2007/2008 Premiership Footy Thread

[nivek]

http://www.index.hr/images2/Taylorsenasmijesio.jpg

Taylor smirks after the tackle with eduardo lying on the floor... shocking:/

 

[hj2k_x]

http://www.index.hr/images2/Taylorsenasmijesio.jpg

Taylor smirks after the tackle with eduardo lying on the floor... shocking:/

Please man. That photo looks fake to me. Also, he was sorry after the event. That was clear.

 

[hj2k_x]

Martin Taylor should be banned...

For life
	 19.62%
For more than three games
	 34.37%
For the standard three games
	 38.57%
Not at all
	 7.44%

From footy365. I am sure you can guess what I voted.

 

[hj2k_x]

Wenger`s Myopia Just Isn`t Funny Anymore
Posted 23/02/08 16:32
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People say some ludicrous things in football.

Billy Davies said at the beginning of the season Derby would stay up. Tyrone Mears said he was looking to get into the England squad.

However, Arsene Wenger - cerebral, careful, considered, professorial Arsene Wenger - topped the lot on Saturday.

To suggest that any player should get a life ban for a single challenge is pushing it rather, but when the challenge in question is Martin Taylor's on Eduardo, then it's all the more ludicrous.

And he has no excuse either. You could say that he was reacting in the 'heat of the moment', but the tackle happened at around 12.50. Wenger appeared in front of the cameras just after 3pm, more than two hours later.

A manager being upset at seeing the end of one of his player's season is understandable, but someone as respected as Wenger should think before engaging his mouth.

It was a classic case of someone reacting to the result of the tackle, rather than the tackle itself.

Taylor clearly did not attempt to hurt Eduardo, even if he did end up doing so.

The challenge was late, slightly high and deserved a red card, but nothing more than that. Eduardo's footwork was simply too fast for the Birmingham City man - when Taylor went in the ball was there, when his foot arrived it wasn't.

There have been dozens of tackles worse than that this season alone. Too many to list here, but have a little think and you'll probably be able to come up with a few yourself. I'll wager a fair few of them have gone unpunished too.

It was simply bad luck that he caught Eduardo on the 'right' spot on his leg.

Any number of bad challenges in recent weeks could've ended in the same result. I daresay some by a few Arsenal players might've been among them.

Luckily Mr Wenger is not exactly bezzie mates with those on the FA disciplinary committee, so if he tries to pressure the men with the gavels then he probably won't get very far.

Wenger's myopic view of all things Arsenal has annoyed the majority of us ever since he arrived in England, but we could all have a good chuckle about it when he 'hadn't seen it' for the umpteenth time.

However, suggesting that someone's career should come to an end for a simple mistimed tackle just isn't funny. However tragic the result.

Nick Miller

www.football365.com

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[killadoob]

brad i never said buy right now

i said they must invest in more players because at the end of the day not winning comps costs you money

lets say arsenal get knocked out the champs league because they missing 4 big players, do you have any idea how much money they lose

so i hear what your saying but by not winning your losing money man

its something like 20m pounds per round in the champs league im not sure how much if you win it

now imagine they could have got to the final or won it? how much money have they lost?

o yes newcastle will be soon in a relegation battle

19 goals in 7 games under keven keegan

dont think he knew what he was getting himself into, if big sam cannot make it work nobody can

Newcastle v Blackburn St James' Park English Premier League
Sat. 8 15:00 UK Liverpool v Newcastle Anfield English Premier League
Mon. 17 20:00 UK Birmingham v Newcastle St Andrews Stadium English Premier League
Sat. 22 15:00 UK Newcastle v Fulham St James' Park English Premier League
Sun. 30 15:00 UK Tottenham v Newcastle White Hart Lane English Premier League
Apr. '08 TIME Home Away VENUE COMPETITION
Sat. 5 15:00 UK Newcastle v Reading St James' Park English Premier League
Sat. 12 15:00 UK Portsmouth v Newcastle Fratton Park English Premier League
Sat. 19 15:00 UK Newcastle v Sunderland St James' Park English Premier League
Sat. 26 15:00 UK West Ham v Newcastle Upton Park English Premier League
May. '08 TIME Home Away VENUE COMPETITION
Sat. 3 15:00 UK Newcastle v Chelsea St James' Park English Premier League
Sun. 11 15:00 UK Everton v Newcast

some very hard games to play

 

[nivek]

maybe he was sorry..the pic is real tho

http://notw.typepad.com/yourscorepremier/2008/02/eduardo-in-inju.html

 

[hj2k_x]

maybe he was sorry..the pic is real tho

http://notw.typepad.com/yourscorepremier/2008/02/eduardo-in-inju.html

Interesting site that.

