Source: Man_City
Gary Owen column
| Submit Comments| Comments (22)| Printable Version1/1Play SlideshowClose MapHere we go again ? another witch-hunt of a player who was doing his job without malice or intent to hurt. It drives me mad when people start jumping on these bandwagons, because Nigel de Jong?s tackle was not a bad one at all, and anyone who has played the game will know that. It is noticeable that Chris Hughton pointed out it was not a malicious tackle, and Newcastle?s assistant Colin Calderwood said he doesn?t want to see tackles like Nigel?s outlawed. If the two men in charge of Hatem Ben Arfa?s welfare can see that it was not a case of a player going out to do a fellow professional, why can?t the rest of football? Of course, he should have been sent off in the World Cup final, but that shouldn?t influence people?s views of every tackle he makes from that moment onwards. No-one wants to see a lad get a double fracture, as happened to Ben Arfa, and I am the first to want to outlaw bad challenges that are deliberate and threaten people?s careers. It was plain to me that Nigel?s challenge was hard but fair. He won the ball with his leading leg, and his momentum took his other leg into the opponent. It happens ? Ben Arfa was unlucky and my heart goes out to the lad. But the clamour in Holland is ridiculous, and for him to be dropped by Holland for simply doing his job is plain daft. Of course, Nigel?s problem now is that he is almost a marked man. Every match he plays this season, people will be scrutinising every tackle he makes. Too many referees are easily influenced by what they read in the papers, hear on the radio or see on the telly, and Nigel may suffer now because refs will be looking for him to do something. We will end up with defenders afraid to jump for fear of being pulled for an elbow, and midfielders red-carded for tackling ? and that?s not a game I want to see. What do you think? Have your say.| Submit Comments| Comments (22)| Printable VersionAdd A CommentEnter your comments:Sending
