 EAGLES skipper Andrew Bridge has rubbished claims that player-coach Fab Flournoy faces a player revolt. And the England star blasted Leicester playcaller Martin Ford for childish mischief making before Friday night’s clash on Tyneside. Bridge led his team out against London Capital last night looking for the perfect result going into next weekend’s BBL Cup semi-final against Scottish Rocks. But the in-form guard took time out to tell Eagle Eye: “I saw Ford’s comments that he thought there was unrest in our camp. “Well how could he know that? This isn’t the NBA, there’s not a huge media circus following every club and what happens in our locker room stays in our locker room. “It was just rubbish. He said things about us that were totally false and it looked like he was just trying to unsettle us. “We lost a game in Glasgow last weekend, but we’re trying to win a championship. People have to look at that defeat in perspective. “Just because we lost for the first time in 11 games doesn’t mean we’re all suddenly divided. I think we showed everyone the true story by beating Leicester as a team.” Bridge has been around Flournoy and the Eagles camp for too many years to let a rival coach bother him. With a clutch of trophies under his belt and a Commonwealth Games bronze medal to boot, the homegrown star knows Fab’s way is the best way. And outside talk of division and in-fighting is becoming all too familiar for a player steeped in the Newcastle tradition. “I think it’s just a stick that some other teams try to beat us with whenever we lose a game,” he added. “I suppose it’s just the price we pay for setting the standards we do and approaching games in the way that we do. “The thing that people don’t realise is that the core of this Eagles team has been together for a long time now. “If the players weren’t happy then why would they stay? The reality of the situation is that we all have the utmost respect for one another. “And when we do lose a game we are confident enough and honest enough to let our feelings known. “Nobody takes offence and everybody benefits. Opinions are aired and views exchanged and we all move on in a stronger frame of mind.” Bridge has been a revelation this season after Flournoy handed him the captain’s armband. The one-time benchman is now a key member of Newcastle’s starting five. Bridge bagged 11 points in Newcastle’s 84-77 win at the Capital. Flournoy’s men trailed by 10 at the half and seemed on course for a shock defeat. London led 69-67 with just over three-and-a-half minutes remaining. But a sensational 12-0 Newcastle tear saw the Eagles open up a 10-point lead. Team GB star Richard Midgley led all Newcastle scorers with 25 against London . . . backed up by a 17-point haul from Charles Smith. The men in black will return to the capital in six days looking to topple the Rocks at Crawley’s K2 Centre. | 
