Allardyce advises Martinez to keep his mouth shut

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has advised Roberto Martinez to keep his mouth shut in future.

Wigan manager Martinez was at the centre of a storm this week after he reportedly suggested that some of his top-flight colleagues were little more than Sir Alex Ferguson’s loyalists.

Martinez was alleged to have told a Spanish newspaper that Allardyce viewed himself as Ferguson’s successor at Old Trafford and was part of a group of managers sympathetic towards the Manchester United boss.

Martinez subsequently denied making the comments and Allardyce confirmed that the Spaniard had phoned him to apologise.

Allardyce, whose team take on United at Old Trafford in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday, accepted Martinez’s apology but warned him to be more careful in future.

“I accept what he said when he rang me” Allardyce said. “When I saw the papers I thought, ‘Is it true or isn’t it? But I have to take his word for it, which I do.

“Welcome to the Premier League, Roberto. Keep your mouth shut in the future or make sure you remember what is going to be done in the Premier League.

“If they have distorted his words, then that is something of a regular occurrence at this level.

“It’s not a real problem for me, I just think Roberto has learnt a harsh lesson about what happens in the Premier League if you start diverting away from you and your club business.

“You can say you can be misinterpreted, you can say you can be read wrong, but it’s a lesson that when you comment in this league on anything it can be blown out of all proportion.

“He’s apologised to me and I accept that apology.”