Post by WBA71 on Jul 4, 2009 13:51:44 GMT
Bednar set for Albion lifeline
chris lepkowski evening mail
Albion are ready to herald the new Roberto Di Matteo era by giving disgraced striker Roman Bednar a second chance at The Hawthorns.
The 26-year-old remains suspended by the club as he awaits the verdict of an FA probe into the drugs scandal which threw his career into crisis at the end of last season.
Baggies chairman Jeremy Peace has shown little mercy to players who he feels have sullied Albion’s name in recent years - but he is ready to offer an olive branch to the Czech forward.
Former full back Bernt Haas and goalkeeper Russell Hoult, who had been a big favourite of the supporters, were both quickly and quietly shown the door after newspaper articles revealed some internet indiscretions by the players.
And Bednar was caught out by even more serious allegations in May when a Sunday tabloid produced an expose of him buying cocaine and cannabis.
Bednar has not kicked a ball or even attended a training session since and was missing when the players gathered this week to meet the new head coach for the first time and begin pre-season training.
But behind the scenes, the outlook is beginning to improve for a player who played such a vital role in Albion’s last Championship campaign.
The police decided not to press charges and instead issued a caution which now leaves the striker sweating on the FA verdict. There has never been a suggestion that Bednar used drugs with the player claiming to have been tested three times in the previous year when the results had shown each time that he was clean.
He could still face a suspension from the FA but Bednar has been suspended without pay since the incident and any ban would be back-dated to then.
Peace said this week: “As regards Roman, we cannot do anything until we have the results of the FA inquiry which we anticipated might be available towards the end of this month. After that, we will have a clearer idea of the picture.”
But Peace and his fellow directors believe Bednar was more foolish than felon and are ready to offer him a route back into football.
www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/west-bromwich-albion-fc-news/2009/07/04/albion-keep-bednar-door-open-while-waiting-for-fa-drugs-verdict-97319-24071167/
