Stoke City: Dave Kemp urges Steven Nzonzi to keep temperament in check
STEVEN Nzonzi has been told to learn the lesson that life as a Stoke player is not always fair.
Nzonzi's temperament was called into question at Fulham on Saturday after he twice over-reacted in the wake of an earlier incident with Dimitar Berbatov which had left him with a broken nose.
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Steven Nzonzi has his nose inspected during Stoke City's game against Fulham.
He gestured angrily to the crowd when he was receiving treatment – then later escaped a red card when pushing a hand into Bryan Ruiz's face.
"He wasn't too pleased having his nose broken," said assistant manager Dave Kemp, "and you can bet if it was the other way round it would have been all over the papers.
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"We've got a reputation, where other teams are allowed to do what they like against us, and he's got to come to terms with that."
Nzonzi has visibly shown his anger and frustration with officials, opponents and even colleagues on several occasions over the past couple of months.
Kemp added: "He is a top-quality player, but you cannot take every injustice personally.
"If a referee gets something wrong, or an opposition player takes a liberty, he cannot let it affect his performance.
"If he feels there is an injustice, and he might be right, you have still got to get on with it. Football is just like life in that respect.
"He has got all the attributes, but mentally it affects him if something goes against him."
Kemp believes Nzonzi, who joined from Blackburn in August, does deserve credit for playing on with the broken nose he suffered after a collision with Berbatov in the first half.
"He's shown great character to keep playing. He kept putting his head in to try and win headers," explained Kemp.
"He's been brilliant for us during his first six months at the club, a major influence.
"It's been a really impressive period for him, but for me he's just finding out what it's like to play for Stoke City. Not everything is fair."
Kemp also revealed that Jon Walters had overcame illness to play against Fulham on Saturday when he missed a crucial second-half penalty.
"He hadn't felt well and did train on the Friday, so he put in a 90-minute shift against all the odds," he said.
"He could have given the penalty to somebody else, but he's a strong character.
"That character means he will bounce back from the disappointment, there's no doubt."
Kemp said he supported manager Tony Pulis's policy of letting the players decide among themselves who takes penalties to ensure no-one is forced into the responsibility.
"That's our policy and I go along with is. Mind you, we don't get that many penalties," he added.
The club's medical staff are assessing Matthew Etherington's back injury ahead of Saturday's visit from his old club West Ham.
MAMA Sidibe has returned temporarily to Stoke for treatment on a hamstring injury he picked up on his Tranmere Rovers debut in Saturday's 5-1 win at struggling Colchester in League One.
18 Comments
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by DJ_Stoke
Thursday, February 28 2013, 12:03PM
“Who played there when Ryan ws out a while back? I think it was Upson and he scored if I remember corectly. Its pretty obvious we'll play a back 4 of something like:
Shotton, Cameron, ShawX, Wilson. I'm happy with that enough I guess”
by Potterspeil
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 10:21PM
“Melv.Boslem- Heard The Pope has resigned? Maybe why he ain't scoring for you of late?
Back to Stoke business- Surprised that Kemp has come out so publicly? Best left in the background to do whatever he does? And what he does, we ain't sure?
We'll take whatever punishment Huth gets 'on the chin'. Gives us the opportunity to see what Cameron can do in that position should Huth or Shawcross be unavailable.”
by mattbloor
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 9:26PM
“Kemp's quote "Mind you, we don't get that many penalties".......which is exactly why we shouldn't be giving them to someone who regularly misses them!! We don't get many goal FULL STOP which makes penalties even MORE important.
This article just goes to show that we have an idiot in charge and an even bigger idiot as second in command!! Time for both to go in my opinion”
by brinsleymaclagan
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:40PM
“What a load of b******s!
Kemp justifies Walters' poor performance by saying he wasn't well! WELL HE SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ON THE PITCH THEN YOU IDIOT! What do we have a squad for ?!
Then he plays the "poor old Stoke don't get decisions" card, when Nzonzi and Huth should have been red-carded on Saturday and Whelan has got away with one or two dangerous tackles recently, not to mention Shawcross and Huth pushing and pulling oppononts in most matches!
Just keep your mouth shut, Kemp, you just show what a buffoon you are!!”
by MelvBoslem
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:37PM
“"We've got a reputation" ............ Mmmmm and why do you think Stoke have such a reputation?”
by Pottersruleok
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:26PM
“meant to write redsaturday”
by Pottersruleok
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:24PM
“there was nothing for the refs to see, Berbatov didn't do it on purpose as they have showed on TV numerous times. It was both of them jumping and he got hit in the face completely by accident. Unlike his and Huth's blows to the head of Fulham players. redas****ay, it's all about the constant belittling and excuse making that Pulis seems to revel in about Stoke City. He can't get his team to play any better over the past 3 seasons so he makes excuse and blames everybody else for it!”
by R_WStripes
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:12PM
“It looked to me like Berbatov elbowed him after his initial jump, but I suppose I'm biased, but Nzonzi shouldn't have done what he did, which was a sending off. Having gone to the game, the body language of the players was awful and I am sure this is down to the bizzare team selections, substitutions and tactics emplyed by TP. Most of the players didn't look bothered and weren't up for it, which makes me think there is discontent in the camp. Kemp ought to concentrate on getting TP to employ some positive tactics instead of publicly criticising one of our players. I thought they liked to keep things 'in house' ?”
by Juzzah
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 1:05PM
“Pulis and Kemp both sound like the Stoke Fans' favourite vilain, Mr Wenger with their constant whinging!!!”
by redsaturday
Tuesday, February 26 2013, 12:43PM
“it's never ending
walters "didn't realise our away form was that bad"
Pulis "thinks we haven't got the points we deserve"
Kemp "We've got a reputation, where other teams are allowed to do what they like against us, and he's got to come to terms with that"
There must be something in the Lucazade at the brit, or I'm living in some sort of parallel universe”