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| Sam Allardyce on Adam Johnson: transcript from Sunderland press conference | Sam Allardyce on Adam Johnson: transcript from Sunderland press conference |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Journalist Sam did you feel duped by Adam? | Journalist Sam did you feel duped by Adam? |
| Sam Allardyce I think I was just waiting for the fact that the call was going to come and we were going to dismiss him. I couldn’t see any other option for the football club. I waited for the call, got the call and said: ‘Yes, let’s … right, fine, we’ll move on and get on with our football the best I can.’ Obviously everybody [was] keeping one eye on how the case went, certainly as much as we possibly could.” | Sam Allardyce I think I was just waiting for the fact that the call was going to come and we were going to dismiss him. I couldn’t see any other option for the football club. I waited for the call, got the call and said: ‘Yes, let’s … right, fine, we’ll move on and get on with our football the best I can.’ Obviously everybody [was] keeping one eye on how the case went, certainly as much as we possibly could.” |
| Related: Sunderland under pressure to explain Adam Johnson support | Related: Sunderland under pressure to explain Adam Johnson support |
| Journalist You didn’t know about the intention to plead guilty. Did you know there were documents that suggested Adam Johnson was guilty? | Journalist You didn’t know about the intention to plead guilty. Did you know there were documents that suggested Adam Johnson was guilty? |
| Sunderland official Thanks, we’ll move on. | Sunderland official Thanks, we’ll move on. |
| Allardyce No. I’m the manager, why would I know that? | Allardyce No. I’m the manager, why would I know that? |
| Journalist Should you have been given that information? | Journalist Should you have been given that information? |
| Sunderland official Guys, we’ll move on from there please. | Sunderland official Guys, we’ll move on from there please. |
| Allardyce I can’t answer that. | Allardyce I can’t answer that. |
| Journalist You’re a family man yourself. It must be revulsion, disgust. | Journalist You’re a family man yourself. It must be revulsion, disgust. |
| Allardyce Absolutely. You know it’s not nice to know that you’ve worked with a player, and he’s ended up being found guilty of that offence. Like I said, we have no sympathy for him. All our sympathies lie with the victim and her family. He has to take whatever sentence he gets on the chin and we have to move on as a football club. | Allardyce Absolutely. You know it’s not nice to know that you’ve worked with a player, and he’s ended up being found guilty of that offence. Like I said, we have no sympathy for him. All our sympathies lie with the victim and her family. He has to take whatever sentence he gets on the chin and we have to move on as a football club. |
| Journalist Where is the name of the football club at the minute as a result of Adam Johnson being found guilty? | Journalist Where is the name of the football club at the minute as a result of Adam Johnson being found guilty? |
| Sunderland official Guys, stop. | Sunderland official Guys, stop. |
| Allardyce I can’t answer that. | Allardyce I can’t answer that. |
| Journalist We have to ask these questions. | Journalist We have to ask these questions. |
| Sunderland official I know. I’ve explained guys. | Sunderland official I know. I’ve explained guys. |
| Allardyce I can’t answer that lads, you know what I mean. | Allardyce I can’t answer that lads, you know what I mean. |
| Journalist Should Margaret Byrne [Sunderland’s chief executive, who it was claimed in court had seen documents regarding Johnson’s interaction with the 15-year-old] not be here to answer the questions? | Journalist Should Margaret Byrne [Sunderland’s chief executive, who it was claimed in court had seen documents regarding Johnson’s interaction with the 15-year-old] not be here to answer the questions? |
| Allardyce I don’t know, it’s not my responsibility. | Allardyce I don’t know, it’s not my responsibility. |
| Sunderland official One second guys. I think I explained earlier the manager would be happy to answer some questions. He’s answered what he feels able to. Now we need to go back to talking about the football. | Sunderland official One second guys. I think I explained earlier the manager would be happy to answer some questions. He’s answered what he feels able to. Now we need to go back to talking about the football. |
| Journalist We have to put questions to the public face of the club. | Journalist We have to put questions to the public face of the club. |
| Sunderland official I do appreciate that. | Sunderland official I do appreciate that. |
| Journalist On 4 May the club had everything and Adam Johnson was allowed to play. No one is answering that and we are asking Sam that question. | |
| Sunderland official May I also say that is not Sam’s question to answer. | Sunderland official May I also say that is not Sam’s question to answer. |
| Journalist It’s the club’s question to answer. | Journalist It’s the club’s question to answer. |
| Journalist Margaret Byrne should be here to answer that. | Journalist Margaret Byrne should be here to answer that. |
| Sunderland official Well she isn’t and this is the manager’s press conference. | Sunderland official Well she isn’t and this is the manager’s press conference. |
| Journalist It has nothing to do with Sam. It happened before he arrived but we have to ask that question. | Journalist It has nothing to do with Sam. It happened before he arrived but we have to ask that question. |
| Sunderland official I know, and you’ve asked that question and both Sam and I have said we can’t answer that question. | Sunderland official I know, and you’ve asked that question and both Sam and I have said we can’t answer that question. |
| Allardyce I understand lads but I’m just here and I’m the manager. I can’t answer any more. | Allardyce I understand lads but I’m just here and I’m the manager. I can’t answer any more. |
| Sunderland official If you keep asking that question we will have to finish now and you don’t want that to happen because you want your football stuff so let’s move on. Sam has given you what he can and what he is able to answer. Please respect that. I understand where you’re coming from. Sam understands exactly where you’re coming from, but Sam can’t answer those questions you want answers to. | Sunderland official If you keep asking that question we will have to finish now and you don’t want that to happen because you want your football stuff so let’s move on. Sam has given you what he can and what he is able to answer. Please respect that. I understand where you’re coming from. Sam understands exactly where you’re coming from, but Sam can’t answer those questions you want answers to. |