The furious former Falkirk striker – who claims Bairns boss Eddie May branded him a slacker – isn’t chasing the money though.
He wants to clear his name.
As Falkirk get ready for today’s clash at Dundee United, Lovell is preparing his bid to SUE the club.
Lovell, 28, spent the second half of last season battling back from a knee injury but believes May insinuated he was a slacker in a controversial radio interview.
Stunned by the outburst he demanded an apology but May refused and now the whole bitter mess is in the hands of his lawyers.
Lovell is claiming breach of contract. He has now been left searching for a new club and in an exclusive SunSport interview he insisted: “Eddie May is naive.
“He’s tried to put across an image that he’s not someone to be messed with.
“He made a hugely respected figure within the game like Neil McCann train with the under-19s just to set some kind of example.
“He says he’s an honest manager but then why didn’t he pick up the phone to me when he didn’t want me at the club any longer?
“I’d a year’s option to sign for Falkirk – which he should have known about but didn’t – and he made it impossible for me to sign. There was no way I could stay.
“I find his attitude and his way of working appalling. It’s sickening to hear the things he came out with.
” But then he labelled most of last season’s squad slackers, didn’t he. He said he stood on the sidelines and saw players who were at it behind John Hughes’ back. I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life.
“The boys loved Yogi’s training, we really did. There’s no way any of us were slacking off.
“Everything Eddie May has said is simply untrue and people need to know that.
“You can’t speak about people the way he has done and get away with it.”
Lovell didn’t have any worries when last season ended.
The second half of the campaign had been tough after he was floored by a knee injury but he shook it off AGAINST medical advice.
Lovell then helped Falkirk avoid relegation and played in the Scottish Cup Final against Rangers at Hampden.
The hitman went on his summer holidays with pop star fiancee Amy MacDonald without a care in the world.
He thought he was still a major part of Falkirk’s plans and was planning to rubber-stamp his contract when he returned for pre-season.
But before the cones and bibs were laid out he spotted an interview in which new boss May slated him.
Lovell added: “My contract ran out on May 31 but I had an option to extend it for another year. It’s written in black and white, something I was entitled to after I played a certain amount of games last season.
“Our season ended with the Scottish Cup final and a few days later I got a phone call from John Hughes.
“He reminded me that the contract was on the table. But Yogi left for Hibs and everything changed.
“May did an interview which was scathing of me. May said there was no way he’d be offering me a new contract because he’d had the ‘luxury’ as he put it, to see me at training.
“He said I only took part twice a week before playing on a Saturday and he’d be signing a better striker.
“Never at any point was it mentioned WHY I wasn’t able to train. There was nothing said of the knee injury I had or the countless injections I took before games to play.
“Is that something a slacker does? I got my agent to phone George Craig, the club’s chairman.
“He was taken aback himself and admitted Eddie May shouldn’t have spoken in that way.
“It was then my agent said: ‘You do realise Steve Lovell has another year on his contract if he wants it,’ and George Craig said ‘NO‘.
“My agent then asked for a public apology for what was said but the club said they weren’t prepared to do that.”
©2009 The Sun
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