Neal Ardley has lifted the lid on the ruthless nature of Wimbledon’s dressing room and admitted that arguments sometimes got physical if you were not pulling your weight.
England star Raheem Sterling was axed from the England squad to play against Montengro last week after the Manchester City star became embroiled in a bust-up with Liverpool’s Joe Gomez.
The incident occurred just 24 hours after Liverpool’s 3-1 win over Manchester City at Anfield when both players had a minor coming together towards the end of the Premier League clash.
England manager Gareth Southgate punished Sterling by leaving him out of the Three Lions’ 7-0 win although he returned for the 4-0 victory over Kosovo at the weekend.
And reflecting on his own career as a player at Wimbledon, where he spent 11 years, Notts County manager Ardley said bust-ups were not uncommon in a dressing room that fiercely demanded high standards.
“When I was playing at Wimbledon it was a regular occurrence,” he said.
“That was the way we rolled. Back then it was ruthless.
“If you didn’t pull your weight then people would have no hesitation in doing whatever it took to let you know.
“Sometimes it was physical. That was the truth. I was on the end of it two days into an apprenticeship.
“But I think the details of that should be for an off the record chat!”
