Charlie Nicholas took a dig at West Ham attacker Felipe Anderson as he questioned what the player did for the side.
Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling simply asked the Soccer Saturday panel what had happened to the 25-year-old Hammers winger in the second-half of the season, and this prompted Nicholas to knock the player.
“Just a quick note on Felipe Anderson…what has happened to him in the second-half of the season?” questioned Stelling (Sky Sports News, Saturday April 6th, 13:46).
Nicholas quickly fired back: “What does he do? What does he do? You went quiet on him Stelling!”
This prompted Stelling to shush Nicholas and change the subject off West Ham quickly, as Nicholas was highlighting the fact that the presenter had regularly sung Anderson’s praises on the show.
OPINION
Anderson hasn’t been at his best in recent months but Nicholas’ dig is a little harsh. The 25-year-old previously showed he was the type of player to carve out chances for his side and was then capable of popping up with a goal. Anderson, who has scored nine goals, is clearly a top-quality player and it won’t take long for him to get back to the red-hot form he demonstrated earlier in the season. So while Nicholas is happily mocking Stelling over the fact he clearly rated the player after witnessing him at his best for the Hammers, his laughter may be cut short soon enough. Also it’s worth noting that Anderson only arrived in the summer from Lazio and is still adjusting to the demands of the Premier League. The 25-year-old was always going to have dips in form this season due to settling into a new league, and Stelling is right to shush Nicholas as a result.
