Mark Hughes claims Tony Pulis called Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross a ‘loser’ over ongoing Saido Berahino drug-ban row
Potters skipper Shawcross and midfielder Charlie Adam insisted the timing of the leak was deliberate and hinted Pulis was involved after West Brom's 1-0 win over Stoke
MARK HUGHES threw another grenade into his row with Tony Pulis by claiming the West Brom boss phoned Ryan Shawcross and called him ‘a loser’.
Furious Stoke manager Hughes made the revelation a week after two of his players accused the Baggies of publicising Saido Berahino’s drugs ban ahead of the clash between the sides.
Potters skipper Shawcross and midfielder Charlie Adam insisted the timing of the leak was deliberate and hinted Pulis was involved.
Hughes claims Pulis then furiously called Shawcross to confront him over the issue.
Berahino’s ban was exposed days after his controversial £12million move to the Potteries from the Baggies.
And Hughes said: “We were annoyed with a number of things about that.
“I was annoyed with their manager ringing up Ryan on the Monday morning after the game and calling him a loser.
“But any number of things surrounding the game were unnecessary.”
When asked if Pulis had made the remark tongue-in-cheek, Hughes replied: “What do you think? I don’t think so.
“There was a voicemail left but I haven’t heard it.
“Ryan wasn’t too pleased about it and tried to call back but didn’t get any answer.
“That’s what the situation is as we sit here.”
Hughes was already unhappy with Pulis for not shaking hands before or after Stoke’s 1-0 defeat.
Shawcross said after the game: “I was a bit disappointed with the stories coming out the day before, which were obviously no coincidence.
“Someone from West Brom’s side must have been speaking to the papers and I was very disappointed with that. I didn’t think it was needed.”
Adam went one step further, claiming: “There’s only one man it’s probably come from.”
Tony Pulis says drug-using footballers should be named and shamed
TONY PULIS reopened the Saido Berahino row as he called on FA chiefs to stop protecting players who fail drug tests.
West Brom boss Pulis was furious at claims from Berahino and Stoke chief Mark Hughes that they did not know why the striker was not playing for Albion prior to his move to the Potteries.
Pulis insists the Baggies told Stoke Bera was banned by the FA for eight weeks after testing positive for recreational drug MDMA — found in ecstasy tablets — in an out-of-competition test before they bought him for an initial £12million last month.
News of the rap emerged two days before last week’s game between the teams at The Hawthorns, when the managers failed to shake hands at full-time.
The FA have a policy of not naming players who fail tests for recreational drugs in the hope of re-educating them.
Since Berahino’s suspension was revealed, it has emerged that 13 players were banned for such offences between 2012-16.
Asked if it would help if the FA made such cases public, Pulis said: “Of course it would.
“It’s a good question really. It’s that line between personal and public and that’s for others to decide.
“The disappointing thing was Saido saying how disappointed he was he never played, and then Hughes saying the same thing.
“Both knew he had been suspended. That was most probably what irked our chairman John Williams more than anything, because we were really honest.
“There was never ever going to be a deal done with Stoke without this club telling them Saido had been caught taking drugs.”
Hughes claimed Berahino would not have received a drugs ban had he been playing another sport.
The Stoke boss added ahead of Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace: “Under Wada rules, he wouldn’t have got a ban.
“It’s the FA that includes recreational and out-of-competition drug testing and that’s what Saido came under. It was a low level misdemeanour.
“It was eight weeks, not two years. If it had been a constant problem he’d have got a longer ban. Confidentiality, given the level of the misdemeanour, was important.
“Unfortunately it was made public by other people. If someone has a problem, they need the time to be able to deal with it.
“It’s not the case with Saido, but other players might need that confidentiality to be able to get on with their life.
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“It is important to find out what we need for every player we go after — we do that quite well and clearly did it very well in this regard.
“I don’t think it would’ve been offered up as information if we hadn’t known ourselves and flagged it up ourselves.
“Whether or not that’s right or wrong, I don’t know.
“Maybe it’s up to the club who want to buy a player to do the work.”
Pulis, meanwhile, would not be drawn on the issue.
He said: “Ryan has tried to ring me since and I’ll get back to him. Charlie Adam, no not at all, it makes no difference to me.”