If you thought that injuries were the last thing a team in the relegation zone needed then you probably weren't expecting four West Brom players allegedly stealing a taxi from a McDonald's drive through in Barcelona.
It's been an absolute train wreck of a season for West Bromwich Albion. Already in trouble under Tony Pulis they sacked the manager who usually keeps teams up in favour of Alan Pardew but things have hardly got better.
The former Crystal Palace manager, usually known for his new manager bounces and ability to make an instant impact, has managed one Premier League win in his time at the Hawthorns.
With a week preparation in hand before they face Southampton in the FA Cup tomorrow Pards decided to take his team away to Spain for a few days of warm weather training.
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On Wednesday night though the players went for a night out and on Thursday four unnamed players were dragged out of bed and taken to a police station to face questioning about a taxi being stolen from a McDonald's drive through and abandoned near the hotel.
A statement on the club website said:
"The Club can confirm that four senior players were involved in an incident during this week's mid-winter training trip to Spain. The Club has instigated its own investigation into the incident and the players will be subject to the full rigours of our internal disciplinary procedures.
"Until such time as that investigation has been completed, the Club will not be making any further comment."
A source for the Regional Mossos d'Esquadra police told the Mirror, "It appears the players had headed to the Barcelona Olympic Port but found everything closed so late on which is normal for midweek.
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"They decided to take a taxi to a McDonald's drive-through nearby and somehow and for some reason, left there in the cab but without the cab driver. The receptionist at the hotel they were staying at phoned police when she saw the taxi had been left unattended outside.
"Around the same time Mossos received a call from the stranded taxi driver. The four players who had got back to their hotel in the cab were taken to a local police station. They weren't formally arrested but they were taken to the station as suspects being investigated for a crime of vehicle theft so they could be identified."
It's not been a good week for the Baggies with chairman John Williams and chief executive Martin Goodman being sacked amid the club being bottom of the Premier League table and staring relegation in the eyes.
The four players have not been named.
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