Bobby heads off Bernard backlash

By Matthew Jones
July 9 2002

Sir Bobby Robson has moved swiftly to head off any fans' backlash against Olivier Bernard, by telling the player there are no hard feelings.

Sir Bobby Robson has moved swiftly to head off any fans' backlash against Olivier Bernard, by telling the player there are no hard feelings.

The Frenchman stunned Newcastle supporters with a complete U-turn yesterday, after signing a new three-year contract with the club. This was the very same day that his appeal against serving the last year of his current contract was rejected.

The pressure is now on Bernard to produce the goods on the pitch and stave off abuse from the terraces, with United fans still seething over the way the 22-year-old tried to engineer a summer move to West Ham.

But Robson himself is keen to wipe the slate clean and start afresh with a player who goes some way to solving his left-sided defensive problems.

Bobby has said that the club will tell Oliver Bernard that there will be no hard feelings.