McGhee points the finger at Laszlo after touchline spat

Published: 05/03/2009

Motherwell manager Mark McGhee launched an angry attack on Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo after last night’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Tynecastle.

The rival managers were involved in a second-half spat on the touchline that saw the pair exchange angry words, moments after Well’s Maros Klimpl was cautioned for a challenge on Andrew Driver.

McGhee was upset with what he described as a four-letter-word reaction from Laszlo and felt the outburst overshadowed his evening further, given the fact his side deserved to leave Edinburgh with a point.

Instead, Motherwell’s nine-game unbeaten league run was ended by an injury-time winner from Spanish midfielder Ruben Palazuelos after Stephen Hughes had cancelled out Driver’s opener.

Hearts remain firmly on course for third place in the table after restoring their five-point advantage over Dundee United, while the Fir Park outfit dropped out of the top six.

McGhee said: “I’m quite upset about it (the exchange) and quite disappointed.

“I asked him what the problem was and he swore. There was a foul, but it was only a foul.

“That happens all the time.

“The reaction from their bench was as if there was an assassination.”

The bad blood between McGhee and Laszlo was the main talking point of a tame game that only caught fire in the second half.

Hughes had hit the bar in the opening half, before Driver netted soon after the break.

Hughes’s free-kick brought the team level but Palazuelos had the last laugh through his first goal of the season.

McGhee added: “I’m 100% satisfied with the performance.

“I think we will eventually be back in the top six. We won’t finish third but we can still finish fourth.

“They did everything I asked of them, did everything right apart from winning the game.”

Laszlo, meanwhile, hit back at McGhee’s comments – despite them shaking hands at the finish.

The Romanian said: “If he said this, he must tell what he told before.

“We must respect each other.”

Laszlo also wished Fir Park captain Stephen Craigan well after he was stretchered off after an accidental head knock from Christian Nade.

It appears the defender will be all right, but Laszlo added: “I hope the captain from Motherwell recovers very quickly. I think it was an accident. It was not a fault.

“I wish him all the best and hope he is very quickly back.”

HEARTS - Balogh, Neilson, Mrowiec (Nade 34), Jonsson, Lee Wallace, Palazuelos, Aguiar (Elliot 89), Karipidis, Stewart, Driver (Mikoliunas 90), Obua.

MOTHERWELL – Graeme Smith, Brian McLean, Craigan (Darren Smith 75), Reynolds, Hammell, O’Brien, Hughes, Klimpl, Sheridan, Clarkson (McGarry 69), Sutton.

Referee – B Winter.

Attendance: 13,306.

Taken from The Press and Journal