Source: Daily_Mail
Andy Townsend's insight: Bert van Marwijk's a disgrace for dropping De Jong
It is a disgrace that Bert van Marwijk has dropped Nigel de Jong from the Holland squad.[LNB]There have been lots of tackles worse than De Jong's on Hatem Ben Arfa this season - his leading leg went straight for the ball. Momentum is what broke Ben Arfa's leg and that is unfortunate. It is the sort of challenge I have made a thousand times. [LNB]He could make that same challenge again all season and he wouldn't break anyone's leg. The referee didn't even stop the game.[LNB] Wild: Nigel De Jong flies in on Hatem Ben Arfa at Eastlands on Sunday[LNB]I feel sympathy for Ben Arfa, because he has made a good start forNewcastle and has influenced games. De Jong's tackle was afull-blooded, strong challenge. The ball was there to be won and hewasn't setting out to break a leg. [LNB]It shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as De Jong'stackle on Xabi Alonso or Karl Henry's on Jordi Gomez on Saturday. [LNB]We have to be careful that we don't deem every challenge 'reckless'when a player is stretching for the ball at speed. We don't say thesame when goalkeepers come out to claim the ball in front of a strikerand their momentum brings them down.[LNB]The tackle on Ben Arfa was like the Henry one which saw Bobby Zamora break his leg - there was not much wrong with it. [LNB][LNB]Controversy: Holland boss Bert van Marwijk dropped Nigel de Jong from this week's squad[LNB]People are condemning De Jong but they need their heads tested. He'sa committed player for City and Holland. He's there to be physical andcompetitive and he is brilliant at it. If we take his type of tacklingout of Premier League football, we won't have a product. Are we tryingto take tackling out of football?[LNB]De Jong is in the Dutch team to tackle - and Van Marwijk is mad todrop him and make an example of him in this way. I can only assumethere are other reasons we don't know about. If I was De Jong, I wouldrefuse to play for Holland again while he is in charge.[LNB]The kung-fu tackle De Jong made on Alonso in the World Cup final wasreckless and a disgrace. It seriously endangered Alonso and he only gotbooked. [LNB]So why was Van Marwijk not outraged enough by the challenge tosubstitute him straight away for going against the principles of thebeautiful Dutch game? And now all of a sudden he has found aconscience. Is he trying to protect his own reputation? [LNB]During the summer, Van Marwijk sent out a team to kick Spain off thepitch. He thought he would come home to an open-top bus ride afterSouth Africa but instead he came back to a load of criticism about histeam's physical approach. So now he's made De Jong a scapegoat.[LNB]And why is De Jong dropped and Mark van Bommel not? Van Bommel mademore cynical challenges in the World Cup than anyone else - and VanMarwijk didn't do anything about that. I hope it has nothing to do withhim being married to Van Marwijk's daughter.[LNB] Manchester City fume at Bert van Marwijk's use of Nigel de Jong as a 'scapegoat'Nigel de Jong must be banned for as long as Hatem Ben Arfa takes to recover from broken leg, insist angry NewcastleGraham Poll: Van Marwijk is a credit to football for axing reckless De JongI'll be back! Newcastle forward Ben Arfa vows to return after horror break [LNB]
