Peace pact for Potters pair
Stoke manager Tony Pulis insists Ricardo Fuller and Andy Griffin have “kissed and made up” in the wake of their altercation at West Ham on Sunday.
Fuller was sent off for slapping his captain after the pair had a heated exchange following the home team’s equaliser early in the second half.
But Pulis said the grievance had been sorted out at a team meeting on New Year’s Eve and it was now time to move on.
He said: “Ric and Griff have apologised to one another and to the group as a whole. They have also been punished in-house and it’s over and done with.
“We had a really good meeting with everyone having their say and, as I’ve said many times before, we’ve got a smashing group of lads here. There isn’t one bad egg among them.
“The incident was disappointing in lots of respects and we can’t deny that. But everyone makes mistakes and you have to learn from them and get on with life. They are both committed players with passion, but on this occasion the passion flowed over.
“Unfortunately, we also went on to lose a game we would probably have got at least a point from if we had kept 11 men on the field. To add to that, we will have to do without Ric who has been suspended for the next three games.”
Some reports have suggested Fuller could be sold this month as a consequence of the flashpoint, but Pulis said: “That’s absolute nonsense.
“People can construe what they want, but Ric and Griff had an argument and it has now been sorted. They have kissed and made up.
“Ric has two-and-a-half years left on his contract and he’s going nowhere. All the talk about sacking him or selling him, or this and that, is a load of rubbish.
“I get on very well with Ric and he’s a smashing lad. He has his moments, but so does everyone else. He’s also a great talent and an important player at this football club.”
Pulis had nothing to report on the transfer front as he prepares his injury-hit squad for Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie at Hartlepool.
He does expect to splash several million pounds this month to boost Stoke’s bid to avoid relegation, but he said: “There is nothing imminent.
“We have identified a number of targets and there is work going on behind the scenes to see if the players we want are available, and to see if we can afford them.
“There is no chance of us paying over the odds for players, but we are desperately trying to get a few in to help us.
“The players we have are also hoping we can bring some in to give us a boost, but for the moment I’m concentrating on preparing the team for an important FA Cup tie at Hartlepool.”
