Paul McShane dived like a ballet dancer, says furious Sunderland boss Gus Poyet

Ireland international Paul McShane has been accused of diving by Sunderland manager Gus Poyet, with the Uruguayan likening him to a ballet dancer.

As the fall-out from Tuesday’s tempestuous draw between Hull City and Sunderland continued yesterday, Poyet turned his ire towards the Wicklow native.

It was the issuing of a yellow card to Jack Rodwell for simulation which sparked the touchline spat between Poyet and his Hull counterpart Steve Bruce.

The Sunderland boss was furious that McShane escaped a booking from Mike Dean for what he considered a similar incident earlier in the game.

“I was not happy with the decision of McShane,” he told BBC. “He was diving like he was in a theatre, dancing, ballet and then he got a free-kick for Hull.

“And then Jack was diving and got a yellow card and free-kick against him. So give me one, you cannot get both against you. McShane, in the first half, jumped with both feet and went down like he had been shot, but he won a free-kick. I was just asking for the same treatment, simple as that.”

This was not the first time that 31-times capped McShane had angered Poyet. During last season’s fixture between the clubs at the KC Stadium, the 29-year-old was involved in a collision with Black Cats goalkeeper Keiren Westwood that forced his fellow Ireland international to be substituted through injury. That game, played in November 2013, proved to Westwood’s last before he was released by the club in the summer.

“I think he [McShane] played the ball, but he was late, but he nearly killed him [Westwood],” bemoaned Poyet afterwards. “He is injured and he is out and I need to change my goalkeeper.”