Wolves boss Mick McCarthy believes the club’s Premier League punishment has drawn a line in the sand in the debate about “weakened teams.”

They were handed a suspended £25,000 fine for McCarthy’s controversial team selection for the December game at Manchester United.

McCarthy refused to get drawn into any lengthy debates about the decision in facing a barrage of questions from TV, radio and press personnel at his pre-Chelsea media briefing yesterday.

But the Wolves boss does believe that the verdict has changed the official view of such changes – regularly adopted by the Premier League’s biggest clubs – for all time.

He said: “I have accepted the fine. It is done with. I will not be appealing against it. I feel it has been dealt with, I have accepted it, the club have accepted it, and that is it finished with.

“Everyone else can have an opinion on it. Mine is, I’m absolutely glad it is done and dusted with. Where do you draw the line on changes? It is now open for discussion but not with me.

“Will I change 10 players again? I think you will find it isn’t possible to do it. The discussion you need to have is with the Premier League about the parameters.  Not too much affects my team selection – but the ruling has been put there.

“We’ll have to see if anyone else does it but, come on, it’s been put there as a deterrent. It has set a precedent and I’ve accepted it.

“I’ve accepted what has happened to me and so have the club. I am sure loads of people will have opinions but it is not for me.”

Privately, McCarthy will share the general indignation within the club’s hierarchy that Wolves appear to have been a whipping boy for such a contentious issue.

But sympathy for their plight from his contemporaries was not long coming.

Hull City boss Phil Brown said: “The buck stops with the manager and therefore team selection is down to the manager. If Wolves are a Premier League team at the end of the season then Mick McCarthy was justified in his selection, end of story.

“I’m glad they’ve suspended it, because it’s a nonsense that Wolves are getting fined.”