Poyet Picks His Team Around ... The Referee!

Last updated : 24 February 2014 By Tott Dixon - Seaham

 

Poyet did not want to lose Cattermole ahead of this weekend's Capital One Cup final as he feared he could end up being sent off.

Cattermole was controversially red-carded at Hull City by Marriner earlier this season, and Poyet did not want to risk the former Middlesbrough midfielder.

Gus Poyet: "Unfortunately for me, it (Cattermole) was the only decision I could control.

"I don't want to say something to get me fined but for me the referee was one who normally sends Lee Cattermole off.
 
"Add that to the fact we were away to Arsenal. I am sure if we were to go two or three goals down, Lee is not the sort of player to have in the middle.

"I made a mistake in the press conference - if there is one player starting next week, it is Lee Cattermole. The rest at the moment are substitutes.

"Everything I had in mind for next week is gone in 90 minutes.

"Gone. Completely. We will have to start from zero.

"Sometimes players pick themselves. If we had gone to Arsenal and won the game, how could you change the team next week at Wembley?

"They would deserve to play.

"Now I have a lot of options, because maybe there are a few players who have been pushing for a place in the starting XI and now they are going to be there.

"I said in another interview that no-one put themselves in the team for next week - no-one.

"But I suppose that is not quite right. The goalkeeper didn't have any responsibility for the goals, and that's true.

"Jack Colback ran and tackled and fought, and that's true. Giaccherini tried his best and scored, and that's true too.

"But we are a team. We are not tennis players who play on our own. I need to make a team.

"Whatever team I pick next week they will have to be happy with, because they have had a great chance to put themselves forward and they didn't."