da luck： When Arsene Wenger bemoaned the physical treatment that was dished out to his players I remember thinking (like many others I’m sure) that he should just give it a rest and accept that tackles are a part and parcel of the game and injuries can sometimes be an unfortunate consequence of this; however not being an Arsenal fan I wasn’t looking closely to the treatment his players were getting in any great detail. I have now realised what the French manager was on about and it is not because I have suddenly changed allegiance, or spent any great time focusing on the Red side of North London, but witnessing the treatment Gareth Bale gets on a weekly basis. The Tottenham winger finally got nailed good and proper and has subsequently been ruled him out to until pre-season at least.
da pinnacle： It has been a rollercoaster ride for Bale since his heroics in the Inter Milan tie and his life has changed beyond recognition. Off the pitch he receives high praise; however on it he has now become a marked man where he has at least two or three players following his every move. The clear message is to stop Bale and you stop Tottenham and the hatchet men out there are doing a fine job to injure one of the game’s brightest talents; they’ll tell you otherwise of course, but anyone who watches closely will tell you different. I think Gareth Bale has spent most of his time jumping over tackles than he has dribbling or crossing the ball and he has to learn quickly from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo on how to bypass these given that the Portuguese winger faced similar treatment week in, week out, when he was at United.
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I know a lot of you believe it is an overreaction perhaps and I should wake up to the fact it is a man’s game, but I know the difference between a hard wholehearted tackle and a dangerous one. Thierry Henry once commented that Ledley King was the best defender in England due to the fact he was the only player who could tackle him cleanly and didn’t have to take his legs to get the ball.
Gareth Bale has been kicked all over. A kick in his lower back against Everton that subsequently ruled him out for weeks prior to his recent return; challenges from behind and plenty of tackles similar to the one that finally took him out on White Hart Lane on Saturday have been a regular sight unfortunately in the past few weeks. It is a shame that the FA and football authorities can’t take retrospective action on these players for their reckless actions that have no place in the game.
I know people may sight that hard tackling has always been in the fabric of English football and while I accept that is true, you also have to take into account that things like pitches and the boots have changed therefore there isn’t any give in the pitch for players feet and their studs or blades tend to get caught in the turf therefore heightening the chance of injury, as we have seen so many times in the past few years with double leg breaks, dislocations and in some cases compound fractures (injuries that were few and far between in the old days). Players need to be protected by the powers that be, or otherwise as Fergie has suggested before certain players will be kicked out of the English game for good.
FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage Face in a baby Scan
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