HATCHET MAN: Villa boss O’Neill must try to help stamp out the two-footed tackle

20 January 2009 10:47
Foul play: Referee Mike Dean shows the red card for serious foul play to Ashley Young for his tackle on Dean Whitehead     More from Hatchet Man...   HATCHET MAN: Pulis is a fool if he thinks only foreign players are the fall guys 20/01/09   HATCHET MAN: Grow up, City: Kaka squabble is embarrassing 20/01/09   HATCHET MAN: Hammers chief Duxbury may live to regret Spurs jibe 20/01/09   Hatchet man: Bellamy could have earned a season ticket on Man City's bench 19/01/09   HATCHET MAN: Go on Steve, put glum Gareth out of his Middlesbrough misery 19/01/09   Hatchet man: Blundering Bent does not warrant the Nugent treatment from Redknapp 19/01/09   Hatchet man: Benitez milking his position as he tries to be the new Mourinho 19/01/09   HATCHET MAN: West Ham's Boa Morte shows his true colours by turning down Hull 16/01/09   VIEW FULL ARCHIVE   O’Neill and his Premier League counterparts probably need to start fining their coaches or intervene themselves to stop these sort of reckless tackles. They are as dangerous as they are prevalent but still players crowd around referees, furious that they are trying to clamp down on a technique which has become widespread. Middlesbrough did it when Didier Digard was dismissed last weekend and manager  Gareth Southgate even wanted the decision reviewed, but the midfielder’s challenge could have caused serious injury. The unforgiving responses of officials seems to have made little difference this season so managers need to speak out and O’Neill looks like the right man for the job.

Source: Daily_Mail