Okay good afternoon everybody once we're all settled and ready to go
Gareth will get us underway
Yep thanks Andy, obviously I wouldn't normally speak
ahead of matchday minus one but there's been a couple of statements that have
come out of our camp and I think it was important to come and speak publicly
about that so that the players don't need to deal with that moving forward I
think I'm dealing with a very young squad very young squad and we're in a
sport where emotions often run high I think
Raheem in his post last night explained that for a very brief moment his
emotions ran over and it would be correct to say that's not the same for
Joe and these things happen in football then what you have to find is a way for
the group to move forward that needed some time needed emotions across the
board to calm down we have some excellent senior players who have played
a part in bringing everybody together and you need as a manager to see that
the group are prepared to work together moving forward that everybody's
comfortable with that everybody is in the right place my priority is always
the care and well-being of all of my players all of my players and then you
have a decision to make as to whether there needs to be something further
which is the right thing for the group moving forward which was my reason for
not selecting Raheem for the game on Thursday in regards to whether that
should have been made public or not in the end when you've made a decision like
that it's going to be public on Wednesday or
Thursday anyway and I'd have to deal with it then I'd rather deal with it now
so that we can all focus on the game decisions being made and as a group
we're moving forward and concentrating on the football
Okay we'll no throw open to four or five minutes or so in interest of fairness can we limit to one
question per person and we'll start with Carver
Gareth first of all can you tell us exactly what happened yesterday and did you send Raheem Sterling home and
then change your mind and also Joe Gomez appeared to have a scratch on his face
today was that caused by Raheem?
So several questions there and I think the
reality is that I'm not prepared to go into detail I think there is enough
conjecture an opinion and talk out there we don't need to add to that we've dealt
with this as a group these things happen and as a group we've decided the best
way forward and we're in agreement on that and we and we move forward from there
BBC there
How did Raheem react when he told him that he'd been dropped?
Again I think we are a team who I understand our public profile and there is incredible
insatiable interest in everything that goes on in our camp beyond anything I
think which exists in in any sporting organisation and that's something we
have to deal with that's something we all will have to be aware of and that's
the reality of why things become public that in a club often wouldn't but the
detail is not for me to take further you know I've said what I think needs to be
said publicly but we have to keep as much as we can between ourselves
Gareth there's been a lot of speculation today about whether or not this is the right decision or not because he's
England's best player first of all if you could just address that and secondly
the rumours that Jordan Henderson got involved in terms of mediation between Joe Gomez and Raheem Sterling
I think it's important to always be as fair as
possible and any decision-making that I make whether that's the senior player or
a junior player quite a number of our senior players have been active in
discussions over the last well certainly during yesterday I think that's an
important process because I want to get a feel for where the group are and how
we can move forward together but then I'm the manager and I have certain
decisions that are my responsibility and I was prepared to take
And on Jordan Henderson?
I think I've answered that that there were several senior players who I think have been
very mature as the group have been very mature in dealing with a difficult situation
Hi Gareth, is he in, is he still in the leadership group that you have
and does this count against him being captain again in the future?
I think John that the decision has been made not to consider Raheem for the game on Thursday
that's the end of the matter for me we then have to move forward and
that's why it was important to me if it was possible to keep the group together
was the most important thing as emotions calmed yesterday that was clearly a
possibility and everybody worked that through I'm very impressed with the
players the way they they work that through collectively and as I say then I
had some I had to make the some difficult calls on that but that's
that's done and end of discussion on it
Gareth can you and were all the
players on board with it and and can you break down why it's effectively a
one-game ban and you know would you see that as harsh bearing in mind I don't
know something like James Maddison happened last time going to the casino
it wasn't and punished how do you weigh up that
punishment it would seem harsh bearing in mind
surely instance like these happen on a fairly regular basis don't they?
It's not for me to discuss the details of the incident so I think there's nothing to
be gained from any further discussion on that in the end I always have to find
the right solution for the group and for how we will work moving forward and
that's a very difficult line you try to be fair at all times when I'm dealing
with all of the players I won't always get that right but in the end I'm the
manager and I've made a decision and I think it was appropriate for how we want
to work moving forward and for me it was important that of course there's a very
important player for us but I felt it was the right thing
Gareth I understand the difficulties of explaining the details but it is unprecedented in
in our memories of a player being dropped and just on Cross's point this
sliding scale of punishment are we going back to the days where England players
had a code of conduct where there was a sort of a rule book as to what you as to
what I mean how is this going to play out in the future I guess that's what I'm asking?
I think in the way it has this time that I consult very closely with
all of the players and in particular my senior players and they have a very good
understanding of the way that we've worked over the last couple of years
that's brought us a lot of togetherness which is still there and that we're a
united group and now we have to turn our focus which we have done from the
end from last night on to the football
we've got a hugely important qualifier to qualify for European Championship on
Thursday night again that's why I'm speaking now on this because for me
we're drawing a line under it and we're moving forward as a team
Hi Gareth, how disappointed are you personally with Raheem for this having happened it's the last thing you needed really?
I love all of my players really like a family and
all families have disagreements and the most important thing for any family is
that you communicate through those disagreements and you work through them
so I don't expect as a manager to never have to deal with things that that are
either unexpected or a difficult and that's part and parcel of the job and
that's part and parcel of working with elite players so we as I say our focus is now to move forward
Gareth have Raheem and Joe spoken today? have you sat them down together to talk this through? have you made
sure that they have had a conversation that this is put behind them?
It was crucial to me that everybody in the group is comfortable and is speaking
and his is ready to move forward with football and that was absolutely clear
so that's why everybody has stood in the camp that's why everybody is part of the
squad and that's why we're working together towards beating Montenegro on Thursday
So have they had a conversation today?
Well they've.. I'm assuming I haven't been with them for
for every minute of the of the day but there's all of the players are talking
and communicating absolutely
So you haven't sat them down...
Apologies sorry to get around we'll have to end it there
Can I clarify something you said earlier you said all the players are united behind the decision but it seems to be a different sense to what we're getting
that some of the players have been not united, so how is the actual process of deciding, the statement said last night
the whole squad was in agreement with him being dropped from the game so how do you go about
arriving at that decision it is a show of hands is it a leadership group?
I have discussions with all of my staff I have discussions with the leadership
group absolutely but ultimately I'm the manager and I make a decision and in my
view the group are moving forward now there seems to be all sorts of
information being passed from so many different areas this is a consequence of
the England Football team at the moment and that is a very difficult situation
and one that is something we have to think about moving forward because team
getting out information getting out there seems to be so many voices in the
background so that's something I have to accept and have to deal with every
player has had an opportunity to speak to me if they want to and my view is
that the group were ready to move forward
Okay guys thank you very much
Thank you