From early February till the end of April the Carlsberg roadshow travels all over the British Isles to give football supporters a chance to meet the England players and give them a peptalk.
Bullocks To The EPL: Press Conference with Sir Alex, Mr. Moyes and Gaffa Rafa
Posted by
Walker
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Reporter D-Wreck comes up with another trilling interview success. Our busy Mexican reporter is currently looking for new employment after getting canned by his previous handlers.
You have to appreciate D-Wreck though in bring us the inside scoop on all things truthfully EPL. In this video interview D-Wreck raises the question of all things bullocks with the English league, starting with Sir Alex.
You have to appreciate D-Wreck though in bring us the inside scoop on all things truthfully EPL. In this video interview D-Wreck raises the question of all things bullocks with the English league, starting with Sir Alex.
Listen to BBC Radio 606 on match day and you'll hear plenty of nonsense, and if Alan Green's the host you might as well turn off the bullshit detectors as well 'cause you be setting those off all too frequently, but listen to it after an important Arsenal match at the Brittania Stadium in Stoke where a highly rated youngster, Welsh International Aaron Ramsey, gets his leg tomahawked into two pieces by a rash challenge from Stoke City defender Ryan Shawcross and you'd swear you were swimming in the hypocrisy.
"It were a fair challenge, Alan. 50/50. Shawcross had no malice. It was an accident. He's not a thug. Just look at his reaction. He was crying on his way off the pitch. It didn't even merit a red-card, Alan. It is deeply upsetting. Our regards to the injured player for his speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with him. But, let's not forget Ryan Shawcross in this either. He's young too and he deserves our thoughts as well. He doesn't have a malicious bone in his body."
It's hard to know really, because the broadcasters all decided not to replay the challenge as it was gut-wrenchingly bad they said, but the results were obvious. The ball is in play, kicked back to Ramsey who had been playing behind Fabregas all night as his outlet, Ramsey on the left runs to the ball and plants his foot, while Shawcross on the right swings his foot in late and follows through on what looks more like a goal kick than a standing tackle on the ball. The ball was past him obviously, but Shawcross came in swinging.
Play stopped immediately, players huddled around, the ref came over and waved hurriedly at the sideline for the emergency services to bring a stretcher and medical help. It looked bad at first glance, Ramsey doubled over into a heap, the camera panned over and I saw the leg dangling, I thought this one of the worst I'd seen; worse than the Eduardo Silva ankle injury of two years ago and certainly worse than the Abou Diaby injury of 2006. Why is that? It wasn't his ankle Ramsey had broken. It was his tibia, and it was high up on the leg, closer to the knee; a compound fracture obviously as the bone could obviously be seen pushing up on the sock. Shawcross had missed the ball completely. Make of that what you will.
Look, the sport is dangerous. I worked in a orthopedic clinic for years and saw plenty of football injuries in my time so it's a byproduct of the game. The Filipe Luis earlier in the month, where the Deportivo La Coruna fullback had his fibula broken by Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraisoz, that was an accident of the game, brought on by active and physical play by both players involved, but this is much more.
There's smoke here and nobody's listening to the warning signs. In fact, rather than blame a conspiracy of managers of lesser talented teams, who try to even the playing field against the talented Gunners by a systematic campaign of intimidation disguised as good, clean, physical, English football, you often hear the Arsenal blamed for their superiority, that they're easily rattled or naive in their play; a continental team trying to play their pretty football in a man's league.
Rubbish. I'm not going to blame Stoke City, nor even Shawcross who was inexplicably called up for a friendly after the match by Fabio Capello as a reward for his services to English Football, and not even referee Peter Walton really who had allowed the physical play by Stoke and the chippy Arsenal response up to that point.
No, the English FA need to finally come down hard on this. It's their fault for allowing it. Three horror injuries in five years, in similar situations, caused by a similar tackles, should be a clear warning flag. What are they waiting for? That the doctors decide it an impossible task to repair a broken leg and have to amputate?
"It were a fair challenge, Alan. 50/50. Shawcross had no malice. It was an accident. He's not a thug. Just look at his reaction. He was crying on his way off the pitch. It didn't even merit a red-card, Alan. It is deeply upsetting. Our regards to the injured player for his speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with him. But, let's not forget Ryan Shawcross in this either. He's young too and he deserves our thoughts as well. He doesn't have a malicious bone in his body."
It's hard to know really, because the broadcasters all decided not to replay the challenge as it was gut-wrenchingly bad they said, but the results were obvious. The ball is in play, kicked back to Ramsey who had been playing behind Fabregas all night as his outlet, Ramsey on the left runs to the ball and plants his foot, while Shawcross on the right swings his foot in late and follows through on what looks more like a goal kick than a standing tackle on the ball. The ball was past him obviously, but Shawcross came in swinging.
Play stopped immediately, players huddled around, the ref came over and waved hurriedly at the sideline for the emergency services to bring a stretcher and medical help. It looked bad at first glance, Ramsey doubled over into a heap, the camera panned over and I saw the leg dangling, I thought this one of the worst I'd seen; worse than the Eduardo Silva ankle injury of two years ago and certainly worse than the Abou Diaby injury of 2006. Why is that? It wasn't his ankle Ramsey had broken. It was his tibia, and it was high up on the leg, closer to the knee; a compound fracture obviously as the bone could obviously be seen pushing up on the sock. Shawcross had missed the ball completely. Make of that what you will.
Look, the sport is dangerous. I worked in a orthopedic clinic for years and saw plenty of football injuries in my time so it's a byproduct of the game. The Filipe Luis earlier in the month, where the Deportivo La Coruna fullback had his fibula broken by Bilbao keeper Gorka Iraisoz, that was an accident of the game, brought on by active and physical play by both players involved, but this is much more.
There's smoke here and nobody's listening to the warning signs. In fact, rather than blame a conspiracy of managers of lesser talented teams, who try to even the playing field against the talented Gunners by a systematic campaign of intimidation disguised as good, clean, physical, English football, you often hear the Arsenal blamed for their superiority, that they're easily rattled or naive in their play; a continental team trying to play their pretty football in a man's league.
Rubbish. I'm not going to blame Stoke City, nor even Shawcross who was inexplicably called up for a friendly after the match by Fabio Capello as a reward for his services to English Football, and not even referee Peter Walton really who had allowed the physical play by Stoke and the chippy Arsenal response up to that point.
No, the English FA need to finally come down hard on this. It's their fault for allowing it. Three horror injuries in five years, in similar situations, caused by a similar tackles, should be a clear warning flag. What are they waiting for? That the doctors decide it an impossible task to repair a broken leg and have to amputate?
this is only a test




