Did intent break Eduardo’s leg or was it money in the modern game?
No, there was no intent yesterday when Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor horrifically injured Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva, but there was a more subtle motivator behind the injury: money. Huh? Yes, money.Relegation is a death sentence to a club in a top flight league. It was not that way 20 years ago. But today, the gulf in finances between the top leagues and the lower divisions is a chasm. The pressure is intense for clubs like Birmingham, just once place outside the relegation zone, and it causes players to risk the bodies of the opposition in a quest for that little bit extra to bring in a result.
You may say that is the way it should be, that it makes the intense competition that is modern football but I disagree. Over and over again I see so many close calls that it’s amazing these types of injuries don’t happen every week.
Players just aren’t careful enough and although its anti-win-win to suggest you show a bit more caution on the pitch it’s what needs to happen. Week in and week out team sheets are littered with injuries. This can’t continue because modern football now sees a top club stacked with top players who hardly play, why? Because managers need the depth because they know their players will go down injured and need a ready replacement in that event. It’s a shame, because if you want to see more competitive football then have these players playing for 2nd and 3rd tier clubs instead of filling reserve sides for the top 4. Today what we have is overmatched sides struggling for a win and willing to take unwarranted risks to achieve a result.
Sports and opposition are one thing but just like cops need robbers, Arsenal needs Birmingham. And the Premier League needs them both. While it might not be what you want players on your club to do, pulling out of a challenge is what is best for football as a whole.
Labels: Arsenal, Birmingham
by Football Commentator at 2/24/2008 03:54:00 PM
15 Comments:
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mate you seriously do not know what you are talking about
you are just conjuring something to fill your allocated spot
the tackle was not malicious and things like this happen in all sports.
its a risk sportsmen and women pay by putting their bodies through such intense physically activity
Bandwagen and Jump spring to mind, you obviously have no idea about football or more so sport in general. Why don't you just take up flower arranging or stamp collecting? At least these two activities would be less dangerous for you, as your obviously at risk from RSI from you keyboard.
Pull out of a challenge, have you ever played the game! Taylor was done by pace nothing more, these things happen in football too much has been made out of it already, its happened now, we all feel for the injured lad but football has to go on so lets get over it.
>Sports and opposition are one thing >but just like cops need robbers, >Arsenal needs Birmingham. And the >Premier League needs them both.
Really?
That's now how I feel right now.
Let's bring on the Euro super league, cut the deadwood free, and let them starve. Gutless, talentless bastards.
No intent....are you serious???
Taylor said he didn't mean to. How stupid does he think we are???
What did Taylor aim for then....the ball? I don't think so.
Thugs like Taylor should be banned for LIFE!
Taylor came flying with into Eduardos leg with a stiff leg, studs first 8 inches above ground. His intentions were to stop Eduardo at all cost.
I'm so tired of the excuses.
"He's a nice guy, he isn't like that"
"There was no intent"
etc, etc etc
Unfortunately, there WAS malicious intent.
Did he intend to break Eduardo's leg?
I doubt it very much, but he DID intend to "get in his face", as the Alan Hanson's of this world are so keen to snigger about it, especially when it comes to Arsenal.
The FA, the refs and the media are culpable for creating this climate where these kind of "gritty" tackles are allowed in the EPL.
This is ONE of the REAL reasons why England will never achieve anything on the international football stage.
The tackle was malicious.
"Getting in his face" is malicious.
It might not have been as malicious as the result, but it was malicious, let's stop this whitewash right here, right now.
The media are culpable too.
And now we see the media trying to crucify another innocent foreign victim in an attempt to brush this under the carpet.
The papers are full of "Gallas' conduct was terrible", some idiot ex-spurs player, kelly, saying "Wengers comments were disgraceful".
We KNOW what they're trying to do!
All those idiots can shut up.
To connect it with money would seem to indicate that you don't see this type of tackle week in, week out on pub / sunday league pitches. Of course you do - I've witnessed one very similar, and know someone in the family who has been on the receiving end. It's about pace vs lack of ability.
