28 Feb 10 Photo suggests Ramsey damaged leg before Shawcross made contact | #AaronRamsey
The incident being talked about in football pages this morning is of what Arsene Wenger has called a “horror tackle’ on Aaron Ramsey.
Was it the tackle that broke his leg?
Without wanting to detract from the seriouslness of the injury, a little closer inspection might be necessary. A photo originally from the Telegraph shows a snap-shot of the incident and suggests that the injury was incurred as Ramsey planted his studs into the pitch and no doubt compounded as Shawcross hit him. The position of the ball shows Ramsey getting to the ball first. It means Shawcross was late, but in the context of the challenge it was a 50/50 challenge and Ramsey was early more than Shawcross was late. It might also suggest that this was after the tackle had taken place. If so it shows Shawcross pulling his leg out of the tackle.
Personally I feel for both players – particularly Ramsey. I don’t believe there was any malice or even clumsiness in the challenge, it was full-blooded from both players and either could have been injured, equally both could have walked away. As it is Ramsey was carried of and Shawcross walked off distraught.
And following lots of media witch hunting, I have come to the conclusion that the most dangerous aspect of this is Arsene Wenger who is cynically using this incident to push a completely different agenda.
Wenger is the self-appointed arbiter of football and refereeing standards. The media have fallen in love with him and sycophantically nod whenever ‘the professor’ opens his mouth, no matter what he says or how harmful it is and how bad for football it is.
There is some Wenger inspired media notion of ‘playing the right way’. But who decided this was the right way – I don’t remember getting a vote.
It should be noted that the game has always been physical with a high content of contact. It has been made less physical over recent years and it has not entirely benefitted the game. Wenger is very selective in his comments. He sees nothing that doesn’t fit with his view inteprets everything he admits to seeing in terms of what he wants it to be.
Wenger’s objective is to change the rules, refereeing and opponents to make sure football becomes something else. Personally I do not think this is playing the right way – it is just a crap TV show waiting to happen. Football is now in danger of becoming celebrity dancing on grass with Arsene Wenger in the the grumpy judge role.