MX23RW : Monday, May 20 08:45:31| >> :600:988727:988727:

Steve Bruce offers Jake Livermore support

Steve Bruce says that he will welcome Jake Livermore back with open arms after he escaped a drugs ban, but claims he "let him down" during the midfielder's time of need.

Hull City manager Steve Bruce has defended the actions of Jake Livermore by claiming that "we all make mistakes".

It was announced on Thursday afternoon that the 25-year-old will face no suspension after testing positive for cocaine.

The midfielder avoided punishment due to the "specific and unique nature of the circumstances surrounding the case", which came after the death of his child.

Livermore was initially suspended by Hull, but Bruce will now welcome the one-cap England international back with open arms in the "next few weeks".

"He was delighted to be back as you can imagine," the Tigers boss told reporters. "He's been through a lot. We hope he can get over the problems he's suffered.

"Some people will never forgive him but as far as I'm concerned he's apologised for his mistake. I feel like I let him down a little bit. There was obviously times when he was in a dark place.

"We should have done more. Let's let him get on with his life and back playing. He's in decent shape. He's a natural athlete. I'll never condone what he's done but in life we all make mistakes. I hope he'll be ready to return in the next few weeks."

Livermore, who faced a possible two-year ban, joined Hull from Tottenham Hotspur for £8m in August 2014.

ID:245368: cacheID:245368:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2246:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Kazenga LuaLua of Brighton celebrates after scoring the first goal of the season during the Sky Bet Championship match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest at Amex Stadium on August 7, 2015
Read Next:
Preview: Brighton & Hove Albion vs. Hull City
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CLeicester CityLeicester463141189414897
3Leeds UnitedLeeds462791081433890
4Southampton462691187632487
5West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom4621121370472375
6Norwich CityNorwich4621101579641573
7Hull City461913146860870
8Middlesbrough46209177162969
9Coventry CityCoventry4617131670591164
10Preston North EndPreston46189195667-1163
11Bristol City461711185351262
12Cardiff CityCardiff46195225370-1762
13Millwall461611194555-1059
14Swansea CitySwansea461512195965-657
15Watford461317166161056
16Sunderland46168225254-256
17Stoke CityStoke461511204960-1156
18Queens Park RangersQPR461511204758-1156
19Blackburn RoversBlackburn461411216074-1453
20Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds46158234468-2453
21Plymouth ArgylePlymouth461312215970-1151
RBirmingham CityBirmingham461311225065-1550
RHuddersfield TownHuddersfield46918194877-2945
RRotherham UnitedRotherham46512293789-5227


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!