Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1022495
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 5 SEPTEMBER 2018 21 SPORTS FOOTBALL SHEFFIELD Wednesday are beginning to bounce back following a slow start to the 2018/19 season. The Owls are enjoying a three-game winning run going into the international break, with victories over Millwall, Ip- swich and most recently Reading giving them nine points from a possible nine. Fernando Forestieri has two goals to his name already this season, although he has found himself on the substitutes bench during the last three outings. The 28-year-old has been involved in some controversy since making the switch to Hillsborough from Watford in August 2015. Most recently, the striker refused to play for the club during last season's 0-0 draw at Norwich amidst speculation linking him with a move away. "If I could turn back the clock I would but I cannot," Forestieri said at the time "Sometimes in life you have to make mistakes so you can learn from them. All I can do is ask for forgiveness from every- one who has been so supportive towards myself and my family during my very happy time at Hillsborough so far." Whelan though, believes that the atti- tude of a player is more important than the ability they possess on the pitch. "I don't think there is any room in the changing room for attitudes like that," Whelan said. "You've seen it once before, not this season but in seasons ahead of this new campaign, transfer requests and then apologising. Look, if a team really wants you, you won't have to put in a transfer request, it's a simple as that. "Diseases spread, and you don't need at- titudes like that, it just takes one person." As a former professional himself, playing for the likes of Coventry, Middlesbrough and Leeds, Whelan knows all about the atmosphere in a team dressing room. Referring back to his insider knowledge in that situation, he continued: "There's people in there that you don't need. Eve- ryone is pushing in the right direction and trying to achieve their goal which is promotion. "It only takes one player in there who hasn't got the right attitude, it doesn't matter about the quality you possess, it's about the attitude. "Once you have that one player in there, it can spread, and you can get little groups and you don't need that and managers don't need that." England boss Gareth Southgate has re- cently said that he may have to look to the Sky Bet Championship for players to be involved in the national set-up. "I can't rule out players in the Champi- onship now as our pool is getting smaller and smaller," Southgate stated. "One of our biggest concerns is play- ing time for English players, shown by a number of the squad that came with us to Russia not getting opportunities to play. "More concerning is that young players that may be coming through to challenge are not getting opportunities to play." Noel Whelan insists dressing room atmosphere needs to change Noel Whelan CHRISTIAN Eriksen has called for a truce in the extraordinary row that threatens to see Den- mark field uncapped players from the lower divisions against Wales on Sunday. Denmark's preparations for their UEFA Nations League game opener against Wales are in turmoil after an extraordi- nary row over the players' com- mercial rights. The Danish Football Associa- tion (DBU), fearing the pros- pect of a UEFA ban if they do not fulfil the fixture in Aarhus, have invited players from Su- perligaen and the first and sec- ond divisions in domestic foot- ball to play in Denmark's two games. The Danes have a friendly in Slovakia today and it has been reported in Denmark that a 23- man squad will gather to fly to Bratislava. But the Danish Player As- sociation (Spillerforeningen) have urged the DBU to recon- sider and told the governing body that the national squad is willing to play the two games under the terms of their old agreement. "We have to solve this con- flict now, not just digging the ditches deeper," Tottenham star Eriksen said in a statement published on the Spillerfore- ningen website. "So we're happy to stretch our hand again, even though DBU put it away in the first try. "Let's renew the old deal by one month. Then we have or- ganised relationships right now and we are prepared to play the international matches this week. "And then we have time after the two international matches to negotiate the entire agree- ment in place. "It does not make sense if DBU does not accept that offer. "The agreement has been working for years and should only run one month longer. "Sign up and we will sit on the plane immediately. We are ready and we will play." Denmark, who reached the last 16 of the World Cup in Russia this summer and are ninth in the FIFA rankings, have been beset by internal problems over the past 12 months. The national women's team boycotted a World Cup quali- fier against Sweden in October 2017 in a dispute over employ- ment conditions. Sweden were awarded a 3-0 win and UEFA fined the DBU £18,000. The DBU was also warned that Denmark would be barred from UEFA tournaments if it cancelled another match in the next four years. So failing to play Wales would almost certainly see Denmark expelled from the 2020 Euro- pean Championship. DBU chief executive Claus Bretton-Meyer said on Mon- day that the Wales game would go ahead, but he branded the dispute "regret- table" with the two parties holding 26 meetings on the issue in 2018. Eriksen added: "We could all be home in our clubs who pay our wages – at home by our wives and children. "There is only one reason why we are here – and it's not money. "We are here because we love to play for Denmark – and proud of the many millions we play for children and the breadth of Danish football, and the work we do for the whole of Danish football. "For example, making up for DBUs events and for their sponsors, as we have always done." Eriksen calls for truce ahead of Denmark's clash with Wales Christian Eriksen