – and believe me, I've seen walls and doors punched and kicked down the years by pumped-up players.
"Carl expected the tactics board to go flying but he chose the one spot where there was a metal bar behind. It was freakish – a couple of inches either side and there would be no injury to him."
