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Sean McCormick

Iain Dowie reveals Obafemi Martins run-in that cost the former Newcastle forward over £100k

Former Newcastle United assistant manager Iain Dowie has detailed a run-in he had with forward Obafemi Martins during his brief stint at the club.

And the fall-out ended up costing the former Inter Milan forward over £100,000.

Dowie, who has managed Crystal Palace, Charlton and Hull City in the Premier League, joined forces with former Southampton team-mate Alan Shearer when the Newcastle United legend was appointed as the club's manager towards the end of the 2008/09 season.

Ultimately, the pair's time in the St James' Park dugout would end in heartbreak as they failed to prevent the Magpies' relegation to the Championship, but the 56-year-old looks back on his time in Tyneside, and its 'magnificent people' with fondness.

Shearer and Dowie had to work with some experienced, highly paid players and sometimes things would come to a head.

Michael Owen infamously fell out with Shearer publicly over claims he feigned injury towards the end of his time at Newcastle and Dowie has now detailed an incident where he didn't see eye to eye with Martins.

Michael Owen explains why he didn't play against Aston Villa and the subsequent fallout

"Oba was a lad who played in his own way," Dowie told Charlie Austin's Studs Up podcast.

"When we first got there, Sam Allardyce had put all the facilities like ice baths and hydraulics machines in and I asked the fitness coach to bring me the hydration testing results and who had been in the ice baths.

"Loads of lads would be missing off them every day so we said from now on, for everyone, it is compulsory.

"I come in the next day and everybody had done it except for Obafemi Martins. So I said to Al: 'Can I go and have a word with him?'

"I said: 'Oba, ice bath? I know you don't like it but you must do it. Tomorrow are you going to do it?' He said: 'Yeah, no problem'.

"Next day we come to it and he is not on there. So I pull him in and said: 'Oba, do you understand? You have got to go in the ice bath or you will get a fine'. He said he understood it and then the next day he hasn't come in again.

"I said to Al we needed to fine him and he comes in. 'Monday, I told you to go in the ice bath, you said yes. No ice bath. Tuesday, I told you to go in the ice bath, you said yes. No ice bath. Today, don't worry, here's your envelope. It is two weeks' fines'.

"He opened it and went: 'Nooooo!'. He was on serious money and it was well over a 100 grand fine for not going into the ice bath.

"By the way, he did go in the ice bath from then on."

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