As for malicious. Rubbish. It's pace, and he was beaten for it. Taylor has shown a complete reticence thus far for Birmingham to get stuck in and is often shrugged off by players half his size. His main failing as a defender is his complete lack of aggression. He's slow and clumsy (as you might expect from a 6ft fiver) and too nice. Arsenal - as radio 5 testified all match - push the ball slightly in front to invite the foul tackle and then whip it away at the last moment and go down. Taylor went in one foot raised and was rightfully sent off for making contact with studs showing.
The fact that it was 2 minutes into the game shows that
concentration wasn't fully there, he wasn't up to match speed - as unfortunately are most of the Birmingham defence for the opening 10 minutes. And I defy anyway not to pick out 4 or 5 similar tackles in every premier league match every week. Yes it's unfortunate when people's legs get broken, but so it is unfortunate when people get killed in car crashes and I don't seem massive (and more righteous) witch-hunts to get cars banned and taken off the road.
Er.....Taylor is our centre half not our accountant you t**t!.
"..bring on the Euro Super League".
Presumably so that you can avoid the gutless talentless bastards like Birmingham and Middlesbrough who've had the temerity not to roll over and let you hammer them into oblivion. I can see the attraction - just think, you'll be able to play those nice, sporting, gentle souls from Spain, Italy, Turkey etc against whom you've had such conspicuous success in the Champions League. Even better, there'll be even more Arsenal /Man U games - and we know what inspiring examples of all the best corinthian principles of sportsmanship and fair play those games have been over recent years.
Seriously, Arsenal fans, it was a bad, sad day and nothing went right for you. But demonising Martin Taylor, whose main sin is that of not being a very good player, does you and your club no credit. In particular it invites comparison with some of the less than saintly performances of your own players over the period of Mr Wenger's otherwise magnificent reign.
The only intent I have seen was Arsenal trying to kick out at man united and the bill boad at Saint Andrews
Thugs like Gallas should be banned for LIFE!
course Veger didnt see that did he
I Hope Eduardo makes a speedy recovery and graces the premier league soon
before the week end I would have liked Arsenal to have won the league but now roll on united
some ones description of Taylor - too slow, clumsy, not up to match speed, too nice and this is the best, he lacks AGGRESSION(WOW)! my question is what the hell is he doing playing football,as he seems to have no talent at all. thats weird!
ANYWAY! malicious? the tackle was malicious as far as intent to prove a point MAYBE not to injure (the only ones who know that r God and Taylor himself).
I remember once as a kid in holmleigh rd estates i threw a stone and i accidentily broke a window and my dad beat my backside. i did not mean to break the window but i sure meant to throw the stone (punishment was in order). the fact is that the wreckless tackle was not a mistake and the fact that his (Taylor)foot did not even slide down Eds leg lets u know that something is wrong! high, studs up and absolutely no give in his own leg so that means Eds leg had to give (get my point). Malicious or not something is wrong and should not be just washed over as another unlucky tackle as some of u would suggest!
God Bless!
LOOK PEOPLE! if Arsenal were as bad as u say there would be a record to show that. On a whole if these kind of tackles always happened then peoples legs would be brocken more often, SIMPLE!anyway Man U fans this is not even about u and trust me i have never seen anything as despicable as when Man U kicked Reyes off the field! Please do not try to throw dirt around as there would be enough to throw back at ur team. this is about the nasty tackle that has maybe ended a players career! thats what u should be discussing and stop being so selfish. 4get ur team and think anout the player(s) involved!
God Bless u still!
I didn't think there was malicious intent, but I do think it was a reckless challenge, and therefore I think Taylor should have been banned for more than 3 games (perhaps 6), because, intent or no, when reckless challenges produce horrific injuries, the culprit should be made to miss more than just 3 games.
Great article.visited your site for first time today,but i must say your write is of top notch and i will surely frequent your site.
I heard that Eduardo Da Silva was injured when playing soccer. I think soccer should be classified as an extreme sport even though most of the people consider ir harmless, it isn't.
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