Press review

Here you can read the most interesting English articles about the 'Magic Magyar'.

West Bromwich midfielder Zoltan Gera revealed he was close to being substituted before his injury-time header earned Albion a 1-1 draw at Sunderland.

The Hungarian international admitted his delight at scoring his first goal of the season but a persistent hand injury almost forced manager Bryan Robson to withdraw the player prematurely.

"I wouldn't have been surprised if I had been substituted because I was not as good as I wanted to be," Gera told skysports.com.

"I asked the assistant manager [Nigel Pearson] in the changing room if they wanted to substitute me or not and he answered yes.

"They were thinking about it but then decided not to because - as Nigel told me - they always expect that I can make a difference to the team."

Gera was informed after the game that he will have to undergo minor surgery on his left hand but the 26-year-old is looking forward to making a return to training before The Baggies' match with Charlton.

"Unfortunately I didn't recover after I first broke my hand in May," he revealed.

"It's not the pain that disturbs my displays but the inflammation that effects my whole body.

"That's why I'm not in perfect form but I'd like to be back for the weekend game."

Juha Pal
19 September 2005

SkySports.com