Well done, Whelan

Holt: praised Wigan chief

Too often football is out of step with society and often they look after players because they are a commodity.

Oliver Holt
Quotes of the week

Oliver Holt applauded Wigan chairman Dave Whelan for the way he has handled the Marlon King situation.

This week Wigan striker King was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of a nightclub attack on a young woman.

He was unanimously convicted of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old and causing actual bodily harm following a hearing at London's Southwark Crown Court on Thursday.

Shortly after the sentence was announced, Whelan stated that King had no future at Wigan and Holt says it's a shame other clubs haven't taken a similar stance with players who have broken the law in the past.

"We've seen a lot of instances in the recent past of times when that hasn't occurred, mainly involving Joey Barton," the Daily Mirror journalist told the Sunday Supplement.

"Also when Jonathan Woodgate was involved in that very high-profile case about the beating of the Asian student in Leeds city centre, he was convicted of affray and wasn't sacked by the club.

"We all have our opinions about Dave Whelan, but it was refreshing there was no hedging his bets, he just went straight for it and said he's sacked. I think that was refreshing and I was pleased he did it.

"Too often football is out of step with society and often they look after players because they are a commodity.

"One of the things you have to try and do is put yourself in the place of, say Marlon King's victim in this instance, and how they would feel if a club says 'we're standing by our player'.

"I think Dave Whelan did a commendable thing."

However, the question was asked if Whelan would have acted in the same way if King was a 30-goal-a-season striker with a high sell-on value.

"I would like to think so," Holt continued.

"If he didn't he would be a hypocrite. You can't second guess him; I would like to think he would.

"But for instance with Jonathan Woodgate, he commanded a big fee and maybe that's why Leeds felt they weren't in a position to sack him."

Distasteful

King's agent Tony Finnigan told the media this week that he was confident King would find another club when he was released from jail.

However, Andy Dunn from the News of the World criticised those comments as "distasteful" and said King should focus on rehabilitation before talking about his future in football.

Dunn said: "We do work on rehabilitation, so you get another chance in his career as a professional footballer. Do you just want to end his career for good?

"I just think the fact that discussion came about and the fact that his agent came on and said there would be clubs queuing to buy him because he scores goals was the distasteful and obscene thing about it.

"What he should be saying is: 'We're not even thinking about what Marlon King is going to do in 18 months time, what we're thinking about is getting him the help that he needs to curb his violent temper and to get the rehabilitation he needs to cure these problems'.

"Then when he comes back they can consider where to go."