Anthony Gordon’s reaction to being substituted on Saturday at Brentford went viral on Twitter, now Micah Richards has backed Gordon to bounce back and move on.
Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has backed Anthony Gordon to move on from the incident which was downplayed immediately by Eddie Howe after the match.
Richards, writing in his column for the Mail Online likened the incident to when he reacted poorly to being hooked by Stuart Pearce for Manchester City, writing: “I saw a video on social media of Anthony Gordon reacting badly to being substituted during Newcastle’s win at Brentford.
Richards says Gordon’s reaction to being substituted ‘wasn’t a good look’
“It wasn’t a good look, by any means. What he did took me back to my early days when Stuart Pearce once substituted me during a game at Reading.
“I flung my shirt on the floor in temper. Stuart saw it and said: ‘Don’t ever do that again. I’m the manager. I make the decisions for this team — not you.’ The penny dropped and we got over it, quickly.
“I like Gordon and think he has potential. He can put this behind him.”
The Gordon incident was very open to interpretation depending on bias
For me, Gordon’s reaction was one of those things that could be interpreted either way depending on your bias. Personally, I saw a passionate player who wanted to see out the game on the pitch with his team-mates. Others will see a petulant little brat, which is exactly how I’d have seen it were he still an Everton player.
If I was Eddie Howe I’d be happy to see that reaction, it shows that he wants to fight for his place, fight for the team. Granted, there are other ways to show that passion and it’s never a good idea to get in the face of your manager, especially out on the pitch in front of everybody.
I’m sure both parties will have forgotten about it and moved by the time they show up for training.
As for Micah Richards, maybe picking a fight with “Psycho” Stuart Pearce wasn’t his best move.
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