Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has accused Danny Murphy of giving people an unfair perception of his club.
Fulham midfielder Murphy has accused Rovers boss Allardyce, Stoke manager Tony Pulis and Wolves’ Mick McCarthy of sending out their players too “pumped up”, leading to bad tackles being made during Premier League games.
But Allardyce has defended his club’s disciplinary record and insists he would never send a player out to intentionally injury another.
The former Bolton and Newcastle boss told Sky Sports News: “I think it’s very unfortunate that I have to sit here and defend myself, the players and Blackburn Rovers Football Club.
“It should be unnecessary that I have to do it, but considering the allegation that was made by Danny, which was totally and utterly wrong, I had to.
“Myself as a manager, this football club and its players in its disciplinary terms since I’ve been here have improved enormously.
“We’ve reduced the average booking record. We’ve reduced the number of sending offs. We are not dirty. We never go out to injure a player. I never send a player out to and try and injure an opposition player. We’re too professional for that.
“We’ve had to pull up the stats and facts to show you exactly where we lie in terms of our disciplinary record. I think in the league’s disciplinary table we’re actually fourth. That’s how good we are this year.
“Since I’ve been here it’s been the best disciplinary record over the five years at the football club. I think that speaks volumes for what we really are. People like Danny Murphy are giving the perception that isn’t true. I hate perception. There’s far too much of it in the game. We should stick to reality.
“The players are very, very angry about what Danny called it. Was it ‘brainless’ or ‘mindless’? I think that’s an outrageous statement to make. The players are unhappy about that.”