A lot of interesting comments as well. Some people clever enough to see it for what it was- a mistimed tackle with no intent or malice- and some calling for a lifetime ban. I await the FA's action with bated breath.

If i were the FA I would fine Arsene Wenger for making the suggestion in the first place. It is absolutely ludicrous.

 

[mercurial]

Hey Mercurial - love your sig

 

[mancombseepgood]

5-1

Domination.

Time to change that sig there Brad

Changed... funny, after all this arsenal bashing, Man USA are still trailing... crikey, it's funny

 

[killadoob]

brad trailing by three with a game against arsenal and better goal difference

a depleted arsenal

united will beat arsenal no doubt about it

i just watched that tackle on youtube, i have seen alot worse than that

wow his bone wass ticking through his sock eina

 

[hj2k_x]

Changed... funny, after all this arsenal bashing, Man USA are still trailing... crikey, it's funny

A whopping three points. My oh my, where will we be able to make those up?

 

[hj2k_x]

A Well-Wisher
I want to wish Eduardo a speedy recovery and hope to see him in an Arsenal shirt again. Perhaps you could collect all the well-wishing e-mails you will probably recieve and forward them to him?
Mike Hawkridge, San Francisco (formerly UK), CA


Quite So
How ridiculous is it that Martin Taylor will receive the same punishment as Jeremie Aliadiere? Don't straight reds carry 3 game bans?

Get well soon Eduardo.
Rich (Gooner)


Think Of The Children!
Those who earlier this week in this very mailbox were arguing the toss about whether "petulant Arsenal" should put up with being kicked, need look no further than the photographs available on various websites of what Martin Taylor's tackle did to Eduardo's leg and ankle. At best, Eduardo will miss the rest of Arsenal's season and the European Championship finals for which he helped his country qualify. At worst, Taylor has prematurely ended the career of a talented and modest individual.

Already, despite declining to show the footage of the tackle since it was considered "too horrific", the media have begun to act the apologist. Taylor didn't mean anything, say the pundits: the tackle was simply clumsy or mistimed. I wonder if Andy Gray would have been so eager to play down the evil intent of anyone who had separated his foot from his leg in such a manner?

I am sure the same pundits will rush to accuse Arsene Wenger of over-reacting at his comments that Taylor "should never play football again" and that it was only a matter of time before something like this happened, when it is accepted wisdom in this country that it is perfectly reasonable to foul Arsenal in order to prevent them playing. Two seasons ago it was Abou Diaby who suffered a similar challenge which broke and dislocated his ankle, ensured he missed the Champions League Final and kept him out of the game for almost a year.

But before any of the millions of Arsenal-hating supporters of other teams dismiss Arsene's comments and this email, I ask you to look at what has been done to Eduardo. Look at the photographs that show his shin at right angles to his foot. Look at the agony on his face. Look at the horror on the face of Cesc Fabregas as he catches sight of his friends' leg. Look at what happens when referees allow players to counter skill with violence.

Then ask yourself some questions. Ask yourself how the youth who slept on the floor as he could not afford to travel to the training ground in Croatia is going to feel about missing out on his first European Championships. Ask yourself how he's going to deal with the months ahead, not knowing if he will ever be the player he was. Ask yourself if "kicking them off the park" is really the way you want to see teams to deal with superior technique and skill. Ask yourself if Eduardo would rather be facing an uncertain future and months of painful rehabilitation or a three match ban and then business as usual?

Then please join me and every Arsenal fan in praying that Eduardo recovers soon and that we have the pleasure of seeing him grace the highest level of the game again.
Carolyn, South London Gooner


Hypocrite
If there is every an award for the most hypocritical statement ever, Mr. Wenger has just won it for life, after claiming "the only way people know to beat Arsenal is to kick them". I take it Arsene wasn't at Old Trafford last weekend, as Galles, Eboue and the rest attempted to take two lumps out of Nani and United for the crime for beating the team top of the league convincingly.

