Premier League legend ‘threw bare headbutt at his personal participant’ – ‘it was a spectacle’
A Premier League legend is said to have headbutted one of his players while stark naked in a dressing room scrap after a defeat to Arsenal
Tony Pulis once headbutted his own player(Image: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
A Premier League legend once threw a headbutt at his own player while wearing nothing during a changing room argument.
Tony Pulis’ sides were tough tackling, and he proved he was the toughest of the lot after a dressing scrap with then-striker James Beattie. Beattie, who turns 48 today (February 27), was part of the Stoke side that lost to Arsenal in 2009.
Pulis, enraged at the result, cancelled the Christmas party on the spot. Beattie, however, questioned the decision and is said to have confronted the Welsh gaffer, who was only protecting his modesty with towel at the time.
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Pulis is then said to threw a headbutt at Beattie, something he has since played down.
When quizzed on the incident, back in 2009, Pulis simply said: “I have been a manager for 18 years and you have certain golden rules. And one of the rules I stick to is that whatever happens in the dressing room stays in the dressing room.
“The important thing is the spirit, commitment and togetherness stays in that dressing room. And you don’t get that by [leaking] things out.”
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However, some players in that dressing room have since confirmed the altercation did happen. Former Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross was one of these when he took over the club’s Twitter account.
In a tweet which was soon deleted by the club, a Stoke fan asked: “What was it like seeing Pulis headbutt James Beattie naked?” And the now-retired central defender simply said: “It was a spectacle”.
Danny Collins has also spoken about the incident: “Beats has come back through the doors and the lads are saying: ‘What’s happening James?’
“And as he’s about to talk, the gaffer’s come steaming through, towel around him, bottle of shampoo in his hand. [He] Slung his bottle of shampoo, towel’s fell off, fully naked. And he’s just flown at Beats.
“He said something like, ‘Don’t be speaking behind my back you!’ And he threw a bit of a headbutt at Beats and Beats has pulled back, he sort of brushes him on the chin and Beats has swung [a punch] back at him.”
