McCarthy: I'm sorry I got so shirty

Wolves manager regrets reacting badly to Scharner showing his T-shirt in derby defeat at West Brom

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has apologised for his outburst towards West Brom midfielder Paul Scharner after Sunday's derby at the Hawthorns. McCarthy claimed Scharner was "taking the piss" after he held up his match shirt and displayed what was written underneath on his T-shirt in the closing stages of Albion's 2-0 win.

But McCarthy has since discovered Scharner had only a Baggies crest and the words, "West Bromwich Albion" displayed on the T-shirt.

McCarthy said: "I'm sorry I even got involved in that as Scharner played well. There was a lot made of it before I even knew what was on the shirt.

"Having found out there was a West Brom badge on it, I thought 'What the hell?' and it didn't bother me.

"People forget sometimes that I've been a player, and when someone does that to you when you're hurting, those are the kind of things that upset you."

Scharner revealed after the game that the crest and words had been inked on the T-shirt by his son.

McCarthy this week lost out in his attempt to bring in James McFadden as the forward signed for Everton, but stressed it was not money which turned the forward away from Wolves.

McFadden, who was a free agent, trained with Wolves before opting to join the Toffees for a second spell at Goodison Park. McCarthy said: "He chose to go to Everton and, as far as I'm aware, there was nothing in it in terms of the finance of the offers.They offered him a deal to the end of the season, which was the same as we offered him."

Elsewhere in the Black Country, Zoltan Gera has set his sights on making a first-team comeback for West Brom in Saturday's derby at Aston Villa after a successful return in the reserves.

Gera played the opening 45 minutes for the second team in Tuesday night's match with Arsenal, scoring once and setting up another goal in a 3-1 win.

It was his first game of any sort since rejoining Albion in the summer for a second spell after being sidelined with various ankle problems.

The Hungary international said: "I've been in better shape and I was tired at the end. I felt I was fit sometime ago but then had another injury. Now I'm back and happy. I will keep training and hope to get back to my best soon.

"Fitness is the key now. I'm not ready for a full game but maybe 20-30 minutes. Saturday is the manager's decision but I will work hard and maybe 15 to 20 minutes would be good."

West Brom are optimistic defender Steven Reid will be available to face Villa after undergoing minor hand surgery following a challenge from Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole 19 days ago. Cattermole claimed afterwards that Reid "rolls around like a girl." But Baggies manager Roy Hodgson said: "I don't care one little bit what Lee Cattermole says.

"Players do themselves an enormous disservice making journalists jobs easier by giving them little headlines."

Meanwhile, QPR have confirmed striker D J Campbell faces up to two months on the sidelines with a fractured metatarsal.

The 29-year-old was due to start last Saturday's Premier League game against Blackburn but picked up the injury during a training session the previous Thursday. Speaking after the 1-1 draw, QPR manager Neil Warnock revealed the injury could leave Campbell sidelined for up to two months should the bone require pinning.

Club head physio Nigel Cox yesterday confirmed the striker's injury will require operating on, which will see Campbell go under the knife today.

"We have found a stress fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his left foot," he told the club's official website, www.qpr.co.uk.

"The fracture doesn't actually go all the way through the bone, so it isn't a fracture in the truest sense of the word, it is more of a crack. The consultant we have spoken to has advised us that the best way to deal with this is to put a pin through it. He will have surgery on Thursday and will then be placed in an aircast boot for three weeks, which will immobilise the foot.

"The benefit of that is it means there can be some partial weight-bearing, so DJ can put weight on the foot from day one. Once he is out of the boot, and provided he is pain free, we will push on the rehabilitation from there.

"But, as the manager said, for an injury of this nature you are looking at a timescale of six to eight weeks before the player can resume full training."

Campbell's injury is a big blow for the west Londoners, who have struggled for goals since their return to the top flight.

Warnock's frustrations were visible after the home draw with Blackburn, where he revealed his fury at "stupid" lightweight football boots worn by the likes of Campbell.

"I think it is these stupid boots, they're like carpet slippers," he said. "Don't talk to me about these boots. You can't ban people if they prefer it, but I think they are absolutely stupid boots to wear at the level we're talking about.

"They give you no support at all, but that's football."