Eboue's 'challenge' last weekend could just as well of ended with a broken leg. I'm not defending Taylor's tackle, it was late, high, dangerous and justified a red card, but he was unlucky in the sense that his tackle broke someone's leg, whereas Eboue's just as dangerous challenge didn't.

He needs to have a look at his own players before claiming anyone else to be thugs.
James (Neutral Preston North End Fan) Hamilton


A Reasoned Response
I can imagine tomorrow that the papers will be full of column inches deriding Wenger for his call for a lifetime ban for Taylor in the wake of Eduardo's broken leg.

I honestly can't believe that any player would deliberately set out to do that to another player without some history between the two (a la Roy Keane) - I think Taylor basically just balls'd his challenge up, with horrendous consequences.

Wenger's comments need to be taken in context. They're not the thought-out, well reasoned comments of someone who's had time to reflect. They are comments made 90 minutes after seeing one your players horrendously injured, possibly even career threateningly so - I don't think anyone would be able to react fully rationally after that. You only had to see Fabregas, Hleb and Adebayor's reaction to the injury to know that it 's a bad one. I was lucky enough to be in transit between the kitchen and front room when it happened so didn't see it and I'm glad!

On a semi-related note - Clichy dropped a bullock - no doubt about that, but got the ball with his recovery. In real time however it looked a clear penalty so you can't really blame the referee.

The title can be won and lost by the smallest of margins - will Eduardo's injury, both in terms of squad depth and in terms of the sub-par performance in the first half against Birmingham, swing the balance in Man Utd's favour? I hope not!
Mark, Sheffield



Anger
I have never been more angry at the end of a football match. I was angry at the end of France v West Germany in Espana '82 when the Germans completely undeservedly beat the wonderful French after that infamous 'tackle' by Goalkeeper Schumacher on the French substitute that removed several of the latter's teeth.

That result was totally unjust, just like this one! Birmingham deserved nothing out of this game, certainly not a last minute equalizer gifted to them by the referee. No it was not Clichy who was Father Christmas today, it was the referee. I have no idea where that four minutes of added time at the end of the game came from. And I have no idea why the ref pointed to the spot after Clichy played the ball and not the man. I thought Clichy had played the ball at the time and the replay confirmed it.

All Birmingham had contributed to this game was breaking the leg of one of the Arsenal players with a lower league agricultural tackle. They then did nothing for the rest of the game except for one sublime freekick from MacFadden.

I had nothing against Birmingham before but now I really hope they go down!
Reverend Gooner


Even As A Spurs Fan
Allow me to be one of the first to say a big "**** you" to the person/persons who wrote the match report/initial report on Eduardo's broken leg, with particular reference to their defence of Martin Taylor and his "unlucky mistimed challenge".

I hope Taylor never plays professionally again, gets taken to the cleaners legally, and wish Eduardo a full recovery, even as a Spurs fan.

A nice cap on your theme of 'hard man' players this week, eh?
Darragh McHugh, Spurs, Ireland


Emotional
I would like to start by saying that I hope Eduardo's injury proves to be repairable and that he is able to return to football at some stage, to some level. I suppose there is some consolation in that the break seemed to be above the ankle rather than on it.

I feel sorry also for Martin Taylor, who through a combination of a planted leg, momentum, and a flat angle saw an awful tackle turn in to an horrific accident. It was of course a foul, possibly on deserving of a lengthy ban, but it would be unfair to suggest his intention was to slice an opponent's leg in two.

Arsene Wenger in a quiet moment would probably agree that intention and effect were, in this instance, sadly some distance apart.

I am confused however with the tone taken in Nick Miller's blog. He berates Wenger for suggesting Taylor should never play again. He says that this was not in the heat of the moment but 'more than two hours later'. I don't understand.

If we see a friend, close colleague, or a person (as football managers often do) with whom we have a sense of paternal duty towards get terribly injured, we rarely act with complete sensibility. It's precisely for this reason victims aren't allowed to chose sentences of people who have hurt them, but we don't criticise them calling for draconian punishments - it's understandable.

