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Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown launched into a scathing attack on Simon Jordan live on air, telling the former Crystal Palace owner to show some 'respect'. The two were arguing about player welfare before Keown told Jordan that former players had said to him that Jordan showed no respect for his squad when he was owner of Palace.
Keown believes that players are being forced to play too many games in quick succession, which is having a negative impact on fans attending the games.
He told talkSPORT: “You’ve saved up money to go to a game, think of a fan, he sits there and he doesn’t get to see Salah, he doesn’t play. He has gone to Anfield, the first time he has ever been there and Salah doesn’t play because he can’t play because he has played so many games in quick succession.
“Of course money comes into it but the players I am sure will make that adjustment,” at which point Jordan sniggered at Keown’s comment.
Simon Jordan and Martin Keown got into a heated argument live on air. (Image: talkSPORT)
“Simon laughs and that is just ridicule, and do you know what? It’s interesting. I bumped into a lot of former players this week and every single one of them said to me ‘What is it with that man? He shows no respect for players or former players,’ I am telling you now across the board, show respect to the players.”
Jordan asked Keown to name the players speaking against him, but Keown refused as he continued: “There are too many to say, we would be here all day. There is this disdainfulness about you. You say you don’t, but take a good look in the mirror because I believe you do.”
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Jordan refuted those strong claims, and said: “But that doesn’t make it so, just because you believe it and whatever little cronies you hang about with believe it so.”
Keown added: “I have defended you to the hill, I have said ‘He’s not a bad guy, he is nothing like what you have perceived, he is a different bloke,’ because I give people a chance as you know.”
Jordan replied as their pair shouted over each other: “I have utter disdain for the observation that you make, that players will acquiesce to the demands of the industry when money comes down to the game because it has been universally proven that is not the case.
"I’m not going to rise to that nonsense because it’s beneath me to do so, but it has been proven as a matter of course during Covid when the industry was bleeding through its eyes, the players made their position really, really clear that this was not their problem, it was the problem for football clubs and the owners and the industry full stop.
"If you listen to players that have played for me, most of them know that I am an incredibly fair person and value my players, but I have got to call things as I see them. I think some of the things that you say are one-dimensional and biased and need to be challenged.”
