Refreshing attitude highlights double standards in the game
Let me ask you a question. What do you think of when you hear the name Jonny Evans? Strange query you might think, but apart from suffering an injury plagued season this time around, many will simply acknowledge a player who may well prove to be the bedrock of Manchester United’s defence for the next decade and a half.
Now, what about Martin Taylor? For many their knowledge of Taylor begins and ends on one cold February afternoon in 2008 when in the early minutes of the Birmingham-Arsenal league clash, his challenge on Croatian striker Eduardo ruled the youngster out of action for nine months with a sickening leg break.
As we return from a near two week international break, fans of Bolton Wanderers are facing up to the prospect of being without one of their finest players this season for the rest of the campaign and beyond.
Whilst many of his club team mates have been away on international duty, Stuart Holden has been coming to terms with the fact that his dream first season in English football has turned into an injury nightmare as a direct result of the tackle from Johnny Evans at Old Trafford two weeks ago.
Many will have had to look up who exactly it was that inflicted the injury on the Bolton midfielder, such has been the scarcely believable relaxed media attitude towards the challenge that ruled one of the Trotters’ brightest prospects out of the game for at least six months
Considering the devastating nature of a cruciate ligament injury, it was thus incredibly refreshing to hear Holden accept a call from Evans by way of apology and to reflect that injuries of this nature are “part of the game.”
If only everybody took this view in the world of football. Some fans may consider the comparison between Jonny Evans and Martin Taylor unfair, but it is an interesting point of reference for what can happen when a career threatening injury is sustained.
Of course, had the harm been inflicted on an Arsenal player, we would have had to prepare ourselves for an Arsene Wenger led tirade about the war on good football by mid-table Premier League sides up and down the country. Yet, in this situation, Owen Coyle almost felt he couldn’t get angry about the tackle, and the focus was on Mike Phelan’s concession that the referee had made the right decision.
This is not to castigate the United defender – but can someone explain to me the difference between Ryan Shawcross’ challenge on Aaron Ramsey last season and the tackle by Evans?
Now I am not for a moment suggesting that the Northern Irish international meant to cause damage to Bolton’s central midfielder, but it struck me, and has continued to surprise me over the last two weeks, just how accepting everyone has been of what was undoubtedly a very dangerous challenge.
It appears impossible not to conclude that there is a remarkable hypocrisy in action here. Where a team deemed to play good football suffers a loss like this, it is painted as criminal. When any other side suffers the same fate, the incident is merely incredibly unlucky.
Outrage on either side is not desirable. Whenever tackles lead to major injuries managers and players look for someone to blame. Genuine malicious challenges are not commonplace. Neither Taylor nor Shawcross had prior reputations for ruthless challenges, yet will be forever remembered as inflicting two career threatening injuries. Even if Stuart Holden never recovers from his injury setback, admittedly not a likely prospect, Jonny Evans will not be remembered in such a light.
Am I the only one to think this double standard is unfair?
Indisputable intent to harm should certainly be punished – Ben Thatcher quite rightly had the book thrown at him for his sickening challenge on Pedro Mendes four seasons ago, yet Roy Keane received only a mandatory three match ban before confessing his intention to end the career of Alf Inge Haaland. Ultimately, however, Thatcher is remembered as a dangerous loose cannon, Keane a no nonsense midfielder.
We love a sport that is fast, frenetic and intense. It is time to follow Stuart Holden’s lead and appreciate that misfortunate incidents happen, whichever side you play for.
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There should be one standard for all…one foot, studs away from the opponent, not high, not late, not from behind & not “launched”…simple…you cannot measure force or intent but you can assess technique…the only way to stop the horror challenges is to issue mandatory red cards & extended bans.
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I think you’ve got this the wrong way around. Maybe you should be asking why a Man U player ISN’T being slated in the media for a dangerous tackle. Johnny Evans is known to many for being a thug. I’m sure Chelsea fans remember him for his karate kick to Drogba’s ribs. Dangerous and biased journalism…….again.
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Johnny Trebec Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 7:23 pm
Mate- that’s exactly what he said…
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Cameron Sharpe Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 7:39 pm
I have to agree.
“but it struck me, and has continued to surprise me over the last two weeks, just how accepting everyone has been of what was undoubtedly a very dangerous challenge”
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MikeSA Reply:
April 2nd, 2011 at 10:56 am
However, you still claim that this approach is “refreshing”.
You’re trying to have your cake AND eat it.
Tackles like these need to be condemned and have a big deal made of them precisely because there is a tendency to “accept” it’s “part of the game”.
That’s what is so wrong about it.
We keep hearing moronic claims like “it’s a contact sport”.
Here’s some news: Football is NOT a contact sport.
It’s a sport where contact is tolerated in certain instances, there’s a very big difference.
You are trying to be all things to all men while trying to push an acceptance or tolerance of this behavior.
Shawcross does have an extensive history of this type of behavior by the way.
It wasn’t only Jeffers.
He took out Adebeyor off the pitch the season before.
He had a shocking challenge while on loan in France, and there has been at least one other incident this season.
He is EXACTLY “that sort of player”.
This stuff needs to be stamped out, and that isn’t going to happen with the sort of timid approach you claim is “refreshing”.
These tackles are unnecessary, dangerous, and need to be focused on because there are far too many lily-livered apologists who want to brush this all under the carpet – until it happens to an England favorite, then watch the media et al go berserk.
If you want to talk about hypocrisy, we can keep on this topic for hours, but you’ve missed the boat so comprehensively I can only deduce that either you’re truly stupid or this is an attempt at flame-baiting.
…and Shawcross wasn’t known for being a thug before the Aaron Ramsey incidentais? Really?? No major injuries caused by him before this then? Get your facts right before “reporting”.
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Shawcross has broken legs before! Lazy reporting.. rubbish
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Both appear to have missed the point of the piece- these incidents are unfortunate but inevitable aspects of the game. It was nice to hear a player accept this- regardless of how poor the tackle on him was.
But I think you’ve both validated my article perfectly. Shawcross was involved in an incident which injured Francis Jeffers four years ago but was not punished for it. Obviously, it was deemed that the tackle was not severe enough to warrant sanction.
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wtf (really??) Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 9:18 pm
just because it wasn’t punished doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a bad tackle. by that understanding then the De Jong tackle on Ben’Arfa is also perfectly fine because HE wasn’t punished. oh, and um… didn’t he break the kids leg?? but no, no its perfecly fine- because he wasn’t punished. …yeah…
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As a old good friend of johnny Evans from the days he played five-a-side at a youth club on the doagh road, he is not and never will be a dirty player, how dare you try to put him in the same bracket as Roy keane. Johnny is a good family man same with his younger brother. Gareth bullen (striker as he knows me)
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dave Reply:
April 1st, 2011 at 8:28 pm
no one cares about your little claim to fame.
the fact is you are completely wrong. i dont care what he is like out of football, his tackle was wroinog and he has not been labelled a thug.
shawcross on the other hand cos slaughtered by the press.
the poor guy cried after he injured Ramsay. He is a nice guy out of football to.
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wtf (really??) Reply:
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:32 pm
SLIGHTLY different outcomes though. Evans caught holden and holden got cruciate damage- not exactly career threatening. Yeah, Shawcross is young and probably has a bright and long future ahead of him, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that he on more than one occasion has put a player in the hospital. and it wasn’t just Wenger who said it was a bad tackle but almost every pundit out there- one even described it as “not a tackle, but a scythe”. but the trouble you’ve got red’n'white tinted vision. so you’ll never understand.
and i agree- no one cares about your claim to fame. douche.
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How can you honestly put an article like this up without checking your facts first. first off, the difference between RAM-SHAW tackle to the EV-HOL takle was holden didn’t end up with his leg snapped- if anything it was a bit of blood from where the studs hit his shin and he’s out for 6 months- tops, where as Ramsey was out for 12 because it wasn’t just harsh bruising- THE GUY SHATTERED HIS BONE. Evans’s tackle was tame by comparison. And look at the Taylor tackle- completely OTT it SEPERATED THE FOOT FROM THE LEG! PLUS you can get cruciate ligament damage from any type of contact if its strong enough. however shattering bones takes a little bit more force. and as for Reputations, Taylor was always known for being a little over zelous and Shawcross HAS done it before- you only need to search YOUTUBE i found one he did on Parker which he completely mistimed and one on Jeffers. so PLEASE, do your homework first before you publish another article like this. all you do is fuel the hate mongers.
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Dave I’m not putting claim to fame as you put it, shawcross has done more than one leg break that’s why he’s been labelled as a thug. Johnny is a good player and phoned Holden to apologise for the injury and hasn’t broken one players bones so you should shut the feck up and get your facts up. Dave you know nothing about players or football. Oh as you mentioned Ramsay I’m an arsenal fan have been all my life a know bad tackles when I see one, johnny’s was bad not saying it wasn’t. So dave stop waisting are time
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Fine words Old Bean but Arsenal have suffered 3 breaks in the last 5 years and countless near misses that have cost dear in loss of playing time. Look at the statistics of games/missed per team per season. And also- there is a difference between a fifty-fifty and the sort of rubbish Arsenal have to put up with. Every team fouls but cheating is when fouling is deliberate and premeditated. Next time you assess what is what- bear the intention in mind as well as the outcome- please.
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@ Mike SA-
If you actually read what I put mate you’ll see I have said the acceptance of the player (Holden) of the injury is refreshing not the concept of malicious challenges, which are not OK.
Of course central defenders are more liable to cause injuries- because a player is injured as a result of one tackle does not always make that tackle dirty.
Regarding Shawcross, all of these past ‘incidents’ have only come to light since his tackle on Ramsey- the press went mad about his tackle and brought up all this evidence to back up claims he is a dirty player.
Yet they do not do the same with Evans. This is the whole point of my article!! I am not saying that horror tackles have a place in the game but when you are a Shawcross or a Taylor and you are vilified by Arsene Wenger and the wider press for a tackle, it is thus hard not to be frustrated that someone like Jonny Evans is given an easy ride over what was just as poor a challenge.
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really?? Reply:
April 3rd, 2011 at 4:37 pm
its probably because it was no where near as bad a challange as the shawcross or taylor challenge. you merely have to look at the resulting injuries. Holden- Bruised knee and cruciate damage. out 4-6months. Ramsey+Eduardo- broken bones. out 12-14months. hmmm… now there seems to be a difference there, but what is it…?
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