If a friend of Miller's was badly hurt by a driver going slightly too fast, slightly too out of control, but with no malicious intent, I doubt his reaction would be entirely liberal.

There is a serious point though, that Miller felt Wenger's anger - misdirected or not - to be the worst and most noteworthy aspect of the incident, not the fact one young man's career is in doubt and another will have to carry the responsibility with him.

Perhaps whatever his thoughts on Wenger's 'myopia', his allusion to incidents like Gallas' petulance and other assorted Arsenal misdemeanours shows a lack of perspective of another kind.
Allen Simpson


Simple
Let's keep it simple:

Gallas should be stripped of his captaincy.
Domo

Not Enough
Sometimes a 3 match ban is not enough.

Get fit again soon Eduardo. Maybe the defining point of Arsenal's season.
Philip Lewis

Some funny comments there from football365's mailbox.

In other news, Wenger wakes up and retracts his ridiculous comments about a life ban.

 

[hj2k_x]

Pivotal
Just finished watching the Arsenal match and first of all I want to send my thoughts out to Eduardo, I'm a United fan but you obviously wouldn't wish that on anyone except maybe Eboue! Especially as he'll now be watching Euro 2008 from his couch. (Now he'll know what its like being English)

You can definately make a case that the ref got the penalty wrong but the fact is the he gave it and I think Arsenal were due their little bit of bad luck.

Before Faddie stepped up I really believed the whole league depended on this penalty, MISS and I was going to have to seriously contemplate seeing Cesc with his manicured hands smothering the trophy. SCORE and momentum would go back to the reds....ending up with another league title.

Have I just watched the pivotal moment of the season? ......Only time will tell.
Kieran Speirs


Maniac
But he's our maniac! I'd rather a looney tune sidehording kicking mohawked madman then a milk-and-cookies in bed by 9 Gary Neville automaton type. Maybe its just me, I like a bit of fun in life. I also like the way people like Gallas sitting on their arse at the end of a match in Birmingham warrants such fevered response from my Manchester United supporting friends who text me immediately afterwards to inform me he annoyed them. I don't think Gary Neville has ever done anything to make me want to do anything but possibly scratch my bum.
Ruairi Murphy, AFC, Ireland


Not A Fan Of The Hairy One
I'll skip over the unbelievably horrific injury to poor Eduardo since it will be covered more than sufficiently elsewhere, other than to wish him all the best in his efforts to even walk again unaided, let alone play again. You wouldn't wish that injury on your worst enemy.

Let's move on to Richard Keys. I almost emailed in a couple of weeks ago about the hirsute-handed gimp after my beloved City won at an emotional Old Trafford, and he didn't even attempt to hide his disappointment that we'd had the temerity to win the game. The ashen-faced gorilla said "Well, that wasn't in the script". Yes Richard, it was a disappointing day for us all.

What had me nearly kicking my TV in anger today during the coverage of Birmingham/Arsenal was his self-righteously indignant reaction to William Gallas, after the game had finished just seconds after Birmingham's last-ditch penalty equaliser. I don't recall his exact words, but it was something along the lines of "Well there's showing your emotion, and there's daft. And that's just plain daft". Gallas had remained sitting on the pitch, alone and crying, after everyone else had returned to their changing rooms.

DAFT?! YOU BLOODY WHAT?? Gallas was absolutely distraught: He and his teammates had been through one of the most emotional 90 (+ 13) minutes that they will ever experience. They had the trauma of seeing their friend and team mate quite probably have his career ended with a sickening injury, then to further add salt to their wounds Birmingham took the lead, thereby jeopardising Arsenal's dominance in the run-in to the title. I'm sure at half time Wenger must have told them to play through their trauma and go and win the game for Eduardo, and I'm sure even the second half must have been difficult for them to play.

Of course, in 5 second half minutes Arsenal had a complete turnaround with two Walcott goals and they must have felt, not happy due to Eduardo's situation, but at least relieved that they looked like retaining their advantage in the title race. Then, right at the death, Clichy stupidly gave away a penalty (which, to be honest, didn't actually look like a penalty at all). An understandably upset Gallas watched the penalty from the opposite half of the pitch, kicked an ad hoarding in frustration when it was scored, then 20 seconds later at the end of the game began his sit down "protest" (the baboon's word, not mine). And you think that's daft do you, monkeyboy? Gallas and his team mates had been put through the mangle, experiencing extremes of emotion right up to the final whistle, and you slag him off for an outpouring of grief at the end?!

Nobody could possibly predict how they themselves would react under these circumstances, let alone how somebody else would, so how on earth can he call Gallas sitting down and crying "daft"? Does he also call the losing FA Cup finalists at Wembley "daft" for collapsing on the turf and crying? Presumably the only outpouring of emotion apeman's ever experienced was after the mildest tickle of pain from the hair-removal lasers on his hands whilst he was enjoying his expensive BUPA surgery, funded by his immense, and thoroughly undeserved, salary from Sky Sports.

Soon after, his fellow goon David 'Charisma' Platt was getting in on the act aswell, slagging off Gallas. For God's sake Platt, you've actually PLAYED the game, you've experienced a last-gasp change of emotion, in a World Cup no less (you built your career on it, remember?), surely you must be able to sympathise with Gallas? And yet the pair of them were calling for apologies from him and/or Arsenal!

I'll have to stop typing- I'm fuming, and I've already had to edit this email severely, so I'll leave it simply with the following statement. Richard Keys: You, sir, are a git.
Paul (anyway, the big match comes on Monday night) Chapman, Poynton, Cheshire


He Saw This One
Holy F**ing ****! I never ever thought I would ever see something like that - Arsene Wenger actually saw an incident?
Rob Breaks (LFC)


Funny
It's quite funny what Wenger said about the only way to beat his team is by kicking at them. Especially after the FA cup game where the only way for them to stop United from scoring more goals was to kick them.
Justin DeCouto MUFC


Too Soon?
Re: Hard men.

Is it too early to say Martin Taylor?
William F Samuel

And the rest of it, for those with no international and a lot of time on their hands

 

[hj2k_x]

Arsenal manger Arsene Wenger has retracted comments calling for Birmingham defender Martin Taylor to be banned for life following his tackle on Eduardo on Saturday.

Taylor was shown a red card in the opening moments of the 2-2 draw at St Andrews after he caught the Gunners striker, who apparently suffered a badly broken leg.

Immediately after the game, in which James McFadden equalised in injury-time, a furious Wenger said: "This guy should never play football again. What is he doing on the football pitch?"

Blues boss Alex McLeish and former manager Steve Bruce jumped to the defence of the player, who was described as "distraught", and Wenger has now softened his stance.

"It was a highly emotional afternoon and we were all shocked by the injury to Eduardo," said Wenger, who expects the Croatian to miss this summer's European Championships.

"On reflection, I feel that my comments about Martin Taylor were excessive. I said what I did immediately after the game in the heat of the moment."

Arsenal confirmed on Saturday evening that Eduardo had undergone surgery on a broken leg.

Ya don't say?

 

[nivek]

Ya don't say?

atleast he retracted it... something other managers dont do.. and it was an emotional day, i bet if the same happend to rooney ferguson would be fuming and would have made the same comment..

 

[hj2k_x]

atleast he retracted it... something other managers dont do.. and it was an emotional day, i bet if the same happend to rooney ferguson would be fuming and would have made the same comment..

I cannot remember one single incident in all of Fergie's 20 years of management where he has called for someone to be banned for breaking someone's leg because of a poorly-timed tackle.

But I am clearly biased

 

[nivek]

I cannot remember one single incident in all of Fergie's 20 years of management where he has called for someone to be banned for breaking someone's leg because of a poorly-timed tackle.

But I am clearly biased

out of interest how many united players have had their legs broken due to mistimed tackles over fergies years?

 

[.geek]

Update: Eduardo undergoes surgery

I still feel pretty nauseous about that injury.

 

[hj2k_x]

out of interest how many united players have had their legs broken due to mistimed tackles over fergies years?

I have no idea. How many players have picked up injuries that have ruled them out for a whole season due to bad tackles? And I mean bad tackles, not mistimed. The answer - a whole lot!

 

[nivek]

I have no idea. How many players have picked up injuries that have ruled them out for a whole season due to bad tackles? And I mean bad tackles, not mistimed. The answer - a whole lot!

but to the extent of the injury recieved by eduardo... its not an every week occurance.. its career ending.. i doubt its happened to many premier